NEWS FROM WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
CONTACT: Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
TOP NEW YORK ATTRACTION HITS 7.5-MILLION-VISITOR MARK
New York, NY: August 30, 2010 – NY SKYRIDE, one of New York City’s top ten attractions according to attendance figures, reached a new milestone recently – the 7.5-million-visitor mark. That’s an average of more than half-a-million visitors a year since the attraction opened in 1996.
NY SKYRIDE is located in one of the biggest tourist draws in the world for the past eighty years – the Empire State Building. And it takes visitors on the most unusual ride in New York City – up, up, and away, over the Big Apple, while never leaving the ground. It’s a virtual helicopter tour of the city, from the comfort of a seat on the second floor of the world’s most famous building. You’ll feel the sensation of flight, as you lift off and then “fly” low over one great attraction after another. The ride is narrated by actor Kevin Bacon, a New York City resident. And you’ll get an aerial “tour” of the world’s greatest city.
“Reaching the 7.5 million mark really means something,” said Matthew Day, NY SKYRIDE’S Vice President of Business Development. “This is an attraction you won’t see anywhere else, and – combined with the fact that it’s located in the most famous building in the world – it really makes for a special experience. And while you’re ‘flying’ over New York, you can get a bird’s-eye view of thirty other attractions you may also want to explore.”
One of those attractions is about a hundred floors north of NY SKYRIDE – the Observatory of the Empire State Building. The two attractions offer a joint Combo ticket that not only gets you into both for a discounted price, but also gains you access to the “Fast Track” line for the observatory. The Fast Track allows visitors to bypass most of the regular Observatory line, which can sometimes have waits of up to three hours.
NY SKYRIDE (www.skyride.com) is New York’s only virtual aerial simulator, and it’s one of only a few New York attractions that also serves as a tourist guide to the city. This “aerial” swing over the streets of the Big Apple utilizes digital technology, moving platforms, and an 18-foot-screen. And it’s also proven a very big draw for local residents, as well, along with corporate, civic, and student groups that can get special rates.
###
WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS (www.winstoncommunications.com) is an award-winning public relations, marketing, and communications firm in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Its Client List includes organizations such as CitiGroup, American Airlines, Alamo Rent A Car, The Florida Panthers National Hockey League Club, and The State of Florida. Steve Winston, President of WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS, was named by “PR Week” as one of the Top Twenty Public Relations Executives in America.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS SIGNS MAJOR NEW CLIENT
NEWS FROM WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
CONTACT: Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS SIGNS MAJOR NEW CLIENT
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL: August 25, 2010 – Winston Communications today announced a major new addition to its client roster – NY SKYRIDE, one of the top ten attractions in New York City.
NY SKYRIDE recently hit the 7.5-million-visitor mark - an average of more than half-a-million visitors a year since it opened in 1996. The attraction is located in one of the biggest tourist draws in the world – the Empire State Building. And it takes visitors on the most unusual ride in New York City – up, up, and away, over the Big Apple, while never leaving the ground. It’s a virtual helicopter tour of the city, from the comfort of a seat on the second floor of the world’s most famous building. Visitors feel the sensation of flight, as they lift off and “fly” on an aerial tour of the world’s greatest city. The ride is narrated by actor Kevin Bacon, a New York City resident.
‘Winston Communications has a long and very successful history in the travel/tourism market,” said Steve Winston, President of the company. “For us, helping NY SKYRIDE tell its story is a natural extension of what we do. And it’s a very exciting addition to our client list – because it’s the only attraction of its kind.”
NY SKYRIDE is New York’s only virtual aerial simulator, and it’s one of only a few New York attractions that also serves as a tourist guide to the city. This “aerial” swing over the streets of the Big Apple utilizes digital technology, moving platforms, and an 18-foot-screen.
Winston Communications is an award-winning public relations, marketing, and communications firm that has worked with organizations such as CitiBank, American Airlines, Alamo Rent a Car, The Florida Panthers NHL Hockey Club, and The State of Florida. And it has regularly generated coverage of its clients in media such as CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX-TV, CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, “Business Week,” “Forbes,” “Fortune,” USA Today, and The Associated Press. Steve Winston was named as one of the top twenty public relations executives in America by “PR Week.”
“Attendance figures show that we’re already one of the top ten attractions in New York,” said Matthew Day, Vice President of Business Development for NY SKYRIDE. “And now we’re going to really get our story out, with a partner that specializes in generating new business for its clients. We’re thrilled to hook up with Winston Communications.”
CONTACT: Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS SIGNS MAJOR NEW CLIENT
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL: August 25, 2010 – Winston Communications today announced a major new addition to its client roster – NY SKYRIDE, one of the top ten attractions in New York City.
NY SKYRIDE recently hit the 7.5-million-visitor mark - an average of more than half-a-million visitors a year since it opened in 1996. The attraction is located in one of the biggest tourist draws in the world – the Empire State Building. And it takes visitors on the most unusual ride in New York City – up, up, and away, over the Big Apple, while never leaving the ground. It’s a virtual helicopter tour of the city, from the comfort of a seat on the second floor of the world’s most famous building. Visitors feel the sensation of flight, as they lift off and “fly” on an aerial tour of the world’s greatest city. The ride is narrated by actor Kevin Bacon, a New York City resident.
