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Can Journalism Help Establish Your Brand?

DH | May 5, 2011 | 2 Comments

Important questions that are being asked often these days in the field of strategic communications:

Can the credible principles and standards of journalism help a company to favorably influence brand perception?
Is what is being called “brand journalism” an effective means to connect with audiences, broaden awareness and build trust in corporate brands?

We are seeing more examples every day that the answer is, Yes.

While the original concept of brand journalism was spawned by forward-looking marketing experts some years ago, it is today neither a marketing discipline nor associated with PR. It is not about the traditional style of pushing out announcements, promotions or press releases that seldom get any attention.

Stated simply, brand journalism helps to create a timely competitive edge through the appeal of real news and corporate storytelling, created by professional journalists. It is an effective model for managing how a company, issue, image or brand is perceived and talked about.

Reporter Russell Working has explored the brand journalism trend and has written an article for the popular online site, Ragan.com.

“Advocates say ‘brand journalism’ makes use of reporting techniques and increased transparency; critics call it an oxymoron,” Working writes.

Here’s an excerpt from his Ragan.com article, used with permission:

Some envision a communications future in which organizations spread their messages like bread-crumb trails through Twitter, Facebook or whatever new medium emerges next week.

Russell Working of Ragan.com.

But a new movement sees the future in an old media institution known for bad coffee, snappish editors and storytelling prowess under pressure: the newsroom.

A growing number of organizations are embracing a communications philosophy under a hotly debated name: “brand journalism.” They are hiring reporters and photographers to write articles, shoot pictures and produce videos that draw readers to their websites and heighten brand awareness.

Brand journalism is the effort by any organization—the military, corporations, rock bands, nonprofits—to position itself by creating content ranging from articles to video to white papers, says David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of Real-Time Marketing & PR.