FOCUS The MBA Value Proposition Annual Industry Conference

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FOCUS The MBA Value PropositionAnnual Industry
Conference

• The Mind of the Media

Tim Westerbeck Executive Vice President
Principal
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Do you remember?

• What story was on the cover of U.S. News and
  World Report 2 issues ago?
• What was the biggest news story involving UCLA in
  the past year?
• Which schools were cited in the first four
  paragraphs of the latest Business Week rankings
  cover story?
• Who is Dave Wilson?

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Whats the point?

• Media relations is about far more than getting
  media coverage.

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Yeah. Good point. Anyway, how do you get more
media coverage?

• Frustration (Were great, why doesnt everyone
  know that?)
• The that one time syndrome (The presentation of
  the document.)
• Wasted resources (Heres our series of releases
  about the new drinking fountain.)
• A false sense of comfort (PPP)

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Experience the mind shift to brand-based media
relations

• PR by the pound mentality BAD
• Media relations is a means to an end.
• You think like a marketerand media relations is
  one of many tactics that will build your brand.
• The media is one of your most important market
  segments, a customer, really.
• The goal with the tactic is to create brand
  awareness and establish value added relationships
  with reporters.

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Characteristics of brand-based media relations

• Starts with the marketplacebrands exist only in
  the minds of individuals in your target audience
  (the mind of the media).
• Reverses the we make it, you take it mentality
  to what do you need?
• It is based on a clear positioning (if not a
  brand strategy) and is part of a strategic
  marketing plan.

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A few words about your brand

• A product, service or concept of an organization
  that is clearly distinguished from other
  products, services or concepts offered by other
  organizations.
• Brands distinguish themselves via their names,
  signs, symbols, actions, communications and the
  perceived value they provide.

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A few more words about your brand

• Successful brands deliver brand-related
  communications and actions at all points of
  customer contact that reinforce the core meaning
  of the brand.
• The media is not only a customer, but a major
  point of customer contact for all of your
  constituents.

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So what do I do to get more brand-based media
coverage?

• Steps to Building Brand-Based Media Relations
  into your Marketing Efforts
• A Short Course

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Step 1 Understand how your institution defines
marketing

• What is the tactical mix?
• Is there a written, integrated marketing
  strategy?
• Are there well-articulated, common marketing
  objectives?
• Is message development and tactical planning
  explicitly based on market research?

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Step 2 Push for a common definition of the
schools brand

• What constituents value about the
  institutionfrom all angles.
• What we are, not what we do.
• Use objective external research.
• Objectively analyze your competition.
• Focus on your unique mission.
• Understand what is consistently valued across all
  market segments.

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Some friendly advice

• Your brand is not excellence, that one is
  already taken. (Its not quality either.)
• Be brutally realistic about your institutionits
  strengths, weaknesses and major characteristics.

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Some more friendly advice

• Focus on meticulously defining unique,
  value-added differences related to your program.
• Brands exist only in the mind of the marketplace
  (and the media is part of that marketplace).

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Step 3 Commit to creating a brand-based media
relations plan

• The brand is the basis for all strategic and
  tactical planning, including media relations.
• The objective is to find, create, package and
  promote as many examples of your institutions
  brand characteristics as possible.
• Think of yourself as a journalist that can only
  publish stories that support your institutional
  claims.

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Step 4 Carefully research your target audience

• What do you know about reporters and how they
  work?
• What are their demographics?
• Who, specifically, are they?
• What, specifically, has each of them written
  about in the past 12 months?
• What are the parameters of their
  publication/media outlet?

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What about reporters?

• They are people, not the media.
• Almost all are overworked and under paid.
• Their working environments often stink.
• They lose their jobs if their reporting is not
  compelling and accurate.

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More about reporters

• Its a high turnover job.
• Most are younger and are learning on the job
  (without the benefit of much supervision or
  training).
• Some are, well, smarter than others.
• They are all just trying to get it right.
• They need your assistance and good ideas that
  relate to their objectives.

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Dimensions of media market research

• Identify discreet categories and tiers of media,
  based on objectives.
• Detail reporter characteristics and differences.
• Research what your constituents read and their
  channels of information. Make these high priority
  targets.
• Segment by subject.
• Map your market.

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Dimensions of media market research

• Conduct detailed and ongoing trend and issue
  analysis.
• Use services such as Ascribe to leverage your
  monitoring and analysis capabilities.
• Be constantly mindful of matching what you are
  selling with those best positioned to buy.

