Without Blinking: Sharing the Vision is a PR Metier

We all know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, in the world of Google, YouTube and all that Web 2.0 mishegos, it's like millions of dollars. The incessance of the Net is forcing PR pros to move beyond the press release and provide a real multimedia experience. So for those of you that only employ a pitch or release, pay attention to some basic rules of extending what you (we) do.

(Sorry, including a catchy image or two won't cut it either. I mean, come on, the EPK is so 1996.)

A written pitch is spam while a multimedia one is engaging and kind of easy to pour over. Tools at our disposal are limitless and evolving every second. We now have embedded video, widgets and portable content that not only provide our editor and reporter and producer and writer colleagues with knowledge but can actually but immerse them in an (wait for it) experience. It's video and it's interactive, and its impact far outreaches the written word.

Realistically, we're not just targeting editors and reporters anymore -- we're targeting every single person who will eventually “buy.” And I do mean the people. Multimedia content has turned consumers into evangelists for the PR cause. The interactive component engages the consumer, while giving them a stake in the brand.

The thing: brand awareness equals coolness. People are eager to become ambassadors of your brand and it’s easy to get them to do so. . And it’s easy – all they have to do is embed content from a site or an email, click the share "button" and, viola, they are sharing the content and displaying the brand on their own social sites or blogs.  While they display their interests with their pals, they are actually helping to promote what you got! It's a viral approach reaching audiences in a way that a release never could. So yeah, thanks MySpace Tom and Facebook Mark.

The real challenge is you need to give people a reason to embed or post. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as a promotion or a pitch. You need to know who your audience is - and not half-assedly. (So does "Project Runway". What were they thinking leaving Bravo—those ladies who Lifetime are not going to get this! And Bravoites aren't turning the channel to the big L.) Ask yourself: What is your audience interested in? Why are they reading the release you put out there or is it what are they looking for?

Target your audience as you would their keeper, a/k/a the big wide media. Give them a specific reason to become evangelistic. Remember, if Scientology could do it to Tom Cruise, you can do it too. A simple blast might work when peddling medical supplies, but if you want to get more than tongue depressors out there then take a deep breath and seek out your audience. They’re out there.

Apple understands this better than anyone. Execution of their marketing, advertising and PR are cultish . Apple is mostly cool. (Dell may be functional, but it’s more pedestrian than exciting. Oh, and HP, I refuse to go there…) From commercials to emblems, consumers are eager to embed content from Apple on their personal pages (or their desktops), because it somehow represents more than the technology. (It also doesn’t hurt that they offer free songs on iTunes and special offers if you become a fan of their app! Free is better than anything in a $4.50 gas world.)

The point of this is to think like Jack Handey (“Deep Thoughts”) who said: “The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw.” Just like Caw, consumers want the brand to speak to them – adroitly and without blinking.

In the world of “me,” it’s up to you to get me.

For a book on subjects like this --- hey, go get mine.