Guerrilla PR 2.0

by Michael Levine

  Part of your Guerrilla P.R. campaign is the effort to establish yourself as an expert in your field. One way to do that is to take advantage of public service announcements (PSAs) and editorial replies. All television stations that broadcast editorials (and most do) are required to provide airtime to opposing points of view. They are also required to devote a certain portion of their programming to PSAs, which are, in effect, free commercials on matters of public interest. If you see an editorial that in some way relates to your project, consider contacting the station to respond. Editorial replies provide an opportunity to have your face and name broadcast across the city and further solidify your expert standing. To make this happen, contact the news department at the station and ask for the editorial director. Tell him or her that you represent citizens with an opposing view, and you’d like to reply. Send information on yourself and your project, such as your press kit.

  If they give you the green light, you’ll be informed of the parameters. You’ll probably have sixty seconds to make your point. When writing your reply, think in bursts of quick three-sentence paragraphs, with your opening comments being the most potent.

  Begin by summarizing the station’s view and stating why they’re dead wrong. Detail a handful of reasons, again expressed in short easy-to-understand phrases. Close by urging a different direction, chiding the station for taking its position. That’s it! You’re a politician now!

  As for PSAs, both TV and radio stations will make airtime available with a ten-or thirty-second “commercial” for your project if it’s a bona fide charity or message of cultural, medical, or safety interest to the community. Contact your local stations’ community affairs departments, explain your mission, and inquire whether you can make a PSA. Because you have such an extreme time limitation, you must make your points quickly and effectively. Approach the writing of your PSA as if it were a TV commercial; that is, you must leave a strong impression on the viewers or listeners.

  Tips & Traps

  Start out with a bang. You must grab your audience from the outset, and the best way to do that is with a punchy and arresting lead sentence or two. Watch and listen for other PSAs, and you’ll see what I mean.

  Stay focused. With only thirty or sixty seconds, you have time to make only one main point with a couple of illustrations. Don’t lose sight of your main point.

  For TV, provide interesting visuals for use as backdrop.

  Most PSAs are read by on-air announcers, whether TV or radio. That being the case, you must have a well-crafted script. Be sure to time it before you send it in. Obviously, you must include your name, address, and phone number, just as with a regular press release.

  Trade Shows and Conventions

  It’s a common sight. Bikini-clad coeds reclining on car rooftops or demonstrating some new Japanese techno-toy; famous athletes signing autographs for the mobs crowding the floors of large convention halls; spectacular sets with all kinds of electronic bells and whistles on display. The trade show is a modern-day carnival of commerce, and there’s not an industry in America that doesn’t stage one of its own.

  When the next convention comes to town, the wise Guerrilla should seriously consider a preemptive strike.

  Trade shows, such as the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and conventions, like the National Association of Theatre Owners, a movie business conclave, bring together under one enormous roof virtually everyone who’s anyone in a given industry. It’s the perfect setting for glad-handing, politicking, protesting, viewing what’s new in the industry’s products, making a scene, making a friend, or just plain learning.

  My friends Sandy and Howard Benjamin, when launching their independent celebrity radio interview business, descended on the National Association of Broadcasters annual get-together, plastered the place with flyers, and remained, as they put it, “in their faces” for the entire three days. It got their fledgling company off to a good start.

  If you have the wherewithal to travel to a convention in your line of work, do so. It’s worth the registration fee to mingle with your own and to test whether your Guerrilla P.R. plan has merit. Use a touch of showmanship, salesmanship, and marksmanship to score your points. These events are people oriented, not media oriented. They provide you with a perfect opportunity to practice your personal P.R. skills.

  When get-togethers are held in hotels, many corporate participants open up their suites to all visitors. Work these rooms. Make friends, expand your network, make an impression. This is P.R. on the micro-scale, rather than the macro-scale, but it is no less important.

  Any one of those conventioneers could be the person to turn your business around, open a new door, or offer an unexpected opportunity. There’s something about the convivial atmosphere that lends itself to solidifying relationships with colleagues. Take advantage.

  Sometimes you can strike gold in other settings. Jerry Porter, president of Metrospace Corporation, a large commercial real estate consulting firm, makes a point of landing new clients by attending shareholders’ meetings. If he isn’t a stockholder, he simply buys a few shares of stock, entitling him entry to the annual shareholders’ shouting match (sometimes). Says Jerry, “While the company puts on its dog-and-pony show and the executives are schmoozing with the people, I’m out there greeting them, shaking hands, and scheduling follow-up meetings.” Now, that’s clever.

  Good Works

  I don’t care if it sounds crass to you, but being a Good Samaritan is good for business. Individuals and companies that do charity work go a long way toward cementing a positive image within their surrounding communities. I believe it’s important for you, too, to weigh your options in this area.

  Sometimes this can indeed become crass. I recall the cynical manager of a famous pop musician who called me in a desperate search for a charity outlet for her artist, because he’d recently been mentioned in unfavorable press accounts linking him with drugs and alcohol. She thought a picture of her wigged-out guitar player giving a teddy bear to a terminally ill child would solve her artist’s problems.

  I’m not talking about that kind of thing.