‘Winston Communications has a long and very successful history in the travel/tourism market,” said Steve Winston, President of the company. “For us, helping NY SKYRIDE tell its story is a natural extension of what we do. And it’s a very exciting addition to our client list – because it’s the only attraction of its kind.”
NY SKYRIDE is New York’s only virtual aerial simulator, and it’s one of only a few New York attractions that also serves as a tourist guide to the city. This “aerial” swing over the streets of the Big Apple utilizes digital technology, moving platforms, and an 18-foot-screen.
Winston Communications is an award-winning public relations, marketing, and communications firm that has worked with organizations such as CitiBank, American Airlines, Alamo Rent a Car, The Florida Panthers NHL Hockey Club, and The State of Florida. And it has regularly generated coverage of its clients in media such as CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX-TV, CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, “Business Week,” “Forbes,” “Fortune,” USA Today, and The Associated Press. Steve Winston was named as one of the top twenty public relations executives in America by “PR Week.”
“Attendance figures show that we’re already one of the top ten attractions in New York,” said Matthew Day, Vice President of Business Development for NY SKYRIDE. “And now we’re going to really get our story out, with a partner that specializes in generating new business for its clients. We’re thrilled to hook up with Winston Communications.”
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
COULD PR HAVE SAVED SAAB?
As I drove home from the dealer that day, some years back, I couldn’t believe the magnificent machine at whose controls I was sitting was really mine.
I had dreamed about owning a Saab since I was in my late-teens. While my buddies at the 7-11 would fantasize about Camaros and Chevelle Super Sports (both of which I actually ended up owning), I was somehow taken by the quirky lines and strange shape of this mysterious import from Sweden. It turned out that you either hated the Saab (my buddies) or loved it (me).
Yes, its unusual lines were antithetical to the sleek lines of the American muscle cars of those days. And, yes, the people sitting behind the wheels of Saabs were – let’s face it – sort of dorky, often with horn-rimmed glasses and tousled hair (whether male or female) and, perhaps, somewhat “intellectual” and a bit strange. But I didn’t care.
I loved that car from the first time I saw it. To me, those weird, curvy slopes and angles were cool. I thought the Saab was “funky” before anyone I knew had even muttered the word. And I was thrilled as, during the late-nineties and early part of this decade, the car took on some sleeker, racier lines, while still (I thought) managing to preserve everything that was quirky and wonderful about it.
As it turned out, however, not a lot of other people ever loved the car. And eventually, during the past few years, hardly anyone loved it. At one point last year, American car dealers were selling less than a thousand Saabs a month.
Now Saab is closing up shop, orphaned by the Swedish government, a potential suitor from Holland, and its Ford corporate parent. And I’m very sad. Because the jet-black Saab I owned until seven years ago was the best car I’ve ever had.
When I turned the key and the engine emitted that low, throaty roar, I was in paradise. When I cruised at unbelievable speeds along the highways (only on very long drives!), I was thrilled. When I rubbed my hands on the wood along the dashboard and near the seat handles, I was thrilled. When I raced around country roads as if the car was attached to them, I was thrilled. And when I looked at (and fooled around with) the dashboard – which was the closest thing to a jet cockpit I had ever seen – I was thrilled. (Saab, after all, started out as an aircraft company. And the company still makes planes for the Swedish air force, as well as commercial jets that see service in many countries, including ours.)
In what other car, for instance, did your radio automatically reset to the stations in a distant city to which you had driven? In what other car could you have a station pre-set to the local National Weather Service station, so that you could be warned of natural disasters that might be occurring ahead of you? And in what other car was the ignition key located on the console, instead of the steering wheel?
Now it’s gone. But, as a public relations professional, I always wondered a bit about Saab’s PR approaches. I always wondered why, for instance, they constantly seemed to be appealing to a “hip” audience that loved racy-looking cars, rather than the core audience that had loved the car for so long. I always wondered why they didn’t make their perceived weaknesses into strengths.
I always wondered why, for instance, they didn’t publicize the car’s classically-funky lines, instead of making those lines “sleeker,” like everyone else. I always wondered why they didn’t promote the car’s “funky” factor, instead of using the same promo lines everyone else was using. Why weren’t Saab’s marketing campaigns aimed at the people who had loved the car in the first place?
Why wasn’t the car promoted for the things it did well, instead of pushed with sleek ads as if it were like every other car? For example, why didn’t the company run ads noting that the police department in Vail, Colorado – one of the wealthiest towns in America – used Saabs? (As one officer told me, “That thing takes a mountain like it was born to run. Incredible speed. And it hugs those curves. On these roads, nobody can outrun us.”)
Would these strategies – pitching to the choir, instead of commoditizing the product – have ultimately saved Saab? I doubt it. Increasingly, in today’s world, “mass appeal” survives, while niche products often don’t. But at least the car would have stayed true to its principles.
