In our 24-7, constant communication society, we want real-time feedback and instant gratification. Sometimes though, what we want and what we get are two different things. Occasionally that’s not such a bad thing.

A recent client experience proved this point. Last fall we met with executives from Context-Based Research. We learned that the ethnographic research firm had partnered with its sister marketing communications agency, Carton Donofrio Partners, to conduct a study on consumer behavior during the economic crisis.

Excited about the scope of the research and its obvious news value, we told our client that we suspected the study results would yield substantial media coverage. We also speculated that the coverage would happen immediately, given the timely nature of the research. At least we were half right.

In December, when the results were ready, we issued a press release. The impending holiday season notwithstanding, we hoped the interesting findings would generate interview requests. But only one journalist bit. We were disappointed, but not deterred. We recognized that though the marketplace may not have yet been ready for analysis of the recent meltdown in December, that would probably not continue to be the case.

Over the next four months we issued four more communications, each focusing on different aspects of the study and targeting different groups of reporters (culture, economics, retail, and political journalists). Five communications about one study is a lot, but the research was compelling, broadly applicable, and, given the recession’s anticipated trajectory, it had continued news value.

In the end, our (and our client’s) patience and persistence bore fruit:

-Context executives were quoted in two New York Times articles in March. One article ran on the front page of the paper, the other was on the cover of the paper’s “Week in Review” section.

-The Baltimore Sun ran a feature in April. (The reporter told us she’d held onto our December press release.)

-The New York Post, the Omaha World Herald, and several other publications ran articles referencing the study and quoting executives from Context and Carton Donofrio Partners. The New York Post piece ran in December, while the Omaha World Herald didn’t hit until April.

-Money Magazine ran a substantial piece in its May issue quoting Dr. Blinkoff, Context’s founder, as did the Financial Times.

-A retail reporter at the Associated Press and a personal finance reporter at USA Today turned to Dr. Blinkoff as an expert source for pieces they were developing.

-An association interviewed Dr. Blinkoff for an article in their membership publication, then asked him to deliver the keynote at their upcoming conference in November.

-A literary agent called about turning the research into a book.

All in all, the coverage amounted to critical exposure and yielded new business leads for the firms. The lesson we learned: Though patience and persistence can feel outmoded in a Twitterized, hot-for-a-day news environment, sometimes it pays to take the slow road.

When it comes to “building buzz,” it’s important to consider that creating a brand people believe in carries as much weight as any marketing strategy you might develop to promote it. Knowing your brand is the first step (definitely easier said than done). Then carrying it through in every single thing you do – not just your communications initiatives – connects you to your customers and builds loyalty.

Every once in a while, we see an example of a brand that totally gets it. At the end of 2008, Rose Communications decided to make its annual contributions through DonorsChoose.org. We learned about the group through the tremendous media coverage it had received. This relatively young non-profit addresses the scarcity and inequitable distribution of learning materials in public schools. That teachers are spending their own money to buy supplies for their students is a well known fact. This concept, the brainchild of a public school teacher in the Bronx, addresses that very real need in a meaningful, accessible way.

Through the organization’s web site, donors can easily search thousands of requests made by individual teachers and support their projects with a contribution of any size. As we searched to fulfill requests in our clients’ cities, we found and selected projects that addressed needs that are truly fundamental to the learning experience: writing implements, dictionaries and books for a lending library, for example. Each project includes the name of the teacher and a description of the class making the request, giving the donor a real sense of the lives they are touching. Not only was the site incredibly easy to use, but the organization continued to communicate with us so we knew the status of the projects as they evolved.

Our exceptional experience culminated this week with the arrival of hand-written thank you notes from the students in the classes we supported. DonorsChoose.org is a perfect example of a stand-out concept married with flawless communication. No publicity stunt, “out of box” idea or “viral” campaign can beat that combination. It’s what inspires passion and turns customers into brand advocates.

thank you note from Eli in Baltimore

What are you doing? A simple question that has started a micro-blogging revolution: Twitter.

At first, I was hesitant to join Twitter. I’d already stopped checking my neon-colored, disaster of a MySpace profile in favor of my clean, crisp Facebook page and wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to yet another social networking site. But after reading Clive Thompson’s “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” article in The New York Times, I was compelled to dive into the Twitter pool. Thompson wrote that Twitter’s design makes updates “skimmable, like newspaper headlines, maybe you’ll read them all, maybe you’ll skip some.” I figured I could manage.

Six months later, I’ve come to embrace Twitter. Though I do not tweet every day, I like knowing I have the option to when I have something worth sharing with my 250+ followers. I don’t understand how some of the people I follow are able to tweet 20 or more times a day, but I do enjoy perusing their posts and learning new things in the process.

As a public relations professional, here are my top five reasons for utilizing Twitter:

5. Enhancing relationships. Maybe it’s your colleague based in another office, or a former client, but connecting with people you rarely see in person via Twitter is a good way to keep your relationship intact. Tweets fill the gaps between in-person meetings.

4. Instant research. Google is great, but when I want insight from influencers, I turn to Twitter. Pose a question about any topic and you’re sure to get intuitive replies from a wide range of people. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter.

3. Meeting new people. I have no rules for following people on Twitter – I’m open to following just about anyone (get rich quick schemers not included). Through Twitter, I’ve met a feisty journalist based in South Africa, a stay-at-home mom who blogs about environmentalism and a gentleman from Atlanta with a strong interest in fractals and mental disorders.

2. Monitoring the conversation. It’s important to know what’s being said about your clients and their competition. Twitter’s search tool allows for real time monitoring of posts, and as such, complements a traditional media monitoring service.

1. @skydiver. Peter Shankman’s urgent HARO queries help connect journalists and sources in record time.

Follow me on Twitter: @jleckstrom