Midsummer Madness means the Silly Season... and great PR
The longest day heralds the start of the 'Silly Season' - the time of the year when the media lowers the threshold on what it considers news, which makes it easier to achieve terrifc public relations here in Newbury, West Berkshire and throughout the UK.
Admittedly it is the more frivilous stories about supposed wacky rules from the EU, or celebrity blunders that grab the biggest headlines, but throughout the media the long months of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (the same happens Down Under over Christmas) all the media will welcome with open arms and empty pages that chance to write about interesting stuff. But admittedly the more unusual the better!
This does not mean we have abandon our loathing of gimmicks, rather it becomes even more important to view your everyday activities through a light hearted lens so that you can see the news potential under the favourable glare of the Silly Season.
Why so silly? The open season on MPs traditionally closes along with the Parliamentary recess and similarly local authories, schools and such like will cease to offer the rich source of stories that they normally do. Even if the expenses scandal rumbles on, there will be less MPs around to fuel the debate so the Silly Season rules still apply!
So look at your business and where are the funny or unusual stories? What is making you and your customers laugh in the face of the recession - oh yes, with the recession in full swing the chance to make light of any situation is also welcomed, not least because secretly editors need to have the frivilous to point to when they are accused on only reporting the bad news!
So gather your team once a week from now until September and brainstorm what craziness is happening in the execution of your day to day business? What funny stories? They will be there... they always are! And be cute about the extra-curricular activies of your staff. If congruent with what you do that can be a surefire way to win great PR as people marvel at your team.
So, do all your staff head up to the roof to sunbathe at lunchtime? Did the boss hire an ice cream van to reward his staff who have battled through an air-conditioning crisis to ensure customers did not miss out? (Okay, a bit gimmicky, but you get the customer service PR part? And the boss looks good too!).
When you have your story you can either call Morgan PR (we handle this you know!) or simple call the newsdesk of your favourite corner of the media. Your local media too! Be light-hearted and succinct and ask if they think your story is a good story? As quick as you can land a World War II Bomber on the moon and can apply sun tan lotion to pigs you will be part of of Silly Season. People will be talking about you, and that is what PR is all about!
We should caution that the same rules of the Silly Season that apply to funny or unusual will also mean that bad news will travel faster and louder than ever. Experienced journalists were first to book their summer holidays leaving the less experienced chomping to make their name - this can mean sloppier journalism, which can be lethal when reporting a crisis - your crisis!
So your crisis management plans need to be poised and ready should anything untoward happen, lest you become tomorrow's headlines (and the day after that, and the day after that... and longer that still).