Coffee and the essence of PR

Simone Lipshitz started Headlines 20 years ago and she is testimony that to make it in the public relations (PR) industry takes a lot more than coffee. “I started Headlines with one client who was in the IT industry. He ran an IT training company and introduced me to my second client who in turn led me to a colleague with 20 years’ experience in IT who I teamed up with and we jointly went after clients in the tech industry. He was responsible for writing and I looked after client and media liaison. Our network was in the IT industry and we grew from word of mouth and referrals within that niche market.”

Consistency across industries

Since then Headlines has covered a number of industries and accounts, including the Loeries and the (then) Marketing Federation of South Africa (MFSA), Toys R Us and Incredible Connection to name but a few. Lipshitz says regardless of the industry, the essence of PR is consistent across all industries. “Regardless of which clients we work on and the industries they operate in, the value we offer clients is understanding how the media works and how to provide journalists with content that is relevant to their audience.”

The Headlines team

She says it is about understanding the client’s business and translating that into a media-friendly format by extracting the pertinent angles and knowing which media to approach, with what angle and how. “Additionally, we might bring in specialists where necessary, ensuring that should content be highly technical, for example, we have resources that can not only meet the client’s demands, but can upskill staff in the process, but the basic principles of PR remain.”

There is change

But there are things that change. “Most brands employed our services to create a profile for themselves and create awareness in the public eye and I don’t think these objectives have changed – I think they are still very much present.”

The main factor that has had an influence over PR objectives is social media. “Brands now recognise that engagement and conversation with their target audience is required, and budget is being directed towards social media. It has become more of a two-way conversation as brands realise that with social media, everyone is an influencer.”

PR agencies have needed to innovate to meet those needs by providing relevant and engaging content. “As a PR agency it’s an extension of our current offering. Whether we are creating content for print, broadcast, online or social media networks, we need to ensure the client’s communication objectives are met and key messages are communicated.”

There is no change

But some things do not change. “PR is still the poor cousin of advertising. In the past most senior level execs or business owners would palm the PR function onto a junior and not give it much time. Most company boards lacked a marketing representative. PR is seen as something that a company invests in because it is cheap marketing.”

However, she says, while budgets haven’t increased, (certainly not in this current economic climate) clients are engaging with PR at a higher level. “We achieve a much higher success with clients where we have direct access to that C-level exec. Having direct access to their thinking, their worries, challenges, thoughts, the direction that they are wanting to take the company in and how they are aiming to change the industry, is imperative to the PR process. Companies and brands are seeing this now and therefore PR is becoming far more strategic. However, this is contradictory to the fact that it still is one of the first line items of the budget to be cut in a tough economic climate.”

Bottom line for her: “PR agencies need to evolve and become more strategic and more inventive when looking for opportunities for their clients.”