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The Magical PR Question

All brands need a clear differentiation to win.

Jerry Silfwer
by Jerry Silfwer

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

tl:dr;
In PR, the battle for attention is fierce. The magical PR question highlights the need for a winning strategy to gain enough momentum to make a difference.

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I always ask the magic­al PR ques­tion.

This art­icle tar­gets the import­ance of the cent­ral ques­tion in guid­ing suc­cess­ful PR strategies, high­light­ing the need for clear dif­fer­en­ti­ation and a focused approach to gain that neces­sary edge.

Here we go:

The Magical PR Question

Your PR strategy should answer one simple question:

The magic­al PR ques­tion: Do we know how to win and defeat our competitors?

If your PR strategy fails to answer this ques­tion in the affirm­at­ive, it also fails to provide a roadmap to suc­cess. Winning is a cul­ture and a struc­tur­al asset.

“Competitiveness is derived from per­man­ent infra­struc­tur­al char­ac­ter­ist­ics of organ­iz­a­tion­al design, rather than just rely­ing on tem­por­ary stra­tegic assets.”
Source: Strategic Change 1Connor, T. (2007). A con­sid­er­a­tion of stra­tegic assets and the organ­iz­a­tion­al sources of com­pet­it­ive­ness. Strategic Change, 16, 127 – 136. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​0​2​/​J​S​C​.​789

How To Create a PR Strategy - Spinning Top - Doctor Spin - The PR Blog
Spin for the win. (Photo: Jerry Silfwer)

Is win­ning that important? 

Yes, in com­pet­it­ive envir­on­ments and chan­ging soci­et­ies, win­ning is some­times the only way to keep up.

The Red Queen effect (men­tal mod­el). This meta­phor ori­gin­ates from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass. It describes a situ­ation in which one must con­tinu­ously adapt, evolve, and work to main­tain one’s pos­i­tion. In the story, the Red Queen is a char­ac­ter who explains to Alice that in their world, run­ning as fast as one can is neces­sary just to stay in the same place. The meta­phor is often used in the con­text of busi­nesses that need to innov­ate con­stantly to stay com­pet­it­ive, high­light­ing the relent­less pres­sure to adapt in dynam­ic envir­on­ments where stag­na­tion can mean fall­ing behind. 2Red Queen hypo­thes­is. (2023, November 27). In Wikipedia. https://​en​.wiki​pe​dia​.org/​w​i​k​i​/​R​e​d​_​Q​u​e​e​n​_​h​y​p​o​t​h​e​sis 3Carroll, L. (2006). Through the look­ing-glass, and what Alice found there (R. D. Martin, Ed.). Penguin Classics. (Original work pub­lished 1871.)

Learn more: The Magical PR Question

Understanding How To Win

The magic­al PR ques­tion demands a deep under­stand­ing of what makes your organ­isa­tion unique — and how it can be lever­aged in your pub­lic rela­tions efforts.

“Brand iden­tity and brand image are essen­tial ingredi­ents of strong brands, and con­gru­ence between the two can enhance brand loy­alty and adapt to chan­ging com­mu­nic­a­tion envir­on­ments.”
Source: Journal of Brand Management 4Nandan, S. (2005). An explor­a­tion of the brand iden­tity – brand image link­age: A com­mu­nic­a­tions per­spect­ive. Journal of Brand Management, 12, 264 – 278. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​5​7​/​P​A​L​G​R​A​V​E​.​B​M​.​2​5​4​0​222

It’s not just about hav­ing a PR strategy; it’s about hav­ing a strategy that clearly and effect­ively will:

  • Focus your PR strategy. The magic­al PR ques­tion keeps your strategy laser-focused on what truly mat­ters — dif­fer­en­ti­at­ing your brand in the market.
  • Drive cre­at­ive solu­tions. The magic­al PR ques­tion pushes you to think cre­at­ively and innov­at­ively about cap­tur­ing and retain­ing pub­lic interest.
  • Build trust and sup­port. “Taking a stand” long-term for a spe­cif­ic stra­tegic PR pos­i­tion ensures that your efforts are not just about grabbing short-term atten­tion but build­ing last­ing rela­tion­ships with your audience.

Your Long-Term Safeguard

A PR strategy that fails to answer this fun­da­ment­al ques­tion is like a ship without a rud­der, drift­ing aimlessly. 

