PR Technique - Jan08

Back to basics, back to winning

Why Jack Nicklaus can teach PR practitioners more than a thing or two about success.

During a recent session with my golf instructor he told me that at the beginning of every year the great Jack Nicklaus would start the new season as if he were a complete beginner. Reviewing fundamentals each year provided a solid foundation for success in the coming year. In short, because he had the basics in order he had confidence in his game and went on to become arguably the greatest golfer of all time.

Could such an approach be applicable to media or even public relations and if so what are the basics that we should be looking at?  I am not suggesting that we should say to each client at the start of a new year ‘let's start the programme again' but it might be worth reviewing its foundations along the following lines.

Do we have accurate lists of all the journalists and publications relevant to our client's business?  Do we have a schedule of all the planned feature articles for our sector? Are biographies and photographs current? Could background documents be updated or written in more journalist friendly terms? Have spokespersons been media trained? Are we aware of the company's procedures in the event of a crisis? What training would help us this year? And finally, and perhaps most importantly, do we really understand what our client wants and what the market environment's like?

Simple you might think, but you need to be able to feel confident about all of these questions if you are to run an effective programme. At Grayling we call this the ‘belts and braces'.

Of course, it's the extras that make the difference and readers of this magazine will accuse me of heresy if I don't acknowledge the need to understand the undoubted and growing influence of blogs, podcasts, wikis and other such ‘peer media.' But, by starting each year with a clean slate clients and consultants will feel better aligned, objectives will be clearly understood by all parties and the programme's strong foundations will provide both parties with the confidence to explore in new directions.

I am writing this at the Langkawi Air Show in Malaysia, where I have found that the armed forces successfully adopt a similar approach each year. The famous Royal Air Force Red Arrow acrobatic display team hand back their red suits at the end of every year, reverting to the standard issue green ones. They then start from scratch on the following year's display programme, only earning the right to put on the red suit again following a number of weeks of gruelling tests.

One of our clients is the agency BBH. For each of the last five years Grayling has agreed to a new brief with them every January - subtle, yet important changes are incorporated to reflect new priorities. Consultants can often fall into the trap of thinking that they completely understand their clients. The new brief keeps us on our toes and, as the PR plan is written to service the overall business plan, it is surprising how often we learn something new. For the next 12 months and at quarterly reviews it provides the prism through which pass each proposed initiative - it provides confirmation that what we are going to do fits strategically.

So, even with retainer clients it can be hugely beneficial to review the brief each year. It gives the consultants confidence and helps to pick up subtle changes in the business priorities which hitherto may not have permeated to the consultancy. 

You may think this is all rather obvious, but one of the greatest sportsmen of all time teaches us that we shouldn't over complicate things until the basics are in order. Simply put, if you want to perform strongly, 18 major championships in the case of Mr. Nicklaus, you need solid foundations.

 

James Acheson-Gray

Managing Director

Grayling Public Relations