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Here we define a challenger brand, share some thoughts on creating a great media story and offer some online PR tips.
Are you a challenger brand?
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Any company that is not No. 1 in its category or market has the potential to be a challenger brand. Think of the challenger as the underdog, the rule breaker and you get the picture.
What makes the challenger unique is that it looks at the conventions adopted by the market and seeks to disrupt the status quo by offering a new perspective. This can often be driven by technology or service level innovations, challenging the existing price-models of the category or simply by way of creating a compelling brand attitude.
Being a challenger brand is not an easy option - management need to be fired up by their idea and vision. They need to be ready to take on the world, ready to create a unique brand identity and ready to take on the market in fresh, innovative and disruptive ways.
By taking the challenger position you are instantly more newsworthy than all your immediate peers. The press will often defer to you when they want an alternative take on the stance of the market leader. This catapults the challenger to a place that might take forever to reach, when following a more conventional approach.
| A great story |
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Sending out self-congratulating and flattering press releases about your own company or product is precisely what journalists don't want. Yet why do so many companies and PR agencies still do it? Journalists are not interested in sales messages - they want a story.
Think differently. The media prefers bad news to good news, so find the problem you solve and dramatise it in a story. Also, adding a human interest element to the story will bring it to life and make it even more attractive to the media. You can then weave in your company message in a way that will appeal to journalists.
So to create a winning story, highlight the business problem you solve, add some drama, humanise it and make it topical.
| Online PR |
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Online engagement is no different to conducting a normal conversation, so the same principals apply. Do your homework first and audit what is going on. Find out who is saying what to whom and then decide whether to join in.
You should optimise your press releases for online distribution. This involves embedding your chosen search terms within the story and creating new links back to your website to improve your visibility - via Google and other search engines.
The blog is a strong business tool as it allows you to have conversations with customers and prospects, as well as driving traffic and links to your site. Blogs also build brand awareness and can improve the visibility of your business.
The best blogs are educational, engaging and entertaining, they provide a great opportunity to share ideas and obtain feedback from your target audience.
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