In April I went on a week-long trip to Hong Kong and fell in love with the city – the hustle and bustle, the food and the people were all amazing. But one of my favorite experiences was getting a suit made to order. Most of the major shopping districts in Hong Kong have a set of tailors and getting a suit custom made is a common practice and one tourists often take advantage of. I sought out one specific shop that was raved about by more than one friend on social media. They told me that the quality and craftsmanship was great and the tailors worked magic with every preference and body type. Now you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this and how it relates to PR. Well, not only does the suit look good, but the process reminded me of the work we do for our clients on a daily basis.
When you walk into the small shop, no more than 20 x 20 feet in size, the first thing you notice are the 20-30 people that are already packed into the room. The second thing you notice is that the clientele are speaking, on average, four or five different languages. We went in three separate times and heard English, Russian, German, French, Italian, Cantonese, Mandarin and Spanish, to name just a few.
You would think that all of those languages would create communication difficulties for the staff in the shop. Most of the tailors spoke English, but not all of them did. So while I was being fitted for my suit there was a lot of nodding, pointing, and measuring. Despite a language barrier the garments that I got at the end of the process were better than any suit I have ever purchased in the United States.
When I wear that suit it reminds me of what we do in public relations: we translate different “languages” into a tailored product that helps our clients reach the audiences they want to reach. Each audience is unique from industry to industry, region to region and culture to culture. Just like how some people prefer a two or three button suit, different audiences have their own preferences on how they will receive and be moved by a message.
At The Fearey Group we pride ourselves on serving as a partner to our clients, embedding ourselves into your business and serving as an integral part of your team. We have the expertise to tailor your goals into public relations strategies that reach your audience. The team has decades of experience in industries of all shapes and sizes, and like the tailor shops, craft strategic public relations plans to match your business needs and get you to your target audiences. Our end goal is always a perfect fit that delivers results, drives your business forward and shows your target audiences how great you look.
About Chris Guizlo
Coffee Lover, Travel Addict, Political junkie, Former Washingtonian Turned Seattleite, Twice an #AmericanU Grad and @ChrisGuizlo on Twitter