There's something special about the summertime. Always has been.

When I was a kid, summertime was all about baseball. The concept of baseball games every night coupled with no school was almost too good to be true.

Then, as a teenager, summer was all about basketball camp.

Of course, there were the college years, during which summertime meant internships, and, in fact, summertime has meant internships for me ever since, just from a different perspective as the years have gone by. 15 years ago, I was the intern. Now, I hire them.

But from the days when I was an intern myself until now, when I see interns coming and going all the time, one thing has remained constant:

The expectations an employer should have of an intern.

What are those expectations? Well, my father gave me the secret back in the summer of 1991, and I am still grateful to him for providing it to me. And ever since then, I have shared that secret with all interns I have employed, as I believe that secret is a major key to success in this industry.

The secret is comprised of four parts:

1. Work hard.
2. Bring boundless energy and enthusiasm to the table.
3. Be willing to do anything to help the company.
4. When you leave the office each day, think about at least one new thing you learned that day.

That's it. It's that simple. Why? Because no company with half a corporate-brain can expect anything beyond those traits from an intern. Not only that, but you will be amazed by how much you will grow if you stick to those characteristics. Let's take a quick look at each of them to understand better what they mean ...

Work hard - This means that whatever the task or activity you have been given, it is crucial to make sure that you put everything into it. That means that if you are writing a draft of a news release, you will read and reread what you have written 10 times to make sure it is as well-written as it can be. This will enable you to make a name for yourself as someone who does everything they can to get the job done at as high a level as possible.

Bring boundless energy and enthusiasm to the table - I don't mean this in a Jim Carrey kind of way. It's not about uncontrolled energy. It's about communicating to those around you that you are so excited to be part of the company, part of the PR world, part of the business world, etc. But here's the key - You will be amazed at how much you will stand out, just by demonstrating energy and enthusiasm for our craft. If someone gives you a task to do, thank them for it. Tell them you are excited to help. If you need work, go to your supervisor and ask if there's anything you can do. The results will do great things for you.

Be willing to do anything to help the company - No one likes an intern who turns down a project. No matter what, say yes. Can you please make copies? Yes. Can you draft this news release? Yes. Can you find out the phone number for this reporter? Yes. Do this, and little by little the quality of assignment will increase. Know why? People love working with people who just want to help.

When you leave the office each day, think about at least one new thing you learned that day - Why is this one important? Well, how else are you going to be able to see the learning experiences when they are happening? When I did my first internship, my dad said to me after the first day, "What did you learn today?" And I told him. Then, he asked me every single day for the first few weeks, and everyday, I was able to tell him something. Pretty soon I went about my day looking for things to learn and sure enough, I never left that office without learning something every single day. But had I not been looking for something to learn, maybe I wouldn't have learned as many things.

So that's it. If you are an intern, focus on those four areas and you will have a wonderful internship experience. Not only that, but your employer will consider you one of the best interns s/he has ever hired. And if you are an employer, don't expect too much from your interns, but DO expect them to work hard, energetically, with a hunger for learning and with a willingness to do anything to help your company.

As a former intern, I can tell you that it works.

I have long been of the opinion that Modern Art was trash.
It amused me no end that people would pay millions of dollars for a bunch of scribbles and paint splashes, scribbles that are usually found on a pristine white wall with a guilty looking crayon-wielding three year old standing beside them. I mean, do they think we're all idiots? Is this a constant reenactment of 'The Emperor's New Clothes'?

Apparently not. About 2 years ago I was dragged on a trip to the Tate Modern gallery in London, by a friend who was far less artistically challenged than me. We entered an exhibit called 'Open Systems: Rethinking Art' where many types of exhibits where shown, in all manner of mediums.

