The media virgins

Most popular, Trade Secrets / May. 30, 2011 / by Caroline / 13 Comments

Tilly Smith

The owner of an exotic hotel and restaurant approached me to represent his hotel as a publicist. I could see plenty of money had been spent on the architecture, decor and delectable cuisine but staff, PR and marketing budgets were NOT a priority.
Strange how so many people with money but with no experience in hotel management will not pay enough for experienced staff, PR and marketing representation to make their investment work for them.
The contract clearly stated we’d need to supply the high-end culinary and travel media with complimentary bed nights and meals to encourage them to visit and review this hotel and its internationally trained chef.
For six months, I was called to a ‘meeting’ twice a month to ‘explain’ why I was giving the press complimentary visits as they would NOT ‘appreciate’ the quality of the venue if it was free! The owner’s partner, who was managing the hotel, kept telling me her ‘husband’ was getting ‘very cross’ even as I reminded her to re-read the contract.
The value of the media coverage had amounted to hundreds of thousands of rands in editorial space value, yet this made no impression on her and I was informed they’d be able to buy advertising space at about R5 000 per full page in glossy magazines!
When the owner accidently copied me in on an email to his paramour asking her WHY the media were STILL getting complimentary rooms and food, I decided not to renew the contract.
The ‘manager’ has since placed me on their database, bombarding me with weekly ‘specials’ written in atrocious mispelt English. I’ve seen nothing in the press about them since my media blitz ended and I cannot imagine why …

cynical hack

Hi Tilly, as a journalist I sympathise. After about eight or nine invitations from a Pee Aar of a hotel brand who kept pestering me to come and review their hotel in Melrose, Johannesburg, I eventually agreed to go. First of all they put me up in a bog standard room and then I was told if I wanted “dinner” or anything else to eat, I would have to pay for it myself … well, I was so incensed, I checked out immediately, and told the so-called PR never to bother contacting me again. What do they think … that it is some sort of treat for a journalist to leave his or her warm snug home to go and sleep in a cramped, mediocre room, pay for his or her own mediocre dinner and then write them a glowing review? Are they insane???
I find this attitude staggering … the gap between journalists and so called hotel owners is so wide I doubt it can ever be crossed. Clearly talented publicists like your good self have your work cut out for you. Most of us hacks can’t be bothered explaining the worth of editorial space … we’d rather just give them all a wide berth. …
- http://www.tillysmith.co.za Tilly
  
  Yep, it’s my job to build that bridge between the client and the press but hey, sometimes I’d rather blow it up! However, some hotel owners just GET IT and wow, do we fly – these are the people who’ve been linked to my job for several years and we just go forth and fly. Check my website tillysmith.co.za and you’ll see who I mean! Warm regards, Tilly.
Tony Williams

Tilly,
Dear Cynical,
Having been in the luxury hotel business I think there is a middle ground. My comment on the cross owner because invited journalists were staying free……. Let his hotel fail, someone who knows the business can then pick it up for a song, and then do it justice.

One the other though – I have over the past 5 years become as cynical about journalists who are forever at the door, making outrageous requests, and then unfairly and maliciously attacking product, service and staff in an article in some arbitrary local rag.

Some years ago at a trade exhibition we threw a launch party for some very well selected 80 people across the trade; journalists, travel and tourism professionals, and distribution partners. 30 minutes into the function I called security to remove the additional 40-odd party crashes, of which no less than 30 wore badges identifying them as media. A group of 3 had the audacity to then argue with me in front of invited guests that they should at least be allowed to finish their champagne!!!!!

Unfortunately some do give the trade that reputation, but I have equally had many supportive, smart, and very astute journalists, some of which have assisted me in developing some great services for some extraordinary resorts.

It’s all about balance, and being professional.

