Behind the scenes
April 7th, 2008 posted by Debra YemenijianDay in and day out, public relations executives tackle tasks that clients never see. These are the calls, e-mails and research that get the job done, and get the job done well. Here at Schubert, I work with a diverse group of clients ranging from companies specializing in agriculture and biometrics to scientific instrumentation and steel fabrication. Each client brings its own challenges, and every so often, I find myself doing things I never imagined I’d do.
Today, I called the Pentagon.
One of my clients manufactures a product that has government and military applications. The client found a video on the Department of Defense’s video site that showed real-world application of a device similar to theirs. So, the client wanted to get permission to use a snippet of that footage that he wanted us to include in his corporate video. According to the Web site, the footage is public domain. All I needed to do was put in a call to the Department of Defense to retrieve a download. No sweat!
So, I did some research, found the Pentagon’s public affairs division, and put in a call.
The first call was diverted to a second operator. The second operator, who I am convinced did not speak English, feigned stupidity and passed me on to another person. That’s when the chain of command totally broke down.
*Ring, ring, ring*
Pentagon: Hello, XXX, public affairs.
Me: Good morning. My name is Debra Yemenijian and I am the public relations executive for XXX company.
Pentagon: How may I help you?
Me: My company is interested in acquiring a video clip from the Department of Defense’s video site for a corporate educational video it is creating. I would like to learn more about the logistics of making this happen.
Pentagon: I don’t know what videos you mean.
Me: I am referring to a video presented on the DoDVclips.mil Web site site.
Pentagon: I don’t have access to those.
Me: Thank you for your time. Could you please transfer me to the department that maintains the site for more information?
Pentagon: That is where you have called. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Me: (WHAT? How do you not have access to the video when you are the correct department?) Am I correct in understanding that these videos are public domain?
Pentagon: Yes, that is correct.
Me: What is the best way to go about accessing these for corporate use?
Pentagon: I believe you will need to complete a release form with usage information.
Me: Can you provide me with that form?
Pentagon: No. You will need to acquire that from the department that maintains the videos.
AM I ON CANDID CAMERA?
At this point, I politely asked for the names of the other department of which he spoke. Long story short, after three more phone calls, I finally reached the correct official. He not only told me I could download the videos myself, but that there was, in fact, no form to sign. Success!
What’s my point in all of this? It’s often the work that clients never see that gets the job done. Those phone calls and e-mails you spend seemingly hours making are what forge PR programs ahead. So, if you have an amusing anecdote like mine, feel free to share it with the client so they know how hard you work for them. Just make sure you have something to deliver to them first!