Question ①: "I wanna do strategic PR, but when should I reach out?" "Now, damn it!"

Hey there, everyone! Are you enjoying the new season of "Strategic PR" with Shinmeikai? Huh? You didn't know there was a new season? Oh, you're so mean! Anyway, we're back to answer more questions from our readers. It's time for "Ask Ino-chan About That!"

Last time, I answered the common question from PR professionals: "How do I develop a PR mindset?" Have you all been putting it into practice? Well, if it were too easy, it would put me out of business, so I kind of want you to struggle a bit. This time, I'd like to answer a question I often get from clients. It's:

"Well, I kinda want to do strategic PR, but I just don't know when or how to go about asking for it, you know?"

They say the best time to act is when the thought strikes you, but let's set that aside for now and talk about the practical reality. Oh, speaking of which, I recently got some feedback saying, "Hey, your articles have been kinda long lately, huh?" So, starting this time, I'll be cutting things down a bit. It's definitely not cutting corners, so please bear with me.

The dilemma: "I want to do strategic PR, but I don't know when to ask."

Why does this concern even arise? First, "strategic PR" often stems from requests made by business units or advertising departments looking to try something effective beyond advertising—to take on a challenge. In other words, the main process involves advertising-style briefings, presentations, and execution. Many don't know how PR actually works. No wonder they get confused about when to incorporate it.

Moreover, if they equate "PR = publicity," they might think, "Let's talk about it after the CM and other things are solidified and things settle down a bit." No way—that's too late. Way too late! If you want to do PR strategically, get them involved right from the very start. For PR to succeed, it's especially crucial to involve the PR person as early as possible in the planning process. That's why my answer is: these discussions need to happen "as early as possible, and ideally at a single table where all stakeholders are present."

For example, sometimes we get requests like, "We can't find a USP (unique selling point) for the product or service, so please PR it based solely on the creativity and fun factor." But advertising expressions inherently involve staging; they become content heavily colored by promotional intent. That risks being perceived as self-serving facts lacking objectivity. It's obvious that this makes it difficult to handle PR-wise. That's precisely why I strongly believe that consulting beforehand could reveal more content that can be incorporated with a PR perspective.

I always say that PR fundamentally starts with facts. This is partly because PR activities target existing mass media that handle social news. But it's not just about needing credible content; this perspective is also essential for generating buzz on social media platforms, including SNS, which serve as dissemination infrastructure. We want content that resonates with everyday conversations—something people can easily talk about, with plenty of opportunities to discuss it. Or, even if it's subtle, we want content that broadly evokes empathy across the general public. If we can blend such potentially viral content into various promotional strategies with this perspective, its diffusion potential should change dramatically.

Incorporate PR elements into your creative work!

For instance, it's great when commercials include elements that spark conversation. Things like, "Who's that flashy actor? Never seen them before!" or "Apparently, that director is actually foreign," "That music is actually a huge hit from 30 years ago," or even "That filming location seems to be the hottest spot for couples in their 20s right now," or "Rumor has it that same cast will star in a drama version of that 15-second commercial." That creates opportunities to talk about the commercial. Or perhaps you could amplify the product's USP from a PR perspective. You could consider, from a PR viewpoint, how to present a somewhat commoditized USP in the visuals to make it easier to understand, more appealing, and easier to talk about. Going back to basics, you could also discuss whether conveying that USP through initiatives other than the commercial might be clearer or generate more buzz – something you could debate upstream.

Take Volvo Trucks' "Epic Spirits" and "Live Test Series" campaigns, winners across categories at the 2014 Cannes Lions! They succeeded precisely by instantly conveying the USP without layering on detailed explanations. From a PR perspective, this creates content that makes people want to say "...apparently that's how it is," fostering organic word-of-mouth spread afterward. If the message is "You can't truly grasp the appeal just by watching a video—you have to experience it," then holding experiential events, spreading footage of them, and letting users' raw voices convey the USP is another viable approach.

When marketing, creative, and PR personnel simultaneously share information and discuss a given topic at one table, the most optimal overall idea emerges. If the stakeholders present can then imagine and share a vision for the organic sequence of information dissemination, subsequent progress should flow smoothly. Ideally, the first planning stage should involve all relevant parties discussing at one table. Try incorporating the keywords "upstream" and "one table" during your orientation sessions.

Now is the time for strategic PR to shine

Related to the above, there's another issue. While it's crucial for us, as the agency executing the campaign, to discuss upstream and collaborate at one table, we also need to connect with the corresponding stakeholders on the client side. Ideally, we'd like them to join us at this one table. This would ensure cross-departmental alignment on what each team is doing and when, making their coordinated efforts even more effective. Take timing, for example: "Oh, if you're doing that on that day, it would be seamless if we did ours the next day!" Conversely, "If you're doing that on that day, it might be better to space ours out a bit to avoid overlap." Naturally, this kind of coordination becomes possible. And then, brainstorming ideas to maximize the impact of cross-departmental initiatives might even start happening.

That said, my experience shows that the larger the corporation, the thicker the departmental walls become, making coordination difficult. But lately, I sense it: this company-wide collaborative movement is gradually starting. Looking back, it's been about five or six years now. In 2009, the term "strategic PR" became widespread, and companies rushed to try it, but few achieved real success, right? However, I believe the way companies were structured back then was also part of the problem. Issues like the drawbacks of departmental silos, a lack of understanding for unfamiliar initiatives like strategic PR, and the difficulty of securing budgets. Yet, the people on the front lines were genuinely interested in strategic PR and eager to give it a try. I believe these individuals have established their positions within their companies over the past five-plus years and are now seriously beginning to tackle it. Regarding projects that had concepts back then but couldn't be implemented, we are now receiving numerous offers from the original stakeholders saying, "We want to try again."

I can feel it in my bones: they're captivated by strategic PR and are now preparing to tackle it with a fully equipped team. While some debate whether strategic PR has a beginning or end, I believe it's not a trend-driven technique but a mindset. If we approach it with a perspective that surveys various communications from the broad concept of PR, new horizons could open up. I truly feel we're entering a new stage of development. Why not join me in making our mark on the next stage? Please get in touch with me!