Contributors Opinion Bold predictions for 2015 PR isn’t just about public relations, Statistically speaking, A new year Business affords it’s Briefs alsolike about public responsibility more not-so-bold repeats numbers can mislead a new opportunity Business People Almanac to meet local needs THE he BUSINESS usiness T T Times IMES
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It’s been said facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable. In other words, statistics mean never having to say you’re certain. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was famously credited for lumping in statistics with lies and damned lies. Given the number of humorous A new year almost always brings an opportunity forquotes a freshabout start statistics, and to make up a statistic about quotes about renewed ambition toit’s do tempting things better. I’d estimate percent of them arebetter funny.products In business, thatstatistics. usually boils down to67 providing customers I’m competitors. a big fan of statistics. They’re useful and services faster and atJoking lower aside, cost than Part of the processa must tool for thetoeditor of a business journal to report important include listening to customers determine what they actually need and then news.all, But tool, statistics be used meeting that need. After it like doesany little good to offermust the latest andproperly. greatest if Otherwise, there’s the potential for abuse and, ultimately, nobody actually wants what you’re selling. deception. matter, too,the of Grand context. Just like the businesses thatThere’s belongthe to the group, Junction Area All this comes mind as I report the latest statistics of Chamber of Commerce invariably startsto out the new year with a reassessment for realitestate activity and tax Mesa County. the services and resources provides and how wellcollections they matchinwith members by the proportional gains from May 2020 to needs. Jeff Franklin,Judging the newsolely chairman of the chamber board of directors, Phil Castle May 2021, real estate sales and tax collections have personifies this approach in describing what he considers his role for the increased coming by jaw-dropping amounts. year: listen to members, determine their needs and then meet those needs. It’s a estate transactions increased percent on a of year-over-year basis, role Real with which Franklin is familiar as 58.2 market president Bank of Colorado. whileThe theprocess dollar volume ofon those transactions jumped 74.5inpercent. Aschamber for sales will take a more structured approach what the tax collections, the City of of aGrand Junction a 61.2 percent increase and the plans as the resumption program aptly reported called Listening to Business. Under Mesa County reported a 42.2 percent increase. program, business owners participate in in-depth interviews to identify barriers to Then personal Year-over-year lodging tax collections in growth andthere’s other my problems theyfavorite. encounter. Grand Junction jumped whopping percent. club. Now, I don’t have any The new year offersina May good atime to join 189.8 the proverbial idea As exactly how big or an reader, increasewhat is required to reach thethe whopping but it’s an advertiser do you need from Businesslevel, Times? got to be a lot. Right? While business journals traditionally gather and report the relevant news to Considered by themselves, those statistics create a paint-by-numbers readers, communication isn’t necessarily a one-way street. That’s especiallypicture true as of a red-hot economy. Web sites and e-mail make the dialogue more convenient than ever. Of course, those statistics offerinonly part ofThey the picture. real Good publications don’t exist a vacuum. respondThankfully, to the needs of estate activity andand tax readers. collections have increased Mesa County. But the gains for May advertisers They provide what’sinneeded. 2021So were sodo bigyou in part because the numbers for May 2020 were so small. what need? Think back to a year agocoverage and the effects of the COVID-19 Is there additional news that would help keep youpandemic informed and about related restrictions. For a time,Are realthere estate showings open wereor local business developments? features that and would behouses interesting prohibited. Moreadvice peoplethat were hunkered downjobs at home than traveling and staying useful? Is there would make your a little easier? in hotels and motels. That’stopart theyou context consider, asterisk It’s equally important ask of what don’ttoneed. Withthe limited timeforever to attached to comparisons between 2021 and 2020. produce content and limited space in which to publish it, would time and space be more accurate assessments the larger the sample betterFortunately, devoted to statistics somethingoffer else? size What’s and the good? longerWhat the term involved. isn’t? What’s needed? What isn’t? Consider, for Send example, estateComment activity in May on 2021 May 2019. Let us know. us anreal e-mail. online thetopped Business Times Web Andatbywww.thebusinesstimes.com. the end of 2019, the numberYou of could transactions climbed in Mesa County to to its site even write an old-fashioned letter highest level in more than a decade. The same thing holds true for tax collections, the editor if you’d like. Your feedback, both positive and negative, is valued and which May 2021 topped those for May 2019. That’s context, too. will beincarefully considered. Statistics can be funny things. sensethe of efforts that word, I suppose. Good publications are the resultInofevery not only of their staffs, but also But here’s yetefforts another quote that’s both funny and true: 99 percent of all statistics collaborative involving advertisers and readers. onlyLike tell 49 of thebusiness, story we want to listen to our customers, find out anypercent other good what they need and then meet those needs. Phil It’s Castle is editor the Business Reach him at phil@thebusinesstimes.com a new year. of Please help us Times. to do so. or 424-5133. ✦ F
