Opportunities to build new bonds will emerge

When the San Antonio Spurs tip off their season in late October, the sports media will run the obligatory sto-ries about how the defending world champions intend to return to NBA Finals in 2015. But there’ll be another aspect to the media coverage that may put a bigger spotlight on the organization: the debut of Becky Hammon, whom the Spurs hired earlier this

month as the NBA’s first female full-time assistant coach.

The move is likely to have an impact on how the Spurs approach their overall mes-saging, media training and media relations. It will also attract new media outlets and new (female) fans who have not previously followed the NBA.

The Spurs’ PR team probably started to strategize as soon as the hiring was finalized, according to PR industry observers.

Hammon’s debut is “going to be a media sensation, at least for a bit,” said Kristen Sharkey,

executive VP of Makovsky. “She’s likely already been given some media training and some homework assignments. She’ll need a refresher course so that, from a messaging perspective, she’s comfortable with what she’s saying and her comments are aligned with what senior executives at the Spurs are saying.”

Hiring Hammon also gives the Spurs an opportunity to reach new audiences and expand its media footprint. “You’ll have new media outlets looking at the move through a

Page 8 ▶

Map Out Your Messaging Strategies in a Changing Culture

The 8 Essentials of ‘Brand Security’They’re a PR function, not just IT or software

Right now, spammers are thinking through how to hijack your news in order to direct people to their sites. Hackers are pinging your sites to figure out where they can get behind your firewall. Antagonists are planning how they will upset you via the media and physical actions. There is an active set of people who are here to use your brand for their purposes. It is clear we do not want any unknown individuals to have the ability to hijack our brands for their own pur-poses, whatever they may be.

Part of our mission is not only to promote our brands, but protect them as well.

Yet, when we think of “brand security,” we often think in terms of information tech-nology, software and solutions that are done by “somebody else.” This thinking is actually incorrect. In fact, it is incum-bent upon communicators to learn how to improve the secu-rity of their brand.

Here are eight examples of what it means to improve secu-rity for your brand.

1. Lock-up all URLs and sub-domains. If we think like spammers, what they want do to is to buy all URLs related to your brand and

then lock up all sub-domains on social channels, e.g. YouTube, Twitter. There are often as many as 100 varieties of URLs and sub-domains of interest to a spammer, and this list only grows as we talk about global brands.

Page 9 ▶

©2014 Access Intelligence LLC. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines of up to $100,000 for violations.

August 18, 2014 prnewsonline.com Issue 32 Vol. 70

DID YOU KNOW

1. Cultural shifts can have a huge impact on messaging and media training. (p. 1)

2. The onus is on PR pros to learn how to improve secu-rity for their brands. (p. 1)

3. Consumers are increas-ingly seeking more “Made in America” products. (p. 2)

4. People prefer a combina-tion of the physical and dig-ital when purchasing. (p. 3)

5. Event attendees can be powerful evangelists for your company. (p. 7)

6. “Mutual Intelligibility” is a new way for PR pros to look at language online. (p. 9)

7. The maximum number of words on any given slide material is 16. (p. 10)

▶ Corporate Reputation By Bob Pearson

SPUR FOR CHANGE: Becky Hammon is the first full-time female assitance coach hired by an NBA club. The move could raise the bar for how companies and organizations respond to cultural and societal shifts.

PR Advice from the Pros

Read more great advice in PR News’ Best PR Advice Compendium

prnewsonline.com/prpress

“If there is a smile on your face, then there is a smile in your voice.”

Photo courtesy: w

senetwork.com

When you hear “Made in America” what comes to mind? Twenty-one years ago, when the U.S. trade borders opened, angry picket lines provided quite a visual. Now, a new movement is underway. This one is less about quality jobs, and more about quality goods.

“Made in America used to be supported by the veterans who served in our wars, in our unions,” said Molly Solberg, director of sales and marketing at Duluth Pack. “It’s been great to see the next generation which is more socially con-scious. They are focused on how they spend their dollars.”

