Is your team clear about their priorities and mission? Is your work generating the media and other results your institution needs? Pete Mackey, President of Mackey Strategies discusses impact-oriented structures and strategies that make the most of the staff and budget you have to work with.

1. MAKING RESOURCES WORK FOR YOU
Pete Mackey, Ph.D.
President, Mackey Strategies
CASE Annual Conference
for Media Relations Professionals
Sept. 18, 2017
2:15 p.m.

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for Media Relations Professionals
Questions Under Discussion
Future: What is your office’s strategy?1
Present: How do you prioritize?2
Priority: Making heresy your friend?3
Alignment: Can heresy serve media relations?4
5
Discussion5
5

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Experience

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for Media Relations Professionals
Experience

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Types of Experience
Small staff
focused on
president
Extended
staff with
institutional
role
Single
operator
plus vendors
External
support to
institutions
Research 1
public
university
Private
college &
university
Private &
government
foundations
Consultancy

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1. Future:
What is your office’s strategy?

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Strategic Alignment
Institutional
Vision
Institutional
Strategy
Communications
Strategy
Communications
Tactics

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Living the Strategy
What defines it? What differentiates it?
What difference
does it make?
Why does it matter?
Who is your
institution?

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The Three Parts of Strategy
Define
overarching
messages
1
Bring these
messages to
life across
all media
2
Identify select
tactics for
priority
constituencies
3

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Five Strategic Constituent Questions
1
2
3
4
5
Who Are Your Key Constituencies?
What Do They Expect Now and Long-term?
What Constituent Actions Do You Reinforce?
What Changes in Constituent Actions Do You Seek?
Are You Creating the Desired Impact?

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Example Strategic Objectives
• Pride
• Giving
Alumni
• Applications
• Yield
Admissions
• Visibility
• Stature
Institution
• Engagement
• Word of mouth
Student
• Raise profile
• Manage crises
Media

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2. Present:
How do you prioritize?

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THAT Famous Priority Matrix

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Which Is Also THIS Priority Matrix

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3. Priority:
Making heresy your friend?

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Heresy (/ˈhɛɹəsi/) is any belief or theory that is
strongly at variance with established beliefs or
customs. A heretic is a proponent of such claims
or beliefs. Heresy is distinct from both apostasy,
which is the explicit renunciation of one's
religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy,
which is an impious utterance or action
concerning God or sacred things.*
* Courtesy of Wikipedia.

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Strategic Success = Goals + Resources
Message
Method
Strategy
Means

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A Heretical Priority Matrix?

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A Heretical Priority Matrix

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A Heretical Priority Matrix
• Sufficient Quality
• Fast Enough
• Get It Done
• Highest Quality
• Most Time
• Good Enough
• Fast Enough
Long-term
Impact,
Not
Strategic
Long-term
Impact,
Strategic
Short-term
Impact,
Strategic
Short-term
Impact,
Not
Strategic

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Another Type of Prioritizing…
Short-term
Strategic
Strategic
Non-strategic Time + Quality

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4. Alignment:
Can heresy serve media relations?

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Strategic Audiences…

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Everyone:
website, presidential communications, commencement, media
Sub-audiences
Alumni/donors/
parents
Magazine
Targeted
events/
mailings
Admissions
Viewbook
Targeted
events/
mailings
Campus
Events
Campus
notices/
news
Media
Campus
news/
crises

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Media
Types
Campus
Owned Earned
Local
Bought Regretted
National Social

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Speeches
Interviews
Letters
Emails
Phone Calls
Magazine
Newsletters
Brochures
News Stories
Press Releases
Calls/Meetings
Social Media
Advertising
Website
Video
E-newsletters
Social Media
Strategic Tactics
PRINT MEDIA RELATIONS
DIGITAL
COMMUNICATIONS
PERSONAL

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Not THIS Priority Matrix

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That Other Type of Prioritizing…
Short-term
Strategic
Long-term
Strategic
Time + QualityNon-
strategic

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This Heretical Priority Matrix
• Web stories
• Some social media
• Some event promotions
• Some social media
• Campus-only moments
• Most event promotions
• Earned, Paid Media
• Media Relationships
• Crisis Management
Good
Enough,
Fast
Enough
Highest
Quality,
Most Time
Sufficient
Quality,
Fast
Enough
Get It Done

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Strategic Alignment
Institutional
Vision
Institutional
Strategy
Comms
Strategy
Comms
Tactics
“Tactical
strategies”

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Discussion
Connect @PM_Strategies
pete@mackeystrategies.com
www.mackeystrategies.com

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Conclusion: There Is None –
Prioritizing Is a Cycle
Implementation
Creation/
Re-creation
Assessment
Strategy