I stopped in confusion in front of a pair of red plastic boxes mounted on the wall. On each there was a single word, and when an internal light turned on, the word would light up. When one box was lit, the other was dark. One box had PING on it, and the other, you guessed it, PONG. As the boxes switched on and off alternatively, the viewer's eyes flicked right and left, PING, PONG, PING, PONG, back and forth. And a slow smile formed on my face as I realized that the artist had cleverly re-created the movements of an audience watching a ping pong match (table tennis to all those who aren't British), using 2 red boxes and some imagination. Was it art? Maybe. Was it clever? Without a doubt.

It hit me then, maybe that was it, maybe Modern Art was not about painting talent and masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, maybe Modern Art was about IDEAS.
Making you stop. Making you think. Making you remember the artist's name.

This is what good PR should do as well. Every day you are inundated with information, and drowned by images and data. Only once in a while, you see something that makes you...

...stop. And look again.

This is our business, and we treat it like an art.

Those of us who grew up in the U.S. PR world are familiar with the important concept of connecting your client/product to current events or trends. For example, when we launched the Oscar Mayer fat-free hot dog back in January, 1995, we hopped onto the trend of formerly fattening foods making attempts to reinvent themselves as less unhealthy. That trend, by the way, is why, for example, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC - no one wants the word "fried" in its corporate name. It's, well, not so good for business.

Anyway, when we were on the cusp of the Gregorian calendar's change from 1999 to 2000, just about every single consumer-oriented company tried to connect their brand with "2000" in one way or another.

So here we are, and our State of Israel is about to celebrate her 60th birthday. And sure enough, every Tom, Dick and Harry of Israeli companies is doing its best to connect somehow to this national milestone that is the biggest since, well, the 50th, and will be the biggest until, I guess, the 70th.

I'm personally not a big fan of anniversaries, when it comes to news. I don't think there's much that can be done by a reporter to acknowledge an anniversary except to simply acknowledge it. Companies are always thinking about how to "Get PR out of" an anniversary, etc., but I just don't see the news value there.

But there is one exception where I think it does make sense to try to connect what you have with an anniversary ...

If your company or product or technology, etc. has been one of the significant milestones along the way for, let's say, the State of Israel, then promote the heck out of it next week. Because you are part of what has enabled Israel to reach 60, in essence.

But if your product is not significant to Israel's history (yet), then do your credibility a favor and resist the temptation to try to gain publicity. It could actually help your PR efforts in the long run.

There is a phenomenon in the business world - specifically in the tech sector - that a particular technology will be "disruptive," or that it serves as a platform for a "killer app," or the cliché I like most of all ... that it will be "revolutionary." The truth is that something is only disruptive after the fact. A killer app is only determined once it has become popular. And revolutions should be limited to political/military circles.

Some of you may be familiar with the feeling a child has upon entering - for the first time - Yankee Stadium (or any stadium, for that matter). There is simply no description that can do it justice. It is only understood if experienced, and there is absolutely no concern about a parent building it up to be more than it is. The delivery exceeds the promise, no matter how big the promise is.

But for most things, and certainly when it concerns a new technology, product or even movie, for that matter, once the promise reaches a particularly high level, the reality will never be able to match it. This is the case even if your technology will do something that has never been done before.

We once had a client that claimed its product was going to quite literally change the world (I still believe it can, by the way). But that confidence/arrogance got in the way of impressing the media because the client simply said the product worked, and didn't clarify the conditions under which the product was most effective. So a reporter from a MAJOR news outlet tested the product and ... guess what? - It didn't work. We went back to the client with the reporter's findings and only then did the client explain that the product had to be under conditions x, y and z, and then it would work.

Oftentimes, clients are concerned that if they tell the entire story in a factual way they will lose the "newsy" edge that comes with a product that is "perfect in every way." But the opposite is true. Reporters and editors have been around the block enough times to know that nothing - truly nothing - is perfect. So you may as well describe your product as it is, rather than have a reporter find out the negatives after you have told him there are none.

It's all about the credibility of your product, your company and - ultimately - you.

