The Bailey Blog

Bloomberg News recently reported that Ford and Chrysler chopped their ad buys and expenses by more than 30 percent in the first quarter while GM and Toyota spent MORE as the industry continued to dirt nap.

As Austin Powers may say "But…what does it all MEAN, Basil?"

Which approach is "right?"

The root of what is right is an integrated approach that doesn’t necessarily overdue one element of communications over another. Think of the approach as to what tools you may carry in a tool chest. Certain jobs need a hammer, others no more than a glue gun.

And, as a shameless plug for PR agencies, if you don’t know what to do - the best tool your box is the phone number of a good fix-it-man….an agency to counsel and guide you. Not even to be hired to DO the work, but at least hired to point in the right direction.

Oh, that was quite shameless…but I’m ok with that.

For the longest time, the flawed mentality was "buy some ads, sell something."

Well, ads certainly help with brand awareness. But what do you do when you flip through the magazines? Or the pop up hits that website you need or are reading? You stop for a second and move on to what you really want. Sometimes that second is all you need.

But, if you want to get people talking about you, and more importantly, believing in what you are, you need to hit them with key messages in a variety of mediums that matter to them. That’s a media relations effort; that’s a spokesperson that’s a face to the company and product (a credible face obviously is key - one that knows the product and the audience); and, yes, some targeted ad buys where your specific wish-list audience is and what they are reading, viewing, using to get their info.

And, your employees better believe in what you are doing as well. They are your greatest ambassadors and sales people. The greatest backyard conversation between neighbors is when an employee of a company can say over the fence or at a bbq - "this is what we do..this is what ‘it’s’ all about" in referencing the communications outreach of his/her company…and the messages are the same. Be sure to put some budget aside to educate the workforce on what your are, your goals and the keys to your products.

You’re in this together, people.

Here’s the simple rule - kinda like McCartney sang the sappy ballads and Lennon did the acidic rockers - when it comes to advertising and PR: let each play to their strengths.

Advertising
Shapes an image of a product or company through paid spots which are controlled (hence paid for) by the company; you buy the space, you say what you want with whatever visual/text you feel is appropriate to say "This is the brand." You’ll never see a Dodge ad or vehicle in pink, for example. That brand tries to highlight it’s performance and "bold" nature. Red is its color. Richard Simmons won’t be a spokesperson for the brand. If he is, those guys at Chrysler have bigger issues than Nardelli’s supposed bad back that strategically keeps him from attending major media events.

PR
Third-party credibility is gained by a journalist writing ABOUT your product or company. The credibility is based in the fact that you have no control as to what that media outlet might say about you. But if it’s good because your messages were bullet proof? You get a free ad that would have cost you three or four times that if you tried to purchase an ad of equal space in the publication or outlet. You get a story in the Wall Street Journal or USA Today that’s positive and is x amount of column inches long? BAM! Now go upstairs to the CEO and tell him/her you want $$ to buy the same amount of space in one those? Prepare to get the ol’ parent speech that starts with "What….am I MADE outta money,here?"

The power of ads vs. PR
Major studios pay for previews and ads for movies to make everything look like something you should see. Result: you are smitten and now curious.

Then, you read the review in the daily paper that a reporter wrote giving the same flick one half star out of 18 and you blow that movie off for another. Doesn’t matter if you like the reviewer, but it makes you think twice as to where you are going put hard earned cash for it and your Raisinets.

So, again then, which approach is "right?"

Being "out there" when times are tough is vital. When a consumer is limiting choices as to what services or products they are going to buy/"need," the messages they hear clearly through the clutter are the ones that regularly touch THEM.

But, the key is developing a strategy that takes the budget available and maximizes it with more than just the same-ol-same-ol elements.

PR is the duct tape that can cost-effectively complement any tool in the box.