Such PR strategies often res­ult in the following:

  • Wasted PR resources. Without a clear dir­ec­tion, resources may be squandered on inef­fect­ive tactics.
  • Diminished PR impact. The lack of a unique guid­ing prin­ciple can lead to cam­paigns that fail to res­on­ate with the tar­get audience.
  • Lost PR oppor­tun­it­ies. In the wired world of PR, fail­ing to stand out means missed oppor­tun­it­ies to con­nect with and influ­ence your audience.

Get Your PR Strategy Right

The magic­al PR ques­tion isn’t just a ques­tion; it’s a lit­mus test for the effect­ive­ness of your pub­lic rela­tions efforts. It com­pels you to think crit­ic­ally about your strategy and its abil­ity to pos­i­tion your organ­isa­tion as a lead­er in the battle for atten­tion, trust, and support.

  • Understand your PR pos­i­tion­ing. Deeply ana­lyse what sets your organ­isa­tion apart from the com­pet­i­tion. What do you offer that no one else does?
  • Know your brand audi­ence. Understand your audi­ence’s needs, pref­er­ences, and pain points. How can your unique value meet these needs?
  • Innovate and exper­i­ment. Don’t be afraid to try new PR tac­tics or approaches that align with the Magical PR Strategy Question and your Core Message.
  • Measure and adapt. Continuously meas­ure the effect­ive­ness of your PR strategy and be will­ing to adapt based on feed­back and results.

Good Strategy, Bad Strategy

“Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters” by Richard Rumelt is a sig­ni­fic­ant work in stra­tegic plan­ning and man­age­ment. The book, pub­lished in 2011, clearly dis­tin­guishes between what con­sti­tutes a good strategy and what falls into the cat­egory of a bad strategy. 5Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.

Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt.
“Good Strategy, Bad Strategy” by Richard Rumelt.

“A good strategy hon­estly acknow­ledges the chal­lenges being faced and provides an approach to over­com­ing them.”
Source: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters 6Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.

Here’s a sum­mary of the book’s key concepts:

  • Defining strategy. Rumelt defines strategy as a coher­ent set of ana­lyses, con­cepts, policies, argu­ments, and actions that respond to a high-stakes chal­lenge. He emphas­izes that a good strategy is not just ambi­tious goals or vis­ion­ary plan­ning; it focuses energy and resources on how to win.
  • The ker­nel of good strategy. According to Rumelt, a good strategy has a simple struc­ture he calls the “ker­nel,” con­sist­ing of three parts: a dia­gnos­is that defines the nature of the chal­lenge, a guid­ing policy for deal­ing with the chal­lenge, and a set of coher­ent actions designed to carry out the guid­ing policy.
  • Identifying bad strategy. Rumelt iden­ti­fies the hall­marks of bad strategy, which include plat­it­udes and cor­por­ate cringe (jar­gon and buzzwords), fail­ure to face the chal­lenge of how to win, mis­tak­ing goals for strategy, and bad stra­tegic object­ives. He argues that bad strategy is not simply the absence of a good strategy but a series of mis­guided approaches.
  • The role of lead­er­ship: The author stresses the import­ance of lead­er­ship in strategy for­mu­la­tion. A good strategist must identi­fy and focus on crit­ic­al issues, make tough choices, and engage the entire organ­isa­tion in a strategy that works in the real world.
  • Implementing strategy. The book provides insights into craft­ing and imple­ment­ing a strategy, emphas­ising the need for clear think­ing, insight­ful dia­gnos­is, and decis­ive actions.

Learn more: Public Relations Books

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Annotations
Annotations
1 Connor, T. (2007). A con­sid­er­a­tion of stra­tegic assets and the organ­iz­a­tion­al sources of com­pet­it­ive­ness. Strategic Change, 16, 127 – 136. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​0​2​/​J​S​C​.​789
2 Red Queen hypo­thes­is. (2023, November 27). In Wikipedia. https://​en​.wiki​pe​dia​.org/​w​i​k​i​/​R​e​d​_​Q​u​e​e​n​_​h​y​p​o​t​h​e​sis
3 Carroll, L. (2006). Through the look­ing-glass, and what Alice found there (R. D. Martin, Ed.). Penguin Classics. (Original work pub­lished 1871.)
4 Nandan, S. (2005). An explor­a­tion of the brand iden­tity – brand image link­age: A com­mu­nic­a­tions per­spect­ive. Journal of Brand Management, 12, 264 – 278. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​5​7​/​P​A​L​G​R​A​V​E​.​B​M​.​2​5​4​0​222
5, 6 Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Whispr Group NYC, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

A tree crown against a blue sky with light clouds.
A tree crown against a blue sky with light clouds.

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