The "R" in PR

By Randy Escamilla, APR

The PRSA-San Antonio chapter summer networking mixers are enjoying strong support among members and future members. The Association for Women in Communications chapter along with PRSA co-sponsored the event.

An estimated 60 people attended the July 12 event at Azuca Restaurant and Cantina in San Antonio's South Town.  Roughly half of the attendees are potential PRSA members.

While the mixer is for professionals, PRSA keeps it relaxed which contributes to the event's success. Also, the co-sponsors did a great job of communicating the message and reaching out. "I received the email notification and subsequent reminder about the PRSA networking mixer and was compelled to attend by the casual premise," wrote Hart-Boillot Account Director Andrea Dunbeck.

Future member Uche Ogba from BethanyEast PR enjoyed getting to know people and engaging with other public relations practitioners. He and his wife learned about the mixer through a post on LinkedIn. "I see myself getting more involved in the PRSA-San Antonio chapter. The mixer gave me the opportunity to meet interesting people, exchange contact information, and build lasting relationships."

The payoff in a new job or big contract may or may not occur later on but no one endured hard sales or membership pitches. The PRSA networking mixer focuses on relationship-building and puts the R in public relations.

"The PRSA mixer provided a forum to introduce those folks I know well to each other, hopefully expanding their communities. As I headed home for the evening, I felt rejuvenated by my growing personal community-a truly successful networking event," Dunbeck said.

For more information about public relations visit PRSA-San Antonio.

Randy Escamilla, APR, is on the board for PRSA San Antonio. 

The Power of Free Tools

The soft economy the last few years have made free tools more important than ever for public relations practitioners who are trying to stretch their budgets.  Three speakers at the April Professional Development Luncheon demonstrated the power of free tools and explained how to do more with less. 

Debi Pfitzenmaier, blogger and chief bottle washer at Pfitz PR, looked at tools in several categories, including some for organization, online business and PR and some photo tools, too.   

You can see her presentation here.   

       

In true social media fashion, Pfitzenmaier curated an online list of favorites from the assembled group.  Review and bookmark the list from here.  

Ronee Andersen, reference librarian, gave a live demo to the group on using some of the free databases at the San Antonio Public Library.  Two are worth noting.  

Business Decision is a consumer market database which offers users competitive intelligence, including something called tapestry segmentation, which is similar to developing buyer personas.  

Reference USA is another market research tool which can reveal competitors’ strength, credit ratings, home ownership, home building trends and more for zip codes in Bexar County.

“The old days of having to visit a library are gone,” says Anderson. “You can visit the library from the comfort of your home.”  Both databases are available to all San Antonio Public Library cardholders.   

The library also offers a Jobs and Small Business Center, according to Beth Graham, public relations manager for the San Antonio Public Library. 

When the Trouble Shooters Come Calling!

March’s luncheon presentation featured WOAI TV’s Trouble Shooter team Brian Collister on “Trouble Shooting Your PR Approach.” Collister has been an investigative reporter for WOAI for years and has fine-tuned his advice to public relations practitioners on the do’s and don’t’s of working with a reporter on the investigative side of the news house.

Here are his top five tips.

1. Don’t try to defend the indefensible. If your company has made a mistake, admit it. But first, he also suggested you pay attention to the next four tips.
2. Do NOT downplay the dollar amount. Particularly in the public sphere and especially in this economy.
3. DO prepare your interview subject. That’s your job as the PR person and Collister expects that when he requests an interview. Surprisingly, though, Collister’s experience shows that far too many of his interview subjects are ill prepared.
4. Seek forgiveness from the beginning and the process will be so much smoother for all involved.
5. Poor Public Relations strategies are obvious to all. Think through your objectives and their consequences and remember that in the public eye, perception is reality.

Collister used two key analogies during his presentation that really sum up the way investigative reporters think.

The first was the analogy of three doors. If two doors are open to him and one is closed, he will always attempt to take the closed door. If you're in PR, you want to make sure your door to reporters is at least ajar!

He also used the analogy of ripping off an old bandage. It's far less painless if you do it quickly, than slowly. In other words, for PR people, get on the issue and resolve it fast.

Here's a short video from Brian Collister with tips on working with investigative reporters.

Nora Frost's Top Ten List

At Last Thursday's PRSA February Luncheon, comedian and PR professional Nora Frost shared her take on the top ten list. Here it is for you to enjoy.

Top Ten Signs You're in PR

10. You enjoy yelling, "IT'S IN THE PRESS RELEASE! READ THE PRESS RELEASE!" internally... several times a day.

9. Well... what does the client want no. 9 to say?

8. You are very loyal to your job... pretty much because you can't get one anywhere else.

7. You start a fantasy press conference league.

6. Your family still doesn't understand what you do.

5. You still don't understand what you do.

4. You'd be more of a people person if you didn't have to relate to them so much.

3. You've told a journalist, "Eh... ethics is for politicians."

2. One man's tchotchke is another man's door prize.

1. You used to be a journalist.

What's in your top ten list?

