Will Charlotte pay the price for a PR blitz?

Charlotte Business Journal - by Erik Spanberg Senior staff writer

Ronnie Bryant wants Charlotte to take a page from the political playbook and stay on message.

Before that happens, though, Bryant, chief executive at the Charlotte Regional Partnership, and other local leaders must reach consensus on a media-relations strategy that could cost as much as $200,000 per year. Spurred in part by recent national stories on the city’s diminished economic power, a group comprising the partnership, the Charlotte Chamber, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority and Charlotte Center City Partners began discussions this month on launching a national media campaign aimed at landing more — and more positive — national coverage.

“It’s media relations, not an advertising campaign,” Bryant says. “And it shouldn’t be a one-time hit. It’s something you do on a consistent basis.”

Most major cities employ similar strategies. Local leaders say it’s been done to varying degrees in Charlotte in the past, but a more focused campaign is needed.

Discussions began this month with the four key stakeholders in economic development and tourism at the table. Michael Smith, president of Charlotte Center City Partners, initiated the talks, which he characterizes as being in the exploratory phase.

The first meeting included a presentation by Andy Levine, president of New York marketing firm Development Counsellors International. He came at the invitation of Bryant, who wanted an overview of what an outside firm can offer a region in search of a buffered image.

“This is a very contemporary strategy,” Smith says. “If you’re a major city, this is something you have to investigate.”

And, with The Washington Post and others chronicling the city’s financial downfall, Charlotte’s run of glowing profiles has come to a halt. The bigger concern is lacking a comprehensive approach and relying on reaction and response, rather than setting the media agenda on a positive note, Smith and others say.

Levine’s firm is not on retainer and Bryant and Smith emphasize that no decisions have been made on whether to pursue an expanded media strategy. If they do move forward on the idea, many questions loom, from funding to oversight. Many regions and cities are using models similar to the one employed in the Charlotte talks, with several stakeholders at the table to share the cost — and responsibility for delivering results.

“Five years ago, one guy picked you,” Levine says. “Now you’re seeing more of a consortium approach.”

No deadline has been established for making a decision. In the weeks ahead, Smith and the rest of the group plan to explore a range of possibilities and solicit opinions from other cities as well as local public-relations executives at area advertising agencies and marketing and communications executives at the city’s largest corporations.

Development Counsellors International has extensive experience with similar campaigns across the country. The Research Triangle Partnership in Raleigh is a longtime client. Others in the Southeast include Charleston, S.C.; Mobile, Ala.; and Chattanooga, Tenn.

The proposed media push is aimed at influencing business decisions more than tourism, an area already targeted by the visitors authority. Industry experts point to coverage of cities in national magazines and newspapers as a major influence on corporate leaders’ impressions of a region’s vitality.

“We’ve invested heavily in PR in contrast to advertising,” says Janet Fritz, marketing director at the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. “We find positive stories really do have an impact. It’s a message that reaches executives.”

Fritz’s organization hired Development Counsellors International five years ago. Since then, she says, Denver has enjoyed positive reviews and coverage from CNN, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News, among others.

Outside expertise may have helped, but so did staging major events such as the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Metro Denver EDC spends $1 million annually on marketing, with 40% to 50% dedicated to public relations, Fritz says.

Levine, the marketing executive, says his company usually works on a media-relations campaign for a one-year minimum.

To start building interest, the firm often takes political and business leaders to media centers in New York and Washington to meet with key editors and reporters on a regular basis. Other strategies include media tours, bringing in reporters for several days to learn more about a region’s business community and see other points of interest.

“I don’t want to call it wining and dining, but that’s what it is,” Bryant says.

Enthusiasm for the media offensive varies. Bryant and Smith offer gung-ho enthusiasm, while the response from chamber President Bob Morgan and visitors authority Chief Executive Tim Newman is more muted.

Morgan defers comment to Smith, saying only that “we’ve made no commitment about how this could be funded. We’re in a learning process.”

Newman, the visitors authority executive, also cites financial challenges as a potential hurdle for the fledgling media campaign.

“I think there is going to be limited appetite for additional funding based on something like that,” he says. “I’m just going to wait and see.”