I must really like Swedish cars…because I now own another one. But there’ll never be another Saab.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
www.winstoncommunications.com
steve@winstoncommunications.com
(954) 575-4089
I had dreamed about owning a Saab since I was in my late-teens. While my buddies at the 7-11 would fantasize about Camaros and Chevelle Super Sports (both of which I actually ended up owning), I was somehow taken by the quirky lines and strange shape of this mysterious import from Sweden. It turned out that you either hated the Saab (my buddies) or loved it (me).
Yes, its unusual lines were antithetical to the sleek lines of the American muscle cars of those days. And, yes, the people sitting behind the wheels of Saabs were – let’s face it – sort of dorky, often with horn-rimmed glasses and tousled hair (whether male or female) and, perhaps, somewhat “intellectual” and a bit strange. But I didn’t care.
I loved that car from the first time I saw it. To me, those weird, curvy slopes and angles were cool. I thought the Saab was “funky” before anyone I knew had even muttered the word. And I was thrilled as, during the late-nineties and early part of this decade, the car took on some sleeker, racier lines, while still (I thought) managing to preserve everything that was quirky and wonderful about it.
As it turned out, however, not a lot of other people ever loved the car. And eventually, during the past few years, hardly anyone loved it. At one point last year, American car dealers were selling less than a thousand Saabs a month.
Now Saab is closing up shop, orphaned by the Swedish government, a potential suitor from Holland, and its Ford corporate parent. And I’m very sad. Because the jet-black Saab I owned until seven years ago was the best car I’ve ever had.
When I turned the key and the engine emitted that low, throaty roar, I was in paradise. When I cruised at unbelievable speeds along the highways (only on very long drives!), I was thrilled. When I rubbed my hands on the wood along the dashboard and near the seat handles, I was thrilled. When I raced around country roads as if the car was attached to them, I was thrilled. And when I looked at (and fooled around with) the dashboard – which was the closest thing to a jet cockpit I had ever seen – I was thrilled. (Saab, after all, started out as an aircraft company. And the company still makes planes for the Swedish air force, as well as commercial jets that see service in many countries, including ours.)
In what other car, for instance, did your radio automatically reset to the stations in a distant city to which you had driven? In what other car could you have a station pre-set to the local National Weather Service station, so that you could be warned of natural disasters that might be occurring ahead of you? And in what other car was the ignition key located on the console, instead of the steering wheel?
Now it’s gone. But, as a public relations professional, I always wondered a bit about Saab’s PR approaches. I always wondered why, for instance, they constantly seemed to be appealing to a “hip” audience that loved racy-looking cars, rather than the core audience that had loved the car for so long. I always wondered why they didn’t make their perceived weaknesses into strengths.
I always wondered why, for instance, they didn’t publicize the car’s classically-funky lines, instead of making those lines “sleeker,” like everyone else. I always wondered why they didn’t promote the car’s “funky” factor, instead of using the same promo lines everyone else was using. Why weren’t Saab’s marketing campaigns aimed at the people who had loved the car in the first place?
Why wasn’t the car promoted for the things it did well, instead of pushed with sleek ads as if it were like every other car? For example, why didn’t the company run ads noting that the police department in Vail, Colorado – one of the wealthiest towns in America – used Saabs? (As one officer told me, “That thing takes a mountain like it was born to run. Incredible speed. And it hugs those curves. On these roads, nobody can outrun us.”)
Would these strategies – pitching to the choir, instead of commoditizing the product – have ultimately saved Saab? I doubt it. Increasingly, in today’s world, “mass appeal” survives, while niche products often don’t. But at least the car would have stayed true to its principles.
I must really like Swedish cars…because I now own another one. But there’ll never be another Saab.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
www.winstoncommunications.com
steve@winstoncommunications.com
(954) 575-4089
Thursday, November 19, 2009
"WHY AREN'T WE DOING THIS?"
Some years back, I had a client who would always have a folder for me – stuffed with papers – each time I came to his office.
Invariably, the papers were marketing or PR campaigns done by other companies. And on every one of them were the scribbled words: “Why aren’t we doing this?”
Several times, I tried to explain to him that there were numerous reasons we weren’t doing this…among them:
* Just because that particular medium or campaign was appropriate for some other companies, didn’t necessarily mean it was appropriate for his company.
* Because the way you distinguish yourself – in both PR and marketing – is not to do what everyone else is doing. Quite often, I’ve found, it’s to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.
* Because if you echo the same line as everyone else, your own voice will get lost in the crowd.
* Because you have to develop – and continually reinforce – your own specific message, and your own USP.
* And, lastly, because I – the expert whom you hired as your PR counsel – didn’t believe those particular media or strategies were best for your company.
I found it offensive to be asked, “Why aren’t we doing this?”
I tried explaining it to him on two or three different occasions. And then, rather than explain any more, I fired him. My explanation was simple: I only worked with clients who wanted original thinking, rather than just to follow the crowd.
That was about eleven years ago. And, recently, I fired another client who asked the same question. My reasoning was a bit different this time, though.
He would send me e-mails almost every day – sometimes several a day – with info about some company or campaign, and then the question: “Why aren’t we doing this?”