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But in this day much of PR It’s that time ofand yearage, when has becomeand plausible repudiation.abound. resolutions prognostications How’s that, Craig? Well,toconsidering My favorite saying applied New Year’s I’m surrounded it daily in mybasically job, I a resolutions is inby saying they’re see thisofinpromises many ways and forms everyweek bunch to break the first time I open And my inbox. it’s by a of January. while Whether I won’t predict commission, omission flat out diversion, whole lot, I can pretty or much accurately it happens the time. nail a few all things that without question Back the when I was will make news. You will see these are wasting money to pretty, well, predictable: get my degree at the ■ Prediction one: University of Phoenix There will be some scam a college, one sort ofofweather event, of the required natural disaster classes or was public relations. heinous occurrence To thissomeone day, it’s the where will only class that applied be interviewed and say to vocation“I’ve for the themy following: past years. Let’s never21seen anything Craig Hall look at what I found like that in my about the definition of lifetime.” It’s as if this Hall public related toCraig its current state. person relations is a required Public relations (PR) is the practice attendee at every news of deliberately the releasemost reporting event.managing While I understand and spread of information between an people’s perspective can indeed be limited individual or organization (such a by, or contained within, their ownaspersonal business, government agency or nonprofit experiences, it is too much to ask to organization) and the public to affect consult some historical perspective before public saying perception. such a thing? Yes, this response can the events. sad truth. it couldn’t applyThat’s to some ButAnd when it comes be further from the truth as far asI’m what I to weather and natural disasters, pretty took away thehistory one valuable class at sure this is from simply repeating itself. the college where weeknights gets of Same as it has for five millions and millions you three credits. Because just used theit! years. More important, the Iplanet made one which my takeaway from Whatword didn’t werewas certain species. How’s the To me, public relations is about thatclass. for perspective? the truth. Like it or not,When we’llitall havetotoa ■ Prediction two: comes face eventually. also explains crimeitor somethingWhich that occurs between corporate and government avoidance humans, the other required attendee at of all it. let’s getevents back toisthe while newsSo reporting thetruth person who touching the other thenicest press says this:on “They we’rePR just—the release. Nowinallnopublic relations memos people, and way did I see something are press releases, alldoes press likeindeed this coming.” Exactly.but Nonot one releases are public relations. Presstoreleases most of the time when it comes should be simple. They informPeople the media neighbors and acquaintances. should someone or some entity has story time that to be surprised at what goes ona from could worthy of coverage. towns We getand those time inbetheir neighborhoods, all thepeople time atthey the know Business Times.people You know with because are what? Mostfor arethe indeed covering. good. And timesworth that they shouldn’t To answer another I get all the time, be shocked — likequestion with politicians, repeat many pressand releases become cover stories. offenders terrorists — where’s the But there also times when surprise a press interview that are says, “This doesn’t release is aleast.” “new definition” public relations me in the ploy ■ —Prediction that is when it isn’t an ad disguised three: Something good as advertisement. And both willanhappen economically, and of thethose go right into will the trash. And the government take credit forbiggest it. The most violators? Government and big business. recent example is gas prices, where people Forwhy recent reference, let’spresident just say for ask me I won’t credit the coronavirus. think of a worse low gas prices.I can’t My answer is simple: example across themakes boardthe at all levels Government never price of showing public has credit somethingwhere go down andrelations simply takes been fueled by Gas lie after lie,isdiversion for good news. pricing subject to after and contradiction manydiversion global factors. Now there areafter contradiction. government answers to addressing some of first,prices let’s go backfortoAmericans, the innocent themBut to keep stable days when my eyeshas were opened from but our government none of them in the two examples usedit on never-toplace. The onlywe things hasthose in place in the