She added: “They want to support a company that’s giving back to its community. These are sustainable brands, local brands. The two phrases ‘Made in America’ and ‘hand crafted’ have become more synonymous.”

Duluth Pack was founded 132 years ago on the need for a heavy-duty pack. The prod-ucts have been hand sewn in the same northern Minnesota manufacturing facility for the past 103 years.

If you are curious, you can stop in, watch your product being made and meet the person who made it.

It’s a successful model many companies are adopting. Shinola, a Detroit-based watch and bike company, brought the Swiss technique to Motor City.

“Made in America is not a trend, it is really a growing shift in the way people are purchasing. We are all starting to look at where products are from, who is making it and who is the artisan behind it,” said Daniel Caudill, creative director at Shinola.

“At Shinola, we assemble every watch in our Detroit fac-tory,” he added. “But there are some things that we can’t get

in the U.S. For example, the 50 to 100 small parts we need to make for the watch movement come from Switzerland, and we assemble the movement itself here in Detroit.”

Both Shinola and Duluth

Pack want to eventually pro-duce a 100% American-made product, but that requires other companies to develop various components.

And that starts with a trained workforce. Makers Coalition was founded to bring back the art of sewing and give Americans a valuable, employable skill.

Jen Guarino’s commitment to American-based manufacturing prompted her to join Makers Coalition as founding chair.

“There’s a resurgence around things that take human hands to make,” said Guarino, who is also VP of Shinola’s leather division. “Those trades that work with raw materials, not manufactured, are begin-ning to come back—wood-working and metals.”

If a substantial amount of your product is manufactured or assembled in the U.S., you may be able to jump into the American Made movement. But tread lightly.

▶ Be transparent. You must be transparent about just how much of your product is actu-ally Made in America.

Creating a product that is totally sourced, manufactured and assembled in the U.S. without foreign parts is difficult.

Be clear on your website about exactly what is American Made and what is not. You’ll get credit from consumers for your efforts to do as much as you can in the United States, even if you cannot build it all from scratch.

▶ Give it a personal touch. Solberg points to the small tag signed by the

craftsman that sewn in every Duluth Pack product as the most compel-ling piece of marketing the company employs. It verifies that it was indeed crafted by a person, not a machine.

Shinola has a similar approach. Each item sold comes with an ID card for the person who manufactured it. This personal touch goes a long way to promote the product’s unique quality.

▶ Share your story. Everyone loves a good story. Whether you are a hundred-year old brand or a start-up, how you got started and why you are committed to Made in America is compelling.

Support your story with historic images, pictures of your facility and employees at work, plus a compelling video detailing your process and like-minded partners.

▶ Be bold. Consumers are actively seeking American Made products. So be bold. Don’t expect them to figure out you are Made in America.

Spread the word on your social platforms, develop a Pinterest page devoted to all things Red, White and Blue, make it part of your employees’ elevator speech and CEO’s key messages when speaking with media, stockholders and other critical stakeholders.

After all, Americans aren’t known for being wallflowers, so neither should American Made brands. PRN

CONTACT:Maria Reitan is president and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Lola Red PR. She can be reached at maria@lolaredpr.com.

2 prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14

By Maria Reitan

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PR News ADVISORY BOARD Paul A. Argenti - Tuck School of BusinessMary Buhay - Gibbs & SoellNed Barnett - Barnett Marketing CommunicationsSteve Cody - PeppercommNeal Cohen - APCO Carol Cone - Edelman Peter Debreceny - Gagen MacDonaldChristopher L. Hammond - Wells FargoMike Herman - Communication SciencesLaura Kane - AflacKen Makovsky - MakovskyMichael McDougall - McDougall CommunicationsLarry Parnell - George Washington University Mike Paul - Reputation Doctor LLC Deborah Radman - Senior PR ConsultantBrenda C. Siler - Communications Director AARP D.C.Stephanie Smirnov - EdelmanHelene Solomon - Solomon McCown & Co.Mark Weiner - PRIME ResearchPR News BOARD OF CONTRIBUTORSDave Armon - Critical MentionAndy Gilman - CommCore Consulting Bruce Jeffries-Fox - Jeffries-Fox Associates Angela Jeffrey - Salience InsightRichard Laermer - RLM Public RelationsRichard Levick - Levick Strategic Comms Ian Lipner - Lewis PR/YoungPRpros Katie Paine - Paine Publishing LLC John Roderick – J. Roderick Inc. Rodger Roeser - The Eisen Agency Lou Thompson - Kalorama Partners Reid Walker - Dir. of Communications, United States Senate Tom Martin - College of Charleston

