Author Archives: Don Beehler

Writing a Book Has Many Advantages for Ad Agency Principals

Having recently completed the manuscript for one of my clients, whose book is about his life story, I was again reminded of the many advantages to being a published author.

My client is a true American success story and I believe his book, Life in the Turn Lane, will inspire and motive many individuals who are discouraged and ready to give up, as well as provide practical advice to young executives seeking to advance in their careers.

But Life in the Turn Lane also highlights his expertise in the world of mergers and acquisitions, and how he got where he is today.

My client started out as a heating and air conditioning repairman, and he learned how to do mergers and acquisitions by reading The Wall Street Journal. No kidding.

After losing everything in his first major deal, he recovered and today is the founder of an international private investment firm that buys distressed manufacturing companies, turns them around and then sells them. Dubbed the “billion-dollar repairman” by one business publication, his never-give-up entrepreneurial spirit has paid off in a highly successful business career and financial independence.

Clients aren’t the only ones with interesting stories to tell. Last year I wrote a guest blog post titled “Why Ad Agency Principals Should Consider Writing a Book.”

At one time or another, I suspect just about every agency principal has toyed with the idea of writing a book. And with good reason.

Ad agency principals know a lot and have plenty of valuable insights worth sharing.

Those who dislike writing should not let that discourage them from pursuing a book, because there are some very talented ghost writers around to help. A good ghost writer will ask probing questions, serve as an objective sounding board and distill the essence of your thinking into clear, lively copy that keeps readers engaged.

Writing a book allows you to clarify your thoughts, get to the core of your message and discover the best way to convey important information.

It positions you as an expert, increases your visibility and helps market your agency. It also gives you material to use for your agency’s blog posts, Ezine articles and e-newsletters.

Finally, imagine how impressive it would be to conclude a new business presentation by giving prospects a signed copy of your new book.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

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How Ad Agencies Can Help Reporters Discover Their Clients

About three months ago, I started handling PR for a Chicago hedge-fund firm called Steel Vine Investments.

Spencer Patton, the firm’s founder and chief investment officer, had already forged a relationship with Dow Jones, and he was regularly quoted by DJ reporters on various movements in the commodities market.

One of those stories was picked up by The Wall Street Journal, so he had a good start before I began working with him.

I built on this initial coverage by sending introductory e-mails about Steel Vine to a variety of financial media, which resulted in several additional interviews.  We also created a free weekly newsletter that provides expert insights into the commodities market, and announced the newsletter through a PR Web-distributed news release.

A couple days ago, Spencer was contacted by a business writer for Associated Press, who found him after doing an Internet search for a commodities source.

He subsequently was quoted in the AP story, which received extensive online pick up from major media such as ABC News, BusinessWeek, CBS News, CNBC, Forbes, MSN and Yahoo Finance, as well as newspapers throughout the nation.

I’m fortunate to have a client who “gets it” when it comes to the value of PR and is a gifted communicator who really knows his stuff.  It also doesn’t hurt that his fund has had seven months of consecutive gains and outperformed the S&P 500 by 22.56%.

But more than anything else, this is a textbook example how publicity begets publicity.

Ad agencies that know the secret of using publicity to build their clients’ reputations, and understand how to make them “discoverable” as experts in their fields, will find it much easier to retain these clients long term.

Clients who are responsive, articulate and competent will find reporters coming back to them for future stories.  They also may hear from reporters who learn about them not through a PR pitch but from other media sources.

The result is a stream of ongoing publicity – and a happy client. 

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Toyota’s Crisis Management Has Lessons for Ad Agencies

Someday, how Toyota has handled its vehicle acceleration crisis will make an interesting case study. 

As I suspect is the case with a lot of people, I haven’t paid close attention the company’s recalls.  Mainly, I’ve heard bits and pieces.  And therein lies a big part of the company’s image problem:  Regardless of what Toyota is doing now, what people remember most are news stories about occupants who died or were injured while their cars careened out of control. 

One reported incident is particularly memorable to me:  A frantic 911 call from a police officer saying the brakes on his Lexus didn’t work.  While still talking with the operator, he and his passengers went over an embankment and their vehicle burst into flames.  The call ended with the passengers telling each other to pray. 