June 15-28, 17-30, 2015 2021 JANUARY
get-the-time-back-Wednesday-nights in long run always hurt consumers. Another “college” the Exxon Valdez oila spill fact is that— unemployment reaches certain and space shuttleAnd explosion. levelChallenger based on the economy. while the Those examples menumber the second government mighttaught brag the is low, most valuable lesson: really have it’s more than likely theYou government did to dig down into both that PRsnumber to get tobeing the truth. something to cause low Let’s wandering, three-hour — and nottake in athe good way. Conversely, when tour of thepicks Exxon and itsthe unmitigated business up,Valdez it’s because people disaster. only thing needed who needHere’s to buythe widgets whoExxon were not to say: “Our boatbecause wrecked, wrong guy buying widgets thethe economy was was at the helm El Capitan was contracting due cause to natural (or unnatural, hammered we’ll reasons, pay to clean up the governmentand caused) decided we mess.” Butsome what widgets. did we get? better buy TheDiversion, government deflection and had nothing tooutright do with lies. this.This goes to the heart■ofPrediction why my version public relations four: Inofkeeping with is aboutthe thegovernment truth. It always out.the In things does,comes I predict the end, the PR didthe Exxon moreto government willcampaign manipulate numbers harm good.the economy is getting make than the claim not forget other of to betterLet’s because of howthe hard it issides working the disaster, theAmericans.” environmentalist helpValdez all of us “working Now and you disaster-response might say, “Craig, PR youcampaigns. always say this How times were because you toldyou it would aboutmany President Obama don’t take decades for right Prince like him.” You’re in William a sense. ISound don’t to recover? Yetbut it only a few yearsand know the man, whattook I know of him for the watersI don’t to recover, his thinking, like it contradicting or him one iota. the environmentalist PR while wildlife Before you go off, however, I didn’t like benefitted fromand the his clear PR winner of the President Bush bailouts, stimulus disaster, the makersthe of free Dawn dish soap. and his abandoning market to save To know allAnd that,I one to put the free market. don’thad know himin some to knowdoes, the simple either.time Whatand theeffort government and the truth. It wasit Exxon’s only thing can do, isfault, hurt environmental the economy. groups the end times and thein Unless overhyped it does nothing or put criminals free marketof came up withwith a ton of solutions jail instead partnering them, nothing to But that’s notwill what youAlways heard, is it? thehelp. government does help. look As for thewhatever Challenge I says at it this way, the disaster, government can this up in a the fewname words. It was it is sum doing, whatever of the law it the government’s fault.the I’llname simply ask of is passing, or whatever or goal one question: Doit you know why the bureaucracy is presenting to the Challenger exploded? am betting no. In people, expect the polarI opposite to occur. a nutshell, government I guessthe what I’m sayingbanned is thata most important theofmanufacture perhaps it’scomponent time to getinout our own of the O rings on theplenty booster perspective. There’s ofrockets. history The component in question? books and historical researchAsbestos. out there to the government knew beginWorse, to understand that all of this the hasnew O rings wouldn’t up.will What did it do? happened before. hold And it again, It believed internal PR that all was safe whether theitstopic is people or government. in spite objections to the contrary. And Theofbest recommendation is to find it tookbooks forever to come out. some or for try the thattruth whole Google The truth is simple: Challenger exploded thing. There’s a lot of information on the because the government banned product Great Depression. The truth is itawasn’t it hadapreviously approved for safe use.got even good one until the government Hear any examples of that lately? involved. There’s also plenty of research So,medieval is anyonewarm surprised on the periodwhen whena good the chunk themuch public has little no faith in planet of was warmer thantotoday with the response to COVID-19? who’s a whole lot less people (and Look warmer well running the PR: before man was the heregovernment at all). Andand yep,big business, particularly big other pharma. people have been killing surprised Diversions, half-truths andwritten. people since history was first contradictions leave many with no idea Maybe some research will help stop what’s goingtrends. on. The reason forwe’ll lackbe of all of these Otherwise, trust is we’ve simple.never The public doesn’t like believe saying seen anything it in it knows truth. PR sucks. our lives.the And not The in a good way. Craig Craig Hall Hall isis owner ownerand andpublisher publisherofofthe the Business Business Times. Times. Reach Reachhim himatat424-5133 424-5133or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com. or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com. F ✦
