| What Dogs Can Teach Us About Branding and PR |
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By: Gerard E. Mayers |
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 I have three dogs here at home; all of them are now what some would consider “senior citizens” if their ages were measured in human terms. Yesterday morning (May 9) I took them to a local groomer to have their toenails clipped, as that was badly needed.
Throughout the entire process of getting them into my car, taking them to the groomer, unloading them from the car, getting them into the grooming place, waiting for each dog to have its turn at nail clipping, etc., I was struck that dogs could possibly teach us flacks a lot about branding and PR.
Here is what I think dogs can teach us about branding and PR:
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They are loyal to their owners (branding), and they have an amazing capacity (for the most part) to adapt quickly to changing conditions and situations;
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They can be persistent — even to the point of being annoying — when they really want something from you;
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They very quickly let you know when something is wrong;
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They thrive on recognition and rewards for jobs well done;
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With patient training they usually are quite adept at learning new things;
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They very often will surprise their owners with their abilities;
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They will hang in there with you until the bitter end.
Of course there are a lot of things us flacks do in our professional lives that dogs cannot do, but I think that, if we are lucky enough to own dogs as pets, we should spend some time observing them and learning from them. How they handle themselves in tricky situations can be very insightful on how we as flacks can successfully negotiate through stressful and trying circumstances.
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Gerard E. "Gerry" Mayers writes about PR and other relevant topics for PR professionals. A former PR manager for Sensor Products, Inc. (currently based in Madison, NJ), he lives in Milford, NJ.
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