If you don’t work with the media on a daily basis, a journalist’s agenda can seem bewildering. Why do some activities dominate the headlines while other, equally powerfully stories, simply get side-lined?
This is illustrated by the global coverage of Naomi Campbell’s appearance this week at the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, writes Natalie Birrell, PR Director, Brandon Hill Communications.
The fact that this court has been hearing endless accounts of atrocities committed in Sierra Leone for over three years has not made mainstream news. But the British supermodel’s appearance has.
It’s this ability to identify news which defies a lot of businesses. They see their competitors enjoy the lion’s share of media attention and they want a piece of the action. They write lengthy prose and it goes nowhere. They try to contact journalists but they don’t return their calls. What’s going on?
Predictably, I’m not going to reveal our trade secrets but as you’ve probably worked out, it’s about giving journalists what they want, when they want it and how they want it – but on our terms rather than theirs. And that’s the art.
Sometimes, the tables are turned, and the media hounds us for information, introductions and interviews. And when they do, it becomes even more important to control the message – to channel their enthusiasm in the right direction and keep a firm eye on the objectives.
It can also be useful to wander into someone else’s spotlight – for example, by piggy-backing on a great business deal you’ve secured for a client. In truth, it’s their story, but with careful manipulation, you can become part of the publicity which follows – and add value to your client by helping to generate media interest in the first place.
As the by-now-all-too-familiar Naomi Campbell story illustrates, it’s clear one can benefit from publicity by association. As one UN staff member reportedly told Naomi Campbell’s PR consultants: “90 minutes on the witness stand by Naomi Campbell has given the issue of blood diamonds and the war crimes alleged against Charles Taylor more coverage worldwide than it’s had combined in the three years the trial has been underway.”
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