Welcome!The presentation will be starting shortly.

Planning for PR Success in 2009

Kye StranceDirector, Product Development

Vocus, Inc.

Planning for PR Success in 2009

Lenny Santiago

• Director of Marketing Communications of International Speedway Corporation

• Over a decade of corporate communications and media relations experience in multiple industries including consumer, media, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals

• Strengths include PR strategy development, messaging and proactive media targeting and outreach

Deirdre Breakenridge

• President, Director of Communications at PFS Marketwyse

• Counsels senior level executives at companies including AmerisourceBergen, RCN Metro Optical Networks, JVC, Kraft and Michael C. Fina

• Adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University where she teaches courses on Public Relations and Interactive Marketing for the Global Business Management program

• Author of four Financial Times business books: “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” "PR 2.0, New Media, New Tools, New Audiences," "The New PR Toolkit" and "Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy"

Deirdre BreakenridgePresident, Director of Communications

Audit of the Year Past

• Review goals and objectives from the previous year

• Analyze successful and unsuccessful communication

• Evaluate amount of editorial coverage

• Examine depth and breadth of coverage

• Determine number of new relationships

• Analyze competitor initiatives and milestones

Integrate Your Strategy

Align PR objectives to meet marketing and sales goals as well as to satisfy overall company business goals.

Set up a series of deep meetings with:• Marketing department• Corporate communications/investor relations• Product managers• Business solutions owners and sales teams• Senior level executives

Setting Your Objectives

• What are you trying to achieve?

• How will the company reach its objectives:– Are your objectives

qualitative or quantitative?• Which stakeholders of the

company will help you to reach your objectives?

• Are your objectives:– Sustainable?– Measurable?– Achievable?– Realistic?– Timed?

Monitor/Research

Track the following influencers:

• Journalists/media outlets

• Bloggers/blogosphere

• Social networking groups

• Analysts

• Associations/organizations

• Government groups

• Customers/prospects

• Etc.

Identify Influencers

• Who are you trying to communicate with? What do they need to hear from you?

– Avoid messages– Don’t pitch– Share meaningful

information– Engage after

understanding

Communication Strategy

Develop communication strategy (the overall approach) or the strategic thread (key ideas/concepts) that will weave throughout your campaign.

• PR/brand building • Image building and reputation management• Thought leadership• Product launch focus• Customer participation• Events/tradeshow• Etc.

Content/Vehicle Strategy

Develop content/vehicle strategy for your campaign (choose your tactics):

• Traditional news release• Social media releases (SMR)• Release distribution strategy• Media/blogger relations• Media kit/interactive newsroom content:

− Product/spec sheets− Fact sheet− Backgrounder− Photos− Presentations

Content/Vehicle Strategy

• Social media tools– RSS feeds– Streaming video– Podcasts– Blogs/microblogs– Social networks

• Events/tradeshows• Web marketing

– E-blasts– SEO

• Additional collateral development

`

Timing/Phases

Fix your timeline. Consider internal and external environment opportunities and resources when timing the launch of your campaign.

Campaign launch phases include:

• Alpha• Beta• Launch • Post launch

Measurement

Monitoring and measurement should take place at several intervals. Measurement and evaluation tools include :

• Conversation index• Authority• Engagement• Perception• Leads/sales• Web traffic• Editorial coverage• Event participation• Survey and poll results

Lenny SantiagoDirector of Marketing Communications

Background on ISC

• Largest promoter of motorsports in the US, 21 NASCAR events

• Owner of 13 major venues including Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, and others

• Two additional major business units– MRN Radio – largest radio network in the US– American Service Corp – concessions, merchandise and

catering subsidiary• Over 1,000 employees nationwide

Facing Unique PR Issues

• Significant period of growth through 2007• Each facility has own PR staff

– Small staff handling a variety of responsibilities in addition to PR

• Geographically dispersed with unique local issues• Recent turn-over at the track PR level• Challenging industry relationships

2008 PR Plan

• A strategic approach to communications– Support new strategic plan – vision/mission/values– Build collaboration both internally and externally– Capitalize on major upcoming milestones– Enhance skill-building opportunities

• Surveyed each business unit to identify systemic issues, opportunities and long-term goals of PR staff

• Employed several resources to track and measure efforts– Corporate level Director of Marketing Communications– Vocus– Internal PR team portal

Made Great Strides in 2008

• Monthly PR team calls and idea sharing• Capitalized on opportunities with broadcast partners• Better collaboration with messaging and positioning• Identified areas of concern within business units

– Continue to take steps to improve them• Set a baseline off which to measure future efforts

All in the face of a challenging economy!

Planning for 2009

• Focus on fans and the at-track experience

• Message – There’s Nothing Like Being at the Race!

• Execution:– Leverage corporate resources to support track PR

efforts– Reinforce brand message– Target relevant non-motorsports press – Effectively engage social media– Improved measurement of communications reach and

influence – most important

Plan Development• Aligned with consumer and corporate sales goals• Months to create

– Results from fan feedback, research and focus groups– Input from each business unit as well as industry

partners– Significant research into

• measurement techniques• social media strategies• best practices (PRSA programs, PR 2.0)• other sports property initiatives

– Input and buy-in from senior management• Sr. VP, Business Operations and Marketing; Sr. VP

Operations; Chief Marketing Officer

Targeting – Variety of Paid and Free Services

• Vocus – media contacts and outlets• HARO – free media inquiry database• Twitter – following a number of journalists• Google Alerts – track reporters on several topics• RSS Feeds – especially great for bloggers• Industry contacts and networking

Plan Measurement

• Vital component of 2009 plan• Focus for 2009 is quality impressions vs. quantity• Measuring four key areas:

– Activities – how active were we in communicating?– Perceptions – were our key messages received?– Audience Actions – did they do more or less of

particular action (i.e. visit website, buy tickets, etc.)– Financial Impact – did we influence purchasing habits

Measurement Tactics

Measurement Scorecard that incorporates:• Vocus Analytics – track activities, monitor impressions,

analyze tone, prominence and media impact• Direct Feedback – employ a variety of focus groups, fan

round tables, post event feedback, major surveys• Pass-Through and User Engagement – particularly in

social media - # of users, followers, downloads, unique visitors, depth of postings and comments, etc.

• Impact to Customer Behavior – utilize call-center and internet sales data to identify sales volume tied to PR activity

And Don’t Forget – 66 Days to the DAYTONA 500!

Contact Information

Deirdre Breakenridge, Email: dbreakenridge@pfsmarketwyse.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/dbreakenridge Facebook: http://profile.to/deirdrebreakenridge LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/deirdrebreakenridge

• Lenny Santiago, lsantiago@iscmotorsports.com

• Moderator, Kye Strance, kstrance@vocus.com

About Vocus

• A global software company specializing in on-demand software for public relations management

• Successful, proven applications currently used by thousands of PR professionals

• Recognized for excellence in products, growth, leadership

“Innovation of the Year”