It is often the case that PR professionals work with clients who do not have particularly marketable attributes. These clients might not be seeking to sell anything of value; they may not have a particularly transformative or empowering message; or they may have a message worth sharing but it has come at the completely wrong time.
However, like the book turned movie, The Perfect Storm, a tale of how three separate storms converged in the Atlantic Ocean creating an extraordinarily powerful weather phenomenon, every now and then in the PR World we encounter a perfect storm. This perfect storm happens when the right client with the right message emerges at the right time.
An example of this could be the Uber storm that has swept the world, recently entering Thailand too. They sparked off the now growing presence of app-based car booking services, with a clear message offering a safe and affordable ride within a matter of minutes. Pair this with coming at the right time: the growing number of people in the world now using smart phones. In the local context, out of the ten million living in Bangkok, sixty per cent of them use smart phones and most are constantly looking for ways to save time, in style of course! The Executive Car option on Uber is an added bonus for Uber lovers. Uber is also in competition with the Malaysian-based GrabTaxi which also recently entered Thailand and are also doing pretty well. Utilising the fact that now most things are done on apps, their unique selling point, or message, is that they do not apply the per-minute charge when traffic jams hit, something we know plagues residents in Bangkok!
Another example of the right message coming at the right time would be Gary Miliefsky, CEO of SnoopWall, a cyber-security firm that specializes in keeping mobile devices safe.
It’s no secret that cyber crime news stories sell. Whether it’s retailers, banks or government agencies, it seems every time you turn around, someone is getting hacked.
Gary speaks intelligently and ably on the topic. So when news got out that someone with his cyber-security credentials was available, inquiries almost magically poured into the PR firm that represented him.
The period that followed became one of the busiest they had ever seen. His PR firm was able to land him seventeen television appearances, including twelve nationally in the United States and three nationally in Canada.
The folks at “Countdown to the Closing Bell” on the Fox Business Network liked him so much after his first appearance on that they invited him back four more times.
They were also able to snag him a coveted appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, the weekend edition.
The value of talk radio is understandably priceless thus forty-four radio interviews were arranged for him, including nine on nationally syndicated shows.
In print media, many publications and online sites included Gary and SnoopWall in their coverage of cyber-security issues. Newspapers and magazines mentioning his name included USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, Fortune and Business Week. The total potential readership topped 275 million people.
It was as if Gary had whipped up his own perfect media storm.
Why did his campaign do so well?
The right client, right message, right time formula certainly had something to do with it. But even such advantages cannot outshine themselves. There are some additional factors that must be understood for those who want to be successful:
Be prepared to grab the opportunities. The media want to grab hold a hold of your topic while it’s hot! If your area of expertise suddenly becomes newsworthy, and they want to speak to you, speak to them right away, not next Tuesday! Jump on opportunities to talk to he media. Make yourself available to an enormous number of media enquiries, even drive yourself to TV studios at the drop of a hat if you have to. Make the media’s schedule YOUR priority.
Be engaging when the moment arrives. This is especially important for TV and radio, but it won’t hurt with the print media either. You don’t have to be as entertaining as Jimmy Kimmel, but you also don’t want to be the cure for insomnia. Be yourself, but make sure it’s an engaging version of you. Never answer questions with a monotonous yes or no. Always seek to elaborate. If you cannot talk enthusiastically about what you are passionate about, why would you expect anyone else to listen?
Maximize your results. Take a visit to any successful person’s website or social media page and we guarantee you will see video clips of their many TV appearances. Understand how to use your PR and get the most use out it. Putting links on your website to your TV, radio or print coverage helps build credibility with customers and potential customers because it demonstrates that you have been a go-to person for the media.