Great Communicators

As often as the news media cause us outrage, there are those moments when they also inspire us. One of those rare occasions occurred this morning when Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts announced to millions of ABC viewers that she is about to begin treatment for a rare form of bone marrow disease.

Surrounded on the set by her GMA colleagues, Ms. Roberts announced her condition and explained that her sister has been identified as her marrow donor. She wanted viewers to know of her illness now because they may begin to see visible signs in the weeks to come.

“I didn’t want you to be concerned if you saw a bandage tomorrow,” she told viewers, choking back some of her words as she spoke. “It’s going to be there to draw blood … and also to administer drugs.”

Even as she shed some tears, her message was punctuated by a determination to “beat” her condition, just as she outlived breast cancer in the past.

By transforming her personal situation into a teaching moment, Ms. Roberts enlightens the public and underscores the fact that each of us must take active responsibility for our own health. Her announcement also demonstrates a special type of inner courage and strength. We all have something to learn from her determination and commitment to carry on with her work and life.

Godspeed, Robin Roberts.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Ah, Spring!  It’s a season when nature delivers the promise of new life, as leaves return to the trees and the first flowers begin to bloom.  Simultaneously, Spring also marks the period when forward-thinking businesses explore new opportunities by developing their plans for the new fiscal year.

This year, Spring is providing signs of a recovering economy, spurring hopes of new business development and resulting increases in profitability.  In an effort to encourage growth, organizations should be examining their public relations and marketing budgets to capitalize on the growing optimism in our economy.

Recovery relies on focused, creative campaigns that underscore brand recognition, reputation and promotion of the superior products or services.  So it is reasonable to invest in invigorated, integrated communication programs that will create heightened awareness and resulting competitive advantage.

With the arrival of Spring’s warmer breezes and renewed economic optimism, this is time to plant the seeds of energetic new public relations and marketing campaigns.  In business, as in agriculture, this process will bear fruit and produce a greater yield with proper care and cultivation.

The professional services sector of the U.S. economy has undergone tremendous changes during the past four years.  Acquisitions, mergers and bankruptcies have altered the landscape, creating opportunities for newer, shrewder professional firms to flex their promotional muscles and gain a larger share of business.

In market after market, many of the most familiar firms of regional attorneys, accountants, financial planners, architects, engineers and other professionals have closed or changed their brands.  The result is a once-in-a-generation transitional situation in which large numbers of valuable clients are seeking reliable replacements for the professionals they once trusted.

Using aggressive public relations and marketing strategies, newer professional firms are gaining competitive advantage.  They recognize the current void as a rare opportunity and are promoting their brands with renewed vigor to capture the attention of prospective clients.  The result is a shift in the balance of power and a rise of firms with the strongest identities and most persistent images.

Now is the time for professional firms to become marketing savvy and take advantage of the changing order.  Soon the doors of opportunity will close and a new hierarchy of perceived leaders will take hold.  Timing is everything in this process of change and the victors will be the firms whose professional skills are currently coupled with progressive communications strategies.

– David Stiefel