  I’m talking about top sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who, before he negotiates the contract of an NFL or major league rookie, has the athlete set down on paper the extent of his charitable works. If the athlete doesn’t commit to extensive charity appearances and donations, Steinberg won’t represent him.

  I’m talking about the corporate blood drives, where a factory parking lot is turned into a temporary sea of gurneys, with employees rolling up their sleeves to give a unit of blood. I’m talking about sponsoring a fundraiser for Jerry’s Kids, or organizing a litter pick-up. I’m talking about the San Diego doughnut shop that regularly gives away thousands of day-old doughnuts to mission rescues and halfway houses.

  I believe business is inextricably linked with the well-being of the community, and as a matter of simple justice, it is incumbent upon us to help make this a better world, whether or not we receive much publicity for our efforts. At the same time, I have no problem with making sure the rest of the world knows about it.

  If you were to sponsor a similar charitable effort—say a 10-K run for cancer research, or a turkey dinner for the homeless—it’s beneficial to all for the media to be informed and to cover the event. You gain better employee and citizen involvement, you spread the word that such activities are worthwhile, and you gain that all-important positive public perception of you and your company or project, even if the P.R. you get from it has a relatively narrow focus.

  How about a holiday tie-in? Andy Lipkis of Treepeople sponsored an urban beautification tree planting on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day in Los Angeles. Do you have out-of-date computer equipment in your office? Why sell it when you can reap much greater P.R. benefits by giving it away to your neighborhood elementary school? Is it feasible to have schools visit and tour your operations? Can you provide employment or intern opportunities to area youth? Did you ever consider sponsoring
the preservation of a nearby historical landmark?

  These kinds of projects are so easy to do. If you’re not sure how to proceed, try hooking up with established charities like the Red Cross or the American Cancer Society. With their vast experience, they can help you organize and publicize your event (unless, being the Guerrilla publicist that you are, you opt to do that yourself). The main thing is, you’re helping to repair the world just a little bit. And like I said, that’s good for business.

  Speechmaking

  It was one of the highlights of my life. Standing before an assembly of graduate students at the Harvard Business School, I delivered a lecture, stating my observations about the current business climate. As I spoke I thought to myself, “Imagine, me, who never finished college, addressing America’s best and brightest.”

  I concluded my remarks that day with a wonderful quote from author H. G. Wells: “Some ideas are so stupid, only intellectuals believe them.” Several hundred future captains of industry leaped to their feet, cheering my words. Clearly, I had struck a nerve.

  Giving speeches ties in with our oldest and greatest human legacy: oral communication. All P.R.—indeed all of human communication, technological and otherwise—is simply an extension of it.

  In this day and age, too many people have unfortunately mangled the meaning of the word “rhetoric.” Politicians and pundits use the term to mean insincere blather, deliberate obfuscation, or, in plain English, caca. Yet, “rhetoric” actually means the fine use of spoken language. It is a lost art; indeed, the very word to describe it is lost.

  But I don’t want it to get lost on you. Hitting the speakers’ trail can be one of the very best adjuncts to your Guerrilla P.R. campaign strategy. Even though your reach per audience is much smaller with speechmaking than it is with media, you shouldn’t underestimate the impact. There are drawbacks to conventional press exposure. Someone leafing through a newspaper might spot an article about you and your project, give it a passing glance, or perhaps even read the entire piece, and then, with the turn of a page, move on to the next article.

  In a flash, you’re yesterday’s news.

  Not so with public speaking. In such a setting you have the full undivided attention of an audience that is ostensibly there to hear you speak. If you deliver a strong speech, the effect can linger far longer than in many other forms of P.R.

  Do you have anything to say? The answer is “yes.” If you are the owner of a business, you can address business gatherings on the subject of your specific industry, or on general business topics. If you are in a specialized field, such as medicine, education, law, entertainment, or sports, you can set yourself up as a perceptive insider. What you think matters; you’d be surprised by just how expert in your field you probably are already.

  Getting a forum for your public-speaking career isn’t as hard as you may think. Schools; churches and synagogues; health-care facilities; business clubs like Rotary, Kiwanis, and the Chamber of Commerce; seminars; conventions; political clubs; and many others—all use and are in constant need of speakers. Speakers’ bureaus abound. Find them and offer yourself. You do not need extensive prior experience to sign up with a speakers’ bureau, only a willingness to present your ideas.

  If your only public-speaking experience is limited to your bar mitzvah or the fifth grade Thanksgiving pageant, fear not. It’s not as terrifying as you remember. I don’t want to take too much space in this book to teach the art of speechmaking, but a few choice tips are in order.

  Tips & Traps

  Before you make that speech, you need to know a few things about the venue and your audience. James Robinson, in his terrific volume Winning Them Over, suggests you find out how much time you’ve been given to speak, when you’re expected to arrive, how the evening’s program is to be structured, whether a lectern and a P.A. system will be in place, who will introduce you, and whether there will be a Q&A period after the speech. Knowing just what to expect will help you relax.

