200702 ALR Blogs on “How Faith Informs our Work;” Mission-driven Values and Brand Distinctive

· ALRC is an award-winning, full-service public relations agency founded in 1994,

that serves innovative faith-based and humanitarian leaders and organizations

through strategic public relations consultation, media relations and

representation, digital communications, and crisis/reputation management.

· Bringing together nearly 45 years of experience, the Agency has represented an

impressive and diverse roster of client organizations, authors, leaders,

denominations, churches, non-profits, ministries, products and films around the

world.

· For nearly 34 years, ALRC personnel have provided all domestic and international

media support for evangelist Billy Graham, for whom Founder & CEO Larry Ross

served as personal spokesperson and director of media/public relations, beginning in 1981.

OUR TEAM

· Our team operates at the intersection of faith and

culture, specializing in communications projects that

cross-over between the mainstream and Christian

markets.

· We seek to assist our clients in reaching their

communications objectives, working on their behalf to

secure an expanded presence in media forums in order

to share their personal stories, brand distinctives and

targeted messages with prioritized audiences.

· The Agency’s goal is not to manufacture an image for any

client, but rather to establish and project its existing

identity to a broadened group of target audiences.

· We leverage years of experience and all the public

relations vehicles available to help manage issues,

framing and disseminating client messages to the right

people at the right time.

· The Agency approaches public relations as a management function

that speaks to as well as for organizational leadership. We measure

success by our ability to effectively influence awareness on behalf

of our clients regarding important issues of faith and culture. Further,

we assess both the quantity and quality of a campaign’s results,

ensuring strategies and tactics are meeting attainable goals.

OUR EXPERTISE

· ALRC stands out for professionalism, personal involvement and sensitivity to

the unique culture and needs of our clients. Our team becomes an extension

of our clients’ impact and influence, with an understanding of their goals,

deepened by our commitments.

· Through our more than 26-year history as an agency, our team has had the

privilege of serving alongside a variety of leaders, organizations and entities

across a broad spectrum of industries and expertise.

OUR EXPERIENCE

· ALRC stands out for professionalism, personal involvement and sensitivity to

the unique culture and needs of our clients. Our team becomes an extension

of our clients’ impact and influence, with an understanding of their goals,

deepened by our commitments.

· Through our more than 26-year history as an agency, our team has had the

privilege of serving alongside a variety of leaders, organizations and entities

across a broad spectrum of industries and expertise.

ALRC seeks to assist our clients in reaching their communications objectives, working on their behalf to secure an expanded media presence through appropriate media forums. The Agency goes beyond merely informing media and their audiences to educating them about important issues relative to the Christian faith.

The Agency’s goal is not to manufacture an image for any client, but rather to establish and project an identity – which already exists – to a broadened group of target audiences. We go beyond merely informing media and their audiences about our clients’ and their programs to educating them about issues relative to the Christian faith.

We communicate with reporters in language they understand, translating and transposing our clients’ messages in the context of traditional news values – the common currency used by any reporter to provide stories of interest and relevance to their audience.

advocacy/issues management/opinion

At a time when many ministries are becoming more activist-oriented, Christian leaders and organizations represented by ALRC have increased their global impact by functioning as advocates for the Christian faith, showing how the Gospel is relevant to our culture.

For years, evangelist Billy Graham has emphasized that problems people perceive to be economic, social or political are really spiritual in nature, as they are “problems of the heart.” Similarly, many other ALRC clients have demonstrated their ability and accessibility as authoritative “go to” resources to the media, showing how the Bible speaks to important issues as well as individual and societal problems.

Often, ALRC client principals and spokespersons are called upon to provide the “Good News behind the bad news,” offering a balance to the stories of the day. Our media liaison takes place on several levels, often going well-beyond institutional news and features to address issues with a moral or spiritual dimension. Often these individuals don’t just respond to the those issues, but rather define them from a biblical perspective – reframing the picture for reporters and their audiences about what is really at stake.

