Jan
30
When is a PR disaster not a PR disaster? (reprised)
Filed Under Business, Celebrity, PR Disasters | 2 Comments
From The Guardian newspaper; A seasoned ‘exec’ has been jailed for four months, a supplier for six, plus a senior exec has resigned, offering to make substantive donations for any offence caused.The crime? Burglarising mobile phones to find out private information (free subscription) which is then used for commercial and personal advantage.
In any area of business this would be labelled a complete PR disaster, but in this case it’s not; simply because it happened to a newspaper. And as I’ve said before, the news media is the only industry that somehow never labels its own commercial embarrassments as PR disasters. But why should they be exempt?
In this case the ‘newspaper’ was Britain’s ‘News of the World’. The paper’s nickname, News of the Screws - given for its tendency to report on celebrity bonking and sleaze – has taken on a new and sinister meaning because of the ‘phone screwing’ practiced by disgraced royal reporter Clive Goodman and gumshoe Glenn Mulcaire.
The scenario offers a salutory tale for PR consultants (free subscription) (Lahndan publicist Max Clifford and Royal Comms Secretary Paddy Harveson were said to have been targets of the phone tapping scandal), as ‘celebrity espionage’ brings another difficult dynamic in managing client reputation. Forget brain tumours, using mobiles can definitely be highly dangerous…to your career.
Jan
25
Spotted this aggressive outdoor poster today; it sees local soccer outfit Melbourne Victory (see the club crest above ‘eye’) baiting Adelaide (United). The design is ‘hand-bashed’ style as tho it were prepared by fans and the copy gives 10 reasons why Adelaide is ‘a city of losers’ including; The Grand Prix defected to Melbourne, their beaches are full of sharks and their accent is undecipherable! Will it get a PR pickup by traditional media? Not sure; it has attitude but may need to encounter a quiet news day to be a real media hook (tho I’m blogging on it). Other real problem is; Adelaide are a team just hitting their straps while the Victory boys are struggling to win despite being minor Premiers. Sometimes marketing stunts get pinned on dressing room walls just to rev a team up! Feb 4 is the matchday if you’re football minded.
Jan
24
PRIA Breakfast Seminar
Filed Under Business, Corporates, Public Speaking | Leave a Comment
Tuesday 20th Feb, I’ll be speaking about personal PR disasters at Sydney’s American Club, and looking at how this impacts on the profession’s reputation. In looking at the causes of personal PR disasters, the role of authors/bloggers (like me), client organisations, competitors, employees and journalists also come under the spotlight. And with news of the new ‘wikileaks’ site, I guess that’ll figure for a mention, too. While the PRIA cops some flak (soft targets usually do), you gotta give ‘em credit for being open enough to put this Scots-Aussie cat among the PR pidgeons. Looking forward to sharing my Arbroath smokies and porridge with the attendees.
Jan
23
Dumb show, dumb ‘brand’, legal eagles and Wiki brand corrupted
Filed Under Business, Celebrity, PR Disasters | 1 Comment
In among all the disastrous PR over the Jade Goody/Big Brother racist row in the UK, a couple of interesting comments have surfaced about this one woman ‘brand’. UK publicity suPRemo, Max Clifford reveals he advised Goody not to do Big Brother, opining that it’s for celebs on the slide (or MP’s with a death wish, I’d add). Max said: “She has made a terrible decision and it looks like she has ruined a very lucrative career.” He added, ” Whoever is responsible for putting her in there obviously is responsible for finishing her career”; step forward and take a bow, John Noel Management who we hear have a hand on her tiller (oo err missus). For a look at how Jade Goody’s PR disaster impacts on her sponsorship deals, check out 24dash.
A more intriguing story for me, is news of the emergence of the wikileaks website, a forum for whistleblowers. (Thanks Trev). You might guess that it’s an offshoot of the wikipedia, but it ain’t; so does this mimic brand corrupt the original Wiki ? For PR pros, it certainly promises to make the shareholder management task that little more trying, simply because it offers a new, anonymous platform for agenda setters within or outwith any company. Also, it strikes me - a PR whistleblower of modest note - that it subtely corrupts the concept of social media and citizen journalism by dragging the Wiki name into the murky grounds of corporate skullduggery and espionage (or have I just been watching too much West Wing?).
And if it’s insensitivity you want, ask a lawyer to handle your media relations. Comparing domestic violence allegations to the bloodshed in Iraq; why would you even go there in an interview?
Jan
19
Bloggers sued over spin doctor slurs
Filed Under PR Disasters, Politics | Leave a Comment
No, it isn’t me. But The Age reports how an ex-journo turned blogger Ahiruddin Attan and his co-accused Jeff Ooi in Malaysia, are being sued for defamation by the New Straits Times. It’s a landmark case as it highlights several key issues including freedom of expression, personal accountability plus the overlap between rumour-mongering and factual information. But as precedent suggests, anytime an issue ‘goes legal’, the potential for some kind of PR disaster is accentuated; does it look good for an ex-journo to be done for libel? How does the newspaper come off if it’s shown to be a government mouthpiece? Is the government pulling the strings etc? All potentially disastrous PR gaffes.
The sites - screenshots and rocky’s bru - stand accused of being libellous about a New Straits Times editor and exec. Ooi and Attan claim that the publication puppets merely act as spin doctors for the country’s Prime Minister - what ? A media organ being used for political purposes!! Say it isn’t so!
Jan
16
Asking Richard Edelman to clarify
Filed Under Public Relations | 5 Comments
Following on from the free laptop PR snafu, I’ve asked Richard for a bit of clarification re point 1 of his statement:
“Neither I nor other Edelman employees will post about programs when clients request that we stay clear.”
Does that mean that your clients ultimately have the say-so on, and determine, your stakeholder relations/response?
Does this caveat imply that Edelman (the person & the co.) will engage with the blogosphere on your clients’ terms, rather than on the blogosphere’s terms which are, principally, all about openness and transparency?
Jan
16
PR Disasters on the radio
Filed Under Public Relations | Leave a Comment
Since announcing the 2006 PR Disasters Awards for Australia, thanks to those who called to say they’d heard my radio interviews on Sydney’s 2UE and ABC 774 here in Melbourne. One interviewer brought up the topic of Sheik Hilaly’s latest ‘convict’ comments. To try to give Hilaly the benefit of the doubt, I suggested maybe he didn’t understand the (global or social) context within which he was speaking. The journo retorted that he must ‘get’ context, as he’s always saying he’s being quoted out of it; fair comment. All goes to show how the Web is breaking down geographic boundaries and accentuating the need for sound stakeholder awareness. Could the Sheik have thought that speaking in Egypt was ’safe’ (ie far enough away from Oz). Is he web-savvy? Does he know about the global relay of news information? Am sure that the media-wise Kayser Trad would have tried to put him straight. Course, in the world of PR Disasters, the prob is that many people don’t listen to sound PR advice; the results are there for all to see.
Jan
16
After Trevor Cook’s initial post, Bob Crawshaw of Maine St Marketing informs me:
The scheme has attracted a great response from PR professionals keen to help not for profits in times of emergencies. In fact the scheme has been oversubscribed by 250%. The next steps include briefing those who have volunteered, assigning them to not for profit hosts and helping communicators and host organisations developarrangements to make the best use of the skills of the PR volunteers during emergency situations.
What does the response tell us about Australian PR practitioners?, Bob asks and replies: When the chips are down in a crisis, they are keen to lend their professional skills to help out their communities. Thanks to Bob (and PRIA) for promoting this initiative.