Inside The Minds 50 The chief executive’s reputation and his or her ability to develop a top-notch senior-management team are also critical factors to consider when developing a company’s communication initiatives. Security analyst presentations serve as a good example of how important these factors are. At the presentation, security analysts will listen to the chief executive’s report on the company’s performance, analyze the company’s quarterly results and listen to the chief executive’s answers to analysts’ questions. The chief executive not only interprets company activity, but also delivers a sense of confidence and hope and the company’s future goals. Communications help convey the chief executive’s values and capabilities, while helping to interpret company activity and then create a foundation upon which future goals can be built. Analysts will make a judgment on whether the chief executive is trustworthy and able to deliver on his or her promises. In addition, innovative public relations often include brainstorming sessions that serve as opportunities for groups of professionals to talk through and build upon shared, multiple ideas. Well-organized brainstorming sessions that feature the right mix of participants who generate the energy needed to uncover fresh approaches and innovative strategies can result in communications target audiences understand and strongly respond to. Regarding changes in the industry, I would like a serious understanding between clients and agencies that client The Art of Public Relations 51 presentations – not capabilities presentations, but rather those with original ideas, recommendations, strategic thinking, or creative work – are paid for by prospective clients. I believe public relations firms would approach the assignment more thoughtfully and that clients would receive an even better work product. Public relations firms have one key asset – their people, combined with their individual and collective experiences. To give that away doesn’t make sense. Success in Public Relations To succeed in public relations, a person must approach communicating with the public from the perspective that individuals have the inherent ability to make the right decision for themselves, as long as they possess a strong foundation upon which to base those decisions. The information that a public relations professional provides the public should reflect this perspective and be presented with honesty and respect for others’ beliefs. Spinning information is disrespectful to others because it presumes a person can manipulate the decisions of others. Successful public relations relies on setting priorities and keeping the public perspective a top priority. Having a high degree of respect for an individual’s ability to develop information from his or her own perspective results in the public relations professional providing useful Inside The Minds 52 information. If individuals receive useful information in an interesting, creative, engaging, and exciting way, then they will be far more likely to listen to it, absorb it, process it, and make decisions based upon it, whether they are stock- purchase, career, or political decisions. Communications with the public must also be straightforward. Public relations professionals need to have the ability to step back from the situation and determine whether their target audience members received and understood the message they delivered, were able to act upon the message, and obtained value as a result of their services. Delivering value can be anything from selling cases of shampoo to raising investor confidence in a company. The following guidelines can assist public relations professionals when creating communications that are both timely and relevant to their target audience: R Read newspapers, magazines, and books; watch television; listen to the radio; go online; and become media savvy. R Supplement participation in local industry events with professional and social activities in other industries and regions to understand what is appreciated and desired in different markets. R Understand different attitudes and behaviors, while also recognizing the unique position of target audiences. The Art of Public Relations 53 This understanding helps public relations professionals develop a unique, innovative campaign that meets the client’s objectives. R Obtain insight into specific media. Public relations professionals work through the media and other third parties to win media coverage and deliver an understanding of what a particular company does and why. People need three key skills if they want to lead a public relations firm. First, being responsible for a client relationship of some size, probably larger than $1 million in fee income. Second, gaining international experience. Third, managing a P&L – managing a business to make a profit so that there is a return for investors. From a broader perspective, motivating, developing, and properly managing people are critical skills. You have to communicate clearly and often. And you absolutely must understand what’s on their minds. After all, in public relations, people are our product. The greatest challenge international firms face is building and shaping knowledge, as well as best practices, across the globe. This means public relations professionals have to be equally sophisticated everywhere in the world in how they work for clients, regardless of where or when. This also means they have to operate 24/7. Sometimes this can be Inside The Minds 54 difficult, but it is what the international or global client wants. What this means for our firm is twofold: First, the scope of the work and the expectation must be clear and realistic. Second, we must commit ourselves to a different kind of training – we need to use technology to transfer more and more knowledge to our people