Whatever exculpatory facts may exist in Toyota’s favor, and no matter how many ads the company runs demonstrating concern, the mental image of people dying in cars they couldn’t stop is impossible to overcome. 

Adding to the company’s woes, the Associated Press today reported that for years Toyota has blocked access to data stored in the vehicles themselves.  This data, which is stored in devices similar to the “black boxes” used on airplanes, could provide useful information about crashes that were blamed on sudden unintended accelerations. 

When there is an appearance of a cover up by a company involved in a crisis, especially when lives have been lost, the negative perceptions can be devastating. 

Toyota has long had a reputation for quality, and my reliable old Corolla was one of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned.  But as things stand now, I would never buy a Toyota product again. 

Ad agencies advising clients embroiled in a crisis need to remember that the best ads and PR efforts to communicate what the company is doing to fix the problem and make amends will ring hollow if it doesn’t back up words with deeds. 

 Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies: Expand News Reach through PR Web’s Partnership with Zemanta

PR Web’s partnership with Zemanta, a free content discovery tool that automatically recommends relevant content to bloggers as they work on posts, is a smart way to expand a news release’s reach.

According to a release announcing the partnership, if a PR Web customer’s release is considered relevant by Zemanta’s recommendation engine, it will be suggested as related reading to bloggers using the application. 

“We are providing a better way to connect our customers with the blogging community,” Jiyan Wei, director of Product Management at PRWeb, says in the release. “The Zemanta engine ensures that relevant customer content is provided to bloggers — who have opted to subscribe to Zemanta’s application. It’s both a savvy and friendly means to boost visibility for our customers in the social media space.”

Social media has become an increasingly significant way for ad agencies to reach target audiences, and getting news to bloggers who want it should be a vital part of a PR strategy.

While it’s relatively easy to look up traditional media outlets and reporters through directories and Internet searches, identifying appropriate bloggers is more of a challenge.  Zemanta helps solve that dilemma.

PR Web is Zemanta’s first newswire partner, and the arrangement is something that should benefit both organizations as well as ad agencies looking for ways to get their clients’ news in front of more people who have an interest in it.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies: Reputation Insurance Is on the Rise for Celebrity Endorsements

The New York Times is reporting that insurers are being “inundated” with inquiries from companies seeking to protect their brands.

“Many companies take out death and disability insurance to cover themselves in the event that an athlete or celebrity endorser dies or is injured while under contract. In a new wrinkle, more companies are trying to insure against the potential loss of sales when an athlete product endorser is involved in a scandal,” according to the Times article.

After all, if someone like Tiger Woods can suddenly become a liability to companies that were linked to him through his endorsements, how many celebrity/athlete endorsements are really safe bets?  That’s exactly the point of my previous posts on this subject.

“Insurance policies can cover money paid to athletes as well as the cost of producing and booking television commercials, print advertisements and other promotions,” the Times article notes. “Some insurers will also cover the costs of new commercials with replacement athletes.”

Insurers say they base their assumptions on how much revenue grows after an athlete or celebrity became a company endorser, but no amount of insurance is going to protect a good corporate name if it gets tied to a scandal.

As one underwriter put it in the Times story, “Tiger Woods has made people think about their reputations. These days, people don’t worry about the office burning down, but about their intellectual property being damaged.”

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Commercial Celebrating Life Draws Fire from Many in Advertising World

Judging from the Ad Age Web site comments, a Super Bowl commercial titled “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life” is highly controversial and upsetting to many.

The 30-second spot features University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother. Tebow, the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, is an outspoken pro-life Christian who’s not shy about sharing his faith publicly. The spots were purchased by Focus on the Family, a favorite boogey man for those who despise traditional values.

An Ad Age article about the spot frames it in the context of other controversial Super Bowl ads, some of which were downright outrageous and in extremely poor taste. I guess it’s a sign of the times that celebrating life and family falls into that category.

