LIFE & TIMES OF A PR AGENCY CEO: MEETINGS & CALLS..MORE MEETINGS AND CALLS – NY RUSSIAN ATTORNEYS, NIGHTCLUB MOGULS LIKE MARK BIRNBAUM AND REAL ESTATE WITH ELIE HIRSCHFELD

Over the weekend I had a chance to reflect upon my Friday. As people often ask what a day looks like in running a PR agency, thought to write about it. Tiring, exhausting and great all at the same time.



Started early with a 530 AM job, bike and light lifting – followed by 8AM midtown breakfast with the premier US NY Russian attorney, Edward Mermelstein.  Ed’s a client and friend we have worked for many years – and always enjoy hearing his take on the world.



Had a 930 AM strategy meeting with a client, followed instantly by a client conference call with my team
Quick internal meeting followed by returning 2 calls – 1 new business call (scheduled a meeting for next week), and returned a call to a Reporter
The afternoon saw a 30 minute break to return emails, catch my breath, and before I turned around it was time for a internal staff meeting with 1 of my teams
Had a new business meeting end of day – and then more returning emails, calls to Mark Birnbaum of EMM Group about an upcoming event for a client, Elie Hirschfeld about a recent media story, and the like.



Its always something different – moving fast and making it happen.



Ronn Torossian
5WPR

CRISIS PUBLIC RELATIONS: POLICE CHIEF HIRED BY CRISIS PR AGENCY

Front page news in Europe is that Former Metropolitan Police chief Sir Paul Stephenson has joined a crisis PR agency. Stephenson resigned following allegations of his police force being involved with alleged phone taps with The News of the World.  

Might be a first that a police chief joins the public relations world – but I am sure it wont be the last, and his new role will have him counseling crisis clients for a firm whose employees according to their press release does everything from “cyber and information security, IP and brand protection, human rights and anti-corruption compliance, financial crime, health and safety, pandemics, medical and evacuation support, geopolitical and business intelligence, cultural and negotiation specialists, due diligence and investigations and wider security.” All of those are necessary skills to succeed at a crisis PR firm. More on him at: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24036848-former-met-chief-gets-crisis-management-job.do

Stephenson was humble about moving on - when asked about regrets, he said: "That's for fairytales. You do what you think is right, you stand by it and you move on." "I don't know of anybody who's been in a leadership position as long as I was who won't have a record of doing some fantastic things and some things they wish they'd done better. Anyone who claims otherwise is in fantasy land or lying."

Working in crisis public relations, it’s a non-stop fire drill. Remember:

• Be prepared for a crisis by thinking about all possibilities before they occur.
• Online reputation management/online crisis PR matters tremendously – Google search results are more important than one negative story
• Requires instant attention

A police chief will know that in the world of crisis, this isn’t an option:

“There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” Henry Kissinger

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a NY Public Relations Agency.

To Avoid Losses in the Business, Grab the Hands of a PR Agency

Are you an entrepreneur and looking to hire a PR agency? What could be the reasons behind this when you already have in-house teams or people to handle the company’s public relations requirements? Is that your team not working properly or your business does not have any PR existence in place.

Whatever be the reasons, hiring the useful services of a public relations firm, to handle the existing brand image among its consumers as well as in the market and to effectively promote the business and its products with the right kind of public relations strategies, is supposed to be the wisest decision an entrepreneur can make.

In absence of the fruitful planning and strategies of public relations, a business or an enterprise could suffer losses pertaining to market reputation, profits, production, etc. Therefore, businesses have understood well enough the need and the importance of a PR Agency that can bring positive results and unlimited growth potential. To sustain their presence in the competitive market and to open the doors of success, business entities across the world holds the hands of a public relations firm and utilize their profitable services that avoids the possibilities of losses in their business.

Before a company do so, it is recommended to -

Select the right agency: Very often, the companies make a very common mistake i.e. they are easily taken by the attractive presentations and sales talks of the executives of PR firms. Do a thorough research on the reputation and reliability of an agency that you would like to approach for your public relations campaigns. A professionally renowned PR agency will always strive to deliver their services as per the needs and suitability of client’s requirements.

Know what the needs are: Do a brain storming session and make a list of particular tasks you want to be assigned and handled by the PR firm. Ask questions, clear the doubts, seek suggestions and discuss possibilities with the PR firm for all that your business needs. Definitely, they could then think about designing a plan and put their expertise into efforts to bring desired results.

Practice patience: PR agencies are there to help your business or the brand to become popular and known by millions of people. The public relations campaigns and strategies planned by those professionals would certainly yield results but not in a quick or short span of time. Take their efforts as if they are educating people for your products and services or spreading awareness about the same.

If you still have any questions related to the usefulness and the advantages of a PR agency, visit www.5wpr.com and get them answered by the experts.