Tulsa World: 5 questions with Barrett Waller

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5 questions with Barrett Waller

CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

By JOHN STANCAVAGE World Staff Writer
Published: 10/30/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 10/30/2009 5:27 AM

Barrett Waller is president and CEO of Tulsa-based Waller & Company Public Relations. In 2003 he was named PR Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America’s local chapter, of which he is now president. Waller is a 1986 graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

1 What does Waller & Company Public Relations do?

We're a full-service PR firm that partners with local, regional and national clients looking for creative solutions to their marketing and communication needs. We work with companies in a variety of industries — from professional services, health care and the restaurant/hotel industries to manufacturing, technology and financial arenas.

Depending on a client's goals, we may provide strategic PR counsel, handle media relations and special events, write copy and manage publications, consult during a crisis or help them develop plans for how they handle social media. More than anything, we help our clients find the best possible ways to tell their story to the people who need to hear it loud and clear.

2 You've run your own practice for 13 years. How has the PR business changed during that time?

I've seen many firms begin to specialize. This, coupled with tools like Web conferencing, has made it easier for firms like ours to serve customers with headquarters outside the Tulsa market.

The evolution of the Internet and social media channels has also dramatically expanded opportunities for companies to reach customers with their message — and forced these companies to alter their "reaction" times and planning cycles.

3 The co-owner of your shop also is named Waller — your wife, Mary. What's the secret to running a successful company with your spouse?

There's really no big secret — it's all about open communication and respect. Mary and I actually met years ago in the PR department of a local hospital, so over time we've gotten to know how the other works and thinks. Perhaps even more telling, she was the coxswain of my four-man crew that competed for the Tulsa Rowing Club! We knew we could work successfully together again, so she joined me in 1999 when business took off for my PR practice.

Today, we continue to balance one another — she on the operational side, me on the development side.

4 How is the rise of social media affecting public relations?

The exciting thing is that it creates a direct, two-way channel between your brand and your customers. It's a conversation.

Right now, that makes some companies nervous because they think they can't control their message. If social media is a good fit for your culture, though, it can give you more control of your messaging than ever because you can communicate directly and immediately with your customers. It "raises the bar" for customer service and internal communications with employees — both critical elements of successful companies.

And the important thing to remember is that customers now expect this kind of accessibility and transparency. If you can provide that, you can earn their trust.

5 What advice would you give someone who's considering a career in PR?

The ability to help organizations communicate — effectively and ethically — remains the foundation of being a successful PR professional. And with the recent explosion of new media, you could even say that all of us are involved in public relations activity on a daily basis, whether we call it "public relations" or not.

A recent study by the University of Southern California found that communications is playing a larger role within corporations. The researchers reported that even among smaller organizations, PR practitioners are more and more involved in the important strategy meetings at which the key decisions and direction of their organizations are planned and analyzed.

That's the good news for anyone in the PR business. There will always be a great need — by companies of every size, in every industry — for outstanding communicators and strategic thinkers. By JOHN STANCAVAGE World Staff Writer

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Its Chon, (10/30/2009 9:01:37 AM)

I've been very impressed with the work of Jordan Guthmann, an employee of Waller & Co. PR.

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