So – in the spirit of experimentation, and keeping an open mind – I started doing this, in addition to implementing the strategies that I had first proposed (and that he had agreed on).
Lo and behold, after about a month, he asked why his invoices were so high. I explained to him that, in addition to the strategies he and I had originally agreed upon, he was always asking me to pursue this. And that, as a professional with over twenty years of successful public relations experience…I actually expected to be paid for the work I did.
He grumbled a sort-of acceptance. Then, a week later, he e-mailed me that, unless we could lower his costs, he might not be able to afford PR counsel any more. So I e-mailed him back – “You’re fired!”
Simply put, the money wasn’t worth the aggravation.
My moral of the story(ies)?
Beware any client who says “Why aren’t we doing this?”
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
www.winstoncommunications.com
steve@winstoncommunications.com
Invariably, the papers were marketing or PR campaigns done by other companies. And on every one of them were the scribbled words: “Why aren’t we doing this?”
Several times, I tried to explain to him that there were numerous reasons we weren’t doing this…among them:
* Just because that particular medium or campaign was appropriate for some other companies, didn’t necessarily mean it was appropriate for his company.
* Because the way you distinguish yourself – in both PR and marketing – is not to do what everyone else is doing. Quite often, I’ve found, it’s to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.
* Because if you echo the same line as everyone else, your own voice will get lost in the crowd.
* Because you have to develop – and continually reinforce – your own specific message, and your own USP.
* And, lastly, because I – the expert whom you hired as your PR counsel – didn’t believe those particular media or strategies were best for your company.
I found it offensive to be asked, “Why aren’t we doing this?”
I tried explaining it to him on two or three different occasions. And then, rather than explain any more, I fired him. My explanation was simple: I only worked with clients who wanted original thinking, rather than just to follow the crowd.
That was about eleven years ago. And, recently, I fired another client who asked the same question. My reasoning was a bit different this time, though.
He would send me e-mails almost every day – sometimes several a day – with info about some company or campaign, and then the question: “Why aren’t we doing this?”
So – in the spirit of experimentation, and keeping an open mind – I started doing this, in addition to implementing the strategies that I had first proposed (and that he had agreed on).
Lo and behold, after about a month, he asked why his invoices were so high. I explained to him that, in addition to the strategies he and I had originally agreed upon, he was always asking me to pursue this. And that, as a professional with over twenty years of successful public relations experience…I actually expected to be paid for the work I did.
He grumbled a sort-of acceptance. Then, a week later, he e-mailed me that, unless we could lower his costs, he might not be able to afford PR counsel any more. So I e-mailed him back – “You’re fired!”
Simply put, the money wasn’t worth the aggravation.
My moral of the story(ies)?
Beware any client who says “Why aren’t we doing this?”
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
www.winstoncommunications.com
steve@winstoncommunications.com
Sunday, October 25, 2009
WHAT IF...?
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
What if every company used Tylenol’s wonderful 1980’s response to the tainting of its products as a model for modern crisis communications?
What if someone in the PR Department at AIG had said, “Wait a minute! Do we really think it’s appropriate to reward the people who drove us into the ditch, and who destroyed the life savings of so many millions of people?”
What is someone in the PR Department at Wells Fargo had said, “Wait a minute! Do we really think it’s appropriate to be planning lavish parties when so many of the people who hold mortgages with us are going under?”
What if more companies didn’t try to be everything to everyone, but just focused on doing the best they could within their niche?
What if most company presidents who did TV commercials – or mea culpas – didn’t come off as stiff, over-rehearsed, under-genuine windbags who could never really empathize with the millions who feel betrayed by them?
What if the insurance and banking executives whose boundless greed helped create the financial crisis…actually had to experience the pain that other folks have experienced because of their folly?
What if companies stopped making claims about their products that they know – full well – aren’t true? (Or, conversely, what if they started making products that actually do live up to their claims?)
What if companies, in their advertising and marketing approaches, started talking more about us – and our needs – rather than themselves?
What if more PR and marketing executives believed that the way for their companies or clients to generate attention was not to should louder than the other guy…but to speak with more substance?
What if they banned celebrity spokespeople from the media…and products had to be hawked only on their actual merits?
What if Super Bowl ads actually spoke about the benefits of their products and services…rather than turn the nation’s most-watched television event into a competition for the most technologically-wizardrous ad?
What if we actually spoke with our publics…instead of to them?
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
What if every company used Tylenol’s wonderful 1980’s response to the tainting of its products as a model for modern crisis communications?
What if someone in the PR Department at AIG had said, “Wait a minute! Do we really think it’s appropriate to reward the people who drove us into the ditch, and who destroyed the life savings of so many millions of people?”
What is someone in the PR Department at Wells Fargo had said, “Wait a minute! Do we really think it’s appropriate to be planning lavish parties when so many of the people who hold mortgages with us are going under?”
What if more companies didn’t try to be everything to everyone, but just focused on doing the best they could within their niche?
What if most company presidents who did TV commercials – or mea culpas – didn’t come off as stiff, over-rehearsed, under-genuine windbags who could never really empathize with the millions who feel betrayed by them?
What if the insurance and banking executives whose boundless greed helped create the financial crisis…actually had to experience the pain that other folks have experienced because of their folly?