Okay, so I'm paraphrasing that classic line from The Wizard of Oz, when Toto pulls open the curtain in the Wizard's palace, revealing that the Wizard is none other than a man operating a bunch of bells and whistles, projecting an image on a wall. And it's a thorough disappointment for Dorothy and her friends. Well, until the man behind the curtain saves the day by demonstrating to the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Dorothy that what they yearn for is closer than they thought.

We recently brought on a new team member. He's a former business reporter with the Jerusalem Post, and we expect terrific things from him. And in fact, he is already doing a great job, just a couple weeks into his career here.

And he and I haven't yet spoken about how it feels for him to be on this side of the story, versus the journalist's side. But I have to think it's a bit of shell-shock for him. And one could become concerned that maybe someone in his position would be turned off by seeing what we do here, in terms of crafting messages, training spokespeople and writing news releases. I mean, it could be a real cynicism-inducing development in one's life, no?

But that's where I believe we can do some seriously good work. If we can conduct ourselves in a way that we are focusing our attention on communicating credible information on behalf of our clients, rather than "spinning" their story to push a less-than-honest agenda, we can demonstrate to this new employee that in fact, we are not "on the other side." We are on the same side.

If we can succeed in doing this, we become a resource to - and not the enemy of - the media. And since that's why our clients are hiring us in the first place, we may as well follow through, right?

Just like the "Wizard" wound up helping the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin-man without having to be more than he really was ...

I have always been a fan of magic. Not to the degree that I have ever paid money to attend a show of one of the mega-magicians like David Copperfield or Penn & Teller, but anytime I have seen a magician on television or even at a kids' birthday party, I'm riveted. Especially David Blaine. He's terrific.

Recently, I had occasion to sit in on a presentation by a magician who will be emceeing one of our client's upcoming events. To demonstrate that he was the right guy for the job, he did a few tricks for the marketing group. The first one involved him changing the time on someone's watch without touching it. And amazingly, it worked. The second one was a card trick, and it also worked perfectly. The third one, and it doesn't matter what it was, didn't work.

And what happened at that point was incredible. You could look around the room and see that everyone lost all confidence in this magician. The guy had changed the time on someone's watch not even five minutes earlier, and now we all thought he was a fraud.

Not really fair, right?

But then again, a magician is meant to do magic, so if he can't do it, he's not a magician.

On the other hand, you have the juggler. The juggler doesn't have such a high standard. If a juggler is able to juggle 17 knives for three minutes, he's a great juggler. And if his next juggling act involves juggling two watermelons, four pineapples and a grape, and after one and a half minutes he drops a pineapple, everyone will still consider him a very good juggler. Because he's proven that he has the proper skills, and perhaps he just blinked at the wrong time or hiccupped, causing that pineapple to fall.

That's the difference between a magician and a juggler. A magician does tricks, which means it's all or nothing. A juggler demonstrates a skill for keeping a bunch of things moving at the same time, which means he can be a pretty good juggler without the requirement of perfection.

I think some companies expect that they will hire a PR firm and the results will be magical. The company will see its reputation skyrocket, just because they are now paying a PR firm to do its "magic."

Unfortunately, that's not how it works. What we at Ruder Finn try to do is increase PR/marketing momentum for our clients. We're like jugglers. We want a bunch of things to be moving at the same time so our client's market will respond with a "WOW!" If the company comes out with some news that isn't great, or maybe a competitor wins a big deal, I see that as the equivalent of the dropped pineapple. Okay, they dropped the pineapple, but they're still great jugglers!

But the key ingredient to this is time. A company must invest the time necessary to build that momentum. It must first juggle five bowling pins, and then ten knives, and then three chainsaws, and only then will the credibility and momentum be at a high level.

And then the market will recognize the company as the star it deserves to be.

Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, recently demanded that Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) recognize the Jewish nature of the State of Israel. And lest you think I have flipped my wig and decided to provide political commentary in this space that has until now been devoted to communications and marketing, you can rest easy. This IS about communications and it is about PR.

