Kaye Public Relations Blog

If you are in the communications business, you have no doubt been studying the text and delivery of newly inaugurated President Barack Obama’s speeches. At Kaye PR, we are inspired by the President’s communications skills and we can’t help but wonder if he has explored the “Elevator Pitch” concept at some point in his career.

The Elevator Pitch was first introduced in 1991 by Geoffrey Moore in his influential book Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers. As Moore defined it, an Elevator Pitch is a 50-word overview of an idea for a company, product or service that can be delivered in about thirty seconds – or the time it takes to reach your floor in an elevator.  The premise is that you’ll likely run into someone in the elevator at a conference who can influence your success — and you’d better be able to quickly and crisply describe your idea.

The Elevator Pitch also applies to many other forms of communication. If you’re pitching journalists on your story or venture capitalists to secure funding for your company, thirty seconds may be all the time you get to make an impression. A good Elevator Pitch is an essential first step in the creation of highly effective marketing communications programs and an even greater asset in this era of instant online communications methods.

The Elevator Pitch formula is a simple one:
For  (target audience or customer)
Who (what they need or want)
Your company/product/service provides (key benefit, compelling reason to believe/invest/buy)

We’re thinking that maybe President Obama is familiar with the power of a good Elevator Pitch.  Even if he’s not, we think he had the ultimate Elevator Pitch opportunity last week.

Photo: Pete Souza/ The White House

On Wednesday the White House issued this photo of     the First Couple actually in an elevator on their way to an inaugural ball.  Maybe, just maybe, he turned to the staff members and Secret Service agents (who were trying to appear disinterested in the moment that he was sharing with Michelle) and said “While I have you here, may I tell you my idea for a new world? For all human beings who want peace and prosperity, the Obama administration provides hope and solid foundation for success. Are you with me?”

You never know when a great opportunity to deliver your crisp message may arise. It pays to be prepared — even if you are the guy at the top, and especially if you’re a bit distracted by current events.

Our affiliate-based marketing and PR network has been coming together on a project or campaign basis for almost a decade. We first introduced this “Essential Team Presence” model when the economy was hopping. Clients had really big budgets for outside marketing counsel then. But having been on the “buy side” of agency work ourselves, we didn’t want to lock clients (or ourselves) into cumbersome, long-term retainer agreements, typical of many traditional PR agencies. If clients needed project-based counsel from some of the most seasoned people in the business, that’s what we gave them.

The model succeeded. We won the confidence of really interesting clients and have sunk our collective teeth into fun and challenging projects. One of our first successes was the launch of a brilliant Bluetooth chip company that was acquired for $450M the day we told the world about them. We also managed the media relations activities for a Silicon Valley fundraiser where high-tech execs shared the bowling lanes with the San Jose Sharks hockey team. That event raised almost $1M for local charitable organizations. A startup semiconductor design services company in Wisconsin enlisted our services to help them differentiate their offerings and they attributed an up-tick in sales to the “Focus, Process, Team” identity we helped them create. We’ve helped put other startups on the map and we’ve executed very successful PR campaigns for well-established companies.

All the while, we have worked side-by-side with some really smart people. We love the work and clients recognize the tremendous value. Executing short-term projects doesn’t mean we have short-term relationships. We have clients that have been with us since we started and that means the world to us.

Can our model work in today’s economy? Clients are telling us that it makes even more sense now. Their belief in us is the fuel behind the inspiration to re-launch under a new name with some exciting, energetic new affiliates. 2009 is off to an exciting and promising start.