Craft a ‘Made in America’ Message▶ How To...

▶ Data Points

September 16 | 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | The Grand Hyatt, NYC

This must-attend event will honor the Platinum PR Award winners and honorable mentions who represent the corporations, agencies and nonprofi ts who took chances, made tremendous strides and understand the power of public relations.

Join us to salute the year’s most outstanding communications initiatives and programs in the highly competitive and dynamic PR arena. We will also recognize the Top Places to Work in PR honorees.

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prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14 3

Happy Medium A new survey lends credence to how communicators can boost their value in a digital age: Create content tailored to the various stages of the purchasing process. Rinse and repeat.

▶ It’s Not Physical. It’s Not Digital. It’s Both. Despite the tremen-dous growth in digital media and marketing, consumers still prefer a combination of digital and physical elements when it comes to the purchasing process. According to a recent survey by management consulting company A.T. Kearney, 55% of consumers prefer to use both brick-and-mortar stores and online venues througout the entire buyer journey. The study, which asked more than 2,500 U.S. shoppers about their shopping preferences, said that among the 30

possible multichannel journeys, the most common is one in which online is used solely for initial product discovery and the store is pre-ferred for trial, purchase, pickup and returns.

This should help inform your content marketing strategy: online content catering to the front of the sales funnel and more traditional PR channels toward the end (for now, at least). PRN

Source: A.T. Kearney

Metrics that are helping to define the communications field.

Store, digital and multichannel shopping journey preferences

Platinum PR Awards Finalists Announced

Hall of Fame

Anniversary

Center/Office of Communication

Annual Report

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and

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We hope to see you at the Grand Hyatt in New York City on Sept. 16 for our Platinum PR Awards luncheon, which will have even more stardust this year. Joining us as emcee will be Ginger Zee of ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” To register, please go to prnewsonline.com/platinum-luncheon-2014.

4 prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14

Multicultural Campaign

On a Shoestring Campaign

Online Communications

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and Proof Integrated Communications

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Trade Show/Event PR

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WOW! Award

PR News Top Places to Work in PR 2014

prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14 5

Distracted driving has been called a national epidemic. In Texas, which has more miles of roadways than any other state in the U.S., distracted driving is a serious public health threat, causing more than 95,000 traffic accidents in 2013. Drivers who use a cell phone behind the wheel are four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to cause injury. Reading or sending a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for about five seconds, the equivalent of driving the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour blindfolded. Hands-free cell phone use is just as dan-gerous. Talking on the phone while driving causes a range of cognitive impairments that reduce reaction time, overload the brain and create “inattention blindness”—the phenomenon that makes drivers unable to see or monitor up to 50% of the potential hazards in their driving environment.

Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing’s “Talk, Text, Crash”

public education campaign for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was designed to reverse the number of crashes, fatalities, and inju-ries tied to distracted driving.

HARD DRIVEThe integrated campaign, which launched in April to coincide with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, used paid media, news coverage, social media, corporate partners, statewide organizations, law enforcement and community stakeholders to deliver an important reminder to drivers: You Talk, You Text, You Crash.

The campaign positioned TxDOT as a leader and driving force behind a comprehen-sive and sustained statewide movement to stop distracted

driving. The communications strategy was designed to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, promote practical alternatives to using a cell phone while driving and encourage commitments from stakeholders and drivers not to text or talk and drive.

