“Making News in the Digital Era” By David E. Henderson © 2009 iUniverse Featuring Chaim Haas and Kaplow on pages 54-55
It’s not all gloom and doom in the public relations industry. Independent and smaller agencies are making solid inroads, even when head-to-head with the big guys, by simply delivering better results. Chaim Haas is an expert in this field, and an example of today’s new breed of communications professional. A remarkably well-connected executive at Kaplow Public Relations in New York, he is somewhat of a rarity in his industry. He knows mainstream media, as well as the online world of bloggers, and the importance of reaching out directly to various publics about as well as anyone. Despite his extensive knowledge of technology, he doesn’t hesitate to use the telephone as an alternative method to connect with an influential blogger, except that Haas uses the services of Skype – the online communications service, and his client – to make his calls. He knows that a personal connection through a call, rather than e-mail, often leads to a trusted and respected relationship. Haas likes to paraphrase Yoda, the protagonist in Star Wars: “There is no try, only do,” he says. He is known as a doer. “The ways of communication – be they traditional journalists, online journalists, bloggers or direct to consumer – are converging, and we must be able to do each one of these things exceptionally well,” Haas told me. He sees today’s style of communications as one big collaborative conversation in which everyone has something to share. “With a blog, you can have a ripple effect into mainstream media,” Haas says. “Bloggers can uncover interesting consumer stories on how technology is used. Reporters follow bloggers for story ideas just as consumers follow bloggers for information. Everyone is actively in the conversation.” As a result, Kaplow has a resident blogger on staff to listen, monitor online buzz and uncover story ideas and blog postings relevant to the agency’s clients and that have the potential of being pitched for favorable coverage by mainstream media to benefit clients. Kaplow’s business model is significantly ahead of most public relations agencies. Everyone at the agency has practical usage and know-how about online communications tools. Instead of a smallish, centralized group, the entire staff is educated on how to use the latest methods of the digital revolution, making Kaplow a successful model for the PR agency industry. (c) 2009 David E. Henderson. ISBN 9781440153075. Published by iUniverse.