For years, Ceisler Media has monitored media coverage and pertinent issues for our clients. Recently we stepped up the process by creating a Media Operations division. The team of six is led by Melissa Sherman Kozlowski, our Media Operations Executive.
Whether a client needs a crisis-related issue monitored, a pertinent policy tracked or daily clips collated, Melissa develops an individualized plan to meet the need. From there, she works with the Media Operations team members to ensure they are equipped with the necessary information to support our clients.
This division also gains from the leadership and guidance of Director Caitlin O’Connor and the mentorship of Director Elise Corbett. The three recently discussed the importance of media monitoring.
Melissa Sherman Kozlowski: Caitlin and Elise, you have monitored issues on behalf of our high-profile clients for many years. From your experience, why is staying on top of the news so essential?
Caitlin O’Connor: Monitoring the news is essential to the daily work we do for our clients because we must stay informed. As avid consumers of the news, we need to know not just what issues are being reported but how they are reported. Everything our firm does is grounded in strategy. Ceisler Media helps tell our clients’ stories, manage their reputations and build their brands. In order to operate from a position of strength, our firm has to stay updated on issues impacting our clients’ field of industry
Elise: I would add that a strong media operations team allows for more efficiency across the board. We can take on the work and allow our internal client account teams to more easily digest the information and strategize next steps. In addition, different client teams may need to monitor the same trends or news stories and not realize it, so the media operations team cuts down potential double work.
Our team’s offerings are growing rapidly. We perform multiple searches every day for a wide array of clients. It is important that everyone on the team is trained on all of the clips. And we are always trying to refine our searches and improve our reports, which includes augmenting with social media where we believe it is relevant.
I’ll ask you, Caitlin, what are important tips to share with new members of our team?