Does Local PR Matter for National Brands?

For those of you working for national brands the question sometimes arises, “do we really need a local PR person or local PR effort?” Sometimes the answer is “no,” but sometimes the answer is “yes” and it all comes down to the scenario.

One prime example is work we did with West Marine when they opened their Fort Myers flagship store in 2012. An international brand with locations all over the country and existing presence in the Fort Myers market, their communications team sought out local public relations assistance.

Why? They understood the two primary benefits:

1. Having a local PR presence means having people on hand, in the town you’re working in to handle situations as they arise – a face and person, not just a name and email address.
2. Local PR people have local connections. We know area journalists, media outlets and the market better than any media database could ever know.

Big brands tend to have more people and often times more money to spend on communications and outreach to the markets in which they do business, but it doesn’t always mean they have the necessary, critical connections to journalists, media outlets, consumers and stakeholders that make the biggest impact. We were able to help West Marine because we could pinpoint their audience, the key media that delivered messages to that audience and facilitate other arrangements (music, venue, community participation).

Local public relations DOES matter for national brands – if they are new to a market, want to foster new relationships or, in some cases, mend relationships with consumers or media. We’ve also been called on to aid in local public relations and crisis communications for national brands when something goes awry at a specific location. In those cases, having someone who knows the surrounding circumstances, mindset of the community and its residents, but can also speak on behalf of the brand is critical.

At PTE, we work with large and small companies, local start-ups and national, even international brands. The opportunities we’ve had (and currently have) to work with national brands are all unique, but have all benefited from a strong, well connected and professional local presence. (In fact we even won awards for some of them!)

If you’re interested in gaining exposure for your national (or local) company, or just want to talk about public relations, get in touch. We’d be glad to help.