  Write out your speech completely. Even if you prefer to work without a script and appear spontaneous, you should put down on paper the gist of your remarks. It will help orient you. If you choose to work with a script, transfer the speech to 3 × 5 inch cards in large type. Cards are easy to work with and fit easily into your pocket.

  If given a choice of a short speech or a long one, opt for the short. Unless you’re a mesmerizing orator, going on too long is the kiss of death. As a rule of thumb, I’d say twenty minutes maximum.

  Use simple, plain English, full of action and rhythm. Keep the ten-cent words for your college theses. At the same time, don’t be afraid to draw on your natural eloquence. You may not be Martin Luther King, Jr., but it’s all right to take advantage of our beautiful language.

  This is one bit of advice you probably already know: Lace your speech with humor. Levity loosens up a room and makes you instantly more likeable. Humor sourcebooks for speechmakers and toastmasters abound in the library.

  Making a speech can be nerve-wracking, and often the voice tends to rise. Be aware, and try to keep your voice in the mid-range. Join Toastmasters, an organization devoted to making you adept at public speaking. It’s a great investment of your time.

  * * *

  GUERRILLA P.R. COMMANDO: Dick Rutan

  December 23, 1986, the day Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager landed their storm-battered Voyager aircraft after nine days of non-stop flight around the globe, was not only a glorious day in aviation history. It also marked a signal achievement in the annals of Guerrilla P.R. The Voyager would never have gotten off the ground if not for the nationwide support for the project generated by Rutan’s skillful handling of the press. Clearly, he piloted the media as well as his plane.

  Flying since the age of sixteen, Rutan is a decorated Air Force lieutenant colonel who, after retiring from the service, settled into a family-owned aircraft company. He developed a sterling international reputation as an ace test pilot; but Dick’s dreams encompassed greater achievements. In 1981 he launched the idea of the Voyager, a lightweight aircraft that could fly around the world without stopping for refueling

  Though Dick was well known within the aviation press, he and Jeana would need massive financial and moral support from the public to make this dream come true. From his Mojave Desert base east of Los Angeles, Dick carefully courted the media to spread the word about Voyager.

  “We had a couple of philosophies that worked well for us,” says Dick. “We always maintained a sense of openness and sincerity. Sometimes people try to use the press for some hidden agenda, but when they came here they found genuine people who would take the time to talk with them.”

  In preparing his and Jeana’s encounter with the media, Dick studied the history books. “I went back to Charles Lindbergh,” he notes. “He served as a model for how not to handle the press. If someone wrote a story on him that wasn’t 100 percent accurate, he would rant and rave at the reporter. Because he grew more reclusive, writers had little information to write about him. It all snowballed, and the more recalcitrant he became, the more the press hated him.”

  Dick took this lesson to heart. When articles appeared that were at least 50 percent accurate, he took the time to thank the writer. However, he always insisted that all interviews be taped, which led to 90 percent accuracy in most stories. “We never alienated anybody,” says Dick. “They usually stayed on the right subjects: adventure, human spirit, volunteerism.” Dick also had another trick up his sleeve. “I’d give the reporters about 90 percent of what they wanted, but I’d always hold something back so they’d return again.”

  His openness with the press even included the tabloids. When the National Enquirer requested an interview, Dick was a little hesitant because of the paper’s trashy reputation. But he invited the reporter up, treated him with the customary graciousness, and, believe it or not, ended up with a highly favorable and accurate story in America’s favorite scandal sheet.

  Working with media, Dick quickly learned the
ground rules. “They may talk with you for thirty minutes,” notes Dick, “but all they’ll end up using is four or five sentences, and you have to be sure to give them those. Make them dramatic and personal.”

  Today Dick Rutan is one of the most requested speakers on the circuit, inspiring audiences across the country with his message of opportunity and vision. As for advising others on any dealings with the media, Dick cautions against Lindbergh-style criticism.

  “You have to be open and friendly with the media,” he notes. “Goodwill is very infectious, and you can build strong personal relationships. You should also understand the constraints the press is under, and work with them, not against them.”

  Dick often closes his speeches with these words, which also express the heart of the Guerrilla P.R. credo: “What you can accomplish is limited only by what you can dream.” Amen.

  * * *

  10

  May Day, May Day

  When I make a mistake, it’s a beaut!

  —Former New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia

  When Things Go Wrong

  The man who coined the phrase “When life deals you a lemon, make lemonade” has my sympathy. On more than one occasion, I’ve found his book—with that title—mired in the cooking section of my neighborhood bookstore.

  Early on I said P.R. is an art. For that reason, Guerrilla P.R. doesn’t take a by-the-numbers approach. You can’t go by the book because there is no book. So even the best-laid plans of Guerrillas and of pros sometimes go awry, just as half-baked schemes occasionally succeed.

  My aim has been to reorient your thinking, to alter your habits of imagination, so you devise a strategy that works for you. Despite my tips, Guerrilla P.R. is entirely instinctive and self-directed, and thus subject to no immutable laws. So, having implemented your campaign, you may find things haven’t exactly gone according to plan. Either you aren’t getting the publicity you hoped for, or you’re getting the kind you don’t need: the negative kind. But relax—there are ways to circumvent such problems.