In an effort to provide potential clients with a clearer understanding of the process and benefits of POP Marketing™ and Public Relations services, we have compiled a series of questions that are frequently asked and prepared responses for each.

• Why Red Dawn Communications?
• What is Public Relations, and how does it differ from marketing communications?
• What are the pros and cons of hiring an external company for marketing and Public Relations?
• How do you measure success in media relations/marketing communications efforts?
• What are the advantages of retainer-based fees vs. hourly rates?
• How do I know I'm getting my money’s worth from a Public Relations campaign? What should I expect?

Red Dawn Communications has:

• A different vision: our goal from the onset was to create a different kind of a marketing firm that gives our clients a real alternative. We don't care about being the largest marketing firm, just one of the very best.
• A unique expertise in managing communications for entertainment and corporate clients. Through POP Marketing^TM we fuse the worlds of corporate and consumer marketing with the powerful influences of the entertainment industry.
• A distinct position: Red Dawn Communications provides intensive personal service, flexibility and senior practitioner involvement.

Red Dawn Communications is a full service firm, focusing on education and persuasion to the general consumer using various POP Marketing^TM tools to influence positive attitudinal change with an emphasis on media coverage in Public Relations. We believe in cultivating a two-way communication process to build media and influencer relationships and secure media results for our clients.

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Public Relations is about people relationship management. It is a special skill set where relationships are developed to maximize communication outreach to a specific target audience. Public Relations can influence the perception of a business, product and service. Media Relations is one of several PR tools which involves the placement of articles in print, broadcast and online media outlets.

Marketing communications defines the wider range of marketing options used to influence public opinion and/or drive business. These include advertising, promotions, special events and collateral materials such as brochures, flyers and giveaways. Public Relations is one of several key components of the overall marketing communication mix.

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The pros are:

• An outside firm that understands your business and industry can be a major asset, as it taps into a larger creative pool to help your communications strategy break "out of the box"
• Firms have deep resources and extensive media and industry relationships in place which means that they can achieve results faster
• An agency can become a resource to the media when it has multiple clients in the same industry
• Significant cost savings

The cons are:

• Some firms bring an experienced "team" of individuals to a new business pitch, then after being hired assign a junior account executive to spearhead the day-to-day activities. We at Red Dawn Communications guarantee that this is not our practice.

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Every client achieves a measurable return on investment. At Red Dawn Communications we directly align the investment you make with the bottom-line return achieved. The success is measured by whether a program has helped to achieve your identified business goals and objectives.

• PR Performance Measurement

  	Objectives and PR performance measurement tools will be proposed to the client at the beginning of the campaign
  	The more precise the objectives, the more measurable
  	Specific targets, specific results, specific timeframes

• Amount of editorial coverage - advertising dollar equivalents
• Quantity of interviews and coverage
• Breadth of coverage (rich mix of media)
• Growth of "buzz" (word of mouth)
• We also implement weekly accomplishments reports and various project-based activity reports to keep you informed

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One of the main advantages of a retainer fee is that it allows an agency to provide a higher level of service and more senior-level involvement. When a client is paying by the hour, this makes it very difficult for senior executives to spend meaningful time on that particular account as their billing rates are usually very high and absorb too much of the budget. Retainer-based billing enables staff at all levels to focus on maximizing results rather than tracking hours and cutting corners to complete the task at hand. Furthermore, it avoids the client being informed "we've run out of hours" midway through the month.

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You will know that you are getting your money’s worth when the news announcement being made generates positive press coverage and a "buzz" is created among the targeted audiences.