Corporate PR: The Big Guns Katye Elizabeth Hanlin

Corporate Companies

• These companies deal with governments at local, regional, national, and international levels.

“The decisions corporate makes affect the environment, control the employment of thousands of people, and influence the financial and social well-being of millions of individuals.”

Their role:• People tend to view Corporate as a

sky-high building full of negative, power-hungry, control-freaks

-They must regain their credibility and public trust. They (the PR practitioner) must retain the good reputation of their employers.

If the employer doesn’t seem to be

trustworthy, the entire company has no legs to stand on because they are the one on top. Integrity has to be preserved.

They must make this…

Be a reflection of this…

How?

The benefits to following these rules for corporations are:

•1. responsible business practices keep the government from having to step in

•2. Good employee morale: companies with good policies and good reputations tend to have less employee turnover. Corporate reputation also affects the “bottom line”

1. Adopt ethical principles2. Pursue transparency and disclosure3. Make trust a fundamental precept of corporate governance

Definition of 'Bottom Line'Refers to a company’s net earnings, net income or earnings per share (EPS). Bottom line also refers to any actions that may increase/decrease net earnings or a company's overall profit. 

“Restoring Trust in Business: Models for Action”

Media Relations:• Negative media coverage is bad news for

big corporations: one bad story about one small branch of a company affects the entire corporation.

• Corporate complaints about media coverage: sometimes inaccurate, incomplete coverage, inadequate research, and antibusiness bias.

• Rebuttal: many corporations do not

cooperate with journalists, and therefore, how are the journalists supposed to cover everything thoroughly?

The job of a PR practitioner in this situation: show their companies and clients to the media, while helping chief executives see how being open and friendly to media relations can serve their interests. Help the media help you, rather than running away or hiding.

(ex. Wal-Mart hired illegal immigrants, dropped from 1st place to 7th place in corporate reputation

*

Customer Relations:• The customer is highly

respected in this generation. • Consumer rights are

protected by the federal government, and federal and state agencies enforce those rights. (ex. The FTC (federal trade commission) regulates truth in advertising. “The customer is always right” is a very supported statement today.

• Word of mouth can increase or decrease a company’s reputation, and with internet’s speed, comments from customers are brutal and unrestricted.

Planetfeedback.com

ContinuedEx. A customer videotaped a Comcast repairman sound asleep on the customer’s couch and posted it on snakesonablog.com.

The video eventually ended up on MSNBC news. Not a good look for Comcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVp7b5gzqU

My experience: Customer relations can be greatly affected more by the customer service, rather than the product. (i.e. McDonald’s/Steak n’ Shake)

Consumer Responses• “Dissatisfied customers can often be appeased by prompt and

courteous attention to their complaints or even an offer by a company to replace an item or provide discount coupons toward future purchases. KFC and Tyson have been accused of handling animals inhumanely. They made a huge effort to show that they are not okay with this. An ultimatum was issued: clean up your act, or don’t renew your contract.

• Consumer boycotts: a refusal to buy the products or services of an offending company – -a way customers can force change on a company is by refusing

to support them. Must get a large number of people to participate in order to make a difference.

– Choose your battles. (Southwest Airlines) Woman wrote a letter to the headquarters of Southwest complaining about the way its flight attendants joked around and wore bright orange shorts. She was a consistent flyer and threatened to take away her business. Headquarters responded with two words: “you will be missed.” Not every complaint deserves a change.

Employee Relations

• A good environment for employees to work in increases efficiency, productivity, and morale. You want the employees to say good things about you, because if a company is run well internally, it will be reflected externally to the customers as well. The quality of staff makes or breaks a company, no matter how good it is.

• Things to consider: sexual harrassment (safety), fairness, good scheduling, the messages of the company, building trust, and being honest, and freedom to communicate within the workplace.

Personal Experience• Ex. Steak n Shake: I

viewed corporate as demeaning, no tip, rude, and had a “better than you” attitude. Nobody liked our head boss and we were there simply for the money, not for the good work environment.

ConclusionModerate corporations have a big job to do: create a good, positive image of themselves by keeping a close eye on the small business that comprise the corporation. They are the ones that make all the big calls when it comes to employee outsourcing, what type of energy they are going to use, how they want to get rid of their excess product, etc.

They are responsible for keeping the customer, employees, and the budget satisfied. Media is a great tool for helping them do this, if they understand how to use it.