What if companies stopped making claims about their products that they know – full well – aren’t true? (Or, conversely, what if they started making products that actually do live up to their claims?)
What if companies, in their advertising and marketing approaches, started talking more about us – and our needs – rather than themselves?
What if more PR and marketing executives believed that the way for their companies or clients to generate attention was not to should louder than the other guy…but to speak with more substance?
What if they banned celebrity spokespeople from the media…and products had to be hawked only on their actual merits?
What if Super Bowl ads actually spoke about the benefits of their products and services…rather than turn the nation’s most-watched television event into a competition for the most technologically-wizardrous ad?
What if we actually spoke with our publics…instead of to them?
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Friday, September 11, 2009
HIGH NOON FOR GM?
As Yogi Berra once said, "It's déjà vu all over again."
So GM is now coming out with a new marketing campaign – again. This time, under certain conditions, they’ll take your car back within sixty days if you’re not satisfied. And it’s actually not a bad idea.
But I’m not sure it’s enough, by itself, to get enough people into the showrooms…enough people to save GM, anyway. It has to be part of a larger thrust. People have to want GM cars first.
Several years ago, I was sitting in a meeting with top executives of a major-league sports team that had been losing for a long time, and had been having trouble drawing decent crowds. I watched with a sense of bemusement as they animatedly debated - and kept asking my opinion about - which "marketing" approach would fill their seats, which "promotions" would work, which "message" would work, etc.
After watching for a few minutes, I finally said, "Guys, this is all ##!**&&*!!! It's not marketing or promotions or giveaways that put fannies in the seats. It's a winning team! Instead of wasting all this money on marketing schemes, go out and get yourself some good players! And you'll be amazed at how quickly the seats fill up!"
Moral of the story? The "New GM" marketing "strategies" will no doubt be slick, and somewhat emotional. But they will fail again, unless the "New GM" executives teach themselves this mantra: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PROMOTIONS. IT'S ABOUT THE PRODUCT!
When I was a young guy, in the seventies, my pride and joy was the Chevy Camaro convertible in which I drove around town…green, with the black that I had painted on top of the hood and on the rear end. Man, that was one cool car! (Didn’t hurt with the teenaged girls, either!)
Now GM has brought back the Camaro. I’ve seen a couple. And they’re gorgeous! Sleek and mean, like the seventies models, with a big front hood and grill that scream “Don’t mess with me, sucker!”
There’s only one problem that I can see. In an era when gas has been over $4 a gallon, and when increasing numbers of people are going “hybrid,” this is a muscle car. Let’s face it – If you’re going to bring back the Camaro, it should be as a muscle car. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have an engine available for those of us who want the looks of a muscle car, without the gas bills. All Camaro models – even the six-cylinder – get 16-17 mpg around town. To be fair, the highway mpg figures are in the mid-twenties; most of us, however, spend more time tooling around town than we do on the highway.
Note to the "New GM:" Ads and promotions are not going to buy you a hell of a lot of time, especially considering the cynicism of the American public when it comes to your cars and your management. Instead, realize that, for most of us, the real showroom is on the road, not in your dealerships. Realize that your best marketing tools are the cars you build…not the promotions you build around them. Build more cars that make us turn our heads as they pass by (as the Camaro does). Build cars – even “muscle cars” – that get better mileage. And build cars that will last as long – and as reliably - as Toyotas and Hondas.
Then we'll buy them.
And then you'll have "fannies in the seats!"
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
So GM is now coming out with a new marketing campaign – again. This time, under certain conditions, they’ll take your car back within sixty days if you’re not satisfied. And it’s actually not a bad idea.
But I’m not sure it’s enough, by itself, to get enough people into the showrooms…enough people to save GM, anyway. It has to be part of a larger thrust. People have to want GM cars first.
Several years ago, I was sitting in a meeting with top executives of a major-league sports team that had been losing for a long time, and had been having trouble drawing decent crowds. I watched with a sense of bemusement as they animatedly debated - and kept asking my opinion about - which "marketing" approach would fill their seats, which "promotions" would work, which "message" would work, etc.
After watching for a few minutes, I finally said, "Guys, this is all ##!**&&*!!! It's not marketing or promotions or giveaways that put fannies in the seats. It's a winning team! Instead of wasting all this money on marketing schemes, go out and get yourself some good players! And you'll be amazed at how quickly the seats fill up!"
Moral of the story? The "New GM" marketing "strategies" will no doubt be slick, and somewhat emotional. But they will fail again, unless the "New GM" executives teach themselves this mantra: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PROMOTIONS. IT'S ABOUT THE PRODUCT!
When I was a young guy, in the seventies, my pride and joy was the Chevy Camaro convertible in which I drove around town…green, with the black that I had painted on top of the hood and on the rear end. Man, that was one cool car! (Didn’t hurt with the teenaged girls, either!)
Now GM has brought back the Camaro. I’ve seen a couple. And they’re gorgeous! Sleek and mean, like the seventies models, with a big front hood and grill that scream “Don’t mess with me, sucker!”