Nora Frost is the principal of Dos Culturas, a bilingual, multicultural public relations firm. She has often been seen doing stand-up comedy in San Antonio, too. She can be reached at nora@dosculturas.com.

Why PR Practitioners Should Care About Content Marketing

Michael Pranikoff, global director of emerging media at PR Newswire was the featured speaker at the PRSA Luncheon and Professional Development seminar in October. His luncheon presentation addressed the alignment of PR and Social Media because they both focus on storytelling. His focus on content marketing came from this statistic: 27 million pieces of content are shared daily. Here’s a brief video interview with Michael. You can follow him on Twitter or see some of his many presentations on Slide Share.

Learning Opportunities for Non-Profits

San Antonio-area nonprofit organizations have three new opportunities to develop expertise in public relations, planning, social media policy and social media practices at three upcoming events.

Gift of Guidance
This is the annual counseling program sponsored by the PRSA San Antonio Chapter. Nonprofits without the benefit of public relations counsel – either staff or agency – can apply to be the recipients of a tabletop planning sessions sponsored by the San Antonio chapter. The counseling session happens during the chapter’s December professional development luncheon, but chapters must apply by Nov. 5. Fill out the application online.

ActionCamp SA
On October 29, ActionCamp SA kicks off at the UTSA Downtown campus. Designed in the “unconference” tradition, “campers” will get the benefit of the expertise of the organizers on the day of the conference, as well as breakfast, lunch and a lunchtime keynote speaker. The registration is being held at $25 because of recent sponsor additions. Event will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Register here.

SmoochSA
SmoochSA (or Social Media Opportunities for Charities) is a quarterly workshop series designed to help nonprofits break through the barriers of accepting new technologies into their organization. The next workshop will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health. The topic will be adopting social media policy. This event is free and runs from 9 – 11 a.m., with a Continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Watch for registration to open in early November here.

And the Winner Is….Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City School District

Last in the series on Award Winning Programs from the 2010 PRSA Del Oro Awards
Award Recipient of a La Plata Award of Merit in the Category: Crisis Communications

When swine flu hit the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District in April 2009, they had no idea how large the public health matter would become over the course of two weeks. When the Health Department ordered a school to be closed indefinitely, followed by the entire school district, the communications team had to move into crisis mode. The crisis communication plan for these events was fluid and challenged repeatedly due to the changing circumstances. With the help of social and traditional media, the school district was able to relay timely and accurate information to its target audiences.
“I actually had no idea a crisis like the Swine Flu would explode into such a large scale,” said Rebecca Villareal, Communications Officer. “I truly became my superintendent’s press agent for those two weeks. When NPR called to interview her, she was so excited. I think for both of us it was one of those experiences we never imagined we would experience in our careers.”

Public relations in school districts is by no means uneventful, but Villareal reported that this crisis was the extreme. “We had swarms of media - day and night. I mean 24/7. I had the early morning guys calling me at 1:30 a.m. and wanting interviews between 3 and 5 a.m. I did not even know the media was out on the street at that time,” she said. “I am just glad they were okay with call-in interviews for those.”

Villareal reports that the organizations had some key learnings after the crisis, which resulted in strategic changes. The district purchased a Content Management System (CMS) for the website for quicker updates. The Tumblr blogging platform is now used to post cancellations and schedule changes and is linked to the Twitter account for instant updates. As well, electronic marquees that can be managed from one remote site were installed at all district facilities.

Randy Escamilla, APR, is a member of the PRSA San Antonio board and Director of Communications for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

And the Winner is….PayDay Plus! Paycheck Stuffers Done Right

Next in a Series on Award Winning Programs from the 2010 PRSA Del Oro Awards
Award Recipient of an El Bronce Award of Excellence

Can the humble paycheck stuffer be an award-winning communications tool? Absolutely. Case in point is CPS Energy’s Payday Plus. The one-sheet publication received an El Bronce award of excellence at PRSA’s Del Oro competition in May.

The local utility company produces the internal newsletter twice a month and mails it to employees’ homes along with their pay statements. Home delivery is one of the keys to success, says Scott Wudel, the publication’s editor. He explains that while the company maintains many electronic communication outlets, the printed newsletter is the most convenient way for employees who work in the field and their families to receive information.

Along the same lines, Wudell stresses that the newsletter’s content must be valuable and relevant to its approximately 3,600 readers. As the website and intranet editor at CPS, Wudel receives news tips from across the organization. He filters them from the vantage point of the employee and crafts short digestible articles that are useful and interesting to readers. Typical Payday Plus stories focus on health benefits, rebates, personnel changes, volunteer and family events and hot topics in the company.

