Give me some Plain Talk PRPosted in Plain Talk PR, Video by laura
A colleague and I used to fantasize about a business we called Plain Talk PR. We both liked our jobs doing corporate comm work for a large company, but there were days when we joked about the need to simply cut to the chase. Usually this conversation came up after a news release had gone through two dozen revisions between the marketers and the lawyers. We, the PR people responsible for using the news release as a communications tool, vigilantly battled marketing-speak and its “solutions” and the lengthy qualifiers and disclaimers aimed at minimizing future legal action.
At Plain Talk PR, news announcements would still be strategic but they would also be transparent — which, coincidentally, is what makes it newsworthy and interesting. In fact, the Plain Talk approach could be applied to marketing, investor relations, employee communications and more.
Ah-ha! This week, I found Plain Talk concepts in action, thanks to the Alamo Drafthouse. One element of Plain Talk principles is to let the voice of the customer tell your story.This video portrayal of an angry customer’s phone call is earning fans and friends all over the United States, in part because it is so transparent. (This is uncensored.)
In what situations would you present the voice of an angry customer to all of your paying clients? When you firmly believe in the values you are upholding — the values that build your brand and your reputation. In this case, the Alamo Drafthouse is enforcing its well-known no talking, no texting rule.
Besides transparency, what are some other principles of Plain Talk PR, and how could you apply it when talking with clients, employees, peers and prospects?
TAGS: alamo drafthouse, plain talk, transparency, values-based communication, viral video