There's never been a bigger need for strategic publicity

I hope you’re enjoying some chill time while you read this. I’ve found that lying low helps (nearly) cure a nagging bug and puts a magnifying glass on our roles in the world. (Yeah, deep, but please stay with me.) There will be challenges, but with them, an open slate to grow.

During the last few weeks, I thought of publicity opportunities missed or whiffed in 2024 -- by all of us. No lists here, so let’s talk about moving forward. 🚨And if you haven’t taken advantage of year-end chances to connect with your fans and customers, it’s not too late to get your message out. 📞Lines 📞are open if you need an extra year-end tax write-off. 🤪 Really, you won’t go wrong with jumping on your 2025 publicity plan.

But onto those thoughts and publicity lessons learned.

Know your people — Former all-star athletic director Kevin White gets this. During his tenure at Duke, Notre Dame, Tulane and elsewhere, he made it a point to learn about the people he served. It’s the easiest way to show “client” appreciation, but so many miss the boat. As he shares in his new book, “A Good Sport: Reflections on a Full Life in College Sports,” Kevin notes how he was intentional about interacting with athletes.

“I mean, you’re crazy if you don’t, quite frankly. The matriculants in your programs can tell you absolutely anything and everything in terms of how to make the experience better,” White said to Collegiate Sports Connect. “They’re invaluable and so I always try to do that.”

While he said the school year ran out before he could personally meet with all Duke athletes during his last year there, he said he connected with about 450 of them and learned a “hell of a lot about what we were good at and what we were not good at.”

I worked with Kevin years ago and he’s as smart, insightful and as respectful to people’s views as they come. I hope to reconnect with him for a blurb here, too. With the transfer portal now such a huge factor in college sports, the practice of listening is even more crucial.

DEI deniers and negative publicity — You’ve seen the headlines about companies dropping their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Was that all really necessary? I asked peers in a public relations chat group about this because surveys show that most of us want businesses they buy from to be inclusive. Bowing out of DEI contradicts that. Some who answered saw each act – the hiring and publicly disassociating with those positions — as performative.

Tech PR account manager, Kera Felton, said, “Many organizations are finding ways to integrate inclusive practices into their core operations and culture without specific DEI labeling - likely a response to recent legal challenges and lawsuits in this space. The focus seems to be shifting toward embedding these values naturally into business practices - like fair hiring, inclusive leadership and equitable policies - rather than treating them as a separate initiative.”

Janice Person said, “I think some companies are making big bold statements to win political favor…. some did it when they added DEI efforts. Now undoing it is their choice. But the reality is, understanding and fully embracing DEI is part of a company, not a bolt-on.”

The bottom line is, can’t we just do the right thing by respecting and employing diverse voices? When you research your new thing or bring people onto your team, knowledge from people who see the world differently than you is invaluable. Despite what scared corporates seem to run from, then suffer backlash from those who disagree, I see living and working with embedded DEI as a positive. Consumers say the same.

Related — You know stuff you read about the value of employing a diverse team? It may have helped Pack Gear and others who thought they were embracing Hanukkah business, but besides a menorah, went crazy with Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) and Passover graphics. A five-second Google search could’ve avoided that mess.

Pop-Tarts Bowl earns another publicity win — I thought it might go overboard with schtick, but it gobbled social screens last week. People who loved the sacrificial mascot in 2023 wanted to know the next chapter. Props to the Bowl and Pop-Tarts marketing manager.

Public relations and related practices are shifting

Publicity and public relations practices are at a crossroads. Even though my pal, Gini Dietrich, originally saw this through pandemic-era eyes, her diversifying how to consistently create exposure opportunities may be more applicable now. Everything’s a Venn Diagram these days, and we’ve got to work smarter to make sure our messages break through.

Again, thanks to all who read and share this newsletter as well as referrals. And remember – lines 📱💻 are open for publicity counsel.

Enjoy a happy and healthy 2025. 🎉🎉

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© 2024 Gail Sideman, gpublicity 

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