Creating effective public relations involves the art of storytelling. PR uses storytelling based on reality to compel audiences and create strong messages. Depending on the reality, messages are crafted and audiences are engaged. Or not. These days audiences are sophisticated. Facing an overwhelming amount of media to consume reaching them effectively demands authenticity.

In any medium, the most engaging stories are the stories that are told through the eyes of interesting characters. Just ask a novelist, screen or television writer. Great characters are what creates a hit. Would a show like the West Wing have built such a loyal following of both liberals and conservatives without the likes of Jed Bartlet, CJ Cregg or Sam Seaborn? Not a chance. It’s hard to imagine that 30 million people would tune in every week to follow the minutia of the White House. The West Wing was just a device; it was how the characters behaved in that environment that created the fan base.

As PR messages are crafted, the strength of those messages can be built on the backs of the characters who are impacting the conversation. We can write great sounding messages but they will fall short without the strength of character. And it works both ways. Watching the Congressional hearings about the Toyota recall it’s hard to be as sympathetic for the company’s president Akio Toyoda when he makes the emotional appeal that his family’s name is on every car as it is to be sympathetic to Rhonda Smith, the retired social worker who choked back tears during her testimony about how her Lexus reached 100 mph on its own before slowing. Mrs. Smith’s emotional testimony personalized the Toyota recall and solidified the public relations disaster for Toyota.

So to create authentic PR it’s essential to look at the characters involved in our stories. A campaign for the National Association for the Self-Employed has a greater chance of success when we tap into the heart of the issues NASE is tackling through its members. As we work to help the Library of Congress get the word out about one of their amazing programs, it’s impossible to separate the programs’ impact from teachers and students. Telling their stories organically and authentically make Library of Congress programs enticing and valuable. Uncovering great characters makes the storytelling authentic and so becomes public relations that writes itself.

Tags: Aaron Sorkin, Akio Toyoda, CJ Cregg, Public relations, Rhonda Smith, Sam Seaborn, Storytelling in PR, Toyota, West Wing

Posted by Renee Rosenfeld on 03/1/10. Categories: Blog, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response