THE NEW ZEALAND PR HALL OF FAME: KIWIBANK

These are tough times for all types of business, excluding the receivers....Those in retail are struggling to move enough stock and the word 'finance company' is becoming an increasingly dirty word. Getting positive public relations for businesses is tricky as audiences are low on trust and the media are baying for blood, seemingly only interested in stories about soaring petrol prices and failing enterprises.

This is why I am so impressed with Kiwibank's ability to rise above the bad luck stories and to maintain their positive reputation.

The guys at Kiwibank obviously have a very good grasp of online communications. The 'Join the Movement' campaign has really got people talking and there are now a multitude of blogs and forums discussing the ins and outs of Kiwibank: what the positives and negatives are, what new products have been released, what Kiwibank has planned for the future etc.

Kiwibank is also not afraid of standing up and tackling industry issues, which gives the impression that they actually care about their shareholders and where the industry is heading.

The PR campaign ties in well with a series of unique and attention-grabbing TV advertisements. The ads are so popular that as soon as a new one has been released, it is added to Youtube by its fans just a few moments later.

Although they appear to have a great public relations strategy and a clever and creative approach to their advertisements, there is another reason that Kiwibank is so popular. They have identified their USP, their point of differentiation and they are working it. On top of this, they know what their customers want. While all the other banks are increasing their mortgage rates, without any clear rationale, Kiwibank is cutting theirs. While New Zealanders are bemoaning the number of companies going offshore, Kiwibank is publicising the fact that they are 100% New Zealand owned and based.

There is only one aspect of Kiwibank that does not work in its favour- the location of its branches. Having to queue up in a post office is just not as convenient as popping into your local bank. If they managed to streamline this aspect of their business, then Kiwibank would truly have it made.

If anyone else has an example of a company which is running an excellent public relations campaign, feel free to email the details to me at jennifer@intermediary.co.nz and I will include them in the 'New Zealand PR Hall of Fame'.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE!

Just a few bits of information for anybody reading 'Musings from an Intermediary...'

If you have a blog that you would like to see listed on the blogroll, please send the link to jennifer@intermediary.co.nz and I will post it. The same goes for websites.

Also, if you have any public relations news or views that you would like everybody to hear about, send me the info and I will add it to the blog, under your name.

I am open to any ideas for improving the blog so feel free to send me those too!

Enjoy your Fridays everybody!

PROVING THE VALUE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

In these times of economic uncertainty, more and more business owners are, understandably, keen to see proof of whether they are getting a return on their investment into marketing, advertising and public relations. If businesses do not see a clear ROI, then it is quite likely that they will slash their budgets and reserve their cash for tactics that they can see working.

Some direct marketing agencies, such as the Auckland-based Twenty Limited, analyse results and report back to the client as a matter of course. The advertising industry has also long recognised the importance of evaluating return on investment.

However, more often than not, public relations consultancies do not push for evaluation of results, particulary in New Zealand. It is something that is talked about a lot at PRiNZ events but not something that many individuals appear to be acting upon. Maybe this is because PR professionals see themselves more as 'creative brains' than people occupied with statistics and numbers...? Maybe PR consultants are still caught up in that outdated assumption that media coverage proves that public relations is working.

Obviously, PR consultants do need to be able to show how much media exposure was achieved during a campaign. However, they also need to demonstrate the degree to which this exposure influenced perceptions and attitudes and what action, if any, the target audience took.

It is also vital that clients are educated on what results to expect from public relations. PR consultants need to ensure that their clients understand that the success of a PR campaign is not always directly linked to how many column inches they achieve. Of course, if consultants can convince their clients of the benefits of linking PR objectives to business objectives, then companies will also see results that go far beyond the odd article in newspapers and magazines.

At the recent PRiNZ conference, most members sitting on the Young Practitioners Panel were of the opinion that the future of PR lies in technology. I do not disagree with this. However, I also think that, as the months go by, especially if the current economic downturn stays with us for longer than expected, PR consultants will have to be more accountable and will have to present real, tangible results that prove that PR is succeeding at the job that it set out to do.

If PR consultants want a seat at the executive table, the first step is to start talking in a language that CEOs understand. Ultimately, this means providing data and information that shows that PR is impacting a company's bottom line.

Have a read of this blog named 'Proving the Value of Public Relations' and written by Don Bartholomew, senior vice president at MWW Group, in the United States, if you want to learn more about where the PR industry is heading, in terms of accountability and demonstrating ROI.