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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
 Topic: PR Battles
Reference: Holstein, William, J. “Winning the PR Wars”. Strategy+business, May 2008. http://www.strategy-business.com/li/leadingideas/li00073 .
If you have ever been in a contentious matter that hits the newspapers and airwaves, then you understand the importance of having a well armed public relations support team at your disposal. Not everyone can afford to have personnel dedicated to shaping public opinion, minimizing the impact of unfavorable results, or the delusions of disgruntled employees. However, when such an event takes place having a good public relations strategy, support, and execution are vital. It is generally good to get bad news out early, to curry favor with the press before you need it, and to speak with candor. Retaining control of images, corporate responses, and protecting the brand are vital roles for public relations to play. Done poorly or not at all, public relations errors can cost an organization millions of dollars in customer relations, brand equity, and reputation. Reputation risk is a critical area to consider when handling public relations stories. In the referenced article the commentator adopts the same view. “Too many CEOs are simply outmaneuvered and outgunned by adversaries far more skilled in influencing the media-both the traditional variety and the explosion of YouTube videos, weblogs, and search engines. “Accordingly he argues that you should have good public relations counsel at the ready who understand the CEOs vision, and the CEOs must be public relations savvy in being able to hold credible discussions with the media. He also suggests that the executive team receive media training and be prepared to handle matters as they arise. As a result, the commentator believes that the public relations function should be given some measure of clout in the organization. Essentially the watch word of the day is proactivity. An organization must be proactive in managing its reputation risk, particularly on the Internet. Adopting a strategy to address dissatisfied bloggers, poor service support, and product issues is well worth the cost. Everything is about buzz marketing and developing an early detection system is critical here. It is equally important to champion good acts, positive results, and community support efforts. “The reality is that CEOs have real communications power, if they choose to use it. CEOs can draw on the media to enhance their global business and to spotlight their companies’ contributions to the markets they serve. It is not inevitable that they become losers in the media wars.” I agree with this assessment and really do see the value of good public relations. I am interested in how others are dealing with this matter as well.
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