You see, no one in the entire world - even among Israel's enemies - considers the State of Israel to be anything but the state of the Jews. It was founded as the Jewish state, and it is run that way, in many aspects of our society. The Jewish holidays are also public holidays. And that's not to say people of other faiths are not free to worship as they please. In fact, they are. But all food on the national airline (El Al) is certified kosher. And Israel's flag is a combination of the star that our tradition tells us adorned the shield of King David, and the blue stripes and white background of the Jewish prayer shawl. To further prove the point, here's an example of an Israeli commercial.

Israel is Jewish.

Now, here's where you will see that I'm not making any political statements.

When our prime minister introduces the concept that maybe Israel is not Jewish, simply by asking Abu Mazen to confirm that Israel is Jewish, that's a major PR mistake.

You see, in communications, sometimes NOT saying something is more definitive than saying something. And Mr. Olmert made a mistake by raising this topic, because until now, the world simply considered Israel to be the Jewish state. It is only now, when Israel's prime minister himself raised doubt, that the world may come to ask further questions.

I haven't read it yet, but I love the list, and it certainly applies to the communications industry quite nicely. I've listed all 10 below, and given my view of how such people can impact a business. I wonder how close I am to saying what the authors have said ...

The Slacker - In the PR world, we are ultimately paid by the hour, even if sometimes we bill according to project or monthly retainer. If one member of the account team is not carrying his weight, it puts tremendous pressure on the other team members to work even more efficiently. But what's interesting about our industry is that someone who has strong media relations skills can actually be quite productive and still fit into this category. As a former boss of mine once said, "If you get your client into USA Today, you can go home for the day." The idea is that certain high-profile media "hits" will help a company sometimes 100 times as much as 10 articles in other publications. So the Slacker is especially dangerous when s/he also has the ability to make great things happen. I once worked with someone like this. But we'll get to her a little later, because she fits comfortably into another category as well.

The Pessimist - In the world of marketing, there is absolutely no room for pessimism. Put simply, our mantra needs to be, at all times, "If you will it, it is no dream." (Theodor Herzl) So often, our clients are trying to do something that has never been done before. In essence, they pay us to be optimistic, and to help them accomplish something that seems beyond their reach. Similarly, in the media relations game, it is absolutely forbidden to think that getting your client in a major publication is impossible. It is possible. Always.

The Spotlight Hog - We've all had the opportunity, unfortunately, to work with people who fit into this group. They are the ones who talk about themselves glowingly in team meetings, who send emails to the boss about the great work they've done and who make sure to speak loudly enough so others can hear about their successes. Not only are these people annoying, but this personality is fatally flawed when it comes to marketing. Our job is to make our clients (whether we are in-house or at an agency) look good. If we receive recognition, fine, but the key is pushing others into the forefront.

The Controller - On the one hand, you'd think that someone with a controlling personality would do well in this business. After all, so much in the world of PR and marketing has to do with managing many details at once. And you'd be partially right. But the other half of our job is rolling with the punches, or, as some put it, going with the flow. So often, things do not play out according to the plan. It is at that point that the best show their ability to think quickly and creatively to ensure the results are still strong for the client. A controller will normally just buckle under the frustration of things not working as they were originally outlined.

The Out-Of-Toucher - So now we can take a closer look at the person I mentioned above. She had been doing media relations for about 20 years, and therefore had terrific relationships with key, high-level media. But all she did was contact media. She didn't write. She didn't offer strategy. She didn't even report results to the client. She just contacted the media. This to me is an example of someone who was simply out-of-touch with the way the business world - or at least the PR world - has evolved. Today, PR people need to be much more well-rounded, and more in-line with what a client's business goals are, not just clear on what the communication goals are. But there's another subcategory within the Out-of-Toucher classification. Every company has a culture. And we've all worked with someone who simply doesn't fit in. And when you are in the communication business, and your clients as well as external audiences are depending on your team to operate AS A TEAM, one person who is not on the same page as the rest can really ruin things.

