Stage Two's blog

Out of respect for our surroundings, we’re slowly reaching commendable levels of sustainability. Some people are beginning to compulsively track their plastic consumption, and even I’ve caught myself re-using Ziploc bags for days in a row. At Stage Two, we’ve been gauging how the essence of environmental sustainability ties into the marketing world.

In our economically-driven society, it’s beyond easy to prioritize our actions by what makes us the most money. A marketing firm could easily sign on as many clients as possible in the short term, and conduct relatively objective business with each of them, but then where’s the authenticity? If sustainability is defined by using only what is necessary, then in marketing, it’s reflected in the quality of the team.  A firm simply doesn’t need a whole Ford assembly line of representatives with little skill (aside from that of speed-working) just for the sake of having as many cogs as possible to sign on as many clients as possible. Instead, sustainable marketing calls for a small, handpicked team of consultants who bring to the table a unique skill set coupled with passion. In a sense, bigger isn’t better and more isn’t merrier.

Most importantly, though, good consultants will savor the experience of working with a company they genuinely want to see succeed. On this note, there exists such a thing as the “right kind” of client. Firms shouldn’t be afraid to turn down working with a company if they don’t mesh well together (or if the product is inoperable… you can’t pitch a product if you don’t believe it!). The whole purpose of this profession is to work to benefit the client, not simply to book as much revenue as possible (which is why Stage Two isn’t a suit-and-tie, watch-your-language, conference-room-in-ten-minutes kind of place). I mean, let’s face it, we as marketing pros have a job to do, and that job isn’t to parade around flaunting our professional relationships with him and her; our job is to respect our relationships. This fine line is especially apparent in media relations, just one aspect of what a firm like Stage Two handles.

Let’s examine the intricacies of public and media relations a bit. The fatal mistake that most people in PR make is that they don’t spend the time to get to know who they’re pitching to. Once you understand that a writer’s job is to deliver a specific story to his or her readers – whether it’s strictly gadget news for Engadget or consumer-web for Mashable – then journalists will be far more willing to respond to a relevant pitch. It’s thoroughly unsustainable to waste the potential of a strong relationship on an irrelevant plea to the wrong pub. Cringe-inducing mass pitches might be easy to write and send to a purchased press list, but they’ll only burn your bridges. You’ll never get a second shot with the pubs you’ve inadvertently harassed. Instead, think of press and product as symbiotic: without one, the other is doomed. As a result, knowing and respecting the press enables you to create a sustainable loop with them. They’ll grow to trust that whenever you approach them, it’ll be for something worth their time.

If you haven’t noticed by now, this whole sustainability kick has trended so long because it goes far beyond recycling coffee cups. It’s the basic philosophy of cutting down on waste. So ask yourself, are you wasting the chance to build a sustainable relationship by burning your bridges with tactless pitches? Or are you going the extra mile to cultivate valuable relationships?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 at 11:13 am and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.