TishTash

The reputation of a brand, business or individual in the public eye has never been more important. In 2021, the consumer is paying far more attention to the values and ethics of companies that they engage with and buy from, irrespective of industry. It’s easy to think of reputation management and public relations as being interchangeable. It’s true that they complement and work hand in hand with each other, but both come with very different objectives and public perceptions. A crisis may or may not happen – your reputation, however, precedes you and is a constant, the management of which is not a ‘nice to have’ or something you might work on ‘one day’.

PR is forward facing and built on relationships – reputation management is often seen as ‘crisis communications’ and whilst that definitely is something a PR agency such as TishTash is well equipped to handle on behalf of clients, reputation management itself is a lot more strategic, consistent and more ‘behind the curtain’ – a strategy to build brands and businesses in the public eye.

PR is essentially promotional, and sure, managing a brand, individual or businesses reputation is absolutely part and parcel of any strategy – solid reputation management is longer-term, consistent and should be built into the ‘back end’ of any agency relationship between themselves and the clients.

In Dubai, UAE laws prevent any notion of ‘naming and shaming’ publicly, which can make reputation management easier than in other territories as public slander or a consumer review that could damage public perception is less likely to happen. However, as mentioned above, reputation management is not just reactive crisis communications, but shapes the public identity of an entity or brand very differently to ongoing promotional campaigning and having to ‘rescue’ a business from the wrong end of the publicity machine.

A solid reputation management strategy should encompass SEO, research, competitor analysis, Human Resources (personal branding), social media and content, all of which control the online and offline image of a brand or business.

An element of legal and risk analysis would be the starting point for research before considering things such as content removal, search engine optimisation and auditing any controllable web properties such as blogs, social media accounts and websites. Pushing positive content further up the search engine results pages (SERP) is possible and recommended with ongoing promotion, monitoring and editing as an example. It is also possible of course to work with search engines to remove negative and unlawful content concerning a brand, individual or business and this would of course form part of an online reputation management strategy.

Preparation, prevention, and mitigation are three vital aspects to a reputation management strategy, and more akin to crisis communications – the keyword being preparation. Nobody wants to be ‘caught out’ in the media and left floundering for a response. Those that are left surprised by a downturn in public perception, for whatever reason, are the brands and businesses that were not prepared and always take much longer to ‘bounce back’ if at all.

This is where reputation management campaigns can help alongside traditional PR and marketing, the longer-term objectives of managing reputation, as a thread woven through all communications, content and CSR. Good reputation management means well informed comms teams both in house and agency partners with honest and continuous flows of information between themselves and stakeholders, ensure all teams are well informed and develop a suite of listening and monitoring tools that will measure brand and consumer sentiment.

Working with an agency such as TishTash on your reputation management means that you have professional allies who will stay on top of your industry developments and things that might affect it, directly or indirectly. As well as managing reputation, this information can also feed positively into PR and marketing campaigns, as well as more basic tasks like responding effectively and timely to online customer reviews or complaints, and acting accordingly.

TishTash Digital Marketing and Public Relations agency has been managing reputations across the UAE and GCC for clients for 10 years. In an increasingly consumer led media landscape, looking after your online footprint is more important than ever, but can also feel time consuming and overwhelming. We’d love to help you build a better business and engage with your consumers with a solid strategy that helps your bottom line – get in touch with our Dubai based team if you’d like to know more.

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The reputation of a brand, business or individual in the public eye has never been more important. In 2021, the consumer is paying far more attention to the values and ethics of companies that they engage with and buy from, irrespective of industry. It’s easy to think of reputation management and public relations as being interchangeable. It’s true that they complement and work hand in hand with each other, but both come with very different objectives and public perceptions. A crisis may or may not happen – your reputation, however, precedes you and is a constant, the management of which is not a ‘nice to have’ or something you might work on ‘one day’.

PR is forward facing and built on relationships – reputation management is often seen as ‘crisis communications’ and whilst that definitely is something a PR agency such as TishTash is well equipped to handle on behalf of clients, reputation management itself is a lot more strategic, consistent and more ‘behind the curtain’ – a strategy to build brands and businesses in the public eye.

PR is essentially promotional, and sure, managing a brand, individual or businesses reputation is absolutely part and parcel of any strategy – solid reputation management is longer-term, consistent and should be built into the ‘back end’ of any agency relationship between themselves and the clients.

In Dubai, UAE laws prevent any notion of ‘naming and shaming’ publicly, which can make reputation management easier than in other territories as public slander or a consumer review that could damage public perception is less likely to happen. However, as mentioned above, reputation management is not just reactive crisis communications, but shapes the public identity of an entity or brand very differently to ongoing promotional campaigning and having to ‘rescue’ a business from the wrong end of the publicity machine.