The Gossiper - We're all familiar with the concept of "around the water cooler." Well, the gossiper is someone who doesn't need a water cooler to talk about what is going on at a firm. But the gossiper is a poison for two reasons: 1. S/he talks about people behind their backs and lowers others' opinions of that person; and 2. they waste valuable work time talking about things that are frankly irrelevant. Not only that, but by spending their time gossiping, they fit quickly nicely into the Slacker category above, don't they? One last point: In the PR/Marketing industry, we are often involved in HIGHLY confidential initiatives. So I ask you, would you have faith that a Gossiper would ever be able to keep your sensitive issues confidential? Me neither.

The Dictator - There are some businesses that I believe can get away with a dictatorial management system. But here in the world of communications, where creativity and open-mindedness is so important, everyone on the team must believe that his/her opinion counts, and that s/he is capable of coming up with the next BIG idea. I once had a supervisor who had a horrible habit when it came to brainstorming sessions. No matter how many good or not-so-good ideas had been tossed around in the meeting, she would - without fail - slam her hand on the table about 34 minutes into the session and say, "I've got it! How about if we ..." and then she would proceed to offer an idea for an initiative that she may have done 5 or 10 years ago for another client in another situation. And then the meeting was over. That was it. Where's the opportunity for creativity in that kind of environment? There is no place for a dictator in the PR/marketing world.

The Coward - Needless to say, the coward won't do well in a "dictator-based" environment. But the truth is that such a person won't do well in general in marketing, because you have to have guts in this industry. I may be revealing a bit of an industry secret here, but much of what we do is based on common sense, with a good portion of logic thrown in as well. In that context, anyone who can think straight and has self-confidence can excel. And I'm not exaggerating. But one personality trait that is crucial, whether speaking with a client, a reporter or a colleague, is self-assuredness and assertiveness. Those who hesitate do not do well here, whereas someone who "thinks quick" will often become a star. Our clients want to know that we have smart thinking to offer, and they want us to have that smart thinking at the ready. And the media, who often put us on the spot, need to be responded to in a smart, compelling way ... every time. Mix in a healthy dose of Israeli toughness into the batter and the product is an industry that must be coward-free.

The Hypocrite - As a father of six, I can tell you that saying one thing to my kids and acting the opposite way, whether it has to do with diet, anger, priorities or even sleeping patterns, is not only my biggest fear, but also a pretty clear recipe for kids who don't listen/respect me. And the same goes in the business world. Saying one thing and believing another is sure to lead those around you to lose respect for you. And in the communications business, where words can be so powerful, the real winners are those who not only say things in a compelling way, but also act that way to drive home the message about whatever issue is at hand.

The Buzz Killer - There was a great character in Saturday Night Live a few years back called "Debbie Downer." Here's a YouTube clip about her. (It's a great skit. Watch the whole thing ...) Anyway, she's quite a caricature, but not so far off from reality. And when I first saw this list, I asked myself why there needed to be both a Pessimist and a Buzz Killer listed, and I think I know the reason. It's a matter of timing. The Pessimist is the one who believes something won't work out well. The Buzz Killer gives his/her dark view after the fact. And that's even worse, especially in the agency world, where we are always having to look in the mirror and grade ourselves. We tried hard and got results. How strong were the results? Is the client happy? If the client isn't happy, are his/her expectations too high? If so, let's ask ourselves, how did we do? Well, sometimes the answer is that we did great! And the last thing we need is for the Buzz Killer to come along and pour cold water on the good mood. All it accomplishes is to kill any momentum the team may be feeling. And, as you know, the communications business is all about momentum.

Let me know your thoughts! I'd love to hear what YOU think about the 10 People Who Suck ...

But here in Israel, there's a different feel, and not just because the sports scene isn't as robust as it was in The States.

It's different here because we've just finished an 8-10 week period that can be best described as "non-work"-focused.  I'm talking about the lethal combination of summertime vacations followed immediately by the Jewish Holidays.  