ALRC specializes in writing for a purpose. While Agency press releases and other media communications emphasize the news value for a reporter, ALRC's understanding of media needs, combined with our heart for our clients' messages enables us to simultaneously underscore what is of value about the news being disseminated. We write passionately and we write well, with a purpose to not only inform, but also inspire. From straight news articles to editorial and opinion pieces aimed at clearly communicating the messages our clients are dedicated to sharing with their publics, ALRC puts pen to paper with point and principle.

corporate branding and positioning

By and large, ALRC clients are not calling people to a cause, but bringing them back to faith in God; they exist to meet – rather than create -- felt needs among their audiences and constituencies.

Following the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, many organizations found themselves struggling to survive. On the other hand, organizations represented by the Agency – such as The Salvation Army, American Bible Society and many others -- were on the front lines, directly helping people affected by the tragedy and offering hope and perspective to a watching world trying to cope.

Gus Niehbur, former religion editor of the “The New York Times,” views religion and faith as shaping forces in society. For Christian organizations to be positioned in the context of news, they need to sell a story about their impact and influence by identifying where their message or mission intersects other forces like politics, economics, business and social development.

Similarly, Ken Woodward, religion editor of “Newsweek,” sees himself as a theologian of culture, whose field is the culture of religion. His job is to identify how religion influences the way people think, feel and act. He, too, always sees religion stories in context of other disciplines such as science, health, business and economics.

Parallel to what is happening in the business world, Christian organizations and ministries are becoming more “niche-oriented,” packaging and presenting the Gospel message for specific audience segments – such as youth, men, women, artists, professionals, etc.

ALRC has helped many organizations identify their audience and prioritize the specialized messages and application they want to impart. Equally important, however is providing insight into the third leg of the communications’ stool – determining what those audiences are doing when the organization wants to reach them.

A team of Christian-focused PR professionals with more than 40 years experience in cross-over communications between marketers, ministries and media to engage the public in matters of spirituality, faith and values

A relational approach to marketing movies, representing the Church/Christian community to Hollywood and vice-versa

An inclusive approach to movie marketing – often working seamlessly with other agencies and entities for the best of the project

An understanding of how the Christian audience thinks, having maintained professionalism while becoming a part of the community – perceived as insiders, not outsiders looking in.

A track record of strong media liaison for faith and family films resulting in a reservoir of trust among Christian leaders and reporters (both Catholic and Protestant) that we only become involved in projects that can be wholeheartedly supported by their audiences

crisis communications

“Crisis PR is not a proper and above board Yale debate. Rather, it is guerilla warfare in the jungle of public opinion.” Anonymous

Crisis communication concerns the second reality in any emergency -- what people think has happened, or what they perceive. Contrary to popular belief, a crisis doesn’t necessarily have to be bad, it is merely characterized by a degree of risk and uncertainty.

Crisis management is the art of removing much of the risk and uncertainty to allow an organization to have more control over its destiny, by reducing the number of unknowns and conditioning appropriate behavior. Taking positive action and communicating effectively requires skillful news management, not censorship.

During a crisis, particular attention is paid to the messages communicated, the tone and emotion conveyed, and the perceived competency of the spokespersons. These all play a major role in shaping a ministry’s reputation, credibility and goodwill – which often take major positive or negative swings during and after a crisis has occurred.

Crises are communications-driven. Information spreads from media to media, and a sharing of news information is almost inevitable. This is particularly true in our current Internet age, where any article written becomes part of permanent databases that can fuel stories for years to come.

Public relations does not create false images, rather it emphasizes positive, true images. PR can focus attention away from the negative aspects of an issue to focus on the positive, equally true aspects of an issue about which an organization is better able to communicate.

reputation management

“Think of public relations as a mirror on the wall in your home – it reflects what you are. Think of reputation management as the foundation of your house – it is unsound, your house will tumble to the ground, mirror and all.”

Davis Young, author

Building Your Company’s Good Name

According to “Reputation Management”, a bi-monthly trade journal, Reputation Management is a counseling discipline that “recognizes the importance of reputation as an organizational asset, and seeks to insure that management decisions are taken in an environment in which reputational implications are fully understood, evaluated and considered.