There’s only one problem that I can see. In an era when gas has been over $4 a gallon, and when increasing numbers of people are going “hybrid,” this is a muscle car. Let’s face it – If you’re going to bring back the Camaro, it should be as a muscle car. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have an engine available for those of us who want the looks of a muscle car, without the gas bills. All Camaro models – even the six-cylinder – get 16-17 mpg around town. To be fair, the highway mpg figures are in the mid-twenties; most of us, however, spend more time tooling around town than we do on the highway.
Note to the "New GM:" Ads and promotions are not going to buy you a hell of a lot of time, especially considering the cynicism of the American public when it comes to your cars and your management. Instead, realize that, for most of us, the real showroom is on the road, not in your dealerships. Realize that your best marketing tools are the cars you build…not the promotions you build around them. Build more cars that make us turn our heads as they pass by (as the Camaro does). Build cars – even “muscle cars” – that get better mileage. And build cars that will last as long – and as reliably - as Toyotas and Hondas.
Then we'll buy them.
And then you'll have "fannies in the seats!"
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Sunday, July 26, 2009
I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE WORD "PITCHING"
I DON'T LIKE THE WORD “PITCHING!”
By Steve Winston
www.winstoncommunications.com
Sometimes I think we demean our profession – and ourselves – when we use the word “pitching.” And I think that's particularly true these days, when there are more self-centered voices than ever screaming for attention from the precious few journalists who still have jobs.
Maybe it’s because I started out as a reporter…and I still vividly recall those 3 a.m. calls from the City Desk to run out to the scene of a murder or a fire or a tornado or an alligator attack (I live in South Florida). And maybe it’s because I still recall being pretty much the only one driving on the dark roads at that hour of the morning…and the awesome responsibility I felt about providing accurate and insightful coverage for my readers.
I’ve now been in PR and marketing for twenty years. And – although I, too, am sometimes guilty of using the term “pitching” – I’m very uncomfortable with it. That’s because - probably due to my background – I tend to view journalists as partners. I respect the work they do. I respect their needs. I respect that “awesome responsibility” that most of them, believe it or not, still feel. And I don’t see them as faceless enablers whom I should try to manipulate into publishing something about how wonderful my clients are.
I see myself as being in symbiotic relationships with them; relationships in which the back-scratching doesn’t only go one way. I believe that if I help them, they’ll help me. And it’s worked.
I’ve been telling clients for years: When pitching the media, it's not about how great you are...it's about how we can address our own needs by addressing the journalist’s. How we can serve as a resource for them, and for their readers. How we can provide their readers - after all, it's the readers who are the end-users - with actionable or interesting information they can apply to their daily lives.
Every so often, if you're lucky, you get a client who understands. Unfortunately, though, one of the curses of our industry is that many clients seem to think that the media is simply dying to write about their company...and that it will happen if you keep "pitching" them enough. And many clients, no matter how hard you try to educate them, still believe in the old-fashioned "pitch" - where you just keep throwing mud against the wall and hope some of it sticks.
Wake up, PR people!! Now that there are fewer journalists than ever before - and now that most of them are doing the work of two or three people - we need to help them if we want coverage for our clients!
We need to think strategically. We need to educate our clients as to what's now going on in the real world, and as to reasonable expectations. We need to think of ourselves as a resource for the media...not as shills for clients who simply don't get it (and probably never will).
And, certainly, once this recession is over and we’re all less desperate, we need to start seeking out clients who "get it." And we need to get it, as well…if we do business with toxic clients who view us only as pitching-machines, our own reputations can be poisoned.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
By Steve Winston
www.winstoncommunications.com
Sometimes I think we demean our profession – and ourselves – when we use the word “pitching.” And I think that's particularly true these days, when there are more self-centered voices than ever screaming for attention from the precious few journalists who still have jobs.
Maybe it’s because I started out as a reporter…and I still vividly recall those 3 a.m. calls from the City Desk to run out to the scene of a murder or a fire or a tornado or an alligator attack (I live in South Florida). And maybe it’s because I still recall being pretty much the only one driving on the dark roads at that hour of the morning…and the awesome responsibility I felt about providing accurate and insightful coverage for my readers.
I’ve now been in PR and marketing for twenty years. And – although I, too, am sometimes guilty of using the term “pitching” – I’m very uncomfortable with it. That’s because - probably due to my background – I tend to view journalists as partners. I respect the work they do. I respect their needs. I respect that “awesome responsibility” that most of them, believe it or not, still feel. And I don’t see them as faceless enablers whom I should try to manipulate into publishing something about how wonderful my clients are.
I see myself as being in symbiotic relationships with them; relationships in which the back-scratching doesn’t only go one way. I believe that if I help them, they’ll help me. And it’s worked.
I’ve been telling clients for years: When pitching the media, it's not about how great you are...it's about how we can address our own needs by addressing the journalist’s. How we can serve as a resource for them, and for their readers. How we can provide their readers - after all, it's the readers who are the end-users - with actionable or interesting information they can apply to their daily lives.
