Entrepreneur Features My Blagojevich PR Stunt

Nearly a week after closing arguments in former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial, the jury is still out on whether he is bound for the slammer, a reality TV show, or somewhere in between.

But Entrepreneur.com, at least, has weighed in with a verdict on a Blago-inspired PR stunt that Inside Edge PR concocted for a hair salon client, Charo's Hair Design and Day Spa of Elmwood Park, Ill.

The stunt, chronicled previously in this blog, came on the heels of Blago's arrest some 20 months ago.

In a piece that appeared online Tuesday, freelance writer Geoff Williams deemed the stunt to be a flop, though he did note some up-side as well. He also covered nine other PR stunts and teased out lessons from each, making it relevant material for anyone in the public relations and marketing fields.

I really don't mind the "flop" characterization.

As Williams rightly notes, "Blagojevich didn't take the salon up on the offer; he likely didn't see much of an upside to accepting. A smattering of local outlets reported on the gimmick, but the stunt went nowhere."

On the positive side, Williams wrote, "It's good practice to invent marketing stunts that won't cost you much if they don't go anywhere. Baron doesn't think Charo got a lot of business from the stunt, but she didn't lose any time or money, either. Try to avoid a marketing stunt that, if it fails, could cost you a lot of time and money that you can't afford to lose."

And here in August 2010, the hairy hijinks did get some more national publicity, with links to both the Inside Edge PR website and that of Charo's Hair Design.

How fortuitous, too, that it comes at a time when Blago is very much on the collective public's mind. Who knows? Maybe he will still take up Charo on her offer, which is good through January 2011.

If so, you can be sure that I'll appeal to Entrepreneur.com to alter its "flop" verdict.

Publicists Must Anticipate, Address Conflict

I just read an engaging piece ("The Redundant Journalist Guide to PR: Things To Be Considered Before Jumping Careers") by journalist-turned-publicist Craig McGill.

In a humorous, been there-done that address to journalists considering a move to PR, McGill makes plenty of on-target points. As someone who has made the transition, however, I have to differ with at least one of his five key messages:

"You write press releases, not the story."

In that section, McGill writes, "If you do get a topic or issue that you can sink your teeth into, remember you aren't looking to give all sides. You aren't writing the row (Matt's note: "row'" is Brit-speak for "conflict"), just your client's side of it."

In my experience, writing a release that is limited in scope (confined to the client's perspective, for example) simply limits its potential to spark interest from credible media.

With the media more short-staffed than ever, it's vital for publicists to offer written content that not only anticipates the conflict inherent in a story, but offers rock-solid facts (statistics, maybe even contrary viewpoints) that make it all the more tempting for the media to say "yes" to coverage.

Here's one example from a news release I recently developed for Scheck & Siress.

Rather than simply tell the story about what the company is doing to help care for children who have plagiocephaly (flat-head syndrome), I expanded the release to include fuller context and conflict--in this case, with the successful "Back to Sleep" campaign that has drastically reduced Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

So far, five media outlets have expressed interest in the story, including two that have published it.

PR Resolution: Give Media Plenty of Lead Time

If it's January 2, then that must mean it's time to start seriously brainstorming some Valentine's Day story suggestions.

Though the romantic holiday may seem way off on the horizon--a full 43 days away--a recent story in Pioneer Press newspapers reaffirms that it's never too soon to start planting story seeds with the media. In late October, I sent a news release to print and television media about the fitness transformation of Wayne Arner (pictured, with son Tommy).

Arner is a member of Five Seasons Sports Club in Northbrook, a client of Inside Edge PR for the past two years.

At the time, I was trying to be as timely as possible, in the wake of Arner's competing in a national triathlon championship. You can read about him, and my initial PR approach, in this Inside Edge blog post on Oct. 27, 2008.

Of course, Arner's dramatic weight-loss is a timeless story--and is especially timely as an inspirational and educational New Year's Resolution piece. And that's just what Pioneer Press staff writer Mary Graham did in a recent story bearing the headline "Man of Resolution."

Graham also wrote a sidebar to the Arner profile that included input from Drew Surinsky, who has trained members at Five Seasons Sports Club, as well as Marie Pearson, the club's group fitness director.

A remarkably versatile trainer in her own right, Pearson is the one who first tipped me off to Arner's story and offers important tips for anyone seeking better fitness.