- The PR firm wants to hold a news conference. The client wants to do one-on-ones
- The PR firm suggests a multi-city rollout. The client suggests building a relationship with a few key reporters.
- The PR firm charges for media monitoring. The client has a secretary check Google Alerts.
- The PR firm has an expensive Social Media Department. The client has department heads with Twitter accounts.
- In a crisis, the PR firm says conventional wisdom is to “get in front of the story” and confess your sins whether you’re guilty or not. The client knows that sometimes conventional wisdom is wrong.
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Agree completely with all (#3 is my favorite) except #1 – which I still agree with but have a caveat to add. While one on ones are invariably more valuable than a media conference and should be the go to tactic when possible, the press event still has a place in the PR world – usually dictated by time and resource constraints. If we can only get a CEO for 30-60 minutes on day one of a major M&A, for instance, it is better to put him in front of several journalists rather than leave anyone out. I would still follow up with individual meetings when possible.
This is situational, however, and I agree wholeheartedly that, when possible, one on one interviews are best.