around the world. We must also have a team at the ready, so they can act quickly and flexibly in sending talented staff to other parts of the world to help our staff learn, grow, and develop the skills the client expects of them. This makes knowledge a key strategy for the future – developing it, sharing it, and making it available to every part of our world, all for the benefit of delivering value to the client. For this reason, knowledge is a key strategic platform for our firm. We have built our own online university, with client-devoted intranet sites to share skills around the world, pioneer our own original research into reputation and the Internet, and devote considerable resources to training. Because of external circumstances and because public relations is not performed in a vacuum, there are no specific, traditional standards to measure success, such as frequency in reach, which is used to gauge success in advertising. Some public relations companies use shareholder, consumer awareness, customer and employee The Art of Public Relations 55 satisfaction, and public-opinion surveys to measure the success of their programs. Ideally, the first survey is performed before the campaign begins, with the second survey performed six to eight months later to track the campaign’s progress. Because of the expense, however, companies are often reluctant to make the necessary investment. In addition, many companies prefer to survey the reputation of a brand – its relevance in the marketplace and distinguishing features. But results can be unreliable because of the tremendous influence advertising has on a brand. Although it may be difficult for a public relations firm to measure the success of a campaign, a proven approach is not the number of times a particular audience received a particular message, but rather the quality of the message and the target audience member’s actions that were based upon it. Success also lies in understanding the client and the public, and the public relations company’s ability to blend with the client. Public relations has become both art and science – the research makes it a science, and the understanding of the public makes it an art. The need to have a strong grasp of the corporate mission is underscored by behavior. The public relations professional must understand the messages a company wants to communicate and, just as importantly, who the desired public is, what their perceptions are, what they believe is the real story, and what type of information Inside The Minds 56 they need or want to make a particular decision. Real public relations understands the message from a corporate standpoint, but also from the individual’s standpoint – specifically, where he or she is in terms of the company’s perceptions. To achieve success in public relations, these perceptions must be addressed directly and honestly. Christopher P. A. Komisarjevsky is president and chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, one of the world’s leading communications consulting firms. Before joining Burson-Marsteller in 1995, Mr. Komisarjevsky was president and chief executive officer of Gavin Anderson & Company, a public relations subsidiary of Omnicom, and was responsible for the firm’s U.S. operations. Before Gavin Anderson, Mr. Komisarjevsky held a series of senior leadership positions at Hill and Knowlton, Inc. During his 20-year career there, he served as president and chief executive officer of the firm’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa operations, and chief executive of its Carl Byoir & Associates subsidiary. Mr. Komisarjevsky also served as head of the firm’s New York office and Corporate Practice. Mr. Komisarjevsky has been responsible for public relations and public affairs activities for major corporate and trade association clients in a number of industries, including financial services, building materials, The Art of Public Relations 57 entertainment, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, communications, real estate, management consulting, and consumer products. He also has extensive experience in crisis management and labor negotiations. In addition to being a widely published author of articles on a variety of public relations topics, Mr. Komisarjevsky has lectured on communications and business at Spain’s Instituto de Empresa, Switzerland's International Institute for Management Development, and the New York University Graduate School. Mr. Komisarjevsky holds a master’s degree in business administration, has performed graduate work in German literature and international affairs in the United States and Europe, has attended the Wharton School, and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science. A 1996 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Mr. Komisarjevsky serves on the boards of a number of not-for- profit organizations and is a trustee of EQ Advisors Trust. Mr. Komisarjevsky also served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1972 as a captain, helicopter pilot, instructor pilot, flight commander, and plans officer, serving in Vietnam with the First Cavalry Division in 1969 and 1970. The Art of Public Relations 59 THE CREATION OF TRUST R ICH J ERNSTEDT Golin/Harris International Chief Executive Officer . The Art of Public Relations 55 satisfaction, and public- opinion surveys to measure the success of their programs. Ideally, the first survey is performed before the campaign begins, with the. to measure the success of a campaign, a proven approach is not the number of times a particular audience received a particular message, but rather the quality of the message and the target. understanding of the public makes it an art. The need to have a strong grasp of the corporate mission is underscored by behavior. The public relations professional must understand the messages