It is further defined as “a results oriented management function that seeks to leverage reputation as an asset, enlisting important stake-holder groups -- most important of which are employees and the media -- to assist the organization in the achievement of management objectives and minimize their resistance.”

The most valuable asset possessed by any organization – particularly those with a Christian foundation or mission – is its reputation. Unfortunately, it is often ignored until there is trouble and the organization finds its good reputation in jeopardy.

Then damage control takes center stage, demanding the attention of the top management team and communications department and prompting a response to the media and public that is all too often defensive and focused entirely on bringing the crisis to a quick end.

A good reputation in earned. The good name of a ministry, church, or organization is based on the development of and adherence to good policies and effective outreach over time, not reactive crisis communications for bad policies or ineffective programs.

Reputations of religious organizations, like corporations in the business arena, are determined by a consensus of internal and external stakeholders (employees, supporters, public, media). But, there is one important difference. Christian organizations or secular companies managed on Christian principles have a primary constituency of One. ALRC has consulted with a number of Christian organizations to create a culture in which long-term reputation enhancement outweighs short-term expediency.

As a “third party” with extensive experience in observing changing public and media perceptions, ALRC is uniquely positioned to advise ministry management on how decisions may affect public opinion – particularly as they may be postured in the media.

Agency mission and purpose (Original Version)

"Few people are seeking to remove God from their life. They're just not sure when and how often they will pencil him into their schedule."

George Barna, president of Barna Research Group

Mission Statement:

ALRC effectively operates between ministries and media to engage the public in matters of spirituality, faith and values. ALRC helps organizations with a Christian foundation increase their impact with thoughtful positioning of their stories in the context of traditional news values.

Purpose Statement:

To further the Kingdom of God through professional involvement in ministry and media.

ABOUT US

ALRC is an advocate for organizations with Christian foundations. But we offer more than just the tools to succeed. Our team of public relations professionals has the expertise, experience and passion necessary to carve a communications niche in today’s crowded multi-media universe.

The Agency stands out for professionalism, personal involvement and sensitivity to our clients’ distinctive culture and needs. Though like most other agencies we need to moderately charge for our account services, no client can pay us to care – we choose to give that away for free. As communications partners with the organizations we serve, our understanding of their goals, deepened by our own commitments, enable us to work seamlessly as an extension of their ministry or mission.

Experience, knowledge, relationships and our personal commitment generate client confidence that ALRC can not only develop message points and hooks for news or feature stories, but open lines that promote their ongoing participation in future media opportunities.

The Agency has a conservative philosophy and accepts new ministry partnerships based on:

· Religion (individuals, churches, Para church ministries)

· Relief/development and humanitarian non-profits

· Reach – helping mainstream organizations penetrate the Christian community with important messages

· Reinforcement – promoting the value-added dimension of faith and values on behalf of mainstream companies run by Christians or on Christian principles

· Relationships (with Agency personnel)

From strategic consultation and planning to tactical implementation and media coordination for large up-linked events, ALRC provides an effective interface between ministry and media.

our distinctives

“Sometimes I think I pray as much about press conferences as I do about my sermons. It’s so easy to say a sentence that someone can misunderstand. It is so easy to be misinterpreted.”

Billy Graham

ALRC serves to extend the impact of Christian based organizations or projects and the influence of Christian leaders to a broadened group of target audiences, with minimal demands on their time.

In providing Media/Public Relations consultation and representation, ALRC seeks to help clients:

Approach media from a ministry, rather than a marketing perspective, showing how the Christian message speaks to individual and societal problems

Remain pastoral, not political, in their position on issues in the media

Speak from their heart, not their head

Put the emphasis less on activism for a particular issue or cause and more on advocacy for the Christian faith

Focus on things that don’t require a reporter to be of like mind or faith to see it as news

Project the identity of their organization – that already exists – rather than trying to manufacture an image

Meet the media’s needs first -- by emphasizing news -- but to go beyond merely the facts to impart understanding to the reporter that he or she can convey to their audience

Educate the media and their audiences about their organization and related issues, rather than merely inform them about ministry activities

Remain aware, when applicable, that they ultimately represent the Kingdom of God – not just their church, ministry, organization or its leadership