PR professionals are responsible for messages that are disseminated to the public about a company’s products, services and/or image. We are responsible for giving the public something favorable to think about a brand and tasked with developing effective marketing strategies that influence consumers to take some type of action. But, are we the main drivers of influence on a consumer? Absolutely not.
Studies show that consumers often make their decisions about a particular brand based on reputation, and by reputation I mean word-of-mouth. To put this into perspective, one word-of-mouth conversation has the impact of 200 television ads (BuzzAgent). That’s impactful, and may also be why Chick-fil-A has been extremely successful with its fan base and customer loyalty.
This billion-dollar company has an excellent standing and counts on its raving fans to spread its message to others. And, they’ve been extremely successful in using influence to make their loyal consumers do the unexpected! It’s not every day that you’ll find someone dressed from “head to hoof” in cow attire. However, because “talk on the streets” about the company is mostly positive and anyone fully dressed as a cow received a free meal – who wouldn’t be down for the cause?
Believe it or not, the power of influence lies in the hands of the consumer more than the words of a release or from a spokesperson at a press conference. I’ll let Fast Company illustrate my point.
With its recent launch of The Influence Project, the magazine found a way to create “buzz” about its brand with three simple steps:
- Sign up to get your own personalized, unique URL link
- Use any social networking mediums to spread the link
- Influence people to click on it
After clicking to receive a unique link from the project site, the magazine shared what the gimmick was about. The project was designed to measure how individuals “affect the behavior of those that they interact with” and then display the resulting influence by an enlarged picture on the company site. Sounds like a great way to get people excited about spreading a worthy message, right? Wrong.
Some online influencers were enraged by the social media stunt and many of them have generated much negative discussion, including Radian6’s Amber Naslund, about their disappointment with the “project” due to an assumption that they were really making a difference.
The irony of this project is both the positive and negative effects of influence. Those with influence have the ability to either uplift or destroy a brand. But, I guess that’s why PR pros are necessary; it’s our job to find a solution for all public perceptions.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.