PR in Kenya 2015 and beyond

I gathered four friends( Media planner, two Journalists, a Banker and I )yesterday evening to discuss the PR industry trends and we concluded that the following salient points are going to shape near future of communication, marketing and PR trends before 2015.

* Social networks (facebook, twitter) are going to be used for accelerating the spread of "trusted" news and info. For instance, after the Safaricom twenty billion result would have reached thousands even before the one o’clock news had it been shared immediately after the press conference?
* Communication is going to be democratized as an organizational function both within and outside the organization .It will no longer be the role of the PR and marketing departments to communicate; everyone MUST be your brand ambassador.

* We are also predicting a drastic growth of mobile channels and services as the dominant e-commerce platform and sales driver, respectively. For instance instead of having billboards in Embu town because you are launching a certain product in that region, you can approach one of the mobile companies and pay them to send a broadcast text to people in that region only...

* The realignment of media relations wherein individuals, versus organizations, will have the ability to create a viral story ....An OpEd by a writer in the Daily Nation will lead to viral discussions to get the consumer oriented solution ....Media will only set the agenda but not necessarily sway our opinions. (ke-internetusers@bdix.net is already doing this)

Harnessing influence through PR.

When I first heard about Mark Earls (Author of How to Change Mass Behavior by Harnessing Our True Nature) one quote that stuck in my mind was his definition of influence, Earls defined it as not something done by certain people to other people, but the result of those people we call the ‘Influenced’ doing something in response to those we call ‘Influential’.
Influence is not something that is done to people. We PR professionals work on identifying the people we would like to reach and crafting messages that appeal to them in order to get the word out and sway publics.
To understand why your PR pitches may strike out, we will take a look at the three main components and six drivers of influence through a PR lens.
(1.) The content of your message
The promotional part of PR, must address what the product or service is and does to influence buying decisions. What is the function of your product or service? Who does it help? Is there a case study you can point people to that illustrates this point? How does this product or service make people feel? Another aspect of PR is concerned with informing people about the importance of an issue to convince them that your point of view is merited .The PSI campaign on the use of Mosquito nets is a good example of a PR campaign that has combined the above to get excellent results in Kenya.
(2.) The context where the conversation is held
This is crucial to the power of messages. Messages passed on within trusted networks have less reach and greater impact than those circulated through dispersed communities. Because in part there is usually a high correlation among people whose opinions we trust and the members of networks we most value. That why despite all the marketing campaigns and promotions that have been carried out most of us are still loyal to Ketepa, Kiwi, Omo, Blue Band, Elianto name them.
Old fashioned means of communication like word of mouth (gossip) and their online equivalents remain so important. A person with eight hundred friends on Facebook will only pay attention to the messages of a handful people next to him. The real influence resides with the small, close-knit network of trusted friends.
(3.) The identity of the person who sends the message
The person on the receiving end of a message, or influence, must trust the sender and believe that he or she really knows the product or service in question. While you may believe Fundi Frank when he talks about designer clothing, you may be less inclined to take a recommendation on a car purchase from him.
While one can only influence as many people as he has access to, those connections come with other connections in turn -- it's the people on the other end of those connections that carry that influence forward.
Trust and competence are the key concepts here. For this we do not need to worry, we are soon going to experience it as we observe how publicists will handle the red and blue constitution battle.
According to psychologist Robert Cialdini, the six drivers of influence are:
1.reciprocation
2.consistency
3.socialproof
4.liking
5.authority
6.scarcity

In actual sense am here to build and develop my influence over you.

Brand building must based on sustained communication

As a society we’re obsessed with quick fixes, instant celebrity and immediate gratification.
The corporate sector, being reflective of broader society, is no different; too often it approaches everything from a short-term perspective.
* 'I will shake all the corners of the country' NOW!
* Make me an authority in marketing. NOW!
* I want to be featured in the media. NOW!
Even social media – a still-emerging but already powerful communications (r)evolution – is bizarrely often treated in the same way as a TV commercial or direct mailer i.e. another channel to broadcast a one-way sales message. Weird, but that’s the way it is in a world where senior executives at large organizations don’t take the time to better understand the seismic societal shift that’s happening around them.
All of which, of course, is counter to the process of building a brand. All of which goes against the grain of building a company’s name and reputation in the market place. While it has always taken time, forethought and considerable effort to earn and retain the respect and trust of consumers, the case has never been better than in today’s hyper-connected commercial environment where transparency and authenticity are the ‘king and queen’ of communications. It’s the same with marketing.
Build your brand and earn respect over time – inch by inch, second by second, day by day.
However, this does not mean you can’t expect results any time soon, or activate campaigns designed to spark interest in your brand. Far from it! The odd campaign – whether below the line, through the media or event-based will always have a better chance of working if it’s
properly targeted, strategically sound and based around a solid creative idea that resonates with key audiences.
However, campaigns will work more effectively if they’re added over-and-above to a solid base of sustained brand communications. I’m talking a day-by-day/week-by-week proposition – a drip-feeding of PR-driven activity throughout the year. What do I mean by ‘sustained brand communications’?

