5 Reasons the Media Ignores (or Trashes) Your Brand

As someone who has sat on “both sides of the desk” (as a marketer and now a research analyst, trend spotter, and content creator), I have a unique perspective on media exposure.

The right press — online, conventional, or some combination — feeds your public image when consumers search for your brand.

• What MULO (multi-location) brand doesn’t want to be viewed as having great offers, such as food/beverage, retail, or service?
• How can these brands attract the best talent to work for their companies?
• If you support retail, restaurant, or service brands — agencies, tech companies, and consultants — leverage media exposure to tell your stories. See #3, below.

Although we’ve all heard a lot about the lack of fact-checking and fake news lately, the reality is that when consumers check out your company, they will find what’s online.

If you’re not controlling your public image, you’re leaving your reputation in the hands of IG influencers, dissatisfied customers, and a wide range of other random folks.

I recently decided to write about a new brand. I went to the website to find a press contact. Instead, I found a customer service e-mail, which triggered an AI-generated message with a list of their FAQs, but no way for me to reach a credible source to interview for an article. Major fail!

Brands don’t want to be buried under requests from freeloading consumers, looking for free products or selling their own services. I get it. But when legitimate journalists want to write positive stories about companies, brands should make getting in touch with sources much easier.

Here are 5 other things to think about as you’re planning your PR strategy. If you fall short on any of them, content creators may choose to include your competition in the stories they’re telling.

1. Ensure you have someone in your organization whose role is to speak to the media. If they don’t have a PR background, invest in training.
2. “Make friends” with journalists who you know write about your category.
3. When you send news to those people, make sure it’s really news. Tech companies are notorious for sending out lengthy press releases that require a decoder ring to understand what the benefit is to the companies they serve.
4. When you can afford to invest in professional services, partner-up with an agency that has great connections and a proven track record of getting “ink” (or digital ink or on-air placements and podcast opportunities) for companies like yours.
5. Time is of the essence for most journalists. Take deadlines seriously and don’t ask for extensions or ghost them. You may be “blacklisted” in the future.

As Steph Hadas of 5WPR shared at the 2024 Street Fight LIVE Summit:

“MULO brands have two challenges — they need to ensure their locations are supported with local media and that their corporate image aligns with their consumer base’s values. Staying top of mind across media is more important than ever before!”

Although many brands today are focused on major ad campaigns, digital and influencer marketing, merchandising, and other seasonal and often short-term opportunities, remember that the right media exposure can live on in Google for years (perhaps decades) to come and may be valuable to both investors and consumers.

When you have news, make sure it’s being shouted out (in the right way) to your target market!