Tag: Grand Rapids

City to Hire PR Director (Let’s Hope They Actually Know PR)

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I read with interest this morning that the City of Grand Rapids is looking to hire a communications director, who would be charged according to the MLive article with being a “spokesperson, connecting to citizens, and help craft a long-term public relations strategy.”

I think it does make sense for a city the size of Grand Rapids to have a full-time public relations professional aboard. (It may have relied on various PR firms for services in the past, but an in-house practitioner has advantages). I also am happy the term public relations is actually used, as well as the notion that there needs to be a long-term strategy and not just idle “getting the word out.”

I do hope, however, that public relations is properly understood, and that the eventual hire has an actual degree and experience in public relations. I am a former journalist myself, but I have been disappointed to see so many institutions hire people for top PR positions who have little to no understanding of what PR actually is. Good writing and a command of the Associated Press (AP) style only get you so far.

Public attitudes about public relations, according to academic research, show that people either (my words here) minimize of demonize the profession. They minimize it by seeing it as merely a spokesperson or media relations job. This is considering WHAT PR people do. They demonize it by thinking all PR people intentionally “spin” or deceive. This is considering HOW PR people do their jobs.

What management thinks PR is, called the dominant coalition schema or worldview, affects how PR is practiced. When management doesn’t have a good understanding of PR, they hire people who don’t know PR, or they hire people who do understand PR and are quickly frustrated by not being able to practice it to full potential.

I would hope that the “demonizing” perspective is not one held by city leaders. And while there is no doubt that some PR people have jobs focused on media relations, I would hope that city leaders see PR as more than that, and that the “long-term public relations strategy” involves more than a media strategy.

Academics have traditionally broken down PR practice into four models of observed practice. Briefly, one is press agentry/publicity, in which practitioners seek media attention sometimes with dubious methods. The public information model is characterized as more straightforward and using various tactics, not just news media. But it is still limited to one-way communication. (This is a common form of practice in government contexts because of the obligation to communicate with citizens and taxpayers; professionals are often called PIOs–public information officers). The last two models are two-way asymmetric and two-way symmetric. Both are two-way, which means more listening to publics and talking with them, not just to them. Asymmetric communication, though, involves listening primarily to meet the organization’s objectives and not allowing the public to initiate conversation. This may make sense in some situations, such as health campaigns. Symmetrical communication means either party can initiate dialogue, and sometimes the organization changes its actions to respond to public concern. Academics and advanced professionals consider this form of PR the most ethical and advanced.

That last paragraph is a lot. But it only scratches the surface of knowledge about what PR is and should be. Seasoned PR professionals know more than communications tactics, but understand research, public segmentation, action planning, measurable objectives, theory-based strategies, persuasion, evaluative methods, and more.

It will be best for city leaders, citizens, other publics and the PR profession if the eventual communications director has a deep grasp of PR and participates in making city decisions, not just communicating them. The city will get the attention it deserves, citizens will feel well served, and PR will not be demonized or minimized, but seen appropriately for its positive role in society.

GR’s People Design Authors Brand Identity Book

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I was reading through the book review section of the latest Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly before a class earlier this week, and the words “Grand Rapids” jumped out at me from one review.

Turns out the authors of a new book on brand identity are all members of the Grand Rapids advertising design firm People Design. Specifically, the authors are Kevin Budelman, Yang Kim, and Curt Wozniak.

The book, the fourth in a series of ‘essentials’ books by Rockport Publishing, is “Brand Identity Essentials: 100 Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands.”  As the author’s say on their own web site: 

“The book lays a foundation for brand-building, defining the tools and building blocks, and illustrating the construction of strong brands through examples by world-class design strategists.”


The journal reviewer took issue with the order of presentation of some of the principles, and the brevity of text explaining and justifying them. However, it is recommended for the many examples provided.

As such, the book might be a valuable resource for advertising and public relations pros who want to enhance their understanding of branding, or who understand it conceptually but need help with the design aspect of it.

I bought the book as a resource to add to my crowded shelves. Also, since the firm is from Grand Rapids, it’s another way to ‘buy local.’

Grand Rapids Should Market Its True Population, and Image

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This week’s Grand Rapids Business Journal asks in a page one article (subscription required) “Is it legal to market GR as being larger?”

Whenever someone asks is it “legal” my ethical red flags start to flutter.

At issue for the city of Grand Rapids is whether to tout itself as having a population of 602,622, which is the number of residents in Kent County. This would be as opposed to describing itself as having a population of 188,040, which is the number of human beings who live within the actual city limits.

This is a question?!

All of this is related to the ongoing One Kent Coalition debate about merging municipalities with Kent County as one larger and more marketable entity. If those who promote Grand Rapids say the city has more than 600,000 residents they would be in league with places like Boston and Baltimore. The idea is to attract employers and conferences to a city with a more impressive number.

