Vis-à-Vie Reputation management

From ePanorama, BCG's alumni publication

Building a Reputation in Media Relations

Vie Blonk was initially hesitant to leave her media-relations and marketing position at BCG to start her own firm. She loved BCG’s people and atmosphere, and she wasn’t sure whether she had the entrepreneurial spirit she would need to go out on her own.

Yet she will tell you today that it was the encouragement she received at BCG Amsterdam that inspired her to take that step and start Vis-à-Vie, her own media-relations and reputation-management agency. Plus, she was able to bring BCG on board as one of her first clients, so she still maintains a small desk in the Amsterdam office.

“I definitely have the best of both worlds,” Vie said.

One of Vie’s primary concerns in taking her entrepreneurial risk two years ago was whether she would be able to acquire clients on her own. But her time is now fully booked, as she handles media relations for and manages the reputations of such high-profile companies as Pfizer, Merrill Lynch, and BlackRock.
Vie established a strong network of journalism contacts during her time at BCG, and she has been able to leverage those connections to gain valuable publicity for her clients.

“I’m really combining the wishes of both parties, and I like to say I work for both the journalists and my client companies,” Vie said. “You have to be able to deliver content. If a journalist can’t use what you deliver, you will find that your e-mails aren’t read, and your information will be discarded as irrelevant.

“My clients value me for the quality of my contacts, and the quality of that network depends on the content I deliver. I’m lucky because I have good clients, and I think they always have high-quality content.”

Vie still operates her business as a one-woman shop, so it is the personal connections that she has made at various media outlets over the years that companies value and hire her to reach. She has always focused primarily on professional services—starting at BCG and then moving into the financial sector with clients such as Merrill Lynch and BlackRock—and knows the right journalists to contact for each story.

“I’m not sure if it’s harder or easier than doing other types of public relations, but it’s always been more my style. And my contacts are totally geared toward that type of content,” Vie said. “I don’t do anything in the area of luxury goods, and I don’t push products, so no Gucci bags for me.”

When deciding how to handle reputation management for a client, Vie begins by conducting research, both internally at the company and with journalists to gauge their opinions about the organization. Each client requires special treatment, whether it’s protecting privileged information or making sure different branches of a large company aren’t contradicting each other. Assessing her clients allows Vie to determine the best way to maintain and improve a company’s reputation while also delivering content that journalists can work with.

“One thing you have to know at all times is where a company is likely to get in trouble with its reputation,” Vie said. “Working on a client’s reputation involves knowing what the current reputation is, knowing what you want it to be, and safeguarding it at all times.”

Reputation management is more than advertising or creating an image. It is crucial, Vie noted, for a company to have a history of accomplishment before trying to promote itself.
“You have to do good before you get a good reputation,” she said. “And it has to be on several levels. Your financial performance has to be good, you have to have a vision and strong leadership, and you have to be good to your employees and the community. If your house is in order, only then can you talk about it, and that’s where media relations comes in.”

Vie honed her media-relations skills while working at BCG and also established important business connections that allowed her to start her own agency. Pfizer, her first client, came to her through her association with alumnus Javier Asin, and she also does work for MeyerMonitor and Akzo Nobel as a result of alumni contacts.

“I think I owe the possibility of starting my business to BCG,” Vie said. “The level at which BCG works within companies is the right level for entry into acquiring your own clients.”
The relationships she cultivated with journalists also proved especially valuable when she launched Vis-à-Vie. Working with reporters involves give and take and because of that dynamic, Vie recognizes the importance of establishing connections with people she can trust.

“I think it’s actually best if you give a lot before you even ask for something in return,” Vie said. “If you do that right, you don’t even have to ask when you need something from journalists, because they know you always have a good story. They will be much more willing to listen to you. Maintaining those relationships and being valuable to them means you can always ask for their support.”

That support network has made Vie’s foray into entrepreneurship an enjoyable and successful venture so far. She knows that she has the spirit necessary to operate her own firm, and now she just has to determine how far she wants to take it.

“With every step I take, I try to think whether that’s the way I really want to go,” she said. “I haven’t gotten to the point of hiring people yet, because I’m not sure if I want to be a boss and be responsible for the livelihood of my employees. That’s probably the next logical step, but I’m taking my steps very cautiously and carefully.”