[stylist] Info on media kits and fact sheets

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

CHAPTER TWELVE
MEDIA KITS AND FACT SHEETS
Since a primary function of public relations is to assist reporters in
doing their jobs, Media Kits, otherwise known as "Press Kits," are
effective tools of the trade. Not only are the y a service to the media,
they also serve to attract and focus attention on a product or an event
by providing news and information in visually appealing and functionally
efficient packages. The y are often used as the "take-away" package at
major news conferences, so that media have complete and in-depth
information in a handy file that can be kept for future reference. They
are sometimes distributed as a stand-alone package accompanying a major
news release, when a media conference isn't being staged. Contents
should be tailored to the purpose of the kit. General media kits should
include:
. History of company
. Biographical information on CEO and others, as appropriate ^ Fact
sheet
. News release
. Business card of contact person
Then, depending on the purpose, such as introducing a new product or
service, add:
. Media advisory
. Product or service description
. History of product or service, the invention, discovery or origin,
etc.
. Biographical notes on the principals involved
. Newsletter and/or brochure
. Photographs, art-work or other illustration
Be sure to tailor the content to the medium for which it is intended.
The needs of print, radio and television are different, so the kits
should be fashioned to present your story in the most effective manner
and with the content shaped to suit the particular medium. For example,
you should offer short releases and strong visuals for television, and
perhaps 30-second taped sound-bites for radio. This can mean three
versions of the same media kit, but the time and expense involved in
tailoring is worthwhile if the product or event justifies the effort.
Media kits are only useful if recipients open them. The subject matter
and content must be so compelling or the design of the kit be so
creative and interesting that the recipient can't resist looking inside.
A high premium is placed on creativity in the design of the kit.
Depending upon the budget, covers range
from colored file-folders to four-color designs with special pockets for
information. Elaborate covers for companies such as Disney have gone so
far as to include a computer chip, with music or sound effects, or
'pop-up' designs for special effects.
Some fundamental pointers to keep in mind when considering design are
these:
. Stick to standard file-folder size, since the kits will be placed on a
shelf or in a filing cabinet.
. Include the company's identity on the cover.
. Avoid white, as fingerprints will spoil the cover as it is handled.
. Design should cover both the front and back, because the kit has a
50-50 chance of landing on either side on the reporter's desk. (It costs
no more to use a wrap-around design, so go for it!)
. Put your "best foot forward" on the cover, and make sure it is
appropriate for the image of the company.
Media kits recast as information kits are useful with other groups.
Stockholders, ne   w employees, prospects, and others may need the
information presented in the kits for background. Quite frequently
information kits are tailored with these uses in mind and are effective
tools.
The creative team, to include artists, photographers and graphic
designers, should work closely with the writers to package the
information in the most attractive and accessible manner.
Notice the visual appeal of the cover of this media kit from Birch
Aquarium of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, followed by
examples of some of the materials included in the kit (a release, a
media advisory and reprint of an article) and how they all tie together.
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Tide-Pool Adventures with the Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD
As shorter days are upon us this winter, we lose a little daylight in
the afternoons, but we're gaining beach! Read below about the wonders of
tidepooling. Call the Birch Aquarium to find out about naturalist-guided
tours of the coastline or stop by the Birch Aquarium Bookshop for field
guides. We're your ocean connection!
LIFE ATTHE EDGE OF LAND AND SEA
The coming and going of tides is orchestrated by the gravitational pulls
of the sun and moon. From late fall to early spring in southern
California, minus tides (tides that recede below zero tide level) occur
in daylight hours. Minus tides of one foot or greater present the best
opportunities for viewing tide pools teeming with marine life. Now is
the season for tidepooling!
You will be delighted by the variety of creatures along the strip of
shoreline alternately covered and uncovered by the changing tides.
Hermit crabs, sea anemones, sea stars, barnacles, and perhaps even a
two-.spotted octopus are just a few of the many species that might be
discovered in the nooks and crannies of tide pools. Many of these
creatures shelter under rocks or bury in the sand; some can hide in
plain sight thanks to camouflage. Like a hidden puzzle, you must look
carefully to discover a tide pool's treasures.
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MEDIA ADVISORY
Local Students Compete in Ocean Sciences Bowl at Scripps
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
WHO: Seventeen teams from local high schools will compete in Surf Bowl
2005, the
regional competition for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB).
WHAT; Surf Bowl is a fast-paced academic bowl in which student teams
attempt to
answer questions about ocean life and the marine environment in a
"Jeopardy-style" match. Winners of the regional competition will advance
to the national championship in Mississippi in April.
WHEN: Saturday, February 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Competition rounds begin at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
8602 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla
Media check in at Surf Bowl Central (follow signs to Surf Bowl Central
from La Jolla Shores Drive).
BACKGROUND:   The NOSB is an educational program and competition
developed to increase
students' knowledge and understanding of the oceans. The program also
raises the visibility of ocean-related research, and emphasizes the
importance of ocean conservation.
