The age of the 24/7 news cycle is here to stay – News in Malaysia has seamlessly migrated to mobile devices and tablets within a few short years. Traditional newspaper readership have significantly fallen in the last five years. Corporations should be aware that fostering good media relations with journalists and editors (online and traditional) is an extremely cost effective way to promote, amplify and protect brands.

The media remains a highly influential medium particularly in the post-GE14 world – The press are enjoying a higher degree of editorial freedom since May 9, 2018. This means corporations have an opportunity to amplify their brands and positioning under the right circumstances but also need the right strategic counsel to protect their brands in the event of negative developments.

It is now the age of transparency – The 24/7 news cycle ensures that corporations do not completely control information. The media as well as citizen journalists can gain access from multiple sources – verified or not. It is best that corporations demonstrate integrity/transparency by using public relations to inform stakeholders via press channels.
Always remember that third party endorsements made possible via active distribution of messaging and proof points are powerful ways to build brand and business presence.

Your messaging must be on point – In social media, it is not the number of likes but messaging that makes all the difference in truly growing brand presence. A public relations/media relations consultant would be able to craft and tweak your key messages for maximum positive impact.

Media relations are a cheaper option (but sometimes more effective) than advertisements – Corporations traditionally assume that spending big ringgit on full-page advertisements in newspapers are the only way to amplify and grow their brand presence. Media relations, at a fraction of the cost, can accomplish so much more for brand credibility and corporate positioning particularly in a post-GE14 world.