Global Contact Points

I've learned more about PR this semester than in all my other semesters at K-State combined. I'm currently taking Ad and PR Management - a class that has taught me a lot about where I'd like to take a career in PR. We've learned about contact points, and it got me wondering, would contact points change overseas? Is the way that information is shared different in other countries, and what other types of mechanisms are they using that we could take advantage of here?

Thinking back to my time living in Spain, I think the concept of contact points is the same. Word-of-mouth being the most important. European countries didn't have billboards and definitly didn't utilize shelf space in stores like American companies do. Their print advertisments are the same in magazines, but are much smaller in los periodicos (newspapers). Companies expanding internationally would benefit greatly from researching possible contact points and looking for places to expand. Finding the holes in contact points and filling them in would be a challenge for international PR practitioners. But, once those holes are filled, it will be extremely profitable for whatever company can capitalize on the new areas.

PR for Governments?

Hmmm... I was thinking about this the other day. Who exactly is in charge of managing the reputation of governments? Do international governments actually have public relations agencies? If so, which agency branches into the PR division? With so many issues bombarding the publics everyday, you'd think a PR agency would do some good! Management of political issues would be a lofty task and would require an enormous staff to keep messages controlled. I just thought this was an interesting thought... If anyone out there knows of such an agency, I'm interested in international affairs and might pursue this idea!

Hello!? Is anybody out there?

Blogging is a pull mechanism - I'm aware of that. But is anybody pulling? How do we know?

I was just wondering, and not that I'm losing faith, how we are supposed to know if we have developed a following to our blog? If you're out there, send me a comment. Is there something you like, something you'd like to hear about? The things I write about are interesting to me, but I'd like to know if I'm writing to myself. It seems like, with so many blogs available, that it would be hard to hit just one.

Blogging has become more difficult that I originally thought. I thought to myself at the start of this whole undertaking, how hard can 250 words a week be? If you got into my brain, you'd be scared to know how much I think about these kind of issues? I'd like to think that this blog has been read by someone, anyone, other than myself. If you have read it, like it, want more of it, please leave a comment and let me know.

Otherwise, I think I'm going to keep discussing PR with myself (which is something I don't have a problem doing, I've usually got tons to say!).

Como se dice Podcast?

All hail the power of the almighty iPod!

PODCASTING? PodWHAT? That's what I thought a week ago.
Hmmm... Learning about Podcasts in class this week has been interesting. I'm still trying to decide exactly what the heck a podcast is! (I really need to get a new iPod.) For those just as lost as me, let's explore a little bit the essence of podcasting. A podcast is essentially an audio file that is able to be downloaded to an mp3 player such as iPod. The great thing about podcasts is that they are available by subscriptions and most are very free!

Leave it to the Geek Squad to give me a Podcasting 101 that I can understand. The Geek Squad gives SIX SIMPLE STEPS to creating your own podcast. Thank goodness for these guys and their simple language, because while I'm trying, I'm not the technology guru that I'd like to be!
So what does this podcasting stuff have to do with international PR?

After listening to several podcasts, I realized that this medium is great for many reasons! First, podcasting is virtually free, if not extremely cheap. It's great way to stretch money and requires almost no equipment and software. The only real investment required in a podcast is time. Next, podcasting is considered a pull mechanism, and this means that audiences are coming to YOU to get the information they WANT! Hmm... sounds great to me!

Internationally, these podcasts can be great tools to reach audiences of different cultures! You can make the same podcast in a variety of languages. Because we want our message to be consistent, podcasting is a great way to let your audiences pull the information they want in the language they speak! No worries about writing different messages in languages, just find someone proficient in the language before you record. A word of caution - make sure your speaker is fluent in a language before you post. Make sure to test it with other native speakers as well. After listening to a few podcasts that were "in English" by podcasters in other countries, I realized the importance of making your message easy to be understood!

PODCASTING - FREE, NEW and INTERNATIONAL!
Try sites such as www.itunes.com, www.ipodder.com, and www.audacity.com for podcasts!

Grad School for PR!?

Graduate school for PUBLIC RELATIONS? After a little bit of research, I found that many graduate programs offer masters degrees in, of all things, international public relations! Many of the programs are geared toward global marketing and advertising, but PR professionals are jacks of all trades! The program I was most interested in was the Global Marketing Communication and Advertising at Emerson University. An appealing aspect of this program is its 200-hour international internship at the conclusion of the program. Advisors place students in different countries to fulfill their internship where they implement real communication strategies in other countries.

