GFR had a first happen today! We had our very first Emmy-award winner on our show. David Henderson, a veteran communications strategist, author, online publisher, and Emmy Award winning former on-air CBS Network News correspondent, has extensive credentials in the field of organizational leadership through communications, image and reputation management, and media outreach–including today’s online digital revolution. In his new book, The Media Savvy Leader, David discusses how the landscape has changed and why it’s more important than ever for executives to be able to articulate their company’s vision and get that message out in an authentic way. He also says that they should invest time to develop trusted media contacts so that when they have a good story to tell related to their company, they can reach out to those contacts. As for social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc), David said that executives need to get involved and learn about the new online trends. Because if you aren’t talking about your brand, rest assured other people probably are and they may not be saying what you want them to say.
Next up we were joined in person by LA Campbell, a Public Relations Consultant in Atlanta. For 13 years, Lalohni “LA” Campbell has developed award-winning marketing and PR campaigns for clients ranging from Fortune 500 consumer goods and services, to manufacturing and technology start-ups. Because of what she referred to as the “democratization of storytelling,” companies need to look at PR in an entirely different way. It is no longer effective to simply put out a press release talking about your company. As David said earlier, journalists are busy people and a press release is generally a waste of their time. In fact, many press releases end up in “spam” folders. LA said that while she still uses press releases occasionally, she would rather see companies adopt a more strategic approach to public relations. She said that PR must come from the top and be communicated to the entire organization. And, if a company uses a PR firm, then it is important to involve them in more granular communications rather than having them come in and simply try to manage a message that’s already been delivered. That way, they can be more proactive instead of reactive.
Both LA and David agreed that the biggest PR blunder of the century was the top auto execs flying in on private planes to ask for a bailout from the American taxpayers. That incident really underscored the importance of executives being more aware of how they and their companies are perceived by the public.
Thanks to David and LA for joining us! This was an awesome show so download the podcast and listen when you get a chance. Have a stellar week and we’ll see you next Tuesday!
