HOW TO GENERATE PUBLICITY: A STRATEGY FOR REACHING DECISION MAKERS

In the current climate of communications clutter, a company's quest to have its "story" register with its various constituencies has become more challenging than ever. And this applies particularly to design/construction firms.

The key reason for this communications challenge is an onslaught of media — TV, newspapers, magazines, trade publications, e-mail, online publications, faxes, etc — thatchallenge the time and attention span of decision makers.

How, then, to best influence and cultivate this high-caliber audience?

By employing a comprehensive public relations program,which includes but is not limited to publicity. This strategy translates into using advertising,direct mail, newsletters and special events, plus publicity.

This concentricity of communications is the best strategy for conveying your company's capabilities and creativity to decision makers because, when well-executed, each communications mode overlaps and reinforces the other.

Why spend money on advertising and other corporate and marketing communications if you have a good publicity program?

Because you will never have the control over publicity that you can be assured of in these other types of communications. Conversely, why then spend time and money on a publicity program?

Because publicity provides the unique quality of credibility that can only be derived from third-person reportage of your company's deeds in reputable publications or broadcast media.

"There is no doubt in my mind that a mix of media and abroad array of communications vehicles provide the best wayto build a corporate brand," said Richard H. Davis, director ofmarketing of Kajima Construction Services and a former account supervisor earlier in his career at the worldwide advertising agency Young & Rubicam. Davis believes that PR is now usually more cost-effective than advertising — especially for professional service firms. Publicity is a particularly effective tool that helps to establish clients asindustry authorities and enables additional leverage via the merchandising of reprints, Davis said.

How does a design/construction firm generate publicity?

The answer depends on whether the company or professional service firm in question is big or relatively small and unknown. Generally, big companies develop, design or build big projects that are of genuine, hard news value. But, in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, there are a lot of big real estate companies doing projects of significant scope, which means that there is always competition for media time and space, which is why your program should include advertising and/or direct mail.

Assuming that two stories are of equal importance, often the deciding factor is based on how well known the company's principals or its public relations representative are to the news media. Thus, establishing relationships with the working press is mandatory for achieving the best publicity results. This entails being available to news people ina timely manner when they call and frequently serving as an educational as well as informational source to help a reporter better understand matters of public policy and/orfinancial mechanics that bear on a development.

Smaller companies must bemore innovative to attain mediavisibility.

Their principals can start building a reputation by speaking to industry groups, linking their remarks to innovative concepts. Where they usually fall short, however, is in taking these ideas to a broader audience via publicity (a technique unto itself).

Arrest Them

They also can generate media visibility by finding an unusual feature in a small project that has broad significance. Also, they are well advised to develop arresting, regularly published newsletters that provide a visual and editorial platform from which to articulate their ideas and capabilities — not only tocore constituencies but also to the media.

"Whether a company is big or small, one thing is certain:for a corporate or marketing communications program to besuccessful, it must be consistent and proactive," said WilliamA. Feathers, a veteran marketing consultant to thedesign/construction industry.

Branding 101

The foundation upon which all corporate and marketing communications should be built starts initially with the branding process — the point at which a firm strategically formulates how it wishes to be known. The name and graphicsthat prevail on its letterhead and website and how employees comport themselves in business and social situations all figure into how the company is perceived. Some elements arehighly obvious, such as the way a firm's telephone isanswered. Other facets are more subtle.

Ultimately, a firm's deeds, policies and communications are its branding irons.

In the wake of the Enron, Arthur Anderson and WorldCom debacles, reputation and the manner in which a company does business is more important now than at any time in the past 50 years. And how well a firm merchandises its reputation, creativity and capabilities directly affects its marketing success.

How to Get Noticed

A pro-active publicity program is built on an imaginative series of corporate announcements, commentaries and special events that do not exclusively rely on the start of a new project as the launching platform. They include:

• Feature articles that are of interest to your constituencies.


• Arranging for a company spokesperson to speak before a business, trade or public policy forum.
• Conducting surveys on timely subjects or
  issues and making results known to media and
  decision-makers.
• Writing op-ed pieces.
• Writing by-lined articles for trade journals.
• Sponsoring creative special events that mark a corporate milestone or a new project.
• Appearing on talk shows dedicated to public policy or business issues.

Originally printed in California Construction Link.