The “Talk, Text, Crash” slogan delivered a direct instruction to Texas drivers of all ages. The campaign also included these elements:

activities educated Texans about the prevalence and con-sequences of distracted driving and provided useful infor-mation about how to affect behavior change.

-ship was launched to coincide with the “Distracted Driving Summit” to make prevention of distracted driving a statewide business priority.

phone” was taken on tour and carried campaign messages to major media markets and communities throughout the state, providing a platform for

local news and storytelling (see image on p. 7).

were leveraged to deliver cam-paign messages to employees, customers, and constituents.

amplified using a strong word-of-mouth delivery system via business, media and commu-

▶ Case Study

6 prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14

The Texas Department of Transportation took the dis-tracted driving message to the streets with a graphic expression of its “Talk, Text, Crash” public education campaign. Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing developed the car-sized, 950-pound crashed smartphone as a mobile backdrop to use at public relations events. The traveling prop toured Texas communities to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving and was center stage at media events in six major media mar-kets in the Lone Star State.

The truck was positioned in front of community landmarks,

with local law enforcement, traffic safety specialists, and community partners standing in front of the truck and delivering the message to pay attention while driving. Community members who lost loved ones to distracted driving crashes shared their personal stories as well.

The giant phone delivered sig-nificant results, appearing live on several local morning-TV shows. The 950-pound phone clocked more than 2,200 miles during a two week period and yielded almost 700 print, broadcast and online images. TxDOT will continue to use

the prop at community and educational events after the campaign concludes.

There were five PR elements designed to drive the campaign:

1. Tell a story. Content is key to reach and influence. Use data to build a relevant, newsworthy and compelling story that underpins the entire campaign.

2. Think visually. Find a way to break down your message and express it with a single image.

3. Think locally. Develop strate-gies to make your message resonate and connect with communities. Don’t presume

that your audi-ence will find you. You have to package the message for them.

4. Be consistent. Be sure that every element in the campaign carries the same personality and delivers a coordinated mes-sage and tone.

5. Leverage partnerships. Find ways to engage partners by accenting the intersection where your goals and their goals meet.

—R.N.

Racecar driver (and advocate against distracted driving) Zach Veach talks about the importance of driv-ing focused at TxDOT’s Distracted Driving Summit, which was held last June in Austin.

PR Effort Looks to Put a Stop to Texting While Driving

Photo courtesy: S

herry Matthew

s Advocacy M

arketing

2,200 miles Number of miles covered (in two

weeks) by car carrying a

950-pound smartphone.

Robert Nash

Going Mobile With a 950-Pound Smartphone

prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14 7

nity partners, with an emphasis on social media.

An innovative paid media plan using billboards, gas-pump ads, radio, theater ads, digital and online video, in both English and Spanish, launched in April to support national Distracted Driving Month. Educational toolkits were prepared for traffic safety specialists, community partners and Texas businesses.

A sustained presence online reminds millions of drivers to pay attention to the road and avoid texting.

EXTENDING THE MESSAGETxDOT’s Texas Distracted Driving Summit event, last June, was a critical message extension strategy, as it cast the traffic safety issue as a real and urgent business concern.

During the summit busi-ness leaders were asked what they can do to protect employees, reduce liability and help keep Texas roadways safe.

When employees crash while using a mobile device their employers can be held liable. Every day, nearly 9.5 mil-lion Texans commute to work by car, and truck drivers haul more than one billion tons of goods and products each year within the state’s borders. More workers are killed every year in motor vehicle crashes than any other cause, and an employer’s price tag for an on-the-job crash is about $24,500 per

vehicle crash, $128,000 per injury, and $3.8 mil-lion per fatality.

The summit’s objec-tive was to highlight the economic and societal impact of distracted driving and encourage businesses to implement policies and educate their employees about the risks of texting and other distractions.

