Career Mommy

The PR Support

The University of Cebu is a client that knows the power of publicity.  It places large amounts of ads and spreads them out in the three local newspapers, then maximizes exposure through free publicity - and there are many worthwhile stories to tell that inspire the general public too.

A lot of companies these days are losing thousands of pesos worth of publicity opportunities each month.  How?  By placing ads without the support of publicity.  To remind you the difference between the two, advertisements are paid and done in graphic-centered lay-outs while publicity is free and generated through stories.

Companies here in Cebu rely on the placement of ads to generate marketing exposure for their products or services.  And that’s it.  What they don’t know is; they could have supported such ads with news stories either through company created press releases or coverage done by members of the media.

When I handled a certain client, I encouraged them to maximize publicity in conjunction with the ads they intended to place.  Their concentration was one newspaper loaded with oversized ads that failed to make the most of its space.  I advised them to cut the size but to increase the frequency spread out in more suitable days of the week then spread out to more than one paper.  

I introduced them to publicity management focused on press releases tailor-fit for individual sections in each paper – articles with business angles on the business pages; features of human interest for the lifestyle pages; and more generic informative press releases for the community pages.

Actually the dilemma of untapped publicity is multi faceted.  First, you have to reassess your ad layouts and copies.  One observation I have with print ads here in Cebu is that ninety percent of them are mere announcements, not true advertisements.  What I mean is; there is clearly no graphic planning to speak of – the ads are mere text announcing an event or sale or sales and marketing promotion.

Maybe, from the looks of those ads, they are home-made.  I would still advice the expertise of a good advertising agency in planning a company’s advertisement program.  For companies who can’t afford them, find a good graphic artist and guide him towards the slant that you need. 

Then plan your publicity in relation to your ad campaign.  Remember not to fall again for Myth number 3 - PR is Advertisement & Promotions.  Public Relations and its sub-specialty publicity are not advertising and vice versa.  Neither is publicity inferior to advertising.  In fact, it could be the opposite in this over-communicated era.

Honestly, do you believe the ads you hear or see these days?  If you do maybe not hook, line and sinker.  More often than not, you don’t even bother to read the copy.  You just skim through it and look for more interesting stories.

I read an article entitled “The Power of Publicity” in the Toastmaster magazine dated September 2008 and in the sub-heading Publicity vs. Advertising it said: “…traditional advertising is becoming less and less effective, we are now hit with up to 5, 000 advertisements every day.  Radios come with scan and seek buttons and TiVo allows consumers to fast forward through annoying chatter and ads… Most people focus on the stories…good stories… that’s why an article – a story – and its life-changing benefits is more effective than an advertisement.”

Hey, I’m not downplaying the role of advertising.  That is the lifeblood of every media outfit.  All I’m saying is don’t downplay the role of publicity.  Let the two work together – and believe me the returns are endless.

 

Four PR Myths any PR can do without

I’m a publicist.”  “What’s that?”  “PR.”  “Oh! Okay… so what do you do exactly?”

Few people know what a public relations consultant actually does for a company – let alone a publicist.  The nearest I can probably say is to think of movie stars, they have publicists.  Basically a publicist is the link between a client and the general public, dealing mostly with communications media in projecting public image, conveying key messages, relating with institutions and industry partners.

The Cebu business environment is still in its infant stages when it comes to tapping the vast field of corporate publicity.  There are only a few of us PRs operating here, and even fewer in a more professional and consistent manner.  Most companies who already realize the grave importance of corporate communications already have its own CorpCom department within its organization.  The few who have just recently realized its worth are still groping in the dark and tap out-source publicists like me to help them set it up.

Weaning them into the idea of corporate publicity can sometimes be an uphill battle.  Confusions and myths exist and managers with closed minds have difficulty letting the idea sink in.  Let me outline some of these myths.

Myth 1: PR means Press Releases

Fact:    Public Relations is very broad and creating press releases is just a miniscule component of it.

True the initials jive but please the field of public relations is much, much more than just writing and sending press releases.  In fact public relations is a very wide field that covers specialties like reputation management, crisis management, issue management, stakeholder relations, investor relations, institutional relations, labor relations, grassroots PR and many more.

The public relations field does more than “tell the organization’s story.”  It understands the attitudes and concerns of community, consumer, employee, and public interest groups and establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with them and with representatives from print and broadcast journalism.

Myth 2: PR is under sales

Fact:    Public Relations is a totally different entity from sales.  In fact PR and Sales often clash, as the former deals mostly in intangibles while the latter rely on solid figures.

In my experience as an out-source publicist, I was mostly placed under Sales & Marketing.  I dealt directly with Sales Managers and Marketing Managers who talk about the bottom line, who want instant results in terms of increased sales and who hold a tight rein on budget when it comes to creating activities for potential exposure or placing advertisements.

The fruits of a good public relations program is nurtured and harvested in the course of time – in most cases at least three years – and it often incurs costs.  Once this myth is broken, public relations specialists can have more room to move.

