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Julie A. Hamp, group director of communications for the General Motors North America Car Group, delivered the third annual Yarbrough Lecture March 28. Some highlights:
“Corporate reputation . . . is a combination of both perception and reality. Public relations is the driving force that helps to align perception and reality in order to generate and sustain solid corporate reputations. . . . In addition to affecting bottom-line performance, the reputation helps the company sell its products, recruit the best candidates for employment and also attract desirable business partners. . . .
“The news cycle is now 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and news moves in seconds. This means that the minute reporting on an issue begins, reporters rush to get something out, sometimes whether or not they have your perspective on the story. So it’s imperative to react very fast and to put your company’s position out in as many different avenues as possible, including your consumer Web site and your media Web site . . . . In addition, you want to get the word out even faster to your employees, to your retailers, to your customer-assistance staff, to anyone who may be asked about the issue by a customer or neighbor. . . .” |