TxDOT invited busi-ness leaders from across the state to hear experts discuss the business impact and financial liability for crashes that result when employees drive distracted on the job. Summit attendees became valuable torch-bearers for the “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign. The executives were provided with talking points to discuss at their office, as they became valuable evangelists for the “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign.

THE LONG HAULThe event was held in April, at The Circuit of The Americas racetrack, home to the world’s most focused drivers, featuring the United States Grand Prix Formula 1. Summit attendees were treated to VIP tours of the track, and the agenda featured a blend of expert discussions, case studies, practical tools and resources to implement a com-pany distracted driving policy.

Speakers included national experts on distracted driving and corporate liability, cognitive scientists, and Texas-based businesses that have implemented successful distracted driving policies, including ExxonMobil, AT&T and All My Sons Moving & Storage, which shared their experiences and best practices. A news anchor from the local CBS-affiliate televi-

sion station moderated a panel at the Summit, providing embedded coverage.

The cognitive scien-tists who presented at the Summit—also hosts of a public radio talk show—used material about distracted driving as the subject of one of their radio shows, further extending the campaign’s message.

Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport racecar champion and advocate against distracted driving, also participated at the event, sharing the story with his social network and boosting the campaign’s visibility.

Similarly, meeting attendees posted campaign informa-tion and personal pledges to drive distraction-free using #TxDDSummit and #TalkTextCrash.

The Summit event also included national advocates against distracted driving and heart-wrenching testimonials shared by families of victims of Texas distracted driving crashes.

The 950-pound crashed smartphone prop was unveiled at the Summit and served as an effective backdrop for local media live coverage.

The ultimate goal of this campaign was to save lives

and prevent injuries by moti-vating drivers to give driving their full attention. Changing public opinion and behavior takes time.

After the Distracted Driving campaign concludes, Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing will work with TxDOT to understand shifts in attitudes, self-reported changes in behavior and increases in distracted driving policies.

Once available, crash sta-tistics will gauge whether the messages are getting through.

Meanwhile, public rela-tions and earned media efforts are keeping the topic of distracted driving front and center in the media. To date, we’ve had more than 500 media stories in every major daily and every major network affiliate in Texas. PRN

(This article was writen by Robert Nash, PR director at Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing.)

CONTACT:Robert Nash, robertn@sherrymatthews.com.

Zach Veach talks to a reporter in front of a 950-pound crashed phone. Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing created the visual as part of TxDOT’s “Talk, Text, Crash” statewide, distracted driving public education campaign.

Photo courtesy: S

herry Matthew

s Advocacy M

arketing

The ultimate goal of the PR campaign was to save lives and prevent injuries by

motivating drivers to give driving their

full attention.

8 prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14

Culture ▶ Page 1

different prism—what does this mean for women?” said David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision. “Communicators need to show that this is not a PR move, but a cultural shift for the entire league, and what the team is doing to cultivate a new generation of female fans.”

NEW QUESTIONSIndeed, the Spurs’ move raises myriad questions for com-municators that they may not necessarily have confronted in the past. Whether it’s women breaking the glass ceiling (in an industry dominated by men), gay marriage, income inequality or immigration reform, several societal and cultural issues are starting to come to the fore.

Fueled by the Web, both social activists and consumers are increasingly demanding that brands and organiza-tions stake their position on hot-button issues. And the responses can’t be condensed into few sound bites.

“Social media has given a voice to the socially active, who now expect brands to tell a story about their values and

know whether consumers share those values,” Johnson said.

For example, companies including American Airlines, Apple, AT&T and Intel ear-lier this year called on Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto a bill permitting businesses to refuse service on religious grounds, allowing them to discriminate against same-sex couples.

At the time, AT&T issued the following statement: “While the stated intention may not be to discriminate, we believe the actual language could open the door to discrimination against anyone, including those the bill is intended to protect.” (Brewer vetoed the bill.)

SPARKING A DIALOGUE “Companies have to bal-ance their dialogue and the messages they want to share within the context of larger cultural changes,” said Anne Green, president-CEO of CooperKatz. “They now have an opportunity to con-nect with different groups of people through multiple chan-nels. But it has to come from an authentic place.”