Myth 3: PR is Advertisement & Promotions

Fact:    The field of Public Relations is broader than Advertisement & Promotions, and although some people might argue otherwise, Public Relations is more important than Advertisement & Promotions in this day and age.  With the huge cost of Advertising, companies have to be more frugal and use advertising in the most intelligent way – thoroughly guided and supported by a solid publicity plan.  

It used to go the other way.  When advertising was in its heyday, publicity or public relations were relegated to the background often neglected.  Now it is wiser to let public relations lead the way and guide advertisement and promotions for more concerted efforts.

Even I need to reinvent myself often - soon I'll morph into an online publicist.

Myth 4:            PR is Publicity

Fact:    Public relations and publicity are not synonyms.  Publicity is the spreading of information to gain public awareness in a product, service, candidate, etc. It is just one technique in the wide field of public relations.

I chose publicity as my specialty.  So when people ask what I do, I answer publicist - PR in a broader sense, publicist to be more specific. 

  I work in my Pajamas

I work hard every day, in my pajamas, in my bedroom, in bed.   No, no, no!  It’s not what you’re thinking.  I’m a work-at-home mom and I love it!  That’s just one of the hundreds of perks of being a work-at-home mom – working in your pajamas. 

Sometimes I love my pajamas so much that my kids are used to seeing me wear them the entire day.  One time, I decided to make a change and dressed up – into shorts and shirt.  It was so different my son Ryan asked me where I was going. 

“To work,” I replied.  “Where?” He asked.  “Here in the house,” I answered.  “Oh, I thought you were going out.” He said breathing a sigh of relief.  “But why are you dressed up like that?”

Wouldn't you just kill to get an office like this? 

But I tell you it is not always a bed of roses.   I strive at balancing work and motherly duties, literally!   I would help my boys get their shirts off in one hand while typing on my computer in the other, with the phone tucked between my shoulder and my ear!

“Hello?  Yes Jenette, I will send you the list of invitees via email.  You, stop running around the living room naked! No, not you Jenette.  Take a bath now!  Sorry, where was I?  Oh yes, I will send the list in a while.”

That's me, third from left and that's Jenette, third from right.  

My colleagues the Haycos and the rest of the team in Port and DanceSport are like family. 
Seated left to right: Loloi Rendon, Ricca Alix, Ed Hayco, Len Hayco, Tessie Chua;
Standing left to right: Norma Hattori, Jonah del Rosario, me, 
Bernard Ricablanca, Jenette, Gayle Horfilla and Margie

It’s amazing how my clients keep renewing our contracts.  They are also like family really.  Sometimes, when we have urgent meetings and I can’t go out of the house because someone is sick, they meet in my house.   Imagine their surprise when I usher them into my office and show them my desk!  Bedroom and bed, remember?

It took time for me to define my boundaries and impose my rules!  Boys, this is my office (bedroom) and this is my desk (bed).  When I am working (in my pajamas), do not bother me.  I will get fired if I do not work.  We will have no more money if I get fired.  Then I cannot buy you toys. 

That's me seated beside Atty. Augusto Go of the University of Cebu 

with the Korean Consul and members of the media, 

including my husband, Richard standing on the far left..

I was working in the bedroom on the bed one day when Raffy sheepishly went to my side.  “Hi Mom, may I?  Ah no, no, I’m just joking I know I can’t.”  He wanted to use my laptop to play computer games.  But he knew he couldn’t just then because I was working.

“Why don’t you play with Ryan?” 

“He’s angry at me.  We had a quarrel.”  

“Why don’t you watch tv?”  

“Meimi is watching Ellen.” 

“All right then.  Why don’t you use the computer in the living room?” 

“It doesn’t have Racing like the one in your laptop.“   

    

Later, Ryan went inside the room.  He sheepishly sat beside me on the bed.  He looked up at me with his sweet, droopy eyes.   “Mommy, are you still working?”

Maybe I’ll move my office to the garden.  I can’t hold office in the bathroom cum toilet because I will need to move out when the kids need to let it go.

That's me with Camella's Mike Mayoga.  Thanks to my fellow freelancer MJ Catriz for the pic.

Did I mention there are hundreds of perks of being a work-at-home mom?  If I mention all, they wouldn’t fit on this page.  So I will leave you with ten:

1.      I work in my pajamas.

2.      I declare my own holidays – with pay.

3.      I can move my office anytime, anywhere – without added cost.

4.      I can share my office incidentals such as electricity and internet bills with my in-laws.

5.      I can check up on my husband if he’s really at work – he’s a work-at-home Dad.

6.      I don’t need to pay salary to my driver, my editor and my writer – because they are my husband.

7.      I don’t need a baby-sitter if I need to work, our house help can baby sit our kids.

8.      The only time I use cash for transportation is when I need to buy groceries.

9.      I don’t need to deal with office politics.  I just yell at my sons and scream at their Dad.

10.  The number one perk of being a work-at-home mom?  My lipstick can last for a year without replenishment.