Public relations is the art, as one of my colleagues put it, of "offering people \rreasons to persuade themselves." In other words, we are not Madison Avenue; \rwe don't tell people what we want them to think. Rather, we give them \revidence, facts, and opinions that help them reach a conclusion. If we're good \rat what we do, they will reach the conclusion we've been hired to promote.

The differences between traditional public relations and Guerrilla P.R. are \rrelatively simple. First of all, public relations firms like mine are available to \rpeople with a lot of money, because we charge what we consider to be \rreasonable fees, which are out of reach of many small or one-person \rbusinesses. So entrepreneurs and small business owners need to learn and \rapply the same skills I use every day in service of their larger, more well-\rheeled rivals. But these skills can't be used the same way, since they require \rmore money than most small businesses can afford. Not everyone can buy a \rminute of time on network TV to get the message across.

That's where Guerrilla P.R. comes in. This down-and-dirty offspring of the \rtraditional method is based on an idea I developed called the Tiffany Theory. \rThe Tiffany Theory is an idea that sounds simple but, like most such theories, \ris so basic it contains numerous truths.

My Tiffany Theory states that a gift delivered in a box from Tiffany's will have a \rhigher perceived value than one in no box or a plain box. That's not because \rthe recipient is a fool; it's because in our society, we gift-wrap everything: our \rpoliticians, our corporate heads, our movie and TV stars, and even our toilet \rpaper. Tiffany paper places a higher perceived value on things.

In effect, what I do each day is gift-wrapping. I take a message and wrap it in \rthe finest paper from Tiffany's. No matter what the message may be, I try to \rmake it sound more appealing, more interesting, and more useful. If I do my \rjob correctly, the consumer (who gets the message through television, \rnewspapers, radio, or the Inter net) will get the message. But first, that \rmessage has to go through editors, producers, reporters, and website \rmanagers. The Tiffany paper adds perceived value and cachet.

Notice, now, I said, perceived value. In public relations and publicity, \rperception is truth. It isn't what happened that counts, it's what people think \rhappened. This is the absolute day-to-day currency of politics, entertainment, \rand most other industries. In our case, we're looking at how the public-that is, \rthe segment of the public you believe is your customer base-perceives your \rcompany. Not what your company actually might be.

Does that mean you should lie? Never. Lying, besides being morally wrong, is \rquite literally indefensible. That means, at some point, you're going to be \rfound out. And even if you weren't, you would have to start living the lie-\rremembering what you told the people interested in your business, and \rhearing people call you what you said you are. It's too hard, and it's not worth \rit. Besides, it's plain bad business.

When I say that the perception of the truth-rather than the truth itself-is the \rstuff of great publicity campaigns, I mean that the truth will take care of itself. \rBut you have to make sure that the image you project, the perception you offer \rto potential customers, is what you want it to be.

For example, a man named Dave Schwartz decided he'd start a car rental \rcompany that would lower rates to the consumer by featuring cars that weren't \r100 percent new off the showroom floor. He had a choice to make in terms of \rthe perception of his new company, and he chose to beat critics to the punch \rwith a strong sense of humor and a catchy company name: Rent-A-Wreck. \rNow, Dave didn't lie (his cars weren't wrecks, they drove just fine, so maybe he \rexaggerated a little), and he didn't fall into the trap of emphasizing price. After \rall, his competitors already had names like Thrifty and Budget. He hit you in \rthe funny-bone, made his impression of a fun car rental company-with the \rimplied promise that the cars would cost less because they weren't brand new-\rand launched a very successful business.

It's all in the perception. But is this a contradiction of the Tiffany Theory? Did \rDave actually wrap his cars in Kmart paper to make his point?

Not really. Dave still wrapped his message in Tiffany paper. He made sure local \rnews outlets, publications, and media companies knew about his company, \rand he emphasized exactly how reliable and economical the rental cars at \rRent-A-Wreck would be. By downplaying the appearance of the cars-calling \rthem "wrecks" he allowed the media to expect dented, scratched, beat-up cars. \rWhen they toured his facility and saw cars that were only slightly used, Dave \rdidn't have to say a word. The message got out that the "wrecks" in question \rwere very reliable, attractive cars that would be available for a lower rental rate \rbecause they were used. A brilliant, subtle piece of Tiffany wrapping.

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The Tiffany Theory applies to the Internet in ways it never could with traditional \rmedia. Keep in mind that more information is available on the World Wide Web \rthan you can possibly track, let alone control. So it's always important to keep \ryour information true. But unlike information in newspapers or magazines, the \rdata you provide on a website is yours, and you provide the Tiffany paper. Use \rphotographs, charts, quizzes, and prizes, if you can, to keep surfers' interest \ralive on your site. And remember to wrap every fact in a nice neat piece of \rTiffany wrap.

GuerrillaPR Insights is a, weekly newsletter that does 2 things:\rFirst, it provides readers with a weekly, actionable "insights" on how you can \rwork more effectively with the media.

Secondly, it provides NAPES: Names, Addresses, and Phone numbers of key \rmedia producers and editors. For example, in a recent issue, we gave specific \rcontact information on how to contact the producers of the Oprah Winfrey \rShow.

To check out the archives, go to:\rhttp://www.guerrillapr.net/Guerrilla_PR_Insights-backissues.html