Why a new product release really isn’t PR

I’ll never forget the time I took a PR person into a meeting with a client who manufactured power-washers, drain cleaners, hoses and related equipment. We talked about his business and then introduced our new person and started explaining what she did.

Our client stopped me in mid-sentence: “Oh, we already do PR.”

I have to admit, I was a little surprised. I wasn’t aware of another agency in the relationship. I felt a bit betrayed.

Then the client called in his secretary and had her bring the latest edition of an industry “bible”. He thumbed through to the back of the book and tossed it onto the table. The magazine was opened to a page that contained a small, one paragraph blurb about a new product they had introduced. The image was the cover of a brochure we had produced for them.

“There you go.” he said. “We sent in the picture and a couple of paragraphs along with the brochure and we got this.” He pointed to the blurb.

I looked at my new PR person and she had a look of horror on her face. As if I could read her mind, I saw her at her graduation ceremony, accepting her diploma, thinking she was going to work on changing the world. Now she was faced with the cold, hard reality that – at least for this client – PR consisted of single paragraph product announcements in the back of trade journals.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I’m constantly working with businesses to help them understand the fundamental differences between advertising and PR. Primary to that, especially for B2B marketers, is developing an appreciation for what PR can really do for them.

First rule of thumb: PR is NOT just product or new literature announcements in the industry trades.

Jim Schakenbach, the president of SCT Group, has provided a succinct explanation of the differences between the two disciplines that warrants a closer look. But let me expand on things so B2B and industrial marketers can start to understand (and appreciate) why PR is important to their business’s future:

1.) PR is strategic by its very nature – this means you have to have a complete understanding of what’s important to your customer and the media in order to make it work. The homework required to create an effective PR program can yield incredible dividends when re-deployed through other sales and marketing channels.

2.) Advertising and PR work together – especially in the B2B world. Advertising assures share of voice. It gets you noticed. It makes your message worth paying attention to – not just by customers but by the journalists who read the trades as well. If you don’t advertise, your PR efforts will have a harder time taking root. If your name and brand are more easily recalled (through advertising frequency and creativity of message), you’ll find journalists to be more favorably inclined to take your calls, read your e-mails, etc.

3.) Product and literature releases are important – but they’re not the “end all” when it comes to press coverage. That rule also holds true for new employee announcements, retirements, management changes, etc. All of that communication is good – and it needs to be handled effectively. But any PR firm that is worth its salt will help set that up and run those announcements on “auto pilot” focusing, instead, on the news that really matters.

4.) PR does not stand for “Party Resources” Trade shows, employee parties, customer appreciation events, etc. are all important PR tactics – but if you’re only contact with a PR team is to help plan and orchestrate your special events, you’re missing out.

The challenge for most B2B marketers when it comes to dealing with PR people, however, is in the quality of the relationship. PR people are trained to ask “why” and that can get to be a bit grating on busy people who are often as engaged in new product development, finance and direct sales functions as well as marketing.

Just a word of caution – take your time and work patiently for understanding. You’ll find PR people to be tremendous counselors and advocates for your brand over the long haul. But since many of them are trained as journalists first, they come with an ingrained skepticism that can be misinterpreted on the corporate side. That skeptical objectivity, however, can definitely work to your advantage when dealing with an inquisitive press who view it as their job to find the “truth” in every story.

And once you’ve been able to find a way to connect with the journalists who cover your industry, you’ll find your importance to the media has risen far above a new product announcement.

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