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How the Olympics’ “PRs” Match With Public Relations

by Jennifer Pearson on 07/20/2012

How the Olympics’ “PRs” Match With Public Relations
This upcoming Friday, July 27 marks the beginning of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. I cannot wait! It is so inspiring and amazing to watch athletes from all over the world put on their country’s colors, give their whole heart and effort, and try to bring home the gold. 
As you listen to the announcers, you are likely to hear talk of “PRs,” Olympic speak for personal records. If you stopped by our office, you would also hear “PR” used (probably more times than you could count), although here, it stands for something entirely different –  public relations. 
While no one on MMI’s staff can swim like Ryan Lochte or hurdle like Lolo Jones, we can relate to their desire to achieve top results and meet high standards. You might be surprised to learn that personal records and public relations have quite a few similarities. For example:
• Just as athletes’ personal records require them to have goals, success in public relations involves some serious setting of priorities. When we represent our clients, it is never without meticulous planning for their success. We set small targets to help us along the way to larger goals. We refer to these goals regularly and make the adjustments we need to keep us on track and score some points on behalf of our clients.
• Very few athletes reach new personal records without specific strategy guiding them. Like them, we plan, brainstorm and research until we have created a plan that will deliver top results for our clients. Our deep understanding of the PR industry gives us a significant advantage in creating effective strategies. We use our years of experience and community connections to tailor each PR campaign to each client’s needs. We expect success for our clients because we carefully figure out exactly what it takes to get the results they want, whether it is traditional media, social media or a combination of both.
• Don’t you love the way that each athlete takes so much pride in his or her country? MMI takes just as much pride in each client we represent. We develop personal and lasting relationships and are just as excited with their triumphs as they are. While there is always a high degree of professionalism between MMI and our clients, it is so much more than just a business partnership. We truly believe in what they are doing and want to help them succeed.
• If you have ever heard a gold medalist talk about their training routine, a common theme across countries and athletes of different sports is their unwillingness to accept anything less than perfection in their training. While we are slightly less rigorous about time logged in the gym, like them, we accept nothing less than perfection in our work. At MMI, we expect a wholehearted effort from everyone on our team to produce perfect results for our clients. We work hard and refuse to quit until our work product is perfect. We promise the best results to our clients and we are prepared to deliver on that promise. 
Although the next couple of weeks of Olympic events will to go by way too quickly, the athletes are sure to continue to inspire us as they keep competing and training for 2016 in Rio. As we watch their dedicated efforts and see them pushing the boundaries in their sports, their goals to shatter personal records drive us to want to elevate our own standards in public relations.  
Good luck, Team USA. The entire MMI staff cannot wait to cheer you on!

This upcoming Friday, July 27 marks the beginning of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. I cannot wait! It is so inspiring and amazing to watch athletes from all over the world put on their country’s colors, give their whole heart and effort, and try to bring home the gold. 

As you listen to the announcers, you are likely to hear talk of “PRs,” Olympic speak for personal records. If you stopped by our office, you would also hear “PR” used (probably more times than you could count), although here, it stands for something entirely different –  public relations. 

While no one on MMI’s staff can swim like Ryan Lochte or hurdle like Lolo Jones, we can relate to their desire to achieve top results and meet high standards. You might be surprised to learn that personal records and public relations have quite a few similarities. For example:

• Just as athletes’ personal records require them to have goals, success in public relations involves some serious setting of priorities. When we represent our clients, it is never without meticulous planning for their success. We set small targets to help us along the way to larger goals. We refer to these goals regularly and make the adjustments we need to keep us on track and score some points on behalf of our clients.

• Very few athletes reach new personal records without specific strategy guiding them. Like them, we plan, brainstorm and research until we have created a plan that will deliver top results for our clients. Our deep understanding of the PR industry gives us a significant advantage in creating effective strategies. We use our years of experience and community connections to tailor each PR campaign to each client’s needs. We expect success for our clients because we carefully figure out exactly what it takes to get the results they want, whether it is traditional media, social media or a combination of both.

• Don’t you love the way that each athlete takes so much pride in his or her country? MMI takes just as much pride in each client we represent. We develop personal and lasting relationships and are just as excited with their triumphs as they are. While there is always a high degree of professionalism between MMI and our clients, it is so much more than just a business partnership. We truly believe in what they are doing and want to help them succeed.

• If you have ever heard a gold medalist talk about their training routine, a common theme across countries and athletes of different sports is their unwillingness to accept anything less than perfection in their training. While we are slightly less rigorous about time logged in the gym, like them, we accept nothing less than perfection in our work. At MMI, we expect a wholehearted effort from everyone on our team to produce perfect results for our clients. We work hard and refuse to quit until our work product is perfect. We promise the best results to our clients and we are prepared to deliver on that promise. 

Although the next couple of weeks of Olympic events will to go by way too quickly, the athletes are sure to continue to inspire us as they keep competing and training for 2016 in Rio. As we watch their dedicated efforts and see them pushing the boundaries in their sports, their goals to shatter personal records drive us to want to elevate our own standards in public relations.  

Good luck, Team USA. The entire MMI staff cannot wait to cheer you on!

Image Source: Texample.net


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Ruth said...

Great post!  The Olympics are always amazing.  Glad to know mmi looks to the best in the world for their inspiration.

Jul 23, 2012