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September 08, 2006
Watch “PR Professionals Gone Wild” @ Fall 2006 VON!
These days it seems as if the PR Industry is out of control, or at least the segment of the PR industry doing work for the exhibitors and speakers who will be with us in Boston next week at Fall 2006 VON.
While I have dealt with a few relentless PR people in my time, the level of competition within the industry from all of the companies vying for media attention appear to be at an all-time high. This VON more than ever it seems that the “pitch force” is out strong trying to get stories placed on behalf of their clients. After being on the receiving side of some of these pitches, it is pretty evident that this is a quantity and not a quality approach. I wonder if it is asking too much if the PR professional representing a client in our industry actually has some basic level understanding of what IP Communications is and where their client sits within the IP Communications ecosystem?
Things have gotten so bad with complaints from the media that we now maintaining two press lists for VON: Our official “Press & Analyst” list and then a second “shadow press list” that is our own internal list of business press & media that will be at VON but specifically asked not want to be solicited by the PR community leading up to the event. (Sorry but this list is off limits to everyone.)
Having to maintain a “shadow press list” is in complete contrast to the few people who will remain nameless but always try to be on our official press list so they can get solicited by the PR community. These are people who live a virtual existence so they don’t actually attend any events. ;-)
The good news from all of this is that the state of the IP Communications Industry has never been better and that there will be a lot of buzz coming from Boston next week at Fall 2006 VON. :)
Tags: VoIP, VON, Jeff Pulver
(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)
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Posted by jeff on September 8, 2006 09:13 AM | Permalink
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Comments
It is a great blog which have good points.
Posted by: david at December 6, 2007 02:59 AM
Hmmm... what I saw in preview mode turned out to be different that what got posted - the proper URL should be http://dyork.livejournal.com/209350.html
Posted by: Dan York at September 11, 2006 07:50 PM
Jeff,
In contrast to past VON shows, I made the mistake of signing up early and wound up on the advance press list. As I chronicle here,
http://dyork.livejournal.com/209350.html,
it has unfortunately pretty much only been a source of spam. For the next show, I'm thinking I definitely want to be on the "shadow list". I agree with Carolyn that now and then a rare gem comes along, but the signal-to-noise ratio is way too high. Unfortunately, unlike real spam, I can't just filter the pitches away... they have to be read (or at least opened) and it's just a real waste of time.
Alan,
I know that the good PR professionals follow the steps you outline, but the rest of the ones who don't certainly do tarnish the reputation of the industry as a whole. If only everyone entering PR would agree to steps such as those you list.
Dan
Posted by: Dan York at September 11, 2006 07:48 PM
As a long time Comdex attendee (14 years) I can attest that VON has a long long way to go before it becomes truly annoying in this way.
I'm sorry but the PR storm comes with the territory. Journalists ought to be able to deal with it. Despite what people think, most PR people really do understand that no means no.
Posted by: Owen Linderholm at September 11, 2006 05:52 PM
As a writer at the receiving end of the media blast, I can sympathize withy Jeff's position and the members of the "shaow" list. You can get to the point where you are so busy simply filtering out emails and calls that you can't get any other work done.
However, while it's a chore to deal with all this stuff, there is another side. Every now and then there's a genuinely interesting story that I wouldn't have found otherwise. And in one case, I was able to share something important - namely that VON is a great place for single gals to meet guys!
Posted by: Carolyn Schuk at September 10, 2006 07:30 PM
jeff,
you make a lot of good points. truth be told, e-mail has made the problem even worse because you can blast out your release in seconds to dozens of journalists. i would argue there is less thinking happening about what each journalist requires and what stories they're interested in. this isn't a new problem; it just isn't getting any better.
Posted by: mark evans at September 10, 2006 07:32 AM
tfn gdtgfrgvdc
Posted by: abdel at September 8, 2006 02:20 PM
Jeff, good points.....
It would serve the PR professionals, their clients and the media/analyst community to make custom pitches to the media or industry analyst that are only relevant to their client's market.
1. Before you pitch, read and research the articles and industry reports the reporter or analyst has written. That gives you an insight into what they have written, what they perceive, and how your client's product or technology can add value to the editorial fabric of their publication.
2. Aside from your announcement itself, explain why the announcement matters and how it helps grow the IP communications market.
3. Look to not just an announcement, but an application story. Cool technology is one thing; applying it and having a customer is another.
4. Set your clients' expectations. And have fun!
AW
Posted by: Alan Weinkrantz at September 8, 2006 10:07 AM