Here’s why they should not do so:

  • It’s not true, not even “technically” so. Do I have to explain this more?
  • Long-term thinking is better. Fudging the numbers is short-term thinking that people will be attracted to Grand Rapids. Long-term thinking considers what happens when site planners, business leaders, convention planners and so on find out the 600,000 was the COUNTY and not the CITY? Probably they’ll feel disappointment, have a sense of being swindled, and collectively experience the long-term reputation damage of Grand Rapids trying to present itself as something it’s not. Saying that the numbers are “technically” true or “legal” to report that way mean nothing to someone who feels duped, and in fact add to the insult.
  • There are other sources of information. Government and business directories can easily give the true population figures. When objective and credible third-party information is that far off from marketing materials, it is not a good thing. 

A better idea would be to honestly state the facts and then give the context. The heart of the PRSA Code of Ethics is that PR enables “informed decision making”–not inflating the information. A marketing brochure or web site could indicate that the fact that the City of Grand Rapids has a population of 180,000 and then provide the context that the total population of Grand Rapids and surrounding suburbs and other areas in Kent County total more than 600,000. Copy could also address other factors beyond mere  numbers, such as quality of work force, education, accommodations, attractions and quality of life. Target publics would then be fully and honestly informed. Imagine that.

Honesty has long been said to be the best policy. It’s also best in marketing and public relations, where long-term thinking and relationships yield the best return. That’s why PR is about reflecting an actual image, not creating an illusory one. Those who promote Grand Rapids should think about that before they earn a bad reputation.

Grand Rapids Lip Dub and PR Value

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There’s no doubt the Grand Rapids lip dub video made a big splash. It set records for YouTube hits and garnered an impressive amount of media coverage both locally and nationally. A casual observer would conclude this is fantastic for Grand Rapids.

Certainly there’s much to like about it. In fact, the video was almost as good as the one done last fall by the film/video students and faculty in the Grand Valley State University School of Communications (he said without any bias whatsoever).

But a critical PR mind goes beyond the “all publicity is good publicity” simplicity commonly attributed to circus showman PT Barnum. What will all this lib dub hubbub really do for Grand Rapids? There are a couple of questions to consider:

  • Awareness, attitude, action. I call these the 3 As of public relations measurement, whether from media relations or any other PR activity. There is no doubt the lip dub generated awareness, but is it changing attitudes? Maybe, but most of the comments are about the video itself and not necessarily a resulting positive perception of the city. You also have to wonder what people know about Grand Rapids beyond the few downtown scenes–maybe the video will be a catalyst to read more, and social media no doubt will have influence. Finally, will the lib dub result in desired actions by key publics, such as more business and tourist visits to the city? Possibly, but not necessarily.
  • Exposure, outcome, engagement. These are other levels of measurement in PR, similar  to the ones above. Exposure is what has most people excited because of the record number of views and media coverage. Outcome can broken down into the 3 As mentioned above–what was the result of the exposure? Lots of people saw the video, but so what? Engagement has to do with feedback and longevity. Is the city–it’s government, businesses, institutions etc.–having on-going dialogue with publics with whom it has not previously interacted, through social media and other means. 
  • Tone, accuracy. Most of the coverage  I have seen has been positive. National media figures give kudos to Grand Rapids for responding to Newsweek calling it a ‘dying city’ and forcing the magazine to concede it erred. It’s a good narrative. Others just liked the video and thought Grand Rapids looked like a great city. But it’s always good to not just count clippings–you have to see what all that media is actually saying. Accuracy is another issue–Roger Ebert paid a great compliment to the video but referred to CEDAR Rapids–he corrected his error later. But it shows how messages don’t always penetrate intact. Speaking of which, what was the message? Did it get through? To whom? 
  • Lasting effect, brand. Research shows us that attitudes are fickle, subject to change from positive to negative. They are also short-lived, receding to a latent or unconscious state quickly. Sure, we’re all the rage now. But in a week or a month the views of the video and the media  reports about it will dwindle, and talk will move quickly to dogs dining in a restaurant or some other meme or amusement. That’s why many say initial publicity helps build a brand but ongoing public relations activity is needed to maintain it, whether that be more videos, links from existing on-line presence, social media continuity, or a paid advertising campaign that piggybacks off the lip dub attention. But then you have to wonder what the brand is: “Grand Rapids = American Pie”? “Grand Rapids = The City That Did a Lip Dub”? A strategy is needed to integrate this video with ArtPrize, the entrepreneurial business environment, the medical mile and other aspects of the city’s brand.
The last scene in the video was “Experience Grand Rapids” spelled out on the lawn of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum as viewed from a helicopter. I wouldn’t be surprised if the staff over there will dovetail measuring the effect of the lip dub with all their other efforts to promote the city.