Since the NATA PR SCHOOL adventure began, I’ve been thinking about the public relations profession. I’ve already covered the relations part of “public relations,” because it's really the most important word in everything we do, even as the internet—in addition to the diversity of the markets we deal in—has expanded our horizons and multiplied the number of our contacts, which is constantly growing.
Before influencer was a job description, when we were hosting new product launches to the media and so on, we were happy if a dozen journalists from a key sector showed up, but today you have to have 30 or 40 influencers. We sometimes arrange two types of events: one for journalists and another for influencers. My partner has worked with an agency specialized in experiential marketing, where more than 70 influencers confirmed their attendance at an event held for a well-known hockey player.
What I still like so much about everything we’re doing today is the fact that the rules from before the advent of the internet that apply to journalists still exist, and that we’re still just as free to exercise our creativity in product presentations and product launches to get our influencer friends interested. Journalists want to know the facts, the basis, the ingredients, and the brand’s history. Influencers want to have an experience – to find themselves in different places where the product is in context, where they can test the product while sharing the experience with their fans, in stories, on TikTok, and so on. The “I was there” aspect is often what gets influencers involved.
However, the watchword is still relations, which for me goes even further when we add connection to it. I explain to my students and my employees that we’re lucky to be able to connect with journalists from all around North America, and now in Europe where we work with some of our clients. We’re broadening our connections every day, and all it takes is a meeting, a coffee or a one-on-one product launch with a journalist for the communication to last, and then continue virtually through our online connections, e-mails and mailings.
Even today, there’s no substitute for meeting face to face. We’re human beings, and connection is the reason we’ve evolved and survived. It’s still so vital today to making progress and preserving our mental health. Connection is a vast subject. I’m sure I’ll come back to it in future podcasts. I want to stop here by sharing a quotation from Cathy Englebert, Commissioner of the WNBA (Women’s Basketball Association):
“No matter what technology and shiny new tools we use in our business, we should always come back to relationships.”
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