Every so often, if you're lucky, you get a client who understands. Unfortunately, though, one of the curses of our industry is that many clients seem to think that the media is simply dying to write about their company...and that it will happen if you keep "pitching" them enough. And many clients, no matter how hard you try to educate them, still believe in the old-fashioned "pitch" - where you just keep throwing mud against the wall and hope some of it sticks.
Wake up, PR people!! Now that there are fewer journalists than ever before - and now that most of them are doing the work of two or three people - we need to help them if we want coverage for our clients!
We need to think strategically. We need to educate our clients as to what's now going on in the real world, and as to reasonable expectations. We need to think of ourselves as a resource for the media...not as shills for clients who simply don't get it (and probably never will).
And, certainly, once this recession is over and we’re all less desperate, we need to start seeking out clients who "get it." And we need to get it, as well…if we do business with toxic clients who view us only as pitching-machines, our own reputations can be poisoned.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Monday, June 29, 2009
REPORTS OF THE DEATH OF MAGAZINES ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED
Here's one LinkedIn, Facebooked, Twittering PR maven who echoes Richard Wanderer's belief that magazines are not quite dead yet. And I have to say that it's really refreshing to hear a voice of optimism amidst all the naysayers who bellow with such certainty that the age of the magazine has come and gone.
For all its faults - particularly with its business model - the magazine still does a lot of things better than anything else. It still analyzes the news better than anything else. It still has the ability to get in-depth better than anything else. It still, in its purest and most exciting forms, has the ability to enlighten (and to engage) us better than anything else. It still attracts the finest writers in America - more than any other medium. And - not to sound arrogant - those writers are true journalists (not "citizen-journalists"), who are trained to observe, report objectively, and search for the hidden facts. And, who - even though most of them, because of layoffs, are now doing the job of two, or even three, people - still do it damned well.
In addition, I think magazines still have a kind of excitement to them, a kind of excitement that the web - despite its 24/7 news cycle - cannot yet match. When I walk out to the mailbox and see one of my magazines in there, I know that I'm going to have an hour or two of good reading, written by good writers, and tailored to my taste. And I know that it's going to be an hour or two without any flashing e-mail messages or (hopefully) phone calls...an hour or two, in a quiet place, just for me.
I want to make the point, as well, that not only do I still read magazines, but, as President of a Public Relations/Marketing firm, I pitch them regularly. And they still work pretty damned well for me. Many people, still, like to hold the printed word in their hands, not only read it on a screen. Many people, for better or worse, still ascribe more credibility to something they read in print than something they read online. Many of my clients, still, believe that magazines are just as important - or more important - than the web. And many of them - still - are more satisfied with the results of exposure in print than with exposure on the web.
So, hopefully, to paraphrase Mark Twain...reports of the death of the magazine are greatly exaggerated.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
For all its faults - particularly with its business model - the magazine still does a lot of things better than anything else. It still analyzes the news better than anything else. It still has the ability to get in-depth better than anything else. It still, in its purest and most exciting forms, has the ability to enlighten (and to engage) us better than anything else. It still attracts the finest writers in America - more than any other medium. And - not to sound arrogant - those writers are true journalists (not "citizen-journalists"), who are trained to observe, report objectively, and search for the hidden facts. And, who - even though most of them, because of layoffs, are now doing the job of two, or even three, people - still do it damned well.
In addition, I think magazines still have a kind of excitement to them, a kind of excitement that the web - despite its 24/7 news cycle - cannot yet match. When I walk out to the mailbox and see one of my magazines in there, I know that I'm going to have an hour or two of good reading, written by good writers, and tailored to my taste. And I know that it's going to be an hour or two without any flashing e-mail messages or (hopefully) phone calls...an hour or two, in a quiet place, just for me.
I want to make the point, as well, that not only do I still read magazines, but, as President of a Public Relations/Marketing firm, I pitch them regularly. And they still work pretty damned well for me. Many people, still, like to hold the printed word in their hands, not only read it on a screen. Many people, for better or worse, still ascribe more credibility to something they read in print than something they read online. Many of my clients, still, believe that magazines are just as important - or more important - than the web. And many of them - still - are more satisfied with the results of exposure in print than with exposure on the web.
So, hopefully, to paraphrase Mark Twain...reports of the death of the magazine are greatly exaggerated.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
IN A PLANE HIT BY LIGHTNING!
Hearing all the talk about Air France flight 447 – and the initial conjecture that it may have been hit by lightning – brings back a scary moment for me. Because I was once in a plane that was hit by lightning.
In the early-spring of 1997, I was Director of Marketing for a public company involved in the resort business. I was on my way from Fort Lauderdale to visit a couple of our resorts in Tennessee, going to Knoxville via Atlanta. I had three of my staff with me.
The first leg of the trip, to Atlanta, was uneventful.
As we taxied on the Atlanta runway, getting ready for takeoff, I slipped on my headphones and popped in a cassette of the Rascals, one of my favorite groups from the sixties. We took off into sunny blue skies, and I leaned back and closed my eyes to listen.
About fifteen minutes later, I happened to open my eyes for a second…and I saw that we were heading straight into an ominous-looking wall of black clouds. I wasn’t exactly thrilled; but I’ve traveled around much of the world, so I put my head back again, closed my eyes, and relaxed. I turned the Rascals up very loud…as I still do when I listen to them.
