How often have you been part of this vignette? The scene: PR manager strolls into the AR manager’s cubicle.
PR manager: “Howdy. Can you get me an analyst quote on this topic for my press release? Oh, and an analyst that can act as a press reference would be great as well.”
AR manager: “Sure, shouldn’t be a problem. When do you need it by?”
PR manager: “Oh, tomorrow morning. The press release is going out at noon.”
AR manager: Sighs heavily while reaching for the phone.
The problem with this scenario is that the AR manager does not have enough time to discover which of their analysts are around, get them up-to-date on the topic, get the quote, and secure permission to use the analyst as a reference.
The way to avoid this problem is for PR and AR to collaborate constantly, and well in advance of an announcement. By providing their AR colleagues with lots of lead time, PR teams can ensure a number of positive outcomes:
* A portfolio of relevant analysts is available for the announcement
* Analysts have a good depth of understanding about the topic
* Analysts who were involved early are likely to be more positive than those briefed at the last minute
* Analysts will be ready in case the story leaks, causing an unexpected acceleration of the announcement
* Messaging and press releases can be strengthened through analyst input
* Analysts who were involved early can provide competitive intelligence that can be used to adjust the announcement
SageCircle Technique: PR managers should invite their AR counterparts to regular staff or planning meetings. In addition, AR should be added to e-mail distribution lists that discuss status of PR campaigns.
Bottom Line: PR and AR working together as a team can generate significant synergy leading to a more powerful outreach program.
Question: Are there any organizational or cultural barriers between PR and AR that prevents them from working more closely together? Or, is the situation just that both teams are not in the habit of collaborating early and often?
AR and PR collaboration will be one of the topics discussed at the January 28-29 AR Effectiveness Seminar. In addition, a case study of AR and PR collaboration about a patient lawsuit will be presented at the SageCircle Hot Topics evening event on Monday, January 28.
Since 2000, SageCircle has helped analyst relations teams to focus on business value by encouraging innovative thinking that leverages insights and drives revenue.
Welcome back, Sage Circle (a bit late, but better so than never.) It will be good to see your thoughts out there again from a different perch.
The connection between AR and PR is a challenging one. It wil be interesting to see what kind of response you get – and here’s hoping they aren’t all from the usual suspects!
AR should always work closely with marketing and be several steps ahead of PR, for instance through pre-launch message validation sessions.
Do check our AR 101 here:
http://armadgeddon.blogspot.com/2007/06/ar-101-series-it-pays-to-play-with-pr.html