A few weeks ago, I saw my fifth Bruce Springsteen concert with a coworker (@markvh80) and, as usual, it was amazing. It was so good that I bought tickets to see him again next month too. For a guy who’s been around since before I was even born (I won’t reveal the year, but let’s just say the man’s been around the block a few times), he certainly knows how to keep it fresh – making his shows consistently exciting and different for veteran fans, but edgy and appealing for new fans as well.
In a moment of dorkiness (there are many), I couldn’t help but see a parallel between Bruce keeping his material fresh and the fact that Articulate has such long-term clients, which is a rarity in the PR industry. Hear me out here. The PR industry is notorious for high client turnover. It is rare to see a firm and a client together for more than a year or two. But that’s not the case here at all. In fact, most of our clients have been with us for many years – and take us with them when they leave one job for another. Why is this? We keep it fresh.
With long-term relationships, it’s so easy for things to get stale. We go out of our way to switch up the PR program before it gets to that “blah” stage. The technology industry is constantly evolving – and that means PR has to as well. If you’re not trying new things, thinking outside the box (even though I hate that term) and taking risks, you don’t stand a chance. From a PR perspective, you might have a nice six-month project under your belt, but no long-term relationship. It’s our responsibility to push clients to think differently and take chances. How can you blame them if they dump you after a year of the same-old thing?
Before you get snarky about it, I am not saying that I’m the Bruce Springsteen of PR (although if you want to call me that, I’d be totally OK with it!). But there is definitely something to learn from a person who’s been around for that long – and inspires such loyalty in people.
Now, if he’ll just sing “Rosalita” at the next concert I’m at, I can die in peace!
By Megan Garnett
