Public relations goes “glocal”

Public relations is evolving on a global scale.

Why it matters: U.S. companies, leaders and brands are having a hard time reaching audiences at home — and engaging global audiences is even more challenging due to language barriers, cultural differences and regulations.

Between the lines: Rule No. 1 in communications is to know your audience — how they best receive and process information — and for that reason, more teams are expanding beyond traditional Western hubs.

• “It’s difficult to live and breathe a brand from afar, and understand the nuances of markets around the world,” says communication consultant and Columbia University adjunct professor Cheryl Dixon. “A glocal [global-local] structure works best.”
• In the glocal model, corporate strategy is developed at headquarters, and smaller communications teams across global markets coordinate and tailor it to fit their audience’s needs.
• This structure allows local teams to serve as true partners by owning the communications and relationships within their market.
  • It can work with agency partners too, and they are increasingly hiring global contractors to serve as on-the-ground representatives.

What they’re saying: “It’s helpful to have a local team managing media strategy and engagement, because they will have the relationships and know the nuanced difference between seemingly similar outlets,” says Shona Sabnis, former global communications chief for Tyson Foods.

• You must also tailor the message to your audiences and find out what trends journalists in the region are watching.
• “A universal trend is the media’s interest in ownable, localized data, and international outlets want country-by-country comparisons” to see how they fit in the larger scheme of things, says Michael Kaye, global head of communications for OKCupid.

State of play: Connecting with international journalists is just as difficult as it is in the U.S.

• Newsrooms across the world are seeing cutsand many publications in emerging markets don’t have beat reporters.
• “I’ve worked in markets that didn’t have specialized tech reporters. Instead, the journalists covering the technology industry were often generalists,” says Alexandru Voica, head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) innovationcommunications for Meta.
• With that in mind, “communications professionals need to ensure their materials are short, to the point and jargon-free so they can be understood by any editor in the newsroom.”
• And don’t underestimate B-roll and video assets. In many emerging markets, broadcasting is still a powerful medium.

Influencer reach is valuable globally too.

• “Independent figures that publish on social media often command a much larger and more engaged audience than mainstream publications,” says Voica. For example, three tech influencers “from the Arabic-speaking world reach more than 8.5 million followers on Instagram.”
• “In the Middle East, media in general are highly regulated, but influencers are harder to regulate. Across the globe, public relations professionals are reaching out to social influencers to communicate their messages and moving away from the model of traditional media relations,” says Katerina Tsetsura, professor of strategic communication at the University of Oklahoma.
• “Focus on whether an influencer has credibility with their audience, and how well that audience matches yours,” says Scott Baradell, CEO of Idea Grove. “This approach works anywhere in the world — as long as you are looking at the right data to measure reach.”

 
-Rest of World stories

It’s a global war for attention as PR professionals try to engage media in emerging markets, and journalists across the globe try to get Western audiences to take notice.

State of play: Sophie Schmidt sought to bridge the gap by creating the international nonprofit platform Rest of World, which covers technology’s influence across the globe — particularly in emerging markets.

Between the lines: The organization’s name stems from the corporate term “rest of world,” which is a general reference to the billions of people outside of North America and Europe.

• The platform has 25 full-time employees, and since its launch, has commissioned more than 250 freelance reporters and 100 freelance photographers in 94 countries.

What they’re saying: The goal is to amplify news while maintaining a local, cultural lens.

• “We are filling a huge gap in the coverage of technology and its impact by sharing stories from the ground using local voices,” executive editor Anup Kaphle told Axios.
• “For us, covering tech goes beyond business trends, gadgets or funding rounds. We write about technology through the lens of people and their lived experiences — and we deeply care about who tells these stories, so our reporters are often native to the region.”

The bottom line: Our world is more connected than ever, but local stories often fail to break through. Comms pros, spokespeople and reporters on the ground are the best ones to share these stories on a global scale.

 
–Media norms across markets

Editorial guidelines vary by market — and local communicators will better understand the nuances.

Yes, but: If you don’t have a partner on the ground, keep these tips in mind:

• On the record.Everything is on the record in countries like Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and statements attributed to an unnamed spokesperson will not be included.
• What embargo? Journalists in much of Sub-Saharan Africa assume press materials are for immediate release, and sometimes the press announcement isthe article.
• More face to face.The British and Australian media are very engaged in corporate news and corporate press conferences are common.
• Timing is everything. “Making an announcement during the day on Eastern or Pacific time will miss that day’s news cycle abroad, and it will be seen as old news when it reaches them the next day,” says Voica.
  • One way to manage the time difference is to use international news wires.
• Language barriers. Be clear and direct in your communications and avoid idioms.
  • Write announcements or pitches in the native language — to allow for local terminology and flavor — then translate to English for approvals.
  • Avoid “rest of world” framing — like referring to the U.S. presidential election as “the election,” which diminishes the importance of other elections taking place around the world.

Bonus: Smart Brevity translates globally.

• “Several markets in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia appreciate brevity so keep press releases short,” says Voica.

 
–Refresher: U.S. media parameters

While we’re at it … In the U.S., these general parameters should be agreed to ahead of time by both parties.

• On the record:Everything said can be shared, quoting the source by name, title and affiliation.
• On background: The information can be shared without naming the particular source, but affiliation, rank or position can be used — for example, “a spokesperson for the company said … ”
• On deep background:The information can be shared, but how its attributed is often vague — such as “According to a source … ” — and should be carefully discussed.
• Off the record:Information stays between the reporter and the subject. It cannot be used for publication.
• Embargoes: A great tool for sharing complicated, data-heavy reports ahead of launch— but there must be a conversation first. Blasting embargoed materials is bad form.

Πηγή: axios.com