Even Hizbollah Has a Media Relations Department

There's a new book out by the New York Times correspondent Neil MacFarquhar called, amazingly, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday.

Yes -- you read that right. The Lebanese militant organization Hizbollah has a PR department, and it sends birthday greetings to New York Times correspondents. What a world.

MacFarquhar's book is not primarily about PR or media relations, but rather about the everyday realities in the Middle East -- things you wouldn't necessarily find out reading the war and diplomatic coverage of the area. But one of those realities is that even Hizbollah has a media relations staff to get its message out and influence coverage.

There's almost always a lesson in my blog posts, and this one is no exception: everyone can benefit from having a proactive communications strategy. Either you define yourself, or other people will do it for you.

If you're in a life-and-death struggle, having a PR operation is a no-brainer. But if you're just a run-of-the-mill business, don't kid yourself that you don't need a public communications strategy. It may not involve traditional media relations, but at the least it should involve regular and clear communication with your key constituencies.