A solid reputation management strategy should encompass SEO, research, competitor analysis, Human Resources (personal branding), social media and content, all of which control the online and offline image of a brand or business.

An element of legal and risk analysis would be the starting point for research before considering things such as content removal, search engine optimisation and auditing any controllable web properties such as blogs, social media accounts and websites. Pushing positive content further up the search engine results pages (SERP) is possible and recommended with ongoing promotion, monitoring and editing as an example. It is also possible of course to work with search engines to remove negative and unlawful content concerning a brand, individual or business and this would of course form part of an online reputation management strategy.

Preparation, prevention, and mitigation are three vital aspects to a reputation management strategy, and more akin to crisis communications – the keyword being preparation. Nobody wants to be ‘caught out’ in the media and left floundering for a response. Those that are left surprised by a downturn in public perception, for whatever reason, are the brands and businesses that were not prepared and always take much longer to ‘bounce back’ if at all.

This is where reputation management campaigns can help alongside traditional PR and marketing, the longer-term objectives of managing reputation, as a thread woven through all communications, content and CSR. Good reputation management means well informed comms teams both in house and agency partners with honest and continuous flows of information between themselves and stakeholders, ensure all teams are well informed and develop a suite of listening and monitoring tools that will measure brand and consumer sentiment. 

Working with an agency such as TishTash on your reputation management means that you have professional allies who will stay on top of your industry developments and things that might affect it, directly or indirectly. As well as managing reputation, this information can also feed positively into PR and marketing campaigns, as well as more basic tasks like responding effectively and timely to online customer reviews or complaints, and acting accordingly.

TishTash Digital Marketing and Public Relations agency has been managing reputations across the UAE and GCC for clients for 10 years. In an increasingly consumer led media landscape, looking after your online footprint is more important than ever, but can also feel time consuming and overwhelming. We’d love to help you build a better business and engage with your consumers with a solid strategy that helps your bottom line – get in touch with our Dubai based team if you’d like to know more.

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Ah, the relationship between a PR and a journalist is a special one. Whilst both would tell you how frustrating they find it at times, like true family relationships, neither can manage without the help of the other!

That said, whilst the goal at TishTash Marketing & PR is to ensure positive, thoughtful and engaging media coverage for our clients and brands, we know there is most definitely a way to manage an editor, writer, broadcaster or any journalistic outlet we want to keep on side.

Solid media training will absolutely teach you what to say to the press, but to ensure our positive and special relationships with the media continues, and to help you if you are considering doing your own PR without the help of an agency like ours, we wanted to share the 5 things you should never say to a journalist…

1. Can I check what you’ve written/approve this interview before it goes out?

VERY few people or entities are entitled to a copy check/approval before things go to press. Remember, it’s a journalist’s job to report a story, and not repeat your marketing messages or promotional snippets verbatim. Even if you think they are cleverly disguised, they usually are not, and this request is the number one complaint from journalists. Trust the media! Have faith, that when well prepared, everyone is working together for the greater good. They are not out to ‘get you’ in most instances – let them do their job.

2. Off the record…

Again, if you are well prepared, you would know that saying anything ‘off the record’ is no cast-iron guarantee that your comments will not be printed or broadcast. If your messaging is well-rehearsed and authentic, there will be absolutely no need to go ‘off the record’ especially if what you are about to say is something important or interesting and you are telling the journalist NOT to use it!

3. When will it be printed/broadcast/on the website?

Journalists and media outlets are super time poor, and usually understaffed and one way to guarantee you don’t get asked back for further feature or comment is to badger an editor or journalist as to when your piece will be appearing. They will feel harassed and often won’t be able to give you a direct answer. Their time is precious, and their nerves often frayed by pressure and deadlines – again – have faith!

4. What magazine/newspaper/site is this for again?

Way to make a journalist feel special! You may be lucky enough to be so busy with media requests that you lose track, but it really is your job to remember who it is you are speaking to and have an understanding of their outlet and output. You should even go as far as to research the individual and can chat to them about other work of theirs you have seen or enjoyed. PR is all about relationship building and a lack of interest or ignorance is a sure-fire way to get off on the wrong foot.

5. Can we arrange another time/can you call back?

Not just a journalist pet hate, but ours at TishTash too – again relationships with media are our bread and butter and it’s our job to work with outlets and clients to secure coverage and deliver positive communications for your company. If you engage an agency in Dubai or anywhere to do this for you, you are committing to being on time and punctual with your media opportunities and commitments. Believe us, there is always another business or brand the journalist can feature instead of you, and if you gain a reputation for being punctual and helpful, the outlet will remember and be keen to use you in future stories. Wasting people’s time is one way to guarantee a distinct lack of future coverage or collaboration and you never know when you will need it next!

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