Public Relations Archives - Page 39 of 53

Outstanding Service

It seems like a long time since I wrote an AHA blog post. We’re back in the office preparing for the new year. It’s been an exciting year for us here at AHA and we’re looking forward to 2011.

One of the topics of conversation that we’ve been having at our Vancouver PR agency revolves around exceptional customer, client or stakeholder service. For us, exceptional service is a priority. How we work with our clients, our AHA Crew, our suppliers and others is important and our focus on this area is reflected in the success of our work with clients and the overall success of AHA.

I have two other examples of exceptional service to share today – one is personal, the other doesn’t touch us directly, but is a great example of someone who clearly cares about what they do.

The first example is about Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Mayor Booker has been out and about – hands on dealing with some of the insane weather that the North East is dealing with. And he’s been tweeting about it, responding directly to constituents. He’s used humour, empathy, understanding and he has really connected with the people who are being hit with the extreme weather. Wired.com has a great piece on it that’s worth a read.

My next example is one that is personal. For many of you who interact with us at AHA, you know that Paul and I took some time off in December for a vacation. We started off in Barcelona, took a Mediterranean Cruise and then returned to Barcelona.

We had never been to Barcelona before so I had done some research online into hotels there. The Hotel Barcelona Universal stood out because the manager, Pablo Perez, was active online. If a guest had a complaint on TripAdvisor.com, Pablo responded – either to clarify, apologize or set the record straight. The fact is, no hospitality or tourism provider can ever please every person every time and sometimes, things happen and stuff goes wrong. I found that Pablo’s hands on approach gave me a great deal of confidence in the hotel and the service that we would receive there, so we booked three nights (one pre-cruise and two post).

Now, three nights in a hotel isn’t a big deal. We could have been treated to the basic service – get us in, get us out – but that’s not how Pablo or the Hotel Barcelona Universal works. I emailed Pablo to tell him that I appreciated his proactive approach and to ask about recommendations for restaurants. What I got back was amazing. Pablo went out of his way to tell us about events and activities that we might be interested in Barcelona. He recommended great restaurants and helped us get reservations. He explained what would be going on around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there. He went out of his way to make us feel welcome and comfortable in Barcelona. Before we even landed, it felt like we had a friend there.

Pablo wasn’t at the hotel when we arrived, so we actually didn’t get to meet him until December 24 – almost two weeks later. However, the service at the Hotel Barcelona Universal was exceptional. Everyone at the hotel went the extra mile to help us, whether that was bringing our luggage (a lot of it!) from the taxi to our room, hailing a cab, calling to let the restaurant know we would be a little late for our reservation or giving us directions for the Metro. We were treated like we were the most important guests at the hotel. As I sat in the lobby and watched (as PR people are prone to do), I noticed that every guest was given the same respect, consideration and service.

How Pablo and the team at Hotel Barcelona Universal treated us made our vacation so much better. It made Barcelona feel like home; it created a positive impact that really impressed us. Throughout this hotel, people went out of their way to provide us with an exceptional experience. It was a highlight of our trip. I will tell anyone going to Barcelona that this is where they should stay. This is public relations at its finest, and is a great example of exceptional customer service.

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Writing A Social Media Release

There is a great article on Inc.com that focuses on writing a social media release. It has some great points in it and it’s worth a read.

We don’t recommend social media releases for all clients or every project, but there are times when it provides added value. It’s important to think about a social media release strategically. Don’t let your excitement in doing something that has some “cool” elements push you to develop one when you don’t need to. And, on the other side, make sure you focus on the message that you want to put forward and don’t get caught up in the technology and what can be done. Do what should be done.

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The Best Social Media Campaigns Of The Year

It’s that time again – the “Best of…” lists are starting to come out. Amy Vernon reviews the best social media marketing campaigns of the year at Imediaconnection.com.

Wondering why I am showing you marketing campaigns and not PR campaigns? The fact is, marketing and PR are both parts of a campaign these days. Social media has changed the days where the ad team would do one thing, the marketing group another and PR would just try to use what they did to generate some editorial and word of mouth.

At our Vancouver PR agency, we look at potential from a range of perspectives. We work with several smart ad and marketing agencies as a part of the team to develop cohesive campaigns. It’s the way things are done now.

I think Amy hit the nail on the head with her choice of campaigns. I would love to hear what you think.

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PR and the Chilean miners

Now that the 33 Chilean miners are above ground and safe and sound, it is interesting to look back at their ordeal and review how it was handled and what that might mean for the miners in the future. Movie deals? Book deals?

I have to admit, I was obsessed with this story. And, from the sounds of it, so was a great deal of the world. I think that the reason for this is that there was ongoing, honest communication being put out about what was going on and there was a realistic hope of a happy ending.

The fact that the world was kept up-to-date on what was happening underground with the miners, with their families and with the rescue effort was incredible. We were allowed into the story and that made us feel connected. I think the Chilean government and the people working on the rescue did an exceptional job of providing information and because of that, they earned worldwide support. Not a small thing when you are in the spotlight like they were.

Sunglass maker, Oakley, stepped in and provided sunglasses for the men. Now, I have read some criticism about why Oakley did this; but, in fact, they were approached by a journalist covering the story. They responded and said yes, of course, they would provide sunglasses to help protect the eyes of the men. And to their credit, they wrote one blog post about it and that seems to be it. They didn’t try to maximize coverage of their role; they just did something good and that was that. Of course, as each miner came out of the ground, their brand was front and centre and was connected to the success of the rescue. They received an estimated $41 million in television coverage. But, they handled their contribution with class and style and if it benefits them, good for them.

There is a great article in the Jamaica Observer about leadership lessons from the mines that focuses on the communications efforts. It’s one of the best pieces I have read on this topic and worth a read.

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