Green recommended three tips for PR managers who need to think more strategically about how their brands and organiza-tions can best respond to cul-tural changes, including whether their company will want to take a leadership role regarding the issues in question.

1. Conduct a pre-analysis of how a story may unfold. Communicators need to antici-pate what kind of questions they’ll get from both the media and consumers—pro, con or neutral—and craft some initial responses for spokespeople and the organization as a whole.

2. Understand top execu-tives’ intentions. It’s impor-tant for senior PR managers

to be a conduit between the employee who is being inter-viewed and senior manage-ment to ensure that all mes-sages are aligned with both the organization’s values and its overall mission, which plays into the third tip.

3. Strive for balance. Communicators can play an important role in striking a balance between the media’s interest in an issue and the mis-sion of the organization.

With many cultural issues continuing to swirl around the country, PR pros have to pre-pare to potentially answer some tough questions, according to Makovsky’s Sharkey. “You can say all the words you want but you have to make sure you walk the talk,” she said. PRN

CONTACT:Anne Greene, agreen@cooperkatz.com; David Johnson, djohnson@strategicvision.biz; Kristen Sharkey, ksharkey@makovsky.com.

Bold moves make news one way or another. When compa-nies make history with high-impact business or cultural deci-sions—such as the San Antonio Spurs’ hiring Becky Hammon as the NBA’s first full-time female assistant coach—they must take charge of their destiny or others will do it for them. Brands need to position themselves vis-à-vis the decision, set the tone, create context and put it all in perspec-tive. That’s how you win the “big news” game. Some PR tips for you to consider:

1. Zoom out. Even look back. Position your game-changing move in the context of your entire company history, story,

and brand. Use the news to reinforce that perspective. Hire a female coach and many will jump on the “female” aspect. But if your commitment has always been to hire the best talent, that’s your story. You’ll drive continuity, broaden perspective and shift the con-versation for a more holistic impact. Step back and see your news as one point in the long-term timeline you’ve built.

2. Calm the hype. Even when it’s great big news, apply the rules of crisis communication. Strip out the spin and focus on transparent, honest quotes. Be thoughtful—even reflective—as you talk about impact. See this

as a moment in time, not your one shot at glory. A great exer-cise: imagine the story a year from now (even five years) and think about how you want to look back at it. Discipline your-self, even if you could use the news to grab attention. Take a deep breath. Think “quality,” not quantity.

3. Make friends. If it’s really big news, it’s going to take you beyond your usual audience reach. Work it. Think about who might be listening. Make them feel so welcome they stay for your next news. Use the moment to connect new dots at the edge of your traditional markets and your reach and

ratings will move in the right direction.

If your news is about a new hire, coach him or her on your thinking. They’re part of your brand now, of your timeline, and of your big-picture story. Focus on the big picture. Stay cool and bal-anced. And deflect the glory of the moment onto all of the things you’re doing well. Focus on the bigger game and you’ll be more likely to play like a pro.

This sidebar was written by Barbara Bates, CEO and founder of Eastwick. She can be reached at barbara@eastwick.com.

24 Number of

female CEOs in the Fortune 500.

Fortune

Barbara Bates

PR Tips for Excelling in the ‘Big News’ Game

The best step is to proac-tively lock up URL’s and sub-domains before you publicly announce a new brand’s name or a campaign that will have major investment.

2. Build a central reposi-tory. We all know that the weakest link leads to the easiest entry point for a hacker to get into your servers. The weakest link often is a social channel or a website in a country off the radar that’s not well maintained.

Do you know who has the user name and passwords for every channel or site today? Is it in the hands of your company or an agency? Does more than one person have it in case that person leaves?

Your step here is to develop a policy so that all usernames and passwords for all websites and social channels (in all countries) are all housed in a central repos-itory that is well protected.

