It’s one thing to “Like” a brand on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
It’s quite another to learn about who responds to the brand’s media inquiries.
Name: Keith Marnoch (@kmarnoch)
Position: Director, Media and Community Relations
Employer: Western University
Education: B.A.A. – Journalism (Broadcast) Ryerson
Favourite blog: Touchdowns and Fumbles
Favourite mobile app: Voxer (Walkie Talkie) / Scanner911
Professional role model: David Gergen, CNN political pundit, former Presidential Adviser
Most memorable on the job experience at Western:
While I have only been here for just over a year, I think being a part of the announcement that one of our leading researchers, Dr. Chil Yong Kang is moving to human clinical trials with his HIV/AIDS vaccine is memorable due to the overwhelming international response that the story received.
In 140 characters or less, describe the atmosphere at work when Western’s name change and re-branding was announced to the public:
Excited about the change, realized some would need convincing, rationale when explained gets positive reaction.
Which corporate partner is the most enjoyable to work with and why?
Tough question because of the wide range of partners we work with across the campus. I think Western has a very good reputation in most areas and our partners want to work with us. So that sets a good stage for relationships. I enjoy working with local and regional media outlets… print, broadcast, and online media have a great interest in what goes on here at Western and on balance treat us very fairly.
What was the strangest, most unexpected media inquiry to come across your desk?
Things that would be strange to others we accept without much hesitation. Hmmm.. around this time last year, and it always has the potential to be a story is Western’s ranking on Playboy magazine’s top party school lists. Not something that we overt try to promote, but challenges us because it is a fun and widely promoted story. Trying to balance the fact that the social scene is viewed as an attraction to some students always needs to balanced off with the fact that we are talking about students that also have to work hard to get in and stay in at Western …last year’s average entrance grade was 88%.
How can students help to ensure that Western has a positive reputation?
Western students benefit greatly from participating and remaining active in all aspects of student life that Western offers. Making use of the many channels to be heard is another way that a student benefits personally and for their peers, and those to come, here at Western. Find a way to be involved is at the heart of the Western experience.
Recommendation(s) to anyone keen on pursuing a career in media relations:
Media Relations continues to evolve in step with technology and in turn the way in which individuals consume media. In essence, a media relations professional needs to be able navigate all the available channels to reach their targeted audiences. Media used to be fairly simple to define. These days, each of us has access to communication tools that used to only be available to large, well-equipped outlets. If an overriding goal of a media relations professional is to reach large, receptive audiences, then understanding the available options to connect with those audiences is crucial. You need to move from thinking that you are reaching to the appropriate media outlet with your message, and go right to their audiences to determine whether your message is actually reaching that audience, and from there is it spawning further attention and discussion? Is it being shared, RT’d or otherwise talked about?
SO – know your communication tools/options… know which tools reach which audiences, and identify influencers in different fields that can deliver valuable commentary and/or research to take discussions in any topic to a new level.