If PR is all about communicating with the people who matter most to your business, then basically we’re talking about any activity that sits under this broad remit. And communications shouldn’t just be with end-consumers but also media, and other influencers and stakeholders (the audience groups will depend largely on the type of company you run and who you need to talk with on a regular basis).One thing I know is that you can only earn attention by creating
and leveraging strategic communication platforms or tactical ‘conversation points’ designed to get people talking via multiple channels.
THINK: ‘traditional’ media – news, feature stories, column pieces and opinion pieces ‘drip-fed’ over a period of time to newspapers, magazines, radio and TV programs (By this I don’t mean having a showbiz artiste on breakfast club when you know very well that the only people watching the show are house helps and the CEO's who have TV sets in their offices.......Do you think they will connect with Jua cali?
THINK: ‘live’ media –speaking engagements, roundtable briefings, sponsorships /partnerships, events, forums,seminars and Expos. Betty Maina of Kenya Association of Manufacturers can attest to this; a round table briefing has long term and far reaching impact than all the traditional media simply because it is soft and direct. Remember the PM's round table with Kenyan manufacturers?
THINK: ‘social’ media – blogs, podcasts, video, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, 2.0-enabled website and online newsroom etc.
If it’s sustained marketing success you’re after (versus merely short-term campaign-based ‘hits’), it’s important to understand the power of building a solid foundation of
brand communications.
This requires brands to produce and distribute interesting and relevant content, share ideas and information, and participate in two-way dialogue with the broader marketplace – on and offline. Again, I reiterate this doesn’t mean you don’t run any tactical brand campaigns using advertising, direct marketing or any other mediums that work for you. But it does require a broader scope of thinking and a willingness to do the ‘little things’ in a
communications sense – again and again and again…

PR Success; what are the benchmarks?

A few weeks ago , all the Public Relations consultancies were keen writing there Quarter One ( Q1) reports.All of them were trying to confirm if indeed the really achieved their KPI's .For my friends in agencies this is not news but for the corporate PRO's, KPI stands for (Key Performance Indicators);the noose that either hangs agencies and consultancies or builds them.

Any publicist in the midst of a PR campaign for a client has probably asked him- or herself this question: “Is my PR working?” And for a client who’s invested their money in your services, they’re probably asking the same question. Sometimes as publicists, we forget how PR works.
Evaluating a PR campaign based on sales or rate of return is all too typical. But here’s the thing: PR doesn’t work like that; it’s a long-term investment. As a publicist you know this already, but does your client? Sometimes you have to paint a picture for the client about what to expect. You have to make it clear that PR — when done right — will increase awareness of their product, service, book or expertise, to their target audience. And sorry, this doesn’t mean skyrocketing sales right away.

We’ve all heard that it takes seven touches before a person will buy something. They have to be exposed to your client’s product multiple times, whether through ads, word of mouth, a sales call or media placements, before they purchase. Well, PR is the most cost-effective — and brilliant — way to get these exposures.

You have to make it clear to your client (including your boss)— and sometimes to yourself — what PR does that no other marketing can do: That is, build your client’s credibility, making it easy to gain the trust of their target audience. If you’re grabbing the attention of the media and find that your client is being used as an expert source in articles, being interviewed on radio shows, etc., then you’re doing your job. It’s simple: If the media is interested in your client, then the public is too. The sales will come; everyone just needs to be patient and keep doing what they’re doing.
On the other hand, if the media isn’t interested in your client and you find yourself frustrated for the lack of response, whatever you do, don’t give up. It takes time to land those placements. The main thrust of the PR campaign should be building and sustaining relationships with the media. And just like any healthy relationship, it’s going to take some time to get there.

It’s really important to go over your pitches and your client’s message. Are they simple, clear and concise? If not, make some tweaks and get back out there. Deliver your message in a way that an 8-year-old would get it. And I always suggest tying pitches to current events and breaking news when you can. The media climate is always changing so you have to stay on top of the news and adjust your pitches accordingly. The key to building quality relationships with the media is to give them what they want in an easy, accessible way. Make sure your pitches do that.

Are you sending out multiple pitches for your client — making the necessary adjustments to land your client the media coverage they deserve? Cover all the bases and communicate with your client as much as you need. Remember, you’re not working for your client; you’re working with them. Make them take an active part in the campaign! If you have an idea or want to tweak your client’s branding or message, by all means communicate your desire to do so.