Having lived in another country, I know that the best way to relate to new cultures is to be immersed in it. While this method may be like dropping students in the deep end with no water wings, it works. From what I see, this program is exactly what I'd be looking for in a graduate program for international public relations and communications! Now the question is, how much is a master's degree worth in the world of PR?

http://admission.emerson.edu/admission/graduate/academics/gmca.cfm

Global PR Pitfall?

Money, Money, Money...
I was thinking the other day about international public relations, and I thought about a possible PR pitfall. Our dollar isn't as strong as it used to be, and having lived in Europe I'm all too aware of this. My Spanish stilletos cost me about three shoes instead of two because the dollar is so weak. This made me think about possible complications with payment methods in other countries. In international PR, there is no room for error. Because we are supposed to be the experts of our audiences and their stakeholders, public relations practitioners need to be aware of one more factor - the exchange rate. Working in other countries means expecting their traditions, culture and their money! Exchange rates could cause problems for us when we're trying to budget for events or publications across borders. The exchange rate, while a disadvantage for us in Europe, is something that must be considered.

Just add one more thing to your checklist...

Lost in Translation?

When Ford introduced its new compact car, Nova, to the people of Mexico and South America, it never sold quite like it did in the United States... Why? The answer is simple - if you speak Spanish. While Ford thought, "Wow, we've come up with a quirky, punchy name for our new car,", Spanish-speaking consumers were laughing hysterically. Nova translates into Spanish as "no va," or "it doesn't go." What is Ford thinking now? Oops. Big mistake, and Mexicans drive lots of small, compact Ford cars. Take the Fiesta for example, which in Spanish means "party."

I've already discussed that words can be powerful, but the most powerful aspect of this example is how powerfully ignorant we can become of other cultures. Public relations is responsible for knowing everything about our target audience. The global and international perspective is something we cannot afford to miss. We need people who can go beyond our borders and language barriers and catch these kind of mistakes before they even become mistakes.

IPREX

www.iprex.com

IPREX is a network of PR professionals linked worldwide by one of the largest corporations in the world. Upon researching their web site, of course I couldn't help but be intrigued.

http://www.iprex.com/services.aspx

This unique PR idea is great for anyone interested in the field of international public relations. IPREX provides clients with access to proven award-winning strategies that work nationally, globally or in specialized geographic and cultural regions. The search feature allows some of their highly important clients to search for particular PR practioners based on their particular specialties and diverse qualifications.

Why does this make me so excited? This would be a great way for me to market myself and add myself as the 801st PR professional in IPREX. I feel that all my diverse skills and interest in culture would make me a great part of this PR network.

I'm Your Global Go-To Girl

Why do I want to be involved in International Public Relations? All of my majors have to do with communication, and I truly believe in the power of words. Languages are powerful. Period. Operation on a global level involves an amount of respect for words that only someone with a multi-language perspective can provide.

Why study languages? I love it. It makes sense. I can't stand not to be understood. My fasination with other cultures and their languages stems from my inherent want and need to be understood by everyone. I'd like the company I represent to have the same advantage - to be understood by as many people as possible. Audiences and contact points are global and there is no reason to miss an opportunity to expand because of a language barrier. I'm majoring in MASS communications, not misscommunication!

So, how many languages is enough? In this world, you have the edge with more than one, but why stop there? I want four. English, Spanish, Italian and Portugese. How do I accomplish this? Immersion. I'm going to have to completely experience a baptism by fire situation and live in a culture like this. Hopefully I'll find a company who values this type of experience and has offices abroad. Providing the kind of perspective I can, hopefully I'll be a valuable asset to any public relations firm. Who isn't going global now?

All I know is that I love culture, language and the idea of a global market. It's exciting, fresh and provides infinite possibilities. I also know that my future children are going to be required to know more than one language. Period.

Mercedes - Case Study for Global PR

Source: Gronstedt, 2000

Here is a prime example of why it's important to coordinate public relations and advertising efforts across international borders. Mercedes, when launching a new model with "superior safety features" had an accident involving Swedish auto journalists during a test drive. Mercedes minimized the accident and rolled forward with the launch despite negative publicity in Sweden about the accident. Mercedes threw the blame around to many different parties including the press. The leader of press for Mercedes in Sweden sent a fax to all its dealers saying the accident was a fluke and to keep promoting the car for its safety features. Meanwhile, in Germany, another roll-over happened again and the local German media turned adverserial.

With all of this going on, Sweden and Germany were launching two different campaigns about the safety features concerning the A-Class. In the end, Mercedes' Swedish advertising agency blamed its German client for not keeping them informed about what was happening and the corporate PR department blamed the Swedish managers for not containing the story in the media.

Lesson to be learned? Communicate across borders. There is no reason something like this should have happened and cost Mercedes millions in re-engineering and damages to journalists.