The quiet campaign: When less is more in PR

This relationship-driven approach sets brands up to have their voice heard when it makes business sense for them.

The quiet campaign – a sort of subtle approach to brand building – is an approach PR firms and branding agencies have employed for years. But Hotwire Global’s Heather Craft believes the term is a bit of a misnomer.

 

 

For one, Craft, Hotwire’s CEO of North America, said they’re not campaigns in the traditional sense so much as a coordinated effort to build a subtle buzz among journalists, investors or influencers. And while the term might sound like an agency is “going dark,” Craft insists this approach doesn’t mean disappearing; rather, it’s about engaging with key players in a way that’s quiet yet successful.

The strategy is about gradually shaping the narrative, cultivating relationships and positioning a brand for success before.

“It’s really about making sure that the groundwork is being done to not just be the loudest voice in the room, but to have one with meaningful impact,” Craft said.

Relationship-building and education

Relationships take on an extra layer of significance for a brand during quiet moments, as Craft sometimes calls them. That’s because they rely on trust.

Typically, conversations with journalists, business analysts and influencers take place in off-the-record or informal briefings, sometimes under embargo or an NDA. Craft explained that these efforts are critical in shaping how journalists will later cover a brand, especially when it’s preparing for a major change.

For instance, a company preparing for a product launch may reach out to industry analysts or influencers long before the actual announcement. By offering them behind-the-scenes access and information, the brand ensures that when the time comes to unveil the product, these key figures can advocate for the company with a deeper understanding of the story than a PR team could convey through a press conference or a 20-second soundbite.

“It’s about building relationships early and ensuring the right people understand the ‘why’ behind what you’re doing,” Craft said.

Great for brands making financial shifts

Obvious situations for quiet campaigns include mergers and acquisitions, IPOs or big financial shifts.

“I may not be out here saying, ‘Hey, I’m here to tell you about my path to go public,’” she said. “But all that leg work – the narrative setting, the understanding of where I should sit in a category, who you should see as my aspirational peers, who I’m really competing with today and where I want to go, that’s all part of the communication within a quiet campaign.”

Craft mentioned that many successful IPOs likely have done that sort of behind-the-scenes work. A tangible goal could be having a CNBC reporter categorize a company with a desirable peer group on its day of listing.

An example of a quiet campaign done right is the surprise success of Reddit’s IPO last year, Craft said. Unlike many companies that go public with a flashy media blitz, Reddit took a more understated approach.

“They really focused on their community,” Craft said, “and because their business model is slightly different from most companies going public, they had to provide a lot of context to explain why it made sense for them.”

Setting expectations and measuring impact

While quiet campaigns often operate outside the spotlight, they still require measurement. However, as Craft pointed out, metrics may differ from those used to assess larger, splashier campaigns.

Instead of focusing on immediate visibility, the success of a quiet campaign is often gauged by longer-term indicators, such as brand recall, perception and influence on the marketing funnel.

She noted that it’s important that PR teams convey that to the C-suite in very clear terms. They may know you’re “doing all these things,” but if they’re not seeing immediate payoff, they need to know why.

“It depends a lot on the brand itself,” she said. “During a quiet period, you may not see as much external visibility, but the work happening behind the scenes is just as crucial.”

Craft offers a few key tips for companies considering a quiet campaign. First, she stressed the importance of knowing your audience – what matters to them, what their values are and how to engage with them. This requires an understanding of what will resonate most with key stakeholders.

“Know what matters to your audience and be thoughtful about when and where you engage with them,” she said. “If you don’t start with that level of insight, your campaign will be much harder to execute effectively.”

Ultimately, the quiet campaign is about creating a foundation for long-term success – even without a bunch of attention-grabbing efforts.

“The groundwork is being done to not just be the loudest voice in the room, but to have one with meaningful impact,” Craft said.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

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