As someone new to DKC and relatively new to New York City, I was excited to experience my first Advertising Week this fall. For those unfamiliar, Advertising Week is an annual event bringing together marketing and communications leaders in New York City for panels, workshops, thought leadership seminars and networking opportunities. Over the years, it has also become a major opportunity for companies to break news.

One might think, “Why is Advertising Week relevant for a PR practitioner?” Those of us in PR are frequently asked to explain the difference between advertising and public relations. But in my case, since I represent an online advertising business, and in the case of many others at DKC who work with advertising companies – Advertising Week is a great opportunity to showcase our clients. Beyond that, as the lines between traditional PR, advertising, marketing and social media continue to blur, it has become increasingly important for PR professionals to take a holistic approach to communications, which means keeping an eye on the news throughout the entire industry.

With that goal in mind, I attended a session, co-presented by Lauren Weinberg, Vice President of Strategic Research and Insights at Yahoo!, and Simon Bond, CMO, BBDO, entitled “What’s Your Story?”.

The presentation focused on the results of a research study designed to establish best practices for brand storytelling in the new era of paid, owned and earned media. Similar to how crucial it is for public relations professionals to be aware of the ways in which new media impacts the ways we tell stories on behalf of clients, brand marketers must acclimate to the ever-changing media landscape, and the needs and wants of increasingly engaged consumers. The presentation likened the ways in which brands interact with consumers to the three stages of a relationship:

Stage One: Paid media is akin to a first date. In the field of advertising, and the same holds true with personal relationships, first impressions are key. A successful brand must be attractive and intriguing via the initial interaction – a display ad, paid search ad or sponsorship – which will establish a connection with the consumer that will make him or her want to learn more about the brand and actively engage other channels to do so.

Stage Two: Owned media is where you start to fall in love. Once a brand has established an initial connection in a consumer’s mind, it must then differentiate itself from other brands in the marketplace. In this phase, a consumer would seek out ways to more deeply understand the brand, including visiting the website or Twitter feed, and begin to form an emotional connection.

Stage Three: Earned media is like being in a relationship. This is the phase in the brand relationship where consumers play the most important role, as they participate in the brand narrative and engage in storytelling themselves by contributing to social channels, including Twitter, Facebook and personal blogs. While earned media is the result of genuine consumer engagement, once consumers get to this phase in the “relationship”, they also have higher expectations from brands. In order to fully capitalize on the earned media opportunity, it is essential for brands to continue to respond to what is happening in the moment and reflect their “human” side.

While many findings from this research apply specifically to the advertising industry, the overarching insights translate in to solid public relations counsel. To be successful in the public relations sphere, practitioners must be aware of the evolution in the ways audiences are consuming, as well as influencing, media and what their expectations are from each channel. It is also imperative to advise clients that interactions between their company and key constituents must truly be approached as a relationship – focused on genuine and authentic engagement in ways that empower consumers to become loyal, brand advocates.

By Mary Salvaggio, Account Supervisor

David Granger, the editor of Esquire, dropped by DKC the other day. There are a number of takeaways from his appearance. One: He’s a man of style. Two: He’s quite funny. Three: he can work a PowerPoint presentation like no other.

But perhaps the most important thing I walked away with is this: You can still be defined by something, as long as you don’t allow yourself to be confined by that something.

Esquire is a magazine, and magazines are clearly David Granger’s passion. As he told our group, there is a reason why people refer to print media as “old media,” and that is because it’s been around for a very long time. And it’s been around for a very long time because it’s “f*cking good.”

But in the last few years the magazine industry has faced hard times, particularly with the fast and furious emergence of digital. While many in publishing declared it the beginning of the end, and others chose cognitive dissonance as the appropriate response, a select few – David Granger among them – had the foresight to realize that in order to actually prosper as a magazine, he needed to embrace digital, or as he said… “make digital [his] bitch and not the other way around”

During the discussion, David told us that his greatest moment of despair came when he compared the first-ever issue of Esquire with a recent one and thought to himself, “It’s still just a magazine.” He realized that in order to save Esquire the magazine, he must build out Esquire the brand; make it more, expand its audience, and make digital work for him. He was searching for his ketchup bottle moment.

David was one of the first editors to think literally and figuratively about getting off the page. For example, he doesn’t just photograph his cover subjects. He shoots videos of them that can be activated through QR codes. Or in the case of Justin Timberlake, he shoots flames out of their ass and films it for a complimentary web piece (ok, not really but download the app and you’ll see what I mean). And in his most recent venture, an e-commerce site called CLAD, he is again thinking off the pages – where for roughly 80 years they have told men what to wear –not just making suggestions, but telling you where to buy them.

Esquire remains, first and foremost, a magazine. A damn good magazine. But it is the first magazine to have an electronic cover. It is also a thriving website, a mobile app, an iPad app, a producer of web videos, and a partner in e-commerce. Thanks to David Granger’s ability to think creatively and not live within the confines of traditional print – which will always be the defining cornerstone of Esquire’s brand – he’s been able to secure a future for his beloved “old media” and successfully use “new media” in the most innovative ways. Ketchup bottle or not, David Granger has turned the publishing world upside down and there’s a bright future ahead because of him.

Written by: Caitlin O’Neill

I finally bit the bullet.

I knew the day was coming.  It was time to experience life without the print edition of The New York Times.

As a baby boomer, I accept and often embrace change – especially the technological advances out there. Once a devoted letter writer (stationary, sealing wax – the works), I find email to be a brilliant alternative. I also love digital cameras, DVRs, iPods, GPS systems, Facebook and breaking news alerts. Texting is really cool and Blackberries – what can I say – addictive but amazing devices.  Tweeting, poking, foursquaring – bring it on – it’s all good to me.

