Working in PR is not without its perks. PR is about relationships and connections; with clients, with editors, and with journalists. And to foster and nurture those key relationships, it often requires meals. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sometimes even cocktails. Few journalists will pass up the opportunity of a free meal in a fine eating establishments (and who can blame them!), and it provides us an ample opportunity to discuss what those editors and journalists are looking for in terms of content, and discuss the potential content our clients can provide.
Over the last couple of years Mustard has had a steady increase in clients based in the US. Platforms such as Google Hangouts, Skype, Slack and Dropbox allow us to work remotely for clients all over North America with the same efficiency as a local agency. However, whenever we get a chance we endeavour to meet face-to-face; it’s an important element in building that relationship.
As Colonel Mustard, Lucy Davison, was heading over to New Orleans this September for ESOMAR Congress, we decided to make a New York pit-stop to catch up with some of our clients and put some faces to the voices of some of the marketing press in the Big Apple.
It was a demanding four days in the city that never sleeps. A busy schedule of lunches, dinners and drinks with our clients, and also journalists from marketing media titles, such as Adage. It’s a tough life! We also had the opportunity to spend some time networking with the American Marketing Association and attended a meet the technology press event with the Public Relations Society of America, where we picked up some invaluable new press contacts.
It may sound like it was all a bit of a jolly, but trips like this are vital to an agency like Keen as Mustard. In fact they’re vital to any PR professional whether they are agency or client side. A huge part of PR is built on contacts and relationships. The inboxes of editors and journalists, particularly those at big titles, are awash with press releases of new studies, new announcements and company requests for coverage. So, being able to cut through that noise and get your email opened can be a difficult task. But if you’ve taken that journalist out for drink, and charged a very expensive bottle of wine to your business account, you can at least count on that email being opened and your press release being read. And that’s only half the bottle (I mean battle).