AHA

Trenz_logo_nauticalHere at AHA, we are preparing to head to New Zealand for the 5th year of TRENZblog, the social media campaign that has us blogging and tweeting from the country. First, as we check out areas on a familiarization trip (this year it’s Wellington, the Marlborough region, and the Christchurch & Canterbury region), and then from TRENZ, New Zealand’s largest travel trade show.

We are always excited to head back to New Zealand – it’s a fabulous place. The beauty of the country is breathtaking and each region has its own unique charm. And the people of New Zealand are exceptional. Friendly, welcoming and more than a little bit cheeky.

Five years ago, TRENZblog was a bit of a leap of faith on the part of Tourism New Zealand. In 2008, the online world was just finding acceptance in the mainstream. In fact, five years ago I had the opportunity to interview New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and I was the first travel blogger to be granted an interview with him.

TRENZblog has now become a bit of a “regular” connection between trade media and New Zealand tourism operators. This project is a resource in providing trade media and travel trade professionals with timely and relevant information about tourism activities in the country.

We have recently been working on several proposals and that always makes us take a look at ourselves as communicators and what and how we do things. TRENZblog is a good example of seeing a shift in the landscape and moving that way. We recognized that the online world and social media were game changers when it came to PR and strategic communication and we knew that in order to serve our clients well, we had to evolve. TRENZblog is one of those projects that could have easily slipped by without much fanfare. It’s kind of workhorse PR initiative. It’s not big and flashy and it likely won’t win us any awards, but it gets the job done – and it gets done well. TRENZblog produces results and over the past four years, we have measured and reviewed what we could do differently, what works and what doesn’t, how we can continue to improve.

We’re really proud of TRENZblog. It’s a good project that meets its objective. The fact that we get to spend time in New Zealand while we implement it is a bonus.

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I have been thinking about how much I should share here about the issue that my stepmother is facing with H&R Block. And then I realized that this is a live case study of poor public relations by H&R Block; so let’s dive in.

I’ll start off with the fact that the person who did my stepmother’s tax return was inept and clearly not experienced or skilled enough for the job. While this professional incompetence has absolutely nothing to do with PR, it does lead right into the controversy that started because of an ad campaign by Intuit (parent company of TurboTax). The ads showcased how horrified people were when they realized that the person who prepared their tax return also worked as a plumber or a retail sales clerk. Check out the commercial accompanying this blog post. Here’s another.

H&R Block went to court and tried to “block” the ads. That failed. They then attempted a push back with a social media campaign with #IAMHRBLOCK that featured snapshots of its tax-preparing “professionals” holding up signs – many of which said what they did for a living… It’s quite the list: air traffic controller, Zumba instructor, a guy who owns a power washing company… not quite the kinds of people that you would expect to have the skills, education and experience necessary to understand the complex world of tax returns. (I’m not saying that some of them don’t have the necessary skills and knowledge; it’s just that when you hear the words “tax expert” – you don’t think of the guy who power washes your house.)

While there are some with day jobs that are more closely aligned with what we would expect from someone who calls themselves a “tax expert” – what I want to know is when a person like my stepmother sits down to have her taxes prepared at H&R Block, does that person disclose what their real job is? I love my Zumba instructor, but I wouldn’t want her to do my taxes.

Today, I am reaching out to Intuit President and CEO Brad Smith. Perhaps TurboTax will want to launch a new campaign, showcasing people like my stepmother who are the casualties here – the “regular” people that H&R Block swears it serves, but who are completely abandoned by H&R Block once they get their hands on their fees. I can see the hashtag now: #IAMHRBLOCKED.

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AHA CakeRegular visitors to this blog know that I strongly believe that a great brand reputation is only as strong as its people. The organization’s brand might be reflected in its tag line, positioning statement, key messaging, advertising and PR campaigns, but it is brought to life by the actions of the people who are connected to it. The best ad campaign in the world won’t work if you don’t execute your brand promise every day.

