All posts by Keith Trivitt

Walk The Line

October 1, 2010 Keith Trivitt Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I discussed some of the ongoing debate and insight within the PR profession about demonstrating our value among C-level executives. I wanted to dig into that subject a little further (it’s a personal interest of mine) with some fascinating research I found in MIT’s Sloan Management Review.

In an article published in the Summer 2010 issue, Larry Styble and Maryanne Peabody, co-founders of Boston-based management firm Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire, address which types of employees and executives CEOs gravitate toward.

The authors’ basic point is that for many successful CEOs, who they align themselves with within their executive suite often comes down to assets and liabilities. That’s right; in a way, we can boil down the value of any company’s executives to whether they see the world as full of opportunities (asset enhancement) or full of threats (liabilities reduction). Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Forbes Offers PR a Lifevest for Earned/Paid Media

September 28, 2010 Keith Trivitt 4 Comments

In the world of paid vs. earned vs. owned media, things are about to get very interesting. Coming this week, as part of a massive overhaul of its print and Web properties, Forbes will unveil what it’s calling “AdVoice”—essentially, a paid blogging platform for companies, non-profits and other organizations that will reside alongside its editorial content on Forbes.com, and presumably, within its organic search results, as detailed by AdAge this week.

While reading about this new blend of paid/earned media, I was fascinated by the potential branding and content-development opportunities, particularly the content’s prime placement within Forbes’ vaunted editorial landscape, something that has traditionally been off-limits. Also of interest is how these paid company blogs will play into Forbes’ SEO and search results, which at nearly 20 million unique monthly visitors (according to Forbes’ internal analytics), is both large and influential. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Ethical vs. Unethical: A Lot Rides on Only 2 Letters

September 21, 2010 Keith Trivitt 5 Comments

Mere weeks after the PR world was shocked with news of unethical product review practices of client-developed iPhone apps by Reverb Communications, the profession is again faced with revelations of supposedly unethical practices, this time stemming from the undisclosed use of paid spokespeople by the toy industry as supposedly third-part, objective experts on local TV newscasts throughout the country, as Los Angeles Times media columnist Jim Rainey chronicled last week.

This glaring example of ethical misgivings from the toy industry brings clear an ugly truth in the new world of public relations: what is often best for the client is increasingly winning out over what is most ethical and best for consumers.

And that’s bad news for anyone serious about seeing the profession evolve and thrive. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

The C-level/Value Debate

September 8, 2010 Keith Trivitt 3 Comments

It’s one of the most defining questions facing the PR profession: How do we ensure our voice, our insight, our expertise, is given its proper place among C-levels in our company/organization? In some cases, this very question can define a professional’s entire experience with a company.

So big, in fact, is this question that the PR profession has been debating the topic for years. A recent interview series on public relations ethics from PRSA’s Public Relations Tactics magazine shed some light on how some industry thought-leaders view the balance professionals face between being an internal adviser/counselor and an external communicator. One point, in particular, I was motivated by came from Keith Mabee, APR, vice chairman of Dix & Eaton:

We have to be organizational boundary riders with one foot in the inner sanctum of the C-suite and the boardroom and the other foot out there in our constituency environment. A lot of it has to do with having the courage of your convictions, adept interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate your breadth and knowledge of the business and the industry you’re operating in. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Anecdotal Evidence Suggests PR On the Right Path

September 1, 2010 Keith Trivitt 2 Comments

Over the past year, we have talked a lot on PRBC about the changing role of a PR practitioner, how the profession is perceived by reporters, bloggers, executives and the public and some of the backlash the PR business has received due to a multitude of issues.

Through all of these changes, I’m still very optimistic that the profession is progressing along the right path; that we’re taking strides toward becoming more transparent, more focused on helping companies build their businesses (rather than building our own egos) and more in line with the goals of our clients and their key audiences and constituents.

My optimism is enhanced by recent anecdotal evidence noting how others, many of whom were once staunch opponents of the value of PR, view the strategic value of retaining PR counsel. Specifically, a post on blogger relations by Gizmodo UK editor Kat Hannaford, and another post by Jennifer Walzer of Backup My Info! leave me with the impression that our profession, as a whole, is beginning to learn from its mistakes. And while we certainly have many areas in need of improvement (media relations, agency turnover rates, mentorship, etc.), I feel we are beginning to see the hard work of many to reshape the public’s perception of the value of public relations taking hold. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

A Chat with PRSA’s Arthur Yann, APR – Part 2

August 16, 2010 Keith Trivitt 3 Comments

Recently, we featured part one of our two-part interview with Arthur Yann, APR, vice president of public relations for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). This week, we wrap up the interview with Arthur’s thoughts on why PR has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in recent years, the Society’s Business Case for Public Relations initiative and other topics.

Keith Trivitt: We addressed one of my biggest beefs with the PR business, the bashing the industry often takes from outsiders, in a recent PRBreakfastClub post. You weighed in with some great insight in the comments. Can you give us a bit more color into that? What’s PRSA’s stance on why PR has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in recent years, and how can the organization help professionals overcome this?

Arthur Yann: I can think of several reasons why the industry does not enjoy the reputation it deserves.

It starts with Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Why You Might Not Want to Be ‘The Next Big Thing’

August 11, 2010 Keith Trivitt 3 Comments

Flipboard’s rapid ascension to the fandom of the social media and tech scene, and just as quick outright derision and speculation about its struggles to scale among some tech and media reporters/bloggers offers an interesting glimpse into what is more and more becoming an issue within the technology and media sectors: Heavily-funded start-up makes big splash with big influencers, only to suddenly realize it’s nowhere near prepared for the onslaught of actual people using its product and service. This, inevitably, creates a perception among consumers, partners, advertisers, etc. that tech media darling just isn’t quite ready for prime time.

Thus, all of that build up and hype is wasted, and it’s back to square one. Continue reading →

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A Chat with PRSA’s Arthur Yann, APR, on Role of PR in Business

August 2, 2010 Keith Trivitt 3 Comments

Recently, I had the very good pleasure of getting to know Arthur Yann, APR, vice president of public relations for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Arthur offered a terrific comment to my post a while back imploring the PR and communications profession to defend its work, and we have gotten to know each other since then. Arthur even graciously invited me to attend the PRSA Silver Anvil Award ceremony, which was a wonderful event honoring many great contributions to the public relations industry (The photo below is of the Air Force Public Affairs Office accepting an honor at the event.)

PRSA Silver Anvil Award Ceremony — The United States Air Force Public Affairs Office receives an honor at the 2010 PRSA Silver Anvil Award ceremony (Photos courtesy PRSA/Andrew Giammarco)

Last week, I took some time to chat with Arthur about his role at PRSA, what the organization is aiming to do for future generations of PR professionals, PRSA’s relatively new Business Case for Public Relations initiative and other thoughts and insight on the PR and communications profession. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

What the Old Spice Guy Videos Lacked: Real Messaging

July 26, 2010 Keith Trivitt 17 Comments

Buzz … Buzz … Buzz. What happened to sales results?

An article late last week on BNET noted that the hilarious viral videos that Old Spice put out recently in tandem with ad/marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy, showcasing The Old Spice Guy (former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa) responding to celebrity and fan tweets, e-mails and other social messages to instantly create one-hit wonder viral videos actually did very, very little in the way of boosting Old Spice’s sagging year-over-year sales. Continue reading →

…..a chance to start the day off right.