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of good graphic design for a routine, internal publication. Payday Plus avoids this pitfall and entices its readers with fresh, full-color layouts that mix the right amounts of white space, images and text. The company’s in-house graphic artist Barbara Burris is responsible for the look of the newsletters.

Employees appreciate CPS’ efforts to keep them informed, and the newsletter has proven a valuable tactic for aligning a diverse workforce.

By Abbey Forney, PRSA board member and Communications Director at Urology San Antonio

And the winner is…Bromley Communications for “¡Sí! Western Union Helps Make Dreams Come True”

Next in a Series on Award Winning Programs from the 2010 PRSA Del Oro Awards
Award Recipient of La Plata Award of Excellence – Marketing Consumer Services
Award Recipient of La Plata Award of Excellence – Multicultural Communications Campaign


Public relations professional Deborah Charnes of Bromley Communications is a well known name in the Del Oro circle. Every year, she’s the first to submit her entries, which arrive long before the competition’s deadlines. And, her entries always win the coveted Award of Excellence.

This year, her “¡Sí! Western Union Helps Make Dreams Come True” campaign was the competition’s highest scoring entry with 98.5 out of 100 possible points.

How does she do it?

“You can have stellar execution, but if there are no quantifiable results to meet or surpass the communications objectives, then you’ve missed the mark,” says Charnes.

For more than 12 years, Bromley communicators have worked with Western Union to produce a number of extremely successful campaigns.

As the 2009 banking and real estate collapse was top of mind among consumers in the U.S. and abroad, Western Union set out to depict the tremendous power and impact money transfers have in the lives of people around the world. In collaboration with Bromley, the global money transfer giant partnered with a popular Hispanic TV personality, Ana Maria Canseco, to tour the country and capture human interest Western Union testimonials, reality-style.

Across six cities, in six weekends, brand ambassadors completed 800 consumer intercepts and Canseco conducted 33 media interviews, which generated 59.41 million impressions via 707 placements.

In NYC alone, Bromley and Canseco conducted 10 interviews in one half-day period, generating 30 placements. The agency obtained 22 video testimonials, 11 Mother’s Day testimonials and 165 contest entries in the Bronx and Queens.

In Los Angeles, Bromley and Canseco completed nine interviews in one half-day session, resulting in more than 40 placements. In addition, it recorded 14 consumer stories at retail venues, part of the campaign’s objectives.

“Western Union has very unique needs which make for more challenging campaign development. At the same time, the company understands that PR is not just about publicity,” says Charnes. “We have to connect with the consumer, in and around where the consumer interacts, and in a manner that is relevant and appropriate to the consumer.”

The next time you evaluate your Del Oro entry, ask yourself if your write-up includes results that show you met your goals. If so, you probably have a winner. After all, the proof is in the pudding.

By Christi Fish, a PRSA San Antonio Board Member and a Public Affairs Specialist at The University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio Corporate and Community Leaders Elevate Public Relations

Jaime Castillo, Office of the Mayor talks as(pictured left to right), Mike Bennett of the American Red Cross, and Dan Decker, SeaWorld San Antonio look on during in a social media discussion at the PRSA-San Antonio August luncheon at the Bright Shawl.

· SeaWorld San Antonio saved $2.6 in advertising costs when it opened

its 100-foot tall Journey To Atlantis rollercoaster several years ago.

· The American Red Cross raised $38 million dollars in donations by using a text

message campaign to help the Haitian earthquake victims.

· The Mayor of San Antonio invites a video blogger from the San Antonio Express-News

and documents his first day in office.

These three examples are indicative of the major shift social media is leveraging among San Antonio’s corporations, non-profits and government.

At the August PRSA luncheon titled, “Empowering Communicators,” Jaime Castillo, Senior Policy Analyst for Mayor Julian Castro, Dan Decker, SeaWorld of San Antonio President, and Mike Bennett, American Red Cross, San Antonio Chapter, CEO, discussed how social media tactics are crucial to their organizational success.

SeaWorld’s Decker said his bottom line is to sell more tickets. SeaWorld’s communications team is using Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare and bringing in more people. Castillo says the Mayor’s Facebook page , with 4400 friends, is an integral part of their public relations tactics. “We know reporters are monitoring it,” he said.

“Exposure is good but what we want is a move to action. We get that when people send in checks to help or call in to volunteer,” said Bennett of the American Red Cross.

Randy Escamilla serves as Vice President of Public Relations for the San Antonio PRSA Chapter. He is the new Director of Communications for the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. You can reach randy by email at randye@sahcc.org.