A brand is only as good as the image it portrays to the public.
For communication specialists, such as Mary Haban, vice president of global communications with Visit Tampa Bay (Fla.), the key is realizing a destination is not just the physical location, it’s the vibe as well.
Haban’s career spans several decades and comprises roles as senior manager of copy and content at Ashley Furniture Industries, senior communications strategist at Allstate Insurance Co., and contributing writer for Luxe Beat Magazine and ConventionSouth. Additionally, she brings a decade of experience as a broadcast writer and producer for NBC and Fox stations in Miami, Denver, and Tampa Bay.
Haban is an accredited public relations professional and recipient of both Emmy and Addy awards. In 2020, she received the Life Achievement Award from the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Haban graduated from the University of Miami and completed Stanford University’s Mass Media Institute.
Haban recently reconnected with a familiar friend when she spoke with ConventionSouth about her time with the magazine, brand exposure, and dealing with the media.
What are the keys to improving the reputation and exposure of a brand?
It begins with mindset. You must view your brand as a living, breathing entity and understand that your brand is not only what you tell people it is; it is also whatever your target audience perceives it to be. A long-term plan, rooted in both transparency and reality, also needs to be created. By controlling what you can, and accepting who you are, you will understand which factors you need to improve upon and which you need to tout. At Visit Tampa Bay, we pride ourselves on an open and constant style of communication with both our partners and external committees. They are, in fact, an integral part of our success. As our president and CEO, Santiago C. Corrada, always says, “We are relational, not transactional. Be a friend before you need a friend.”
What are the best ways to achieve these goals?
Identify and understand the challenge or opportunity before you, then craft a long-term plan. Keep your eyes on what is right in front of you. Think short-term, with mighty tactics and flexible steps. By taking small, incremental strides and paying close attention to the most minute of details along the way, you can achieve results that make your brand shine.
What are some of the mistakes that brands make when it comes to media relations and communications?
Holding relevant information that could be critical to a significant story too close to the vest. Lack of transparency and honesty or making grandiose claims that are not believable or even true can undermine your brand. They can also do more damage than good by chipping away at the trust you’ve built. You need to know your audience, find the correct media channels to distribute your message and know your product or brand inside and out.
Do you have any advice on how destinations can best engage with their local communities?
Show up. Offer educational opportunities for your stakeholders to be the heroes. Provide an array of avenues for their businesses to bloom. We achieve this by conducting road shows in each part of Hillsborough County every year, giving quarterly presentations to partnership groups, hosting a variety of networking events every month, and developing specific committees for groups, such as social inclusivity, multiculturalism, and accessibility. We want everyone to know we have a multitude of places and spaces for them to shine.
What did you enjoy about your experience as a freelance writer for ConventionSouth?
When I was approached to write for ConventionSouth, it felt like a homecoming. I started my career as a reporter for a community newspaper in South Florida and over the years worked as a freelance writer for a multitude of magazines. So, for me, being back in the middle of it all, where the stories and people who made them happen intersected, and with a publication that had a stellar reputation, was a true win-win. I also enjoyed having a byline again and being that “go-to” person for meetings and convention news in Florida. I felt a true synchronicity with what I was doing, the people I was interviewing, and the collaboration with my editor. You could say I was in my element; talking with thought leaders of hotels, culinary teams, meetings professionals, and destination marketing organizations where I had worked for years as a public relations manager. Writing for such a respected and widely read trade magazine like ConventionSouth also made me realize the incredible impact my articles could have on a destination. It is something I never took for granted.