So why was I ditching the actual ‘hold-in-your hands’ New York Times?  I could save some bucks,  help the planet by going paperless, unclutter my apartment a bit and not be so ‘old school’ as my son would say. After all, what could be so tough about reading the newspaper exclusively on a computer screen?

My whole life seemed wrapped up in the Times. Some of the strongest memories I have of my dad, a commuter who worked in the City, was watching him perfect the four-way fold so the broadsheet could be read while riding the train without knocking anyone’s eye out.

Once home, he would read the Times from cover to cover still in its folded state.  In fourth grade, he would help me with my current affairs homework by going over the lead stories of the day. I’d pick the one I liked, cut it out and then press out the creases left from his fold and attach it to my report.

By sixth grade, I was a New York Times snob. Let others report on stories from the Long Island Star-Journal. Not me. Only the Times.

Years later, when I taught sixth-graders, I had the Times delivered to the classroom. Soon I gave up on the classroom, followed my passion and joined the newsroom, becoming a writer for a weekly New Jersey newspaper and a freelancer for the Star-Ledger.

So my newspaper roots run very deep. The demise of some of the country’s finest papers, the ongoing staff cutbacks and the thinness of most editions is hard to accept – but it’s the loss of a whole generation of readers that really tells the story.

But try it I would.  Life without print couldn’t be that bad. I was ready to taste the future.

Week one.  It was brutal. I would salivate passing a newsstand and grab the paper at work whenever possible. I knew that was cheating since I really was trying to get comfortable with exclusively online news.

Sundays were the hardest.  My apartment looked naked without all those glorious sections tossed around: The Book Review, Arts and Leisure, the Magazine section, Sunday Styles, and yes even the Sports section – loved them all!

Week Two. I was calmer, but still uneasy. Wasn’t sure what to do when I drank my tea in the morning.

Soon a month had passed since I had last opened my front door and saw my inviting newspaper just waiting to be grabbed, coddled, examined and then tucked away for lengthier perusal.

So what did I discover?

Online, you get the benefit of some informative and eye opening comments from editorial readers; the Most Popular Stories list is compelling; the videos and slide shows are enhancements;  notes from the newsroom on grammar usage and style is very enlightening; even Florence Fabricant has an advice column!

But I missed not seeing the full first page –  the touchy feely element or just carrying the paper around (lighter than ever) to read on the subway or on a bench in Madison Square Park;  impulsively tearing out the puzzle, or a restaurant review or an editorial (to quote when arguing politics) or something work-related;  walking around with my Times for brownie points for my superior intelligence (ok, it started in school and I always think about my Dad).

Finally, I realized you really can’t balance out the pros vs. the cons.  Saving money is nice but saving a way of life – well, that’s better. Giving up an actual newspaper that I have cherished for so long was much more difficult that I had imagined. More importantly, I need to continue to show my support for the industry as long as the printing presses are rolling.

Last week I re-upped my seven days a week subscription.  I may try again to quit one of these days, but for now I’m sticking with the Old Gray Lady until I go broke or she folds – whichever comes first.

Posted by: Susan Graziano, Senior Vice President

In my nearly 20 years working in the communications field, the methods and means of communication have become far faster and more abundant that I could have ever imagined.  Finding the time to read and surf and tweet and get through email is like finding your way through a maze that often leads, as mazes tend to, back to the beginning.

Just last week, one of my clients, who is a top creative thinker, told me he sets very strict guidelines for when he can and cannot engage in communicating through social networking, rationing himself a 2-hour block every Sunday for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  As he rightly pointed out, his clients expect him to deliver breakthrough ideas and without uninterrupted time he simply cannot provide that service.

Back in the day, public relations people had to react quickly, but also had time to figure out how to handle situations, mull over crafting statements and really spend time developing ideas that could help transform brands and reposition products.  Don’t get me wrong – we still do that and, I would say, do it better than ever. But the pace of feeding the monster – Twitter, Facebook, e-mails, Blackberries, Outlook, cell phone and video conferencing – requires that you do not forget that it is the message that matters most, whether it relates to problem solving, new creative, or story-line development.

Add into the mix our personal responsibilities – I’m a working mom with two young children – and the importance of finding that creative time becomes even more important. In these over-scheduled times, the picking and sticking to dedicated time allotments, whether for creativity or just a play date, has become an art form.

So here’s my formula. I schedule my creative time while I am exercising; for most working parents, exercise is the first thing to go when the children arrive.  It is the wrong activity to drop because what it contains can replenish the other aspects of life through tremendous energy and the strength and power to overcome difficulties.

Exercise clears the head, helps you problem-solve and brings things quickly into perspective.  My most creative ideas are born when I am swimming laps in the pool as I mull issues that have stumped me during working hours.

For me, exercise is like the message referenced above.  In this age of super-news and multiple communications channels, the medium may often seem like the message – but that only goes so far. Whether you are using social media or just rapid fire e-mail, what you have to say, I would argue, is still more important than how you say it. Your message, or story, is critical to your success. You need the time to find it, massage it, and prepare it for its journey into and through the marketplace.

It’s not an issue of eschewing modern communication and regressing to the seemingly simpler times of our parents’ generation.  But it is about prioritizing and creating special times and moments that are driven more by goals and thought than by the media frenzy.

I would encourage anyone trying to manage multiple tasks while trying to staying focused and creative to try fitting exercise into their lives.  You will be amazed how clear the message becomes and how the ideas begin to flow once your heart rate increases.   One never know what ideas you might return with that help your clients break through the clutter.

Posted by : Liz Anklow, Executive Vice President