"The Great Texas Water War" public relations campaign to introduce a new product.

Agency PR

"Ads have name recognition and repetition, but stories have more credibility," Dublin said, noting this provides prospective customers with "third-person endorsement."

News releases are ineffective ways of getting out information, Dublin added.

"You don't go to the wrong medium with a story," he said.

Dublin suggests providing background information for stories directly to the editors. One of Dublin's accounts in the past was Utopia Bottled Water, produced by Hill Country Spring Water. The company was started by a colorful fourth-generation Hill Country resident, Ron Bownds.

Dublin said Bownds' colorful personality made him an instant media hit, and the company's location also was ideal. At least three factors contributed to story placement as an ideal plan of action: The trend toward health, the intriguing tale of the spring water and its founder and the idyllic town.

Dublin provided access to the owner and interesting information to several magazines, including Inc. and Onward. The Onward story was headlined "The waters of Utopia, a spring that was once a family secret is growing into a statewide enterprise."

Competition arose over artesian water with Artesia, another San Antonio producer of bottled water. This provided another news value, competition, and a series of stories appeared about "The Great Texas Water War."

Dublin suggests six questions to ask about the client and product when using public relations to introduce a product:

What are we selling?

To whom do we want to sell?

What's good about the product?

What's weak about the product?

How are we perceived?

How do we want to be perceived?

These questions also must be asked of clients such as Trinity University, Dublin said.

Dublin has "gotten the word out" in the national press about Trinity, named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best liberal arts universities in the nation. Also, Trinity professors are often called upon as experts by local media.

Another issue-oriented campaign conducted by Dublin, McCarter is a drive to include air bags in vehicles, a pet project of Gen. Robert McDermott, founder of United Services Automobile Association.

To promote air bags, Dublin communicates with consumer groups, transportation experts, congressional leaders and insurance companies, the National Coalition to Prevent Car Crash Injuries.

Techniques Dublin uses include publicity, lobbying, promotion and a list of experts on the subject. Dublin predicted in the '80s that every car would have an air bag on the driver's side by 1991. His agency began assisting in the '80s.

"We are brokers," Dublin explained, noting his agency serves as an intermediary between clients and media reporters and editors.
"Reporters also become clients," he said.
Dublin said he thinks a public relations adviser should not speak for the client on radio or television. Instead, the adviser should teach the client how to meet with the press. Dublin's agency employs 23 account executives and other personnel, making it the largest public relations firm in Texas.

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