This spot has struck quite a few nerves and received tons of publicity before it even airs. Which make for a pretty good ad, don’t you think?

http://adage.com/superbowl10/article?article_id=141581#comments

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Accenture Replaces Tiger Woods with Animals in Ads

This was too good to pass up. After posting my comments yesterday that it’s safer to link a company with an animal “spokesperson” such as a gecko, duck or cow than with a celebrity, today I learned that after six years of a sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods, Accenture is replacing his image with a line up of animals.

According to an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (which I just saw referenced in another publication this afternoon), “After nearly a month of focus-group testing and production work, Accenture is rolling out the new global marketing campaign this week. The creatures, which include an elephant, a chameleon and some frogs and fish, will star in a series of TV, print and online spots. They also will appear in airport ads in 28 countries.”

Wonder if this is the start of a trend where other companies will soon be following the herd?

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Celebrity Spokespeople Can Cause Headaches for Ad Agencies

Another one bites the dust. The Associated Press recently reported that Hanes has dropped its advertising campaign with Charlie Sheen because of domestic violence charges filed against him.

His wife allegedly told police the actor put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her, charges that Mr. Sheen denies.

“Given the publicity, it makes sense to not air those ads…” AP quotes a Hanes spokesman is as saying.

As the companies that used Tiger Woods for endorsements learned in the last couple of months, associating one’s brand with a celebrity can have great downsides as well as rewards.

When it comes to linking a client with an outside influencer, ad agencies will find ducks, geckos and cows a safer bet.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Tampa Bay Business Journal Explores Ad Agency of the Future

Robert Yaniz Jr., editorial assistant for the Tampa Bay Business Journal, recently interviewed three local ad agency principals about their thoughts as to how ad agencies will change in the years ahead.

Among the trends: Angela Massaro-Fain, founder and president of Grapevine Communications, believes there will be more boutique agencies, with most of the creative, media planning and public relations talent being outsourced.

Patricia Courtois, a partner at Eric Mower and Associates, says, “Advertising agencies are going to have to raise their digital IQ significantly,” adding that all team members will need to be well versed in traditional and non-traditional methods of communication.

But the comment I found most insightful came from Tony Ceresoli II, president and CEO of Ad Partners Inc.: “In order for ad agencies to thrive in the future, they will have to become experts in new, social and traditional media.

“Clients are weary of ad agencies that claim to have a handle on new and social media but don’t even use it for their own businesses.”

Right on. Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more! While no one suggested or recommended abandoning traditional media, the reality is that advertising agencies simply cannot continue to do business old-school style and expect to be successful. New and social media will only grow and increase its influence.

If your agency is still playing catch up, a good New Year’s resolution would be to make 2010 the year you and your team gets up to speed on new communication technologies and social (interactive) media.

To read the article, visit: http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/12/28/focus2.html?b=1261976400^2635101

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Tiger Woods Fiasco Has Important Lessons for Ad Agencies

Until now, I’ve resisted weighing in on Tiger Woods’ marital woes. Like a lot of people, I already know more about his escapades than I wish I did. Still, there are some important lessons ad agencies can glean from this fiasco.

I can’t recall ever seeing a person’s reputation fall so quickly and dramatically, followed closely by sponsors dropping this hot potato left and right.

I found it interesting that earlier this month Ad Age ran a story saying some people in the sports-marketing industry were speculating that Tiger’s newfound notoriety “might actually redound to the benefit of the brands he endorses.”

One PR expert suggested Tiger could rebound if he and his wife stay together and he keeps winning. Apparently, winning covers a multitude of sins, at least according to this line of reasoning.

Well, it hasn’t quite turned out that way for Tiger, and now there are question as to whether he will ever play golf again professionally.

One of the most obvious lessons to be learned is that in a crisis, stonewalling doesn’t work very well. Especially when you’re someone famous, the media will dig out the truth and put you in a reactive mode.

A second lesson is the risk companies take in sponsoring an individual. When Tiger’s favorability ranting in 2000 was the highest in poll history at 88%, having a close corporate tie no doubt seemed like a good idea. In the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, his favorability dropped to 33% — a 55-point swing from his peak.

Perhaps the most important lesson, though, is that in an age when tolerance reins supreme, there still are some things most people won’t tolerate from celebrities, and repeatedly cheating on one’s spouse with multiple partners is one of them.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.