Last Thursday marked the end of the Jewish Holiday season, so we now have a long stretch of time leading all the way to the end of the year.  (Well, Chanukah is in there toward the end of the year, but it doesn't have the religious stringencies that result in time away from the office.)  

What that means is that we'll all got to shift away from chill out mode and into intensity mode very quickly.  It's the equivalent of a car standing still and then suddenly having to speed up to 100 mph.

That's the challenge ahead of all Israeli business over these last three months of the year.  And they will be counting on companies like Ruder Finn to help them make great things happen to finish the year strong … and to have marketing, brand, public perception and media relations momentum leading into 2008.

And we'll be ready.  Like I said, this time of year has always been one of my favorites.

But closing the doors of the offices themselves doesn't mean shutting down operations.  Manufacturing is still being done for product companies, and services are still being provided by those companies that offer services.

However, when it comes to marketing and PR, it seems Israeli companies see value in scaling back activity during these months, when in fact the opposite should be true.

Why?  Because newspapers, magazines, websites, television and radio still need stories.  They all publish articles or broadcast stories on a regular basis, and they – to be sure – do NOT take off three months for vacations and the Jewish holidays.

And that is why Israeli companies that are serious about their marketing should see the tremendous opportunity available to them during this time of year.  And the beauty of it all is that by simply continuing their marketing activities at the usual level, the impact can be that much greater!

Listen, the marketing/PR game is one of momentum in any case, so there really is no good argument for scaling back activity at any time during the year.  But when there is such a news vacuum during the summer that companies can fill easily, it seems unfortunate that companies aren't taking better advantage of this golden opportunity.

But here's something to consider: Perhaps their competitors ARE taking advantage of it …

So what does this have to do with the craft of public relations?

In my 15 years in this industry, I have had the privilege of speaking to the media regarding incredible stories, such as the launch of Oscar Mayer's fat-free hot dog and the growing popularity of a currency designed to reside only on the Internet.  I have also had the opportunity to speak with the media about stories with far less appeal and newsworthiness.  As we all know, there are many such cases.  In fact, a former colleague of mine from San Francisco once said that certain news releases are to be thought of as "market-texture" releases, rather than true news items.  His feeling was that there are times when a company has to be "on-record" as having a specific technology or product, even though it's not major enough for journalists to sit down and write about it.

His point is an important one, and ties back to the story of "Ze'ev Ze'ev."  When your company has an announcement, it's crucial that you ask the question – to yourself or to those who are working with you on communications strategy – Is this only important to my company, or will the larger industry I serve care about it also?

This is not an easy question to answer, because your R&D team may have been working on this new product, or feature, or service for the last six months or longer.  So you have to think 100% objectively when answering the question and you have to surround yourself with media relations professionals who are focused on, in essence, two customers.

Who are these two customers?  Well, obviously, you are one.  You are paying them to do the job of media relations, whether it is an agency or an in-house head of communications.  But who is the second customer?  The media, of course.  The media need to be given information that helps them write interesting, meaningful stories.  It's actually similar to the way sales are done in business.  The product you sell must ideally answer a need, but at least must be something that the customer would find useful.  

It's no different with media relations.  Let's take a look at today's average scenario and then we'll examine how it should be done.

Today, if you have an announcement, you send it to the reporters who cover your space. 

You then call (or have someone else call) the reporter and ask, "I sent you a news release about x,y and z … Did you receive it?  Oh, you did?  Okay.  Well, are you planning on writing about it?"

Now, let's think about this.  What has taken place there is the same as a salesman calling a prospect and saying, "I have a product and I sent you an email about it.  Did you get it? Oh, you did?  Okay.  Well, are you planning to buy it?"

Do you see how ridiculous that approach is?  Now think about this:  Israeli reporters have PR people contacting them day-after-day with this same approach.  It's no wonder they have no confidence that we are providing them with solid stories.  We're not.

Now let's take that same scenario and do it the correct way.

If you have an announcement, the first thing you should do is ask yourself the question:

Why is this important for the readers of the reporter I will be calling? Then, ask yourself a few more, such as:

How can I quantify the importance of this announcement?  Is there a value to the deal?  Will it cut down on operational costs for companies?