3. Know your top 100 search queries. Identify the top 100 search queries, in order of volume, for your brand. Look at what those queries are and also look at the first screen of each one. Is that the brand story you want to tell? What are people actually interested in when they are not pleased with your brand or your category? How are these queries shifting and what does that tell you about trends?

Your next step is to create this top 100 and then deter-mine, via analytics, who is actually shaping your story via search.

4. Know your antagonists. The good news is that human beings always follow patterns online. This empowers you to understand exactly how your antagonists are likely to act. This is small data. Imagine identifying 5,000 people to

track for a large brand. That’s not really all that much, yet it defines the voice of unrest.

Your step is to identify all antagonists for your brand. Then, track what they have been doing and saying for the last year. And see what this tells you about the relevance of your issue to the antagonist. You’ll see what you should be doing to prepare.

5. Identify issues before they hit the press. More than 90% of issues for any brand are known in advance. The key is that you identify what they are and build a multicountry, mul-tifunction team, informally, to share what members are learning on a continual basis.

Often, because we know an issue may present itself, when we see the first public mention of it, it becomes a high-level alert. If we don’t have a system in place, we tend to react to what media or social media have flagged for us. At that point we’ve lost.

6. Know what reputational triggers matter. We have a ten-dency to think that all attributes of a brand’s reputation matter. However, what we see is that, at best, 25% of the attributes you track really matter. The majority don’t. The key is that you know the true weighting of each attri-bute, so your radar is adjusted as knowledge pours in, good or bad.

The next step is to take your reputational attributes and see how they stack up in all chan-nels of online media. With the right algorithm, you’ll be sur-prised by what you see.

7. Understand the value of each voice. When you are thinking of commenting on social channels, ask yourself if you have analyzed the reach and influence of the person you will respond to.

When you do this routinely, you realize that often, those who

don’t like your brand are simply talking to themselves. You may decide to respond to requests large and small, but know whom you are reaching out to and what is likely to happen. Ensure you speak with the voice of the brand on a consistent basis.

Your next step here is to develop a model to understand who you are responding to before you do, so you know their reach, influence and likely response.

8. Improving your search position. This is a longer topic, so it is important to point out what doesn’t work well. Stop stuffing links with code. Stop trying to game the system. What works is what communicators are awesome at doing. It is real

content that gets shared by your target audience that matters. It is having the right keywords within this content that matters.

Your next step is to stop lis-tening to self-proclaimed search experts using tools that don’t work well. Focus on telling your story with the right language to the right people, leading to sharing of what matters to your brand. Keep it simple. PRN

CONTACT:Bob Pearson is President of W20 Group and author of “Pre-Commerce: How Companies and Customers are Transforming Business Together” (John Wiley and Sons). He can be reached at bpearson@w2ogroup.com.

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The Concept of ‘Mutual Intelligibility’

It’s more important than ever to monitor the languages of the online world. As communicators spend more time online, lan-guage relationships become a key to effective brand listening. “Mutual Intelligibility” means that because you speak language X, you are likely to understand language Y, dialect Z and follow closely what is said in the languages that are one degree of sepa-ration from your mother tongue. Basically, what the other party is saying is “intelligible” enough to follow.

All multilanguage customers, which is the majority of the world, have a comfort zone of languages and dialects they will learn from. It’s not about one language anymore.

Mutual Intelligibility listening shows us exactly how an issue is likely to evolve and cross languages and countries. For example, if Czech is your main language, you may also be following Slovak and Polish. If you are Danish, you may be tracking what is said in Norwegian and Swedish. If you are Serbo-Croatian, you may understand Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian. If you are living in China, you may understand Mandarin and Jin, which is a dialect of Mandarin spoken by 45 million people.

And of course, Americans, well, we would say we understand the dialects of the South or the Bronx, but not much more. Not sure what to do there.

What it means is that when you have a listening program in place for your brand, you should automatically track the related languages and dialects of the country or language of origin for the issue you are tracking. In an increasingly globalized economy, not to mention the Web, this should become standard for brands and organizations. —B.P.

