Chapter V: Public Relations And Publicity
Public relations determines the taste we leave in the mouths of the public, our consumers, our employees and, for that matter, the world.
Long before the days of excess profit taxes and bonuses, my first employer, the late Benjamin Forman of Rochester, would call his employees together and promise them a week's extra pay if they beat their last year's Christmas sales figures. He built a camp for his less fortunate employees who could not afford vacations. He participated in civic affairs, giving unstintingly of his time and effort. Everyone loved him and, consequently, his store.
Today the popular word is "image." Everyone wants to build a better image of his company, his product or his store. Actually the image created by the greatest stores in this country was one of service. With the current emphasis on self-service, it is wise to consider going back a bit. We must "get back to the people"-this means service and better customer relations. Many consumers are not happy at being a punched card in someone's file instead of a person. In the corset department we must not lose sight of the service image.
When the public image of the corset department changes and the customer again becomes important, the customer's feeling about a whole store will also change. If a woman finds interest, service and a capable fitting staff, she'll be back-a potential customer for the other departments in the store.
The publicity director for a store or for a manufacturer has the responsibility to see that as much favorable material as possible is written or said about his company and products. This means dealing with the trade and consumer press, radio and television. When a manufacturer turns out a new item, his publicity department not only sends out releases and pictures to the representatives of all relevant media, but also contacts the press personally to discuss the editorial values of the new product. The publicity department of a store is likewise on the alert for a chance to get a credit line in magazines and newspapers.
The best way to get cooperation from the press is to become an authority on your subject and be helpful to representatives of the press at all times-whether it means an immediate story or not. The press is anxious to please people who have helped with general information. This applies to both stores and manufacturers.
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Last updated January 30, 1998