What trends are in place today that this relates to?  

How does this impact the world? Does it impact the world at all?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you will either have a much better story to offer the media or you have the alternative … You can send it to the reporter and call him, saying the following:

"Hi, I just sent you a release about x, y and z.  I don't think it's important enough for you to write about it today, but it will give you a good sense for where this company is going and what it is doing.  So it's worth reading it just to understand that.  When I have a story that will be worth your time, I'll let you know."

This approach will give you exponentially more credibility with the media, and will enable you to get the important stories covered when you need them to be covered.

It's nothing more than a lesson in Ze'ev Ze'ev.  If you shout "Wolf" when there is no wolf, none of the townspeople (the media) will come running to help you when there really is a wolf.

But if you only cry "story!" when there really is one, the media will pay attention.  And they'll begin to look at you as a credible source of information, rather than someone looking for free advertising.

Novel concept, right?  Actually, it's not novel at all.  And it's not a fable of Aesop either.  It's media relations done right.

After studying marketing and international business in New York, I always knew there was a difference between marketing and public relations, but I could never put my finger on it.

It wasn't until I came to intern at Ruder Finn Israel that I learned the true essence of Public Relations.

Is PR what Wikepedia says it is?

"The managing of outside communication of an organization or business to create and maintain a positive image. Public relations involves popularizing successes, downplaying failures, announcing changes, and many other activities."

Before my internship, I would have said yes. However, now I know that PR firms do much more than that.

PR`s impact on business today is more than meets the eye. I will give you an example. I participated in a media training workshop, which impressed upon me the power of using the right words. I got to see how Ruder Finn Israel contributes to the development of companies through efficiently giving employees the right tools to communicate efficiently. In addition, I got to learn just how important it is to know which words to use for your audience.

Every sentence you utter is a reflection of your company. Spokespeople must be equipped with the right tools to be able to present their organization accurately. That is where Ruder Finn comes in.

Another example …

It was my first day on the job; I barely had the chance to meet everyone. Suddenly, we were informed that Sudanese refugees would be arriving at the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, and that we were needed there. I got to see how my colleagues did their utmost to reach the media and make sure reporters were informed. Once the reporters had arrived, it was the Ruder Finn team that made sure they got the full story. I had never realized just how important phone calls to reporters were. It was the only way these refugees' voices could be heard. PR firms are the vehicle that enables the world to stay informed.

These experiences have been an eye-opener for me as an intern on the world of PR. In a world where the truth is often distorted, PR has a responsibility to provide accurate information, which will ultimately guide the choices of millions of people.

I just graduated from the Arison School of Business, a division of IDC Herzliya.

Three years of intensive studies in one of Israel’s most distinguished colleges has provided me with a strong foundation in business and marketing. I personally loved my college experience but did it prepare me for the real life, fast-paced and cut throat Israeli business world?

My college prides itself on providing an interdisciplinary education that combines academic study with practical training. However, I remember we often grumbled that some of the classes were ‘too theoretical.’ In those classes we simply memorized terms and theories and spit them back. It isn’t surprising that most of us would forget the material as soon as we left the final exam.

Since theory is useless if you don’t know how to apply it, our senior year attempted to turn theory into practice. I had the privilege of meeting top executives and writing business and marketing plans for three international companies, Willi-Food, L’Oreal, and Louis Vuitton. These projects gave me a ‘taste’ of real business practices and were a great way to conclude my degree.

I thought my education and practical projects were enough to prepare me for a real job. I thought I had it all figured out.

Well, I joined Ruder Finn Israel just one week ago and wow, was I wrong.

The truth is that no school can fully prepare you for the realities you will face in the authentic business world.

My first day on the job, I immediately realized that I would need to develop a system to budget my time. I had to figure out how to juggle four client accounts (in completely different industries), make myself available for office meetings, squeeze in lunch and somehow meet my daily or even hourly deadlines. There are only so many hours in the work day and proper time management is crucial.