10 prnewsonline.com | 8.18.14

and praise the pause

Most of us fear presenting or speaking in public. No one is a born speaker. It takes discipline, practice and good habits to channel your nerves. Here are some guide-lines and rules to help you on that journey.

Let’s count them down by the numbers.

55: Use great images. Visuals aid recall by 55%. (Great images for a dollar at Canva.com or DollarPhotoClub.com.)

36: Preparation is key. It takes at least 36 hours to create an hour-long presentation.

30: Minimum font size is 30 on a slide.

20: Don’t play 20 ques-tions. Finishing your presenta-tion with a Q&A tends to land with a veritable thud. Take questions, but then finish with a strong story/close.

16: The maximum number of words on any given slide is 16.

15: Less is more. Use a maximum of 15 slides for every 20 minutes of presentation.

14: Here are 14 fonts you should add to your arsenal. Baskerville, CantoraOne, Hobo Std, GOTHAM, Impact, Marker Felt, Montserrat, Open Sans, Oswald, Pacifico Regular, Proxima Nova, PT Sans Bold, Rokkitt and Ubuntu.

13: Beware of the number 13. Bad things will happen when you present. You can count on it. Practice without slides. Do an audio check before you speak.

12: The Baker’s Dozen. Always add a little something extra. Take a cue from the late Steve Jobs. He always had one more thing.

11: In the hilarious movie This is Spinal Tap guitarist Nigel Tufnel describes a unique feature of his amplifiers. “These go to 11,” he says. Vary the pitch and volume. Make sure you elevate and lower your voice for emphasis.

10: The human brain can only concentrate for 10 min-utes before shutting off. Plan breaks into your presentation by using video, role plays and group exercises.

9: Dress to the nines. Eighty-percent of our judg-ments about people are made

in an instant, using two criteria: warmth and com-petence. Dress smartly to leverage both.

8: Leverage the magic of Hollywood. Use great storytelling techniques like the eight steps of the hero’s journey. These tech-niques include: Call to Adventure; Revelation; Transformation; Atonement and Return.

7: When communicating feeling, understand that only 7% communicated are the words you use, while 55% is body language and 38% is tone.

6: Use your sixth sense. Be engaged with the audience. Look for clues for what’s rele-vant to them. It’s not about you.

5: Five fingers. Gestures are key. Use your hands purpose-fully to emphasize points. Don’t be afraid to go big.

4: Learn from photogra-phers to avoid the center. When placing an image on a slide, use the four power points of emphasis. Imagine a tic-tac-toe board on your slide. Draw the eye of the audience to one of the four points at the intersections.

3: People remember things in threes. Use this powerful memory heuristic to your advantage when presenting.

2: Two sec-onds of pause. When you make a point of emphasis, pause and let your audience have a chance to let it sink in.

1: S.T.O.P. - Single Thought, One Person. Deliver a single thought to one person. This practice eliminates annoying filler words (and, so, um) and allows you time to breathe.

0: Zero. The number of bullets you should use in your entire presentation.

Perfect public speaking is a myth. There is always room for improvement and learning. Use these tips and travel safe on the never-ending journey.

To access the entire Slideshare presentation, please go to: http://www.slideshare.net/9INCHMARKETING/21-rules-to-help-you-rock-your-next-presentation. PRN

CONTACT:Stan Phelps is the founder of 9 INCH Marketing and author of the Amazon Best-Seller, “What’s Your Purple Goldfish? 12 Ways to Win Customers and Influence Word of Mouth.” He can be reached at stan@9inchmarketing.com.

▶ Tip Sheet

Delivering a Killer Presentation, By the Numbers

Attend PR News’ Crisis Management Boot Camp on September 15 at the Yale Club in New York City to learn and master the skills you’ll need to lead your organization’s communications strategy before, during and after a crisis.

Questions? Contact Rachel Scharmann at rscharmann@accessintel.com 24444

REGISTER TODAY: www.crisisbootcamp2014.com

By Stan Phelps