Promo - March 2008 - (Page 41)

PR ‘PR is always essential to the overall program. If you’re not doing something PR-able, it might not be something worth doing.’ —Tom Meyer Former NBA players Charles Smith (left) and Charles Oakley recently played twoon-two against regular guys in Spike TV’s “Pros vs. Joes.” While taking a breather they gave local sports reporters their opinions about why the New York Knicks aren’t winning these days. Continued from page 39 “It cost me $30,000 to get two lines in a Wall Street Journal travel article,” he says. However, prices are lower at PayPerClip, a PR firm that charges for specific media placements. A Wall Street Journal mention costs $4,000. That’s only one of several types of pickups featured on PayPerClip’s rate card. The most expensive is $10,000 for a spot on the “Oprah” talk show. In contrast, a slot on CNBC costs $5,000 and a local radio station pickup in the 30th largest market goes for $600. “Getting on ‘Oprah’ is quite a coup,” says Rich Virgilio, managing director of PayPerClip, which doesn’t charge an up-front retainer. However, its sister PR company Stephenson Group is retainer based. Virgilio founded his agency following the dot-com crash. He realized that PR and marketing budgets are usually cut first during a downturn, and that there was a need for placement-based arrangements. Other agencies provide them as well. In order to make overhead and justify a retainer, large PR firms will meet regularly with clients, conduct research or offer a client’s executives to a speakers’ bureau. Still, one would think that an objectives-setting process could be put in place without input from a PR outfit, Virgilio notes. PR agencies also can easily become press-release mills. But why would you need that service if you have someone in house who can write? “Big PR firms are not thrilled [when competitors offer ‘guaranteed results or pay nothing,’]” he says. “They have to rack up billable hours on nonsense. At the end of the month they’ve put together a great strategy but no press.” l P 41 Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / March 2008 http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - March 2008

Promo - March 2008 Editor's Note Girls' Club New Eco Regs? They're Not Going Anywhere Spreads Easily RFID Ramp-Up From Backyard to Broadcast Commentary VROOOM! Stuff We Can't Do Here Yet Q&A: Measuring Up Free Ink The Agency Center Resource Center Promotions 2.0 Index of Advertisers

Promo - March 2008

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