So far in 2022, brands around the world have come to terms with the ever-changing nature of business. From large corporations to small neighborhood mom-and-pop shops, these companies have seen it all in the last 24 months. In some unfortunate cases, many brands haven’t survived in this new economic landscape. And while many issues are external and out of the control of leaders and management—pandemics are inherently unpredictable—internal changes like shifts in managements’ tone or leadership expectations have contributed to new pain points within an organization. Budget cuts or hesitation to hire–potentially even downsizing–is not uncommon in these times. However, any minor changes can have a major impact on a brand’s overall presence and message to their audience.
Sometimes, cutting back on marketing and PR plans makes sense–on the one hand. Yes, the money saved will mean more opportunity in another area, let’s say business trips, and presents little to no risk in other areas such as a robust media campaign. So it begs the question, “what’s on the other hand?” That other hand–the one hanging on by a company’s last thread–is hope. Alright, forgive me; that was a little melodramatic. What I mean to say is that the proverbial other hand is awaiting an opportunity to revive marketing efforts that can help keep the brand relevant and part of industry conversations.
Brands that invest in marketing when times are uncertain witness the fruits of their decisions. Take, for example, a client of ours who chose to double-down on PR and marketing efforts in April 2020, when many organizations decided to put the brakes on PR. Over the course of the last two years, they’ve rapidly expanded their investment footprint, have been featured on the front page of the New York Times’ real estate section, quoted in Barrons, Quartz, Globe Street and other top tier publications in their industry. They took a contrarian approach and it paid off.
“Negligent media relations is sure to doom a brand.” That’s a quote from me that I just made up. Jokes aside, we know that marketing and PR budgets are some of the first to go when an organization is remapping their future. And keeping all CMOs and executive leaders in mind, we’ve developed a PR road map to help aid brands in their future plans. The year ahead is just as uncertain and complicated as we’ve seen since the start of 2020. There’s no real way to know how to avoid what lies ahead and anyone making promises to save you from troubles is not being truthful. Setting reasonable goals and implementing workable solutions is the best way to go about planning for quarter four and beyond.
A PR road map can fit right into the palm of that other hand and help your brand stay ready for organizational changes, brand message mishaps, media relations and more. The framework that we’ve put together can be used internally time and time again.And the best part? No *agency work purchase necessary. If you’ve got an in-house team, we can get your company set up to thrive into 2023. Or if you’re rebuilding, we can work alongside you (um, this would be agency work purchase necessary) and get the ball rolling. I’d love a chance to talk about your brand awareness, ambitions and aspirations and see how you can put your best hand—I mean foot—forward.
*Agency work purchase is a schloppy way of saying retainer fee. The PR road map is a one-time fee.
DM me if you want to learn more or email me at deannaleticia@bearicebox.com.