brand managment

It does not matter how good your business is, how great the product is, how good the service is and how efficient the staff are; how you are perceived to be is all the matters.

If the nation (or your audience) think something, then it is true, whether it is true or not.

This is why many businesses blow smoke about themselves, why politicians say certain things, or are seen at charity events - it is to give their image a boost. How people and companies are perceived to be is all important, no matter how true it is.

This is one of the main reasons why businesses attach themselves to charities, it is so they are seen as being charitable; they may well be, but the PR they get (brownie points) from being associated with charitable causes gives them kudos points in the eyes of the public.

If the media has given a poor story about your business, or a story has been told incorrectly resulting in bad media coverage, then PR is needed to clear up the mess, part the clouds and project good PR.

A good example is the banks, as the financial crisis has portrayed banks in a bad light, they are all doing positive PR and TV advertising to help clear up the mess and create a good feeling with the public. Many are doing a lot of TV advertising for financial companies as this is one of the strongest ways to get the message across.

One of the chief parts of brand management is the PR agencies roll in working with the media.

If negative PR has been circulated about a business (or individual) then the PR company needs to be able to react to this (sometimes very quickly) in order to neutralise any potential damage that may be done.

Considering some of the celebrities or MP's that are in the media, they will need backup PR in order to control any bad press that is received. In fact, PR for celebrities or other famous individuals is a big area of PR.

Consider some of the leading businesses that are in the media (Apple, Google, Sony, GSK etc.) they need to be able to react to any issue that comes up within minutes so as to ensure that their brand is not devalued or damaged.

Depending on the situation and circumstances, PR companies need to be on constant alert, monitoring news forums and social media channels for any mention of their clients and on hand to quell any problems that may occur.

Answering media questions is a big part of this, after talking to their client about a response the aim would be either to shield the client (giving positive PR or waffle) or to shift the discussion so that the attention is diverted. News changes quickly so any storm will only be in the media for a period of time, and then gone to be replaced with something else.

Many businesses fear complaints, however there is no business in the UK that is complaint free, no matter what the industry or service every business will have customers complaining about something (no matter how trivial).

Complaints in themselves are nothing to be feared, in fact many companies and individuals use them as reverse PR; so that when they are handled, the press release is sent out about how the problem was resolved and the customer is happy and how the speed of the response was second to none.

This can therefore be used to strengthen the brand and cause complaints (in many ways) to be a good thing as they are the source of a great story.

The UK has around 5,000 public relations companies ranging from big firms that work with global brands, down to small PR consultants that work with startup companies.

Choosing the right PR agency is a little like choosing the right tool for the job, as each agency has their own area of expertise, their own strengths and own weaknesses. Finding the right agency is about doing research into them.

Managing a brand is an important job, if PR is not applied to media exposure, then the brand of the business could suffer (which in some cases could cause the loss of millions of pounds if certain clients cancel orders (if the business is an airline or large business for example) or decide to keep away and believe the rumors).