Now More Than Ever

So, here we are. Looking over our shoulder, we see the fleeting remnants of 2008 disappearing over the horizon. Ahead - 2009. Most people will shrug and think that 2009 will not be much better on the economic front with more jobs being lost, businesses drying up, and the cost of everything taking a roller coaster ride from way high to 99 1/2% off retail!

Now, more than ever, PR efforts needs to stepped up. Yeah, I know all those new products you fleshed out on your white board will now never get funded. That doesn't mean your PR opportunities are out the window. First of all, when times get tough, look inside. Not your closets, or your soul, but within your company walls; look at your employees, look at initiatives you are doing within your community. You may think it's just business as usual but to your customers they are like bread crumbs in a dark and scary forest. You know that green initiative your staff took on last month? Changing out light bulbs, recycling cans, placing signs in the bathrooms and kitchen reminding people about water use? I know you think you are saving a bit of money, getting your team involved in something other than fretting about the potential of pink slips, but your community might like to know - how about a press release?

What about your boss? You know Mr. Grinch on the job, but every year he spends his bonus on toys for kids and dressing like Santa visits the children's wing at your hospital. How about a press release - maybe if more people knew about his generosity, they'd help too. You know, start a trend!

How about that new initiative in manufacturing? What does Lean mean to your customers? Tell them about it - let them know how it will benefit them. How about Mr. Smith in the back of the house? He's been with your company how long? Isn't that amazing these days? Don't you think in this day and age of disposable employees your customers might like to know your company cares and celebrates longevity?

All of the above examples were not about new products, or made up services, but about people - your company's most important asset. When uncertainty abounds, we take comfort in knowing that persaverance and loyalty matter; that companies that care, matter. This type of PR or "people relations" makes you a better vendor, a better customer, a better manufacturer in the eyes of your public. So, relax, you don't need new products to have a successful PR program, you just need to open your eyes and listen.

The Quiet Profession

I am a public relations professional. I am not associated with an ad agency, or any big agency. I fly solo. Yet, every so often I receive email intro's from soon to be graduating seniors with a public relations degree (yep, they exist!) and they are looking for a potential new home to create their PR magic. I'm not hiring, but I always offer advice if asked. One of the key comments I take away from so many young aspiring PR professionals is that they are all looking for the big client, the big media hit, the big buck.

Public Relations is a quiet medium. When I run into a PR person that can't stop talking, I wonder how the company sales force overlooked them. PR people must have good listening skills. You must listen to your clients, to your journalists, to your clients' customers.

I have half jokingly said that I'm more match maker, or ambassador, than a business person. By listening you learn to pick up key words, feelings, attitudes from clients, end-users, and the media. Bringing them together, forming lasting relationships, takes time, takes commitment on the part of myself and my clients, but the end result is what we are after. Big hits, I've had a few, but it's the many, many small hits that add up on the bottom line.

So, I wish all the newbies luck, and this Holiday Season, I wish them patience. The word "relations" is part of our job title for a reason - it is through people that we create success for our clients.

The Corporate Mission that Means More to its Customers

Blackhawk Products Group, out of Norfolk, Virginia, was one of my very first clients in 2003. I had just come out of the corporate side of the firearms industry when a good friend in the publishing business hooked me up with a gentleman just starting at Blackhawk. He was tasked to use his years of experience as a cop and from working at a leading holster manufacturer to put Blackhawk on the map as a law enforcement holster manufacturer. I’d like to say I was part of that team that helped make the SERPA holster a mainstay of law enforcement agencies and the military around the world. But, it was the Blackhawk philosophy that made the holster successful then and continues to make new products successful today.

Mike Noell, CEO and President of Blackhawk, started the company in his garage with a very simple mission. You see, Mike is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and he wanted to make sure his buddies were able to not only complete their missions, but to save lives, including their own. That simple company philosophy “to save lives” has not changed since Blackhawk’s founding in 1991.

In spite of their impressive catalog of over 2,000 items of military, law enforcement, and outdoor gear, the Blackhawk philosophy is literally sewn or molded in every product. Case in point: the new Integrated Tourniquet System or I.T.S. for simplicity. And the idea is so simple; you might ask why it wasn’t thought of before. Like many of the products that come out of Blackhawk, the idea originates on the battlefield, a cop’s beat, or from a trainer’s doctrine. The ideas come from real need by real people. A former Army surgeon who had seen the increase in extremity wounds realized the face of combat had changed. Soldiers and tactical operators were now better protected on the torso and head, but the extremities were still vulnerable. Working with Blackhawk, the I.T.S. pants and shirt was developed.

The Blackhawk Integrated Tourniquet System integrates four tourniquets in each pair of pants and shirt. The I.T.S. pants offer proximal (femoral artery) and distal (tibial artery) protection on both legs and the shirt offers primary protection for the brachial artery and distal placement at the wrists. The built-in tourniquets meet the eight United States Army Institute of Surgical Research requirements for weight, size, application time, ease-of-use, operation and cost.

Over 60% of preventable combat deaths are from extremity bleeding and 50-70% of all combat injuries are extremity wounds. By wearing the I.T.S. clothing an operator can access the tourniquets himself or easily aid a team member because every team member knows the location of the tourniquets. They can be activated in seconds saving precious time and blood loss. The tourniquets can be used again and again without damage and the garments are machine washable and dryer safe. As comfortable and durable as these pants and shirts are, the Blackhawk mission is built right in with every life-saving tourniquet.