May 9, 2016

The value of media training and why you should care

If you think facing a pack of news-hungry journalists is a walk in the park, then you probably haven’t faced a pack of news-hungry journalists!

“In today’s age of immediate gratification, facing the media comes in many different shapes and forms,” says CN&CO’s Colin Ford. “It comes hard, it comes fast, and it can do massive damage to both your personal and business brands if you fluff it up.”

CN&CO’s PR guru, Gabbi Rego, agrees.

“What would you do if you walked out of your office and there was a bank of TV cameras and flashing lights on your doorstep, with people shoving microphones in your face and asking you relentless, accusatory questions? Would you answer them as best you could? Walk away? Punch someone? And how would your chosen response reflect on your brand?” asks Gabbi.

“There are many tricks that good media spokespeople use to ensure they come out of any interview, be it for print, radio or television, without losing face,” says Colin, who has been involved in training corporate and government spokespeople for more than five years. “No matter how experienced or competent you are, there will always be little things you can work on to improve, and these things can make a huge difference in perception.”

Then there’s the question of social media – How do you respond? When do you respond? What do you say? How do you keep your personal and business accounts separate? (The last one was a trick question, by the way.)

“Social media is a powerful tool for brand building,” says Colin. “There are myriad ways companies can – and do – use its immediacy, intimacy and popularity to grow brands and even drive sales. Of course, the very attributes that make it such a powerful tool for positive brand building can also have the opposite effect. Think about the way H&M responded on Twitter when a client drew attention to the lack of diversity in the models used in its South African stories. Or the KFC “ground chicken” debacle last year.”

Colin says the appropriate response for brands is not to run for the hills in case they mess up, but to have a plan in place to manage these challenges if they occur.

“There are ways of dealing with these issues,” he says. “Sometimes you screw up. Sometimes things go viral. It’s part of the world we live in. The best thing to do is embrace it. Otherwise you’ll be left out in the cold.”

Through our experienced team and partners we offer sessions for businesses and individuals looking to understand and engage optimally with the media environment.

“We have loads of experience in the industry and close relationships with many of South Africa’s leading business media experts and personalities,” says Carel. “Whether you want to do a series of mock TV interviews or simply understand and leverage your social media networks better, we can put something together to help. There’s no excuse for damaging your brand through poor media engagement. Let’s connect to ensure that never happens.”