The ride became very bumpy, and the plane seemed to lose and then gain altitude every few seconds.
Keep in mind that my eyes were closed. And I was really blasting the Rascals, one of the hard-hitting power bands of my early years.
Suddenly, despite the fact that my eyes were closed, I saw a tremendous flash of orange light in my eyes. A split-second later – despite the fact that the Rascals were blasting in my ears - I heard a piercing, sharp crash that shook me…as if a thunderclap had landed right next to me. The plane dropped violently, and my head snapped back against the seat.
I took off my headphones and asked one of my staff sitting next to me what had happened.
“We were hit by lightning,” Lee Anne said. “Right outside our window, on the wing.”
There seemed to be stunned silence throughout the plane. At first, no one spoke; I think they were all too shocked to speak. Then, people began asking each other what happened. Babies started crying. So did a couple of older people. The faces of my three staffers were white.
A few minutes passed. We saw no attendants, and no one spoke to us. A few people began praying out loud. Others clasped their hands together as if in prayer.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the captain came on over the intercom.
“For those of you who are wondering,” he said, “yes, we were hit by lightning. But our controls were not affected. And we do expect to land in Knoxville in about twenty minutes.”
Suffice it to say, for the people on the plane, the twenty minutes seemed like forever. Some people never stopped praying the whole time. And when we finally did land in Knoxville, everyone broke out into spontaneous – but not joyful - applause. As I watched the people line up in the aisle to exit the aircraft, it was like looking into the faces of ghosts…very pale ghosts.
And when they opened the door, I never saw so many people in such a hurry to get off an airplane.
For a week or two afterward, the four of us were sort of celebrities around the company. But, truth be told, I’d really rather find some other way to achieve celebrity status.
In the early-spring of 1997, I was Director of Marketing for a public company involved in the resort business. I was on my way from Fort Lauderdale to visit a couple of our resorts in Tennessee, going to Knoxville via Atlanta. I had three of my staff with me.
The first leg of the trip, to Atlanta, was uneventful.
As we taxied on the Atlanta runway, getting ready for takeoff, I slipped on my headphones and popped in a cassette of the Rascals, one of my favorite groups from the sixties. We took off into sunny blue skies, and I leaned back and closed my eyes to listen.
About fifteen minutes later, I happened to open my eyes for a second…and I saw that we were heading straight into an ominous-looking wall of black clouds. I wasn’t exactly thrilled; but I’ve traveled around much of the world, so I put my head back again, closed my eyes, and relaxed. I turned the Rascals up very loud…as I still do when I listen to them.
The ride became very bumpy, and the plane seemed to lose and then gain altitude every few seconds.
Keep in mind that my eyes were closed. And I was really blasting the Rascals, one of the hard-hitting power bands of my early years.
Suddenly, despite the fact that my eyes were closed, I saw a tremendous flash of orange light in my eyes. A split-second later – despite the fact that the Rascals were blasting in my ears - I heard a piercing, sharp crash that shook me…as if a thunderclap had landed right next to me. The plane dropped violently, and my head snapped back against the seat.
I took off my headphones and asked one of my staff sitting next to me what had happened.
“We were hit by lightning,” Lee Anne said. “Right outside our window, on the wing.”
There seemed to be stunned silence throughout the plane. At first, no one spoke; I think they were all too shocked to speak. Then, people began asking each other what happened. Babies started crying. So did a couple of older people. The faces of my three staffers were white.
A few minutes passed. We saw no attendants, and no one spoke to us. A few people began praying out loud. Others clasped their hands together as if in prayer.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the captain came on over the intercom.
“For those of you who are wondering,” he said, “yes, we were hit by lightning. But our controls were not affected. And we do expect to land in Knoxville in about twenty minutes.”
Suffice it to say, for the people on the plane, the twenty minutes seemed like forever. Some people never stopped praying the whole time. And when we finally did land in Knoxville, everyone broke out into spontaneous – but not joyful - applause. As I watched the people line up in the aisle to exit the aircraft, it was like looking into the faces of ghosts…very pale ghosts.
And when they opened the door, I never saw so many people in such a hurry to get off an airplane.
For a week or two afterward, the four of us were sort of celebrities around the company. But, truth be told, I’d really rather find some other way to achieve celebrity status.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
PR IS POWERFUL!
These challenging times, as I see it, present a great opportunity to spread the word that effective public relations is about the best marketing tool you can have. Not only that, but it's much more cost-effective (more so now than ever, because most electronic media's free!) than more traditional marketing approaches.
Old marketing approaches - just like old advertising concepts - aren't working anymore in this new age. But PR - when done right - has the ability to completely change the marketing paradigm.
And it has the potential to emerge, after all the economic smoke clears, as the most powerful "wrench" in a company's marketing toolbox.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Old marketing approaches - just like old advertising concepts - aren't working anymore in this new age. But PR - when done right - has the ability to completely change the marketing paradigm.
And it has the potential to emerge, after all the economic smoke clears, as the most powerful "wrench" in a company's marketing toolbox.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
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