Media exposure is part luck, part strategy
Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, March 19, 2003

Do you ever wonder how some stories make it into the news? Why does one company get profiled while another one gets no coverage? Are some companies just lucky, or do they know something about the news media that you don't?

When it comes to getting publicity, luck is sometimes a factor. But most times, there's a proactive plan in place to try to get coverage.

While the organizations I spoke to for this article were thrilled with the media exposure they received, all were quick to admit their driving force was not always just getting publicity. They also had a sincere desire to do the right thing, to be good corporate citizens.

For example, the Kitchener law office of Gowlings made a decision to sponsor the curling team skipped by Anne Dunn, a real estate law clerk for the firm. Sponsorship involves a financial commitment with no promise of any tangible return.

However, when Dunn's team won the Ontario women's curling title in February, Gowlings made it into the news, too. Media coverage showed Dunn and her teammates accepting the trophy in jackets and shirts featuring the Gowlings' name.

Dunn says the team tries to mention Gowlings when it's being interviewed. However, she's also conscious of not alienating the media by being blatantly promotional and often first asks if it's OK to give credit to her sponsor. Her experience has always been that the media are very responsive to this.

For Gowlings, the coverage is tantamount to free advertising. Dunn says she doesn't know what the paybacks are, but hopes it results in business for the company, saying, "Gowlings is a very good corporate citizen, a great firm and a great team to work with."

The Home Hardware marketing staff at the St. Jacobs head office is very proactive in sending out news releases and holding public relations seminars for dealers across the country in an effort to increase its chances of getting publicity.

Napanee storeowner Dale Beebe decided to sponsor a local girl's soccer team. It cost $175 for T-shirts, but paid back many times over when popular singer Avril Lavigne, who hails from Napanee, wore one of the Home Hardware T-shirts when she appeared on Saturday Night Live. (It's estimated that to buy that kind of advertising time on the show would have cost over $1 million U.S.)

The next day, the phones started ringing at Home Hardware. According to promotional events manager Rob Wallace, the company was flooded with calls - reporters looking for the story and consumers looking for the T-shirts. The company received coverage from dozens of Canadian and U.S. media outlets.

More T-shirts were produced to meet demand. But rather than simply capitalize on what one journalist called "the publicity coup of his career," Wallace decided it was a great opportunity to make money for charity.

As of this week, the company had raised $13,000 for the Greater Napanee Soccer Association and another $35,000 for the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation. The moral of the story is that it pays to be a good corporate citizen, Wallace says.

But getting publicity is not restricted to larger, well-established firms with public relations staff or sponsorship budgets. Even small companies can effectively tap the power of publicity.

Wag'n Train, a Kitchener firm that offers doggy daycare and dog training, has been in business for three years and has only five employees. Owner Ellie Ross has created raving fans from her customer base, which creates very favourable word of mouth.

However, the company also gets a fair share of media coverage. Ross actively looks for opportunities to get into the news. "I'm always thinking about stories that might be newsworthy." She starts by asking, "If I were a dog owner, would I be interested in this story?"

Sometimes her stories involve off-the-wall ideas. Two years ago she staged a wedding between two dogs. And more recently she had dogs in her daycare try paw paintings. The latter earned her a two-page photo spread in the newspaper. Other times, publicity may relate to her promoting a local cause such as a leash-free park.

Because Ross has been so proactive with the media, her name is often top of mind when a dog-related story breaks. For example, 570 News Radio recently called to ask her to comment on the death of James Waddell, a four-year-old New Brunswick boy who was killed in an attack by Rottweilers.

Ross also gets publicity because of volunteer work she does with the local humane society, offering seminars to help dog owners understand the behaviour of their pets.

Ross knows that her humane society work raises her profile, but she volunteers because she truly believes in educating others about dog behaviour. "As it turns out, what's good for the community is also good for my business," she says.

Next month I'll have more to say about getting publicity, but from the perspective of the news media. You'll get an inside view as to what news editors and reporters look for in a news release or story line, and how you can improve your chances of success.

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