By Maria Muller, Account Director
2012 has been an interesting year in the world of PR. Although we lost two accounts due to acquisitions, the marketers and decision-makers in charge of those accounts have found themselves new jobs and as a result éclat has won two new accounts. It is obvious to me that we as a team must be doing something right when, even though the accounts are different, we still deal with the same people on a daily basis.
On that note, I have also noticed the astounding number of changes amongst my journalist friends and the respective publications since the dawn of 2012 and perhaps due to a few personal New Year’s resolutions. Of course, a few congratulatory emails, phone calls and Tweets have been exchanged, and again I was dumbstruck to find exactly just how fast this industry is moving.
Probably more so than in any other line of business, in PR it definitely goes without saying that “it’s not who you are, but who you know”, and as any of our clients can testify, here at éclat we proud ourselves on building personal relationships with the press and analyst community. A few years ago I made a conscious decision to befriend junior journalists at a number of publications, and today I reap the benefits of having close and personal relationships with those that have climbed their ladders and are now the editors.
Having said that, I will not abuse these good relationships. I take extreme pride in advising my clients in what the press needs, and wants, and refuse to be a “yes-man”. So when I do get in touch with members of the press, they know that I think the story (a) is timely and newsworthy, (b) it is a good fit for their publication and readership, and (c) I can add value.
That is the whole point of appointing a PR agency, right?
