By inmedia
Late yesterday, Gawker purported to spill the beans on the secret to all good PR: a sandwich. The post’s author espoused the virtues of buying reporters lunch and building a face-to-face relationship, and that truly that face time is the secret to all good PR. While I won’t object to the value that’s derived from face-to-face meetings and relationships built, it’s a lot easier said than done when your key media targets are not just around the corner and able to meet up for lunch but instead are part of the global media marketplace, reporting from places as far afield as Hong Kong, Australia, the Netherlands, or throughout the U.S. as do some of our key targets for our clients. If we are truly talking to the correct targets and bringing them the components of our client’s story that they need and want, it’s that intersection of interest that results in positive coverage, not whether we’ve broken bread with the reporter.
By Francis Moran
itWorld Canada leads its morning news bulletin this morning with a story about a new initiative at technology-focused University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada — a so-called “dormcubator” that will see one of the school’s residences retooled to accommodate 70 students who, it is hoped, will collaborate on new ventures in web, mobile and digital media applications.
Many of the business people quoted in the story applaud the innovative move but caution that it will fail if the proper real-world mentorship is not offered along with the physical infrastructure. It’s a key observation that too many Canadian technology ventures, while brilliant in the development department, are inadequate in the management department.
I am encouraged that the new residence, which will be completed over the summer and begin its programming with the beginning of the new school year in September, has already accepted applicants from the arts, business and other non-technical disciplines. It takes more than just a brilliant idea to create a successful new company.
We’ll keep an eye on this initiative and let our readers know how it’s working.
