Trylon Communications, founded in 1990 by Lloyd Trufelman, who had been in PR posts with MTV Networks, Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, and Rubenstein Associates, has changed its name to TrylonSMR to reflect its continued emphasis on press relations.

The SMR stands for "strategic media relations."

Lloyd Trufelman

"PR over the years has acquired a variety of vague interpretations, ranging from marketing stunts to lobbying to amorphous strategizing to party planning," Trufelman said.

"However," he continued, "the core function of the discipline–developing and promoting messages that accelerate client business development through legitimate third party media coverage–has been buried by some practitioners in an impenetrable cascade of PowerPoint slides."

He feels Trylon's re-branding "emphasizes our expertise in media relations, specifically for clients in the technology, media and telecom sectors."

Trufelman, whose 14-person firm billed $1.98 million in 2005, says media relations practiced correctly "requires making an intelligent, persuasive case to a third party–an editor, producer, blogger, analyst–who will then report the "real news, hopefully in a positive manner."

Said Trufelman: "It's an improvisatory and qualitative process which, if executed on point, works far more effectively than any other marketing communications platform."

A company's need for "strategic media counseling and tactical execution" is even more important now since audiences are "demanding increasing control over the media they use," he said.

Text of Trufelman's full statement on the 15th anniversary of his firm is here.