TEAMS: La Jolla High School (La Jolla), Montgomery 1 high School,
Francis Parker High
School (San Diego), John Muir Alternative School (San Diego), Multi
Media Visual Arts School at Crawford Complex (San Diego), San Clemente
high School (San Clemente), Charter School of San Diego (San Diego),
Sage Hill High School (Newport Beach), Mar Vista High School (San
Diego), University City High School (San Diego), Carlsbad High School
(Carlsbad), Buckeye Union High School (Arizona), Christian High School
(San Diego), Salpointe Catholic High School (Arizona), Scripps Ranch
High School (Scripps Ranch), and Preuss School of Science Connections
and Technology at Kearny High Complex (San Diego)
87
FACT SHEETS
Fact sheets are exactly what the name suggests-a sheet of facts, void of
commentary and editorializing. Fact sheets typically run one to two
pages in length. They present the essential facts about a company, an
organization, a product or service. They are used with the media,
customers and potential customers, and the general public. In fact,
they're appropriate for anyone seeking general information.
In the case of a company, organization or institution, a fact sheet
would include such information as its name, its stock ticker symbol (if
a listed company) and where it's traded, its principal products or
services, executive officers, plant or office locations, its sales and
profits, its number of employees, and any other basic information deemed
pertinent.
Fact sheets are also done for specific products and services. F or
instance, one could cover the basic facts about a new automobile or
hand-held computer, or a new service that helps airline passengers find
the best fares.
Fact sheets are simple to write; in f act writing isn't even necessary.
All it requires is a listing of the facts.
Fact sheets should be distributed to, and be on file with, key media and
updated as necessary.
The following Chevron/Texaco fact sheet illustrates how a major
multinational corporation structures its information in a concise,
easily assimilated and impressive format. The style used can apply to
almost any fact sheet.
89
Fact Sheet
Global Snapshot
. Fifth largest integrated energy company in the world and second
largest in the U.S., based on market capitalization, as of Dec. 31, 2003
. Active in more than 180 countries
. Employees: approximately 47,000 people worldwide (excluding service
station employees, as of Nov. 30, 2004)
. Capital and exploratory spending budget (2004): $8.5 billion, as of
Dec. 31, 2003
Financial Highlights
. Sales and other operating revenues - SI 20.0 billion
. Net income - $7.2 billion; $6.96 per share - diluted
. Return on average capital employed - 15.7%
. Return on average stockholders' equity - 21.3%
. Cash dividends - $2.86 per share
. Total stockholder return -35.2% As of Dec. 31, 2003
Accomplishments
Global Upstream - Exploration and Production
. Crude oil and natural gas reserves - Addition of 1 billion net
oil-equivalent barrels; equal to 108 percent of 2003 production; 1 I th
consecutive year reserve additions exceeded annual production.
. Crude oil and natural gas production - 2.5 million net oil-equivalent
barrels per day.
. Exploration - Deepwater discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico at Saint
Malo, Tubular Bells, Perseus and Sturgis, and in Nigeria at Nsiko;
successful appraisal drilling for earlier discoveries at Tahiti and
Great White in Gulf of Mexico, lo-Jansz offshore Australia, and Aparo
and Usan in Nigeria.
. Major project .start-ups - Production from Chad crude oil fields
transported by pipeline to coast of Cameroon for export; integrated
operation of the mine and upgrader at the Athabasca Oil Sands Project in
western Canada.
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Global Gas
. North America - Deepwater port license for construction of Port
Pelican liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal offshore Louisiana; filing
of permits for construction of LNG terminal offshore Baja California.
Mexico, to supply North American market.
. Australia - Approval in principle for Gorgon Joint Venture's
construction of natural gas processing facility on Barrow Island;
agreement with China National Offshore Oil Corporation to negotiate
purchase of Gorgon gas and acquisition of ownership equity in the Gorgon
project.
. Nigeria - Agreement with partners to advance plans to conduct
front-end engineering and design for a new LNG facility at Brass River.
Global Downstream - Refining, Marketing and Transportation
. Worldwide reorganization - Realignment of businesses along global
functional lines from previous geographic orientation; objective is to
improve operating efficiencies and overall financial performance,
. Clean fuels - Completion of projects at refineries in Pascagoula,
Mississippi: Pembroke, United Kingdom; and Rotterdam. Netherlands, to
increase yields and enable the manufacture of low-sulfur fuels.
Chemicals
. New manufacturing facilities - Commissioning by 50 percent-owned
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC of world-scale polyolefins complex
in Qatar and high-density polyethylene plant at Cedar Bayou, Texas.
Corporate Objectives
. Achieve sustained financial returns that will enable ChevronTexaco to
outperform its competitors.
. Generate the highest total stockholder return among a designated peer
group of the 3 largest competitors for the 5-year period 2000-2004; the
company had the highest return among the peer group for the 2000-2003
period.
Updated: December 2004
ChevronTexaco
ChevronTexaco Headquarters 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road San Ramon. CA
94583 www.chevrontexaco.com + 1 925 842 0050
91
Media Kits and Fact Sheets
Exercise One
Contact media outlets or companies or your university and obtain a media
kit. Assess the media kit, looking at design and content. In your
opinion, how effective is the cover in setting the tone or creating
interest? How useful would the kit be to a broadcast medium? How is the
information packaged for use by radio? Television? Newspapers?
Exercise Two
List important considerations in creating a media kit for a 50th
anniversary of a company, organization or institution. Describe or
create a cover and list the contents you would want to include in the
kit.
Exercise Three
In addition to distributing the kits to the media, what other audiences
might find them useful? Write a paragraph explaining the other targets
for the kits that might be tailored for distribution beyond the media.
Use the CD-ROM to compare your work with our suggestions.
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