360PR Blog

I spent a day in New York this week judging entries for the 2009 SABRE Awards (for Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation), which are the brainchild of Paul Holmes , longtime industry observer and editor of The Holmes Report .

Entries were up this year, a bit surprising since everything, it seems, is down. I take that as a sign that a) we’re all looking for a little recognition, maybe even more so in turbulent times, and b) the PR industry isn’t ready to lay down for anyone or anything. Sure, we’re talking about PR people, the eternal optimists (at least on the bright, shiny consumer side of the business). But it’s hard to think of another industry that’s so vital today. Back to the awards…

I was blown away by the quality of entries. Any CEO or CMO who still questions the value of and ability to measure PR should have the opportunity to read a few of the SABRE entries. Business results – from driving downloads, sign-ups and traffic to jumpstarting or reinvigorating sales – were well documented, with many achieved solely by PR. The best programs were the ones that went beyond "creating awareness" to define tangible objectives and, consequently, were able to clearly measure results, mapping PR activity to business success factors.

A few other things that stood out: campaigns that took risks – going beyond established "best practices" to employ new methods of engaging the target, particularly online; at the same time, comprehensive brass tacks campaigns that were flawlessly executed – there’s something to be said for going beyond the big splash to mind (and mine) the details of story development and delivery; and, the more focused campaigns – the ones that honed in on a very specific audience segment, rather than casting a wide net to see what gets caught – often plenty, but not necessarily what you need.

Net-net: brands should expect more than coverage from PR and, likewise, they need to give their PR teams access to business-driving information – not for the sake of award entries, but to be able to shape meaningful, impactful campaigns and to be accountable, both for today and for setting up the next campaign. The awards are the icing on the cake, an encore, and, to borrow an oft-used phrase, it’s a thrill just to be nominated!

Filed under: PR Industry |