I recently had two very different experiences with brands. One exceptional (hello, Las Vegas) and one so bad that I can hardly believe they use this tag line in their e-mails: “Customer service is not a department… it is an attitude.” (Yes, H&R Block, it’s me again, hoping you will step up and do the right thing this time.)

Let me explain. Here at AHA, we recently submitted a proposal to be named the Canadian PR agency for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. We knew that there would be quite a few agencies that wanted this gig and we needed to stand out from the crowd. We developed a Canada Loves Las Vegas teaser campaign to engage the interest of the team reviewing the proposals. We approached several Las Vegas-based businesses for fun items to deliver along with cheeky little love notes from us to Las Vegas. I can’t tell you how incredibly helpful, open and responsive these small businesses were – not to mention that their products are spectacular. Their customer service was so good, it was like they became a part of the AHA team. Each one of the businesses listed below (with links to their websites) is one I would recommend without hesitation. They could write the book on customer service.

  • Enchanted Florist – They delivered fabulous flowers for us.
  • Distinct Impressions – They delivered delicious white chocolate-covered strawberries for us.
  • Caked Las Vegas –They delivered the incredible custom cake that you see in the image for us. (Get it? We sent a proposal with the cake.)

In another part of my life, I am assisting my 71-year-old stepmother with an issue with H&R Block. They made a mistake on her tax return that has created a huge amount of frustration for her – and has cost her a tax refund of $3,200. They have been giving her the runaround for close to a year. I stepped in to help and was pleasantly surprised to get a quick response to an e-mail that I sent to H&R Block’s head office and the PR agency. It was a phone call from the area manager where my stepmother had gotten her taxes done. I immediately sent him over 60 pages of information, documentation and details about the issue. And then… nothing. It went silent.

A week later, I followed up with him and he e-mailed me saying he was hoping I would wait a few more weeks because it’s tax time and he wants his staff to focus on clients. Really? My elderly stepmother is a client. I thought: “Customer service is not a department… it is an attitude.” How does this response live up to your e-mail tag line?

I can’t think of two more extreme examples – excellence from the people of Las Vegas and an epic fail from the people of H&R Block.

While there is nothing better than having AHA share your news with the world (hello again Vegas), there’s nothing worse than having a daughter with PR and social media expertise protecting her mother from an uncaring company.

I hope you will be hearing more from me about how fabulous Las Vegas is as a tourism and convention destination and I know you’ll be hearing more about my issue with H&R Block.

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Ruth generated national coverage for Wallace the Llama and the TV show Healing with Animals.

Ruth generated national coverage for Wallace the Llama and the TV show Healing with Animals.

Over coffee each morning, I read newspapers (many of them), I check out my favourite blogs (again many of them) and I check out the blogs that are relevant to clients (also many). I update myself on what is going on in the big picture world, in my world and in the world of each of our clients. Did I mention that I get up early?

I found a somewhat humorous blog on Ragan titled “5 signs you’re not cut out for PR” that was also incredibly accurate, which made it a little frightening. The writer, Scott Signore, nailed it – it’s a good read for anyone thinking they might want to work in this crazy field. And for those of us who love what we do, it reminds us of why we’re here.

So, I took Mr. Signore’s blog post and turned it on its head. Here are “5 signs I was born for PR.”

I am a news hound

It’s 5 a.m. PST, 8 a.m. EST and I am wide-awake, checking out the morning news – looking for opportunities or potential issues for our clients. And this hour, when I get to review the news and send links to my clients, is one of my favourite times of the day.

I see opportunity where others see work

When we identify an opportunity, it’s an “AHA” moment (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). We genuinely get excited about the ability to do more, to add value, to extend or expand the benefit of working with AHA for our clients. We realize it might take more effort on our side, but that’s why our clients rely on us.