Tony
- http://www.tillysmith.co.za Tilly
  
  Hi Tony
  Oh, I totally agree – there is a balance somewhere and I have certainly had my share of unprofessional members of the media visiting clients and expecting to be treated like royalty and taking advantage. In fact, very recently a ‘young’ cub in the travel trade media visited one of my most award-winning 5-star boutique hotels and had his friends bring booze on site, resulting in very raucous behaviour. The owners happened to to be sitting next to them and this turned into a drama of note! As a goodbye, his girlfriend left stains from her hair dye on the imported linen of their luxurious suite. However, most of the travel journos I’ve worked with for a long time are total professionals; I’d indeed like to clone them and THEY contribute to my job being worthwhile and fun!
  Let’s keep the faith!
  Best
  Tilly
cynical hack

Absolutely Tony Williams … most of us journalists are professional otherwise we would not stay in this business very long. Very often we have visited more venues and stayed in more hotels than the hotel owners themselves … and are also in a position to give the hotel or resort valuable feedback, which very few seem interested in hearing …
However to come with the attitude that it is some sort of treat for us to come to a hotel for which we should be grateful seriously gets up my nose. It is work for us and we should be respected not treated like freeloaders. I was recently at another hotel where I was expected to pay for using the wi-fi … no matter that I was using it to do research for to the article I was writing for them. Fine, I paid up. However I had planned to place them in three different publications. I didn’t. I wrote the barest minimum and left it at that. I go the extra mile for people who treat me well. The rest, soon get a reputation among the journalists to be avoided … such as the aforementioned hotel in Melrose Arch. To treat journalists badly is VERY short sighted on the part of hotel owners and the cretins they employ to promote them. TRavel writersare often on the go so much that to stay at home becomes a treat!
Caroline Hurry

Can’t help adding my own 10c worth here … I was also asked to promote a venue that shall remain nameless (oh, okay then, the Ice Hotel in Sweden) since I was in the country … and then was told by their PR I would have to pay to stay (just one night) albeit at a slightly discounted rate that included breakfast… my answer? A polite but very firm ‘nej tack’ (no thanks in Swedish) …
Roxanne Reid

Might PR not stand for Pathetic Retard in this case?
Shelli Nurcombe-Thorne

Caroline, why not e-mail them a soundclip of you laughing hysterically. Says it all …
Nia

Obviously they have no idea of the value of good publicity!
Peter Davies

Not that this applies to Ms Hurry, but there are also a lot of journos out there have a ludicrously high opinion of themselves and what they can offer, and do precious little to hold up their end of the back-scratching bargain which is a fundamental aspect of the journo-PR relationship. If I was a business owner who had been burnt by one of these freeloading wastrels I would also be mightily circumspect…
Veronique von Rehbinder

Peter, publicity is not placed advertising space and there are no guarantees…..They should have done their homework & research. Caroline, you are one of the most ethical and most professional journo’s around – so I say OMWord and …..they need to do some media research & PR training – if this has happened to you, it must have happened to others…no way to deal with experienced journalists:(( Their loss…..
Harry Brindley

I’m not a journo, but I am in the industry, so here’s my 2c worth …

The ideal: Critics should visit establishments anonymously and, therefore, at their publication’s expense. This ensures that the critic’s stay is not anticipated nor treated as a special case. It also obviates the expectation that a freebie should be paid back in terms of a favourable critique. Where the crit is going to be negative, it should be cross-checked by another reviewer. The cost of research for reviews is the cost of doing business for a newspaper or magazine, same as sending a war correspondent into Iraq (and, let’s face it, our lifestyle and travel sections pick up more valuable advertising than do the war reports).

The reality: Newspapers and magazines are barely profitable these days. Not least of which because businesses want free editorial and viral advertising — rather than pay for advertising. I think a clearly marked advertorial section is the best compromise for smaller pubs sans the mega expense accounts. Honest to the reader, fair to the business being promoted and still profitable to the pub carrying the message.
http://www.tillysmith.co.za Tilly

As a former member of the media, I know that there is very little budget for transport and accommodation, therefore, visiting hotels anonymously as press is not possible for most SA and international travel and leisure publications. This is where PRs need to research the credibility of a member of press prior to their visit, as well as educate the hotel client on the value of credible exposure with the media. However, there is the ‘other’ side, whereby fashion editors believe it their right to utilise an entire hotel’s premises plus rooms for models (to dress and style/make-up) for a mere name mention of location as a credit! WHAT??? Some are in the real world and they provide sufficient editorial content to cover what could have cost them thousands of rands for a location shoot.