Media Relations’ Everlasting Gobstopper

As the year winds down, soft news stories fill the air. Some stories are in the news every year -- without fail -- having become more tradition than news.

Two of these everlasting gobstoppers include a financial spin on the 12 Days of Christmas and the Word of the Year.

** 12 Days of Christmas: PNC has been adding up the cost of the 12 Days of Christmas gifts for 23 years. It costs more than $78K to buy all of the items mentioned in the song (up 4% from '06).

After almost a quarter of a century, I thought maybe PNC was getting lazy and merely tracking the coverage from their buzz-building formula. Then I saw their Christmas Price Index Web site. Wow. To quote Wayne and Garth, “We’re not worthy!”

** Word of the Year: At some point in time, dictionary PR wizards started mining their respective site’s search terms to crown a word of the year. Now Merriam-Webster takes those words and lets site visitors vote for the winner to boost traffic in a brilliant, one-two punch. The whole loquacious process was recently featured in The New York Times. w00t! indeed.

So how do YOU go about creating your own magic candy the media will crave every year?

** Count to 10: Top 10 Lists are always well-received if they provide the reader tips or rank something they care about. Creativity is your only limit.

** Be Smart: Look around. Data is everywhere. The Morris-King Company compiles Profnet queries to create its annual list of the “best” queries.

** Be Brave: The design firm Pentagram had the chutzpah to rebrand Christmas. The end result was a sleigh full of media coverage. This example might not be an annual event, but consider giving long-held traditions a makeover. There are no rules.

** Spend a Buck (or Two): PNC spent time and money establishing their Christmas Index site. And, yes Virginia, time is money. Consider investing in industry research or customer surveys (if you have the most market share). The investment pays off and, leveraged correctly, it increases brand awareness more than an ad placement.

** Hitch Your Wagon to a Star: Take a look at the calendar or the latest icon of pop culture for inspiration on your big idea. Just remember that pop culture is fickle. If you plan on an annual media relations program, make sure your idea taps into something that is well-established and built to last.

Once you’ve found your recipe? That’s when the work begins. You have to be creative to keep your news relevant. Just ask PNC Financial Advisors.

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