As an intern I am a pro at “behind the scenes work” – I am often assigned a specific task or asked to research a topic. I do so happily because I know that although my contribution isn’t exciting in and of itself, it is part of a process and a piece of a larger puzzle that is exciting.

I think one of the main differences between theory and practice is that the ‘real world’ awakens a strong sense of responsibility that simply doesn’t exist in the academic world. It’s not about getting a better grade. Your co-workers and your clients are counting on you.

I know that I still have a lot to learn - and that’s exactly what I’ll do!  If there’s one thing I learned in college it's how to learn.

This charming Ruder Finn office is my new learning headquarters and the employees are my teachers.  

I may be free from school, but my real life training has just begun.

He said he had a bunch of questions.  Of course, I was all too happy to answer them.  After all, as a father of six, I'm used to hearing a lot of questions.

But these questions were different.  You see, at home, I'm used to a world of "Can I have a snack?" and "Why did HE get more ice cream than I did?"  And at the office, the questions are only slightly different: "Can I have a raise?" and "Why did SHE get a bigger cube than I did?"

All joking aside, it's not often that I am faced with the kinds of questions this account executive had for me.  He asked the following:

1. What are the characteristics that make a good PR firm?
2. What makes a good PR professional?
3. What are the key skills necessary to be a good PR professional?
4. What are the skills that differentiate the good PR professionals from the great PR professionals?
5. Are there any specific skill sets that are critical for a PR professional in Israel as opposed to other cultures?

It is my view that the Israeli PR world is still in its adolescence.  I believe most agencies don't even ask these questions.  And that is one of the reasons why our craft is seen as somewhat of a commodity here, with the lowest bid often winning competitive pitches, and agencies being judged solely on the relative height of the clip piles they can produce. 

We're doing it to ourselves.

So I think we need to start asking these questions … and answering them, of course.  And over time, it will elevate our entire industry.

By the way, there isn't enough space here to provide the answers I gave to the above questions.  However, if you'd like to hear the answers, please contact me (glenn@ruderfinn.co.il) and I'll be glad to walk you through them.  

We were participating in a meeting with one of our clients at a coffee shop.  (While in the US coffee shops are popular for one-on-one meetings, in Israel entire teams will meet there.)  And the topic of discussion was the relatively average coverage the company has received in the media in the first few months of our relationship.  So one of the items on the agenda was the issue of upcoming news for the company.  And the CEO said to me, "Tell us what we should announce. We don't know."

You would think that such a response would be scary.  How can a CEO of a start-up not know what news the company has upcoming!?  But that's just the point.  These companies need direction from us.  And not just direction on media strategy and positioning.  They, in essence, need us to run their corporate communications function.  

This lack of understanding by Israeli companies means we have the opportunity to have the best of both worlds!  We get to live in the agency world of variety and high-energy, and we also get to run internal communications functions.  

I remember, about four years into my career in New York, the senior vice president who ran Hill and Knowlton's corporate group decided to leave the firm to become head of Corporate Comms at one of New York's largest financial institutions.  So I walked into her office and asked her when I will know that it is time for me to move to the corporate (versus agency) side.  She said, "Glenn, I'd say you need about three more years and then you should look for a corporate position."

Now, as it happened, I did leave the agency world almost precisely three years later to join beenz.com, and later to run PR for Ciena Corp.  And both positions offered me the opportunity to build something special.  But both of those positions also felt somewhat empty to me because they didn't have the variety I was used to on the agency side.  I mean, while at H&K, I was working on Dunkin' Donuts one day and American Express Financial Advisors (can you throw in a tech account here) the next.  Talk about diverse.

And that's what I like most about Ruder Finn Israel.  While we have the variety of the agency world (our clients range from early stage startups to non-profits and publicly-traded telecom companies), we also have the experience of helping a corporation build its communications function – an experience one in the States can only have in-house.