PR’s Top Pros Talk… Maximizing Social Impact Through Strategic Communications

Laura Gross, President of Scott Circle Communications, explains how working with mission-driven clients has ignited her team’s passion. She also speaks about the benefits of utilizing a local news strategy. Laura also shares the key questions communicators should ask prospective clients.

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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: What’s your top tip for identifying and finding clients who you feel are working to make the world a better place?

LAURA: Sure. At Scott Circle Communications, we are very clear about our core values. We’re clear about who we work with in our marketing language and the staff we hire as well. It all comes from our experience and our passion.

DOUG: Yeah, and that makes a lot of sense to be targeted in your specific outreach. What are some of the tactics or approaches that you use to make sure that that message gets out there?

LAURA: Sure. First of all, we talk a lot about the clients we have worked with. We work with advocacy organizations and nonprofits and associations and even corporate social responsibility programs. So, we’re able to talk about that experience as a whole, as a firm. Our entire firm does this. This is not a section. It is not a division. This is entirely what we are dedicated to.

DOUG: Obviously, there’s so much talk about, you know, the different perspectives of people throughout the country. Like, you know, 50% of people think one thing and 50% will think the opposite. You of your view of what good is, but different people of different perspectives. So how do you navigate that?

LAURA: You know, this is something, to be honest, that we struggle with ourselves. But what we do know is that no matter how people want to get to a defining goal, it everybody does want to help. I started to rewatch episodes of The West Wing when they bring in a conservative political consultant, and she just says, people that work in the White House are patriots, but and they might come to a conclusion in a different way. But the best thing to do is to come up with a compromise. So, we really have to listen to our clients. We have to listen to our prospective clients. And sometimes things aren’t always the right fit for us. Sometimes we don’t think we can be successful. If there’s messaging that’s not going to jive publicly. We’re real. One of our core values is honesty. And so, I really take that to heart internally, giving feedback for things like that and externally with potential clients.

DOUG: Yeah, it’s interesting that that has to be a core value instead of just a given in in the world that we live in. You’re also a big proponent of utilizing local news when it comes to your advocacy work.

LAURA: Right. So, there are several reasons why local news is so important. I think you had a report that recently said to take action because they’re seeing it locally. They want to have an impact locally. So, it’s great to talk about our big national clients, the National Organization for Women or big healthcare associations. But where people really make a difference is that they want to make a difference in their community and their city, on their street, in their block, even, which is why we also have a program, it’s appropriate bono program at Scott Circle called the Purpose Program. And what we do is there’s applications we open once a year. And what we do is local nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. area where we’re located can apply and learn how to put together a communications plan. Soup to nuts, all for free. We have, four students right now, and it is a wonderful process. So, we practice what we preach, we want to give back to our community as well.

DOUG: That’s so important that you are engaged in doing that type of work. I’m sure in the Washington, D.C. area, there’s no lack of organizations that can benefit from that program. You mentioned the report we were talking about. And, you know, one of the interesting findings was actually the low percentage of political coverage that will be on local TV news even up through October, which topped out at only 16%. It’s currently less than 10%. Interestingly, and this goes to what you’re saying about your tactics and approach, there is one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on almost to the exact level they trust local TV news more than they trust social media. And that’s by an 85 to 15% rate. So, what are the things you do if there’s an organization that wants to engage in multiple local communities, how do you practice that approach?

LAURA: I think this is so important and something that clients really need to understand as well. We love the local angle. We love the local news when it comes to something nationally, but we need to find the local angle. We can’t just say there’s always a national spokesperson, but what is the impact in that community in that city? We need numbers, we need statistics, we need a local story to tell a local spokesperson and we have found time and time again that that resonates. You can always match them with the national spokesperson and national trends, but we have to bring it locally as well.

DOUG: Yeah. And you recently took a trip to California that you were quite excited about and had some lessons that you learned from the trip. Can you share some of those?

