WHAT'S HOT AT KETCHUM

Ketchum Planning Process:
'Skating to Where the Puck is Going to Be'

Defining his success, retired hockey star Wayne Gretzky likes to say he "skated to where the puck was going to be." That defines the mission of the innovative Ketchum Planning Process — a disciplined, six-step approach Ketchum uses agency-wide to handle client assignments. With its wealth of online resources, KPP helps everyone in the agency "see where the puck is going to be" to achieve a winning goal.

Too often in public relations, practitioners brainstorm concepts before determining a strategy. They settle on a direction and solution for a program without first understanding the true business and communications goals, the extent of the problem that needs solving, or the strategic messages that will alter attitudes and behaviors. The result: too much reliance on "publicity."

Adopted agency-wide in 2001, KPP's use grows as does the countless online tools available to help the Ketchum staff plan and develop programs and strategies. "The Process is revolutionizing the way Ketchum does business and allows us to deliver a higher level of client service with greater consistency," maintains Ray Kotcher, senior partner/chief executive officer. "As a global business, it is critical that we have a consistent approach to our clients needs, whether we're working for them in Pittsburgh or Paris, Los Angeles or London."

Available anytime via myKGN, Ketchum's award-winning intranet, KPP is used to:

• Bring assignments into sharper focus
• Conduct thorough research and investigation that leads to real insight
• Access tools to help analyze problems, structure solutions and "sell" and "package" them
• Generate creative answers that truly motivate and trigger measurable business impact
• Develop meaningful and long-lasting client relationships built on satisfaction and quality work.

How does it make a difference? KPP enables us to view clearly our work for clients from their perspective.

• Ketchum Atlanta took a long-time client through KPP, using the various tools to illuminate the client's objectives for its communications efforts. Not only did its senior executives rave about it, they demonstrated it to their chairman and CEO to illustrate how Ketchum works and thinks about daily communications activities.
• Ketchum San Francisco used KPP's Insight Summary Worksheet as a great discussion guide with one of its association clients as the group discussed major factors affecting programming — from trends and its competition to priority targets. The process ensured that everyone was on the same page as they moved to goal-setting and strategy stages — and it captured the clients' strategic objectives.
• In Washington, D.C., Ketchum used a strategic mapping session found on KPP to help develop a government social-marketing campaign related to long-term care. Thirty participants from 10 organizations used the facilitated brainstorming that defines the strategic mapping session to get the ideas and the support of a very disparate but important group of people.
• Ketchum Newscan's Hong Kong and Guangzhou offices conducted a training workshop for 14 public relations and public affairs managers from a major U.S. consumer product manufacturer's China office. The daylong session introduced many elements of KPP that the company could incorporate into its own communication planning process for developing targeted messages and managing corporate reputation.

"The Ketchum Planning Process represents much more than just 'the way we work.' It is 'the way we think,'" explains Karen Strauss, executive vice president/director of strategic and creative development at Ketchum New York and a member of the team who created KPP. She notes that it also helped Ketchum earn the rank of 2002 Agency of the Year from PRWeek.

But seeing is believing. If you want a demonstration of the power of KPP, please contact Karen Strauss