Laying A Foundation
Israel is a "today" kind of place. In general, people are focused on what’s going on now, without paying as much attention to the long-term. Two examples: Saving money is nowhere near as common as it is in the U.S.; and recycling is not done universally by any means.
And it carries over to the business world as well, especially on the marketing side. I’ll explain …
In the U.S., it is rare for a company to sign a deal with a communications firm for less than 12 months. There is an intensive pitching process that ends with one firm being selected to represent the company for the next year. If things go well during that year, the relationship will likely be extended.
In Israel, it works differently. There are many "test" projects of 2-3 months. If the agency proves itself over that short period, it’s only then likely the relationship will be extended.
You see, in The States, there is a general appreciation for momentum-building, both in terms of the agency-client relationship and as it pertains to media relations. I remember my first six months at beenz.com, when media coverage was rare. But we kept hammering away, kept announcing company milestones and achievements. Then, whammo, it started to hit: Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, USA Today …
And it was all due to the strategy of momentum-building and laying a foundation.
Israel’s just not there yet. For some, PR equals a nice, big article in tomorrow’s paper.
And listen, I can understand why Israelis feel the way they feel. After all, they doubled the size of the country in six days 40 years ago, right?
But it’s important to consider that the communications battle takes a little longer. And once that becomes the standard understanding, the communications results will be stronger …
… and so might Israeli businesses.
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