Pitching a journalist or blogger and generating coverage makes me do a happy dance

I have to say this extends to writing a speech that resonates with the audience, creating a kickass campaign, developing a communications plan that nails it… seeing coverage that profiles our clients, their products, services or initiatives accurately within the context of an interesting piece of journalism makes me so happy that I dance. And if there’s a photo with it, I add in a twirl.

We’re a team

We work in a collaborative world. We work with journalists to get them what they need. We work with clients to identify their PR objectives and to develop the strategy, tools and tactics – not to mention the content – that engages their stakeholder groups and target markets. We work with other agencies as partners and we work at AHA as a team. I am surrounded by smart, creative, strategic people and I get to collaborate with them on a daily basis. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

We are always looking for ways to do more, to do better, to improve

At AHA, we take the time to look at each campaign, each outreach, each project and ask ourselves – what more can we do? What one additional action could we take that would make it better, that would open that next door, that would increase our client’s return on investment? And we get regular feedback – on proposals, on plans, and on campaigns. We measure, we debrief, we review, we discuss openly and honestly (and respectfully) what we could have done differently, what we learned, and what we need to improve on. Constructive criticism is seen as a positive here at AHA – it might not always be easy to hear, but it’s always worth it.

We get results

At AHA, we work on a range of projects. Some are focused on creating positive change in the world. For some clients, we get to tell their stories in a compelling way; for others, we help improve communication between the organization and key stakeholder groups. Some of the work we do focuses on ensuring that individuals and groups that are experiencing change are given the information they need to manage that process. Other projects involve sharing the benefits of an organization’s products or services with consumers – or as in the case of our travel clients – the reasons to visit a specific destination.

We also get to experience success because a) we generate results, as we’re good at what we do; and b) we measure and report on the effectiveness of the initiative. Results matter and we know that – which is why we’re always measuring, adjusting and reporting back on opportunities or challenges. We like to see success as much as our clients do.

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NewsI recently had an opportunity to reconnect with the former editor-in-chief of several magazines that I used to write for. She has gone on to do great things and now heads up a large media outlet in Canada. Every once in a while, we find that we have a reason to reach out to check in with each other. This time, I reached out to her.

I had an invitation to a fabulous wine tasting event that a client is hosting. No strings attached, no story pitches – just an invitation to spend an hour or so tasting some good wine and chatting. I think we are both looking forward to this event and the chance to catch up.

This is, in my opinion, the way to develop and maintain authentic media relationships as a PR professional. It is a two-way street and we connect with journalists on a regular basis – not just when we have a story to pitch. There are times when I will see something online (that has nothing to do with our clients) that I know would be of interest to a journalist, so I e-mail them the link. Or if they have written an article or produced a broadcast segment that resonated with me, I will shoot off a quick e-mail to say that. The key to this kind of proactive approach is that it has to be authentic or it just comes across as smarmy and sometimes creepy. (I’ve received e-mails like that – where you know the person is faking it just to get something from you – and you can clearly tell when that is happening.)

There is more to developing and maintaining a good relationship than just keeping in touch. You also have to deliver good story pitches that are relevant to the media outlet, and you have to be reliable and trustworthy. There have been times when we have had that difficult discussion with a client because they had something they wanted pitched to media and, unfortunately, from an unbiased perspective, it was just not newsworthy outside of their organization. It’s never fun to provide that feedback, but it is my job. I don’t want our clients to get a reputation for wasting the media’s time.

Our focus is always on making sure the information we provide is interesting, accurate (there is no room for errors here), timely and relevant to their readers, viewers or listeners. It’s also important, in a media relations context, to understand that if there is an issue or a crisis, these journalists aren’t going to give you a free pass. They have a job to do – and, if you have built a good relationship, there may be an opportunity to put forward information regarding the issue. No good media relations person is ever going to think their positive relationship would ever sway the journalist not to do their job.

Developing positive relationships is a part of my role – the journalists I connect with know that, just like I know that connecting with reliable communications professionals who respond quickly to their requests is a part of their job. It’s how our world works.

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