I’d love to take full credit for adopting tactics favoured by PR and marketing legends Saatchi & Saatchi in getting one of my clients some fantastic coverage this year.

However, it’s as much to do with my client’s eleventh hour approach to approving press releases which has inadvertently resulted in such prominent coverage.

Let me explain.

Saatchi & Saatchi built a coveted reputation in our industry because they were the masters of timing when it came to releasing news.

So the stories go, the brothers’ agency used to wait until key marketing publications were on deadline before they it issued news. And their news was always of such magnitude that they it always trumped any other news earmarked as the lead story meaning they it grabbed all the headlines.

Apparently they did this time and again with such skill that it got to the point where editors would ‘hold the front page’ waiting for Saatchi & Saatchi’s stuff to arrive. And it always did which meant other marketing companies simply didn’t get a look in and quickly became overshadowed as Saatchi & Saatchi’s stock grew.

Following in Saatchi & Saatchi’s footsteps
My client has no idea it is following in such illustrious footsteps but it has and let me tell you it’s worked an absolute treat.

As you would expect I always prepare news releases in plenty of time. However, the MD of the company is always so busy that he’ll only approve something when it’s utterly imperative. This often leads to a few frantic calls to news desks to assure them the story is on its way and they hold the space because they know it will be good.

And, lo and behold, the client has achieved lead story status edition after edition this year much to the delight of the MD who is blissfully unaware of the mild panic each deadline day.

I’ve got to say that although I’m chuffed at the results and also having a delighted client, it hasn’t done anything for my thinning pate.