Candidates Both Fall Flat With Their Bailout PR Stunts
Barack Obama and John McCain both ventured into the realm of PR stunts Wednesday in response to the Wall Street financial crisis, and both fell flat with their efforts. First, let’s stop for a sec and define a PR stunt: an action or announcement that’s more flash than substance. Now, let’s define a good PR [...]
Time to Overhaul Financial Sector PR
Do you trust the firm you’ve entrusted your retirement savings to? I mean, really trust them? Because this week, if you don’t, or if your investment manager was Lehman Bros., you’re having a bad week, and you’re looking at more of the same for awhile. And if you’re in financial services PR? Toss the last [...]
Who’s Media Training These Guys?
Another day, another “negative repeat” from a Presidential candidate. Today it’s John McCain on “The View”: Joy Behar brought up two of his recent ads against Mr. Obama… “We know those two ads are untrue, they’re lies,” she said, and yet at the end of each, Mr. McCain’s voice says he approves of those messages. [...]
Round One of the PR Battle Goes to McCain
There’s no doubt that since John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate, the Republican ticket has generated an incredible amount of buzz and positive momentum. And there is also no doubt that McCain has been winning the PR battle: getting his messages out, getting Obama off message and responding to McCain’s charges, [...]
Which Party Did a Better Job Making An Impression?
The two political conventions are over, thank goodness, so now we can start the truly silly season of the presidential election process. Today’s insight from the conventions is about making a quick impression with sound and visuals. In my opinion, with the exception of Obama’s acceptance at Invesco Field, the Republicans did a better overall [...]
Barack Obama’s Media Enforcer
Barack Obama has a media strongman, according to a story this week in the Wall Street Journal. His name is Robert Gibbs, and his job is to wrangle the media into doing and saying what the Obama campaign wants them to say. Here’s a snippet from the Journal story: As the Obama campaign enters a [...]
Clintons Play Their PR Cards Right
Both Hillary and Bill Clinton had big PR opportunities last night at the Democratic convention, and let’s face it, both could have screwed them up. But in my estimation, they both did the best job they could have done. First, Hillary: at this point in the election process, her job was to not only fully [...]
The Key to Success is Sincerity
Public relations is a game of creating and sustaining perceptions. And in life, one of the most important attributes a person can have is “sincerity.” Coming across as genuine, real, caring: “I feel your pain.” But let’s face it, who can do that every day? Unless you’re the Buddha, it’s a grind! That’s why one [...]
Get the Plug in Early
Here’s another Joe Franklin line that he can claim for sure: “Get the plug in early.” Meaning, when you’re interviewing someone, don’t wait until the end to mention the reason they are on your show — mention the book, or the new TV show, or whatever, at the start. What does this have to do [...]
“Precycling” Is the New Buzzword of the Week
Here’s a new buzzword to add to your PR jargon: “precycling.” Brandweek reports that this word is starting to catch on as the latest manifestation of the green marketing fad. Now, what does it mean? It’s apparently another way of saying “conserve.” As in, re-using plastic water bottles rather than tossing them and buying another [...]