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Step 5 Plan a diverse set of tactics in media
relations

• This is the precursor to mining for brand-based
  stories to promote.
• Its the time to ask how much can we do? and
  what is the best use of our time?
• It is best determined based on your channel
  analysis of how your targets get information.

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The tool kit

• Institutional feature stories
• Specific program focus
• Faculty expertise and related issues
• Data sets and analysis

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The tool kit (contd)

• Relationships/strategic partnerships
• Opinions
• Promotion of students, alumni and other human
  symbols of the schools brand
• Making news

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Mining Institutional feature stories

• Focus on a single institutional strength or brand
  characteristic and work backward.
• A radical program change or a single
  institutional brand characteristic such as
  adaptive.
• A smart risk or calculated gamble.
• A unique niche.

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Mining Specific program focus

• The one thing that is better than everything.
  Forget the politics, if you can.
• Beat the drum shamelessly and often.
• Aspire to become the thought leader.
• Demonstrate your knowledge of the issues to the
  media. In fact, impress them.

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Mining Faculty expertise

• Cultivate a working relationship with 5 great
  faculty in popular areas. Work backward from the
  market.
• Get their commitment to the plan and the program.
• Help them look good. (In fact, tell them they are
  good looking.)
• Use them to develop relationships. (When they are
  in New York, set up a media session.)

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Mining Data sets and analysis

• Data sells. Find as much as you can to support
  your schools brand characteristics.
• Mine what you have that isnt apparent. (It might
  be buried in faculty research.)
• Work across functions (career placement,
  admissions, administration, development,
  operations, alumni, etc.)

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Mining Data sets and analysis (continued)

• Be the first on your block to spot and document a
  trend that supports your brand characteristics.
• Add substantive commentary to everything.

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Mining Relationships/strategic partnerships

• Work the schools corporate relationshipseveryone
  likes positive media coverage.
• The relationships speak about who you are as an
  institution.
• It provides you exponentially more to talk about
  with the media and makes you seem more relevant.

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Mining Opinions

• Have an opinion-editorial program.
• Place them locally, nationally and
  internationally. In print and on the web.
• Prepare a thoughtful, brand-based commentary
  framework and circulate it throughout the
  institution.
• Try to make a few people famous (theyll never
  forgive you for it).

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Mining Promotion of human symbols

• Human stories about students, alumni or
  entrepreneurs who have benefited from your unique
  intellectual capital.
• Focus on how they embody your brand.
• Identify personalities in all areas of the
  school who can become media spokespersons.
• Train them in the language of the brand.

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Mining Create news

• Dont be afraid to make news.
• Do it strategically in a way that resembles media
  advocacy.
• Be realistic and apply strict news values (no
  press conferences about the new computer
  terminals in the resource center, please).
• Annual surveys, subject-specific data sets and
  special conferences can be highly effective.

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Step 6 Get properly resourced

• One person cant do all of this.
• You need content suppliers.
• Dont be afraid to advertise, recruit, train
  and manage.
• Consider incentives (a 20 gift certificate can
  change the world).
• Media relations is not an afterthought, its
  perhaps the most powerful brand building tool in
  your arsenal.

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Step 7 Use technology to leverage your efforts

• You need information today.
• Ascribe, Dow Jones news services.
• Real time results tracking.
• Enables a larger distribution setand true
  brand-based media marketing.
• It is the essence of staying in touch with the
  mind of the media.

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Step 8 Create a distribution strategy

• Develop a detailed program to distribute every
  relevant clip to a target audience. (Do so with
  reporters as well, when relevant.)
• Tell them what it means in terms of your schools
  credibility and brand (then tell them again).
• Tell them about your brand and your strategy.

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Step 9 Constantly link back to marketing

• The energy and resources to sustain this approach
  must be linked to an institutional marketing
  strategy.
• Your brand is a symbol of your unique
  intellectual capital. Its worth building and
  protecting.

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Step 9 Constantly link back to marketing
(continued)

• Redefine media relations at your institution.
• Successful brand-based media relations can be the
  catalyst that can turn your institution into a
  marketing organization.

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Always be mindful..

• When it comes to media relations, your brand
  exists in only one placein the mind of the media

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Thank you for your time

• For more information or copies
• Send an email to
• twesterbeck_at_lipmanhearne.com

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Discussion
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• Building stronger institutions through marketing
  and communications