The AMG Poll: Do you have what it takes to be a… PR DIRECTOR?

As part of our ongoing efforts to 1) selflessly shine the gentle light of our scholarship upon the marketing community and 2) waste massive amounts of time creating online quizzes, Arlington Mill Group introduces our new quiz series focused on the communications professions. First up: PR DIRECTORS. They’re the seasoned communications professionals who keep corporations on message. Do you have the right stuff for the job?

 

PRESS RELEASES 1. In a press release,what is the maximum number of times you should quote your CEO?

A. Once
B. Twice
C. Three times
D. Don't understand the question

2. Your company is launching a new product. As a seasoned communications expert, you understand the importance of “creating buzz” without setting unreasonable expectations. Complete this sentence, taken from your press announcement:

“The new Schaffen-Wertheimer Velocistream 4000 ___________.”

A. is our newest vacuum cleaner.
B. is believed to be free of the electrical wiring issues that affected the Velocistream 2000 and 3000 series.
C. extends the legendary Schaffen-Wertheimer tradition of innovation into a pivotal new market: personal mini-vacuum iPhone accessories.
D. will transform modern civilization the way we know it.

3. Do you insist on capitalizing the words “The Company” in your release, despite the rules of grammar and punctuation?

A. Never
B. Occasionally
C. Every... single... time
D. Every time, plus we underline it, bold it, and put it in this special shimmery font

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY 4. Which of the following do you consider a target audience?

A. High-Value Elite Influentials
B. Buzz-worthy Media Rainmakers
C. Blogosphere Champion Evangelicals
D. All of the above.

5. Your company has just made a small donation to an environmental group. How do you publicize this?

A. Release a brief press announcement stating the simple facts of the donation
B. Send the press a media kit that includes a small sample of Amazonian dirt in an earthen jar and a release printed with soy inks on a sheet of milled hemp
C. Same as B, but include a photo of your CEO standing in a green flowered meadow, looking thoughtfully out into the middle distance
D. Same as C, but include a live tiger and/or panda (depending on availability) in the photo

MANAGING THE PRESS 6. In an article evaluating your company, a journalist concludes:

"Ultimately, we will have to wait and see if this new strategy will succeeed."

How do you score this on your media tracker?

A. Neutral
B. Positive-Neutral
C. Enthusiastic
D. Exuberantly Positive

7. When facing a crisis, experienced communications professionals understand that there are certain “power phrases” to use on the press that can “transform the message." Pick the best of these:

A. Schaffen-Wertheimer regrets this minor chemical release at our Malaysian vacuum hose assembly plant.
B. The great majority of victims were not company employees, but legally contracted freelance youth vacuum assembly enthusiasts.
C. It is unfortunate that the Malaysians are moving forward with this indictment based solely on the results of a six month investigation.
D. The real tragedy would be if this unfortunate incident were to distract us from our mission: delivering best-in-class vacuuming innovation and value to the global consumer.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 am and is filed under Marketing Communications, The AMG Poll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “The AMG Poll: Do you have what it takes to be a… PR DIRECTOR?”

1. Susan Yim says:

   September 23, 2009 at 2:54 pm

   Priceless!
2. Frank Strong says:

   October 9, 2009 at 3:04 pm

   What a clever PR idea! Well done. I missed a fill in the blank on question #2: finally, a new vacuum cleaner that “really sucks.”
3. Krim Stephenson says:

   October 9, 2009 at 4:03 pm

   Thanks for the comment Frank! I checked out your blog, really like your stuff. I’ll be following you on RSS and Twitter.

   Krim
4. Web Feet Integrated Marketing » Blog Archive » Seven Correct Answers to Become a PR Director says:

   October 10, 2009 at 12:41 am

   [...] almost as short a shelf-life as CMOs. Do you have what it takes to get the job and keep it? The Arlington Mills Group says you only need to answer seven simple questions to find out if you have the right [...]