LAURA: I did, it was a wonderful trip. One of our clients is called A Day of Unreasonable Conversation. And what happened was a lot of Hollywood television executives, specifically showrunners, scriptwriters, producers came together in a room with social advocates in Hollywood, celebrities as well to talk about issues of the day. So, we had everything from Halle Berry talking with the First Lady about menopause, which is something that not that doesn’t get talked about a lot. We had other people. We had a family of where the parents were Trump supporters, and the child was, or their daughter was a Biden supporter in the last election. How do you bring those conversations together? How do you have peace within a family? We had Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General, and Paris Hilton, coming together to talk about loneliness and mental health. It was so important. And what I learned from that was, I live here inside the Beltway. There’s plenty of jokes you can make about living inside the Beltway, but also with our clients. We live and breathe this advocacy work all the time. And so, what I need to get outside our city and outside away from our clients, what we thought were everyday conversations. People were having these television executives; they know that they’re happening and they’re aware of it. But, practicality, I know these, you know, not everybody’s involved with inside the Beltway stuff. Intellectually, I know that. But practically it was nice to get out and learn and share our message with other people that can bring forth this message through the television industry. There were also several aha moments that were just remarkable coming from the Surgeon general. He was so honest and authentic. He talked about how he has friends, but he doesn’t engage in friendship. And there was a visible gap like, yes, that’s me from the audience. So, we’ll see if that gets brought up in any television shows coming up in the near future or something like that. It was so wonderful to be there and to have that impact.

DOUG: Yeah, and I don’t know if you’re under NDA on this, but I’m assuming since this might be one of your first exposures to all these Hollywood types, will we be seeing you in any upcoming films, movies or TV specials? I’ll have to just make sure I understand if you’re not allowed to talk about that.

LAURA: If that ever happened. No, you will not. If I’ve done my job right, it’s everybody else shining through, and I’m staying in the background. As a former campaign staffer, you’re always taught to put the principle forward, and to make them look good, so I hope not, but it would be fun.

DOUG: One of the things I’d love to get to is, it seems it’s more difficult to stand out with all the noise that’s out there about everything. So, is there an approach you take and you know you want to be reality-based with clients? As you said, honesty is such a core value, but is there a distinction between getting exposure and helping them stand out? And how do you maybe bridge that so you can deliver both?

LAURA: That is a great question. And one of the first things we ask our clients during an onboarding, or even getting to know them before we’re even selected as a firm. What makes you different? I think this is true for any PR firm, whether you’re have a product, or whether you have an issue that you’re talking about, why are you different? Why should people pay attention to you? What’s your message? And I think, again, it goes back to the authenticity. And we keep hearing that again and again in the PR world. But it is so important when you’re doing the type of work we do in the social advocacy work we do.

DOUG: Yeah. It’s interesting when you talk about authenticity, because another study we’ve done found overwhelmingly, producers prefer interviewing in-house spokespeople. And that’s where the nonprofit or a brand, then a third-party expert, obviously, it’s an A-list celebrity like some of the people you’re working with. They’re open to that, but otherwise they really prefer it. And that’s because they value the authenticity. And that was a change that was happening pre-COVID. It’s only accelerated.

LAURA: Right? You know, I run this firm. I am so passionate about the clients that we get to work with. I hope my passion, authenticity comes through. And I think that’s true for anybody that works within an organization, especially what we do helping other people. They’re all there for a reason. I used to work at National Public Radio and people were there. There were people that could have gone. Off to work at ABC news and made a lot more money or big networks or what have you for profit media. But they stayed there because of the mission and the purpose of public radio and the storytelling. So, I think that you have to find those are my people, the ones that are there for a reason and to make a difference.

DOUG: Well, you know, even if you’re not getting any of those Hollywood offers, I’m really glad that you could showcase your authenticity as part of our program. Thanks so much for being with us.

LAURA: Thank you for having me, Doug. It was a pleasure.