Is Your PR Responsible For Everything Said About You?
Posted on December 18, 2008 | Tags: online pr, online public relations, pr, public relations, Reputation Management
It’s one thing when your client makes a fool of herself in front of the camera. If you agree with your client’s statement or behavior, then back her up all the way and repair any misunderstanding afterward with the media. If you think your client’s a fool, then you have no business representing her.
But when a PR is just plain careless or lazy, they’re inept.
A blogger in a niche industry asked my opinion of a situation.
He had requested an interview with a high profile person in the niche industry that he blogs about. The “celeb” had referred his request to her publicist. The publicist told him her client was too busy to interview with him and blew him off.
He wrote something about the celeb anyway … a little humorous banter about a tournament she was playing in.
He learned indirectly that the publicist is quite angry with him, although she has not contacted him.
In this internet age in particular, a PR representing any type of celebrity must be pro-active in managing what’s said. After all, that’s what you’re hired for. If you’re not managing the media contacts on behalf of your client and you don’t like what’s said about your client, then you better raise the bar on your performance.
As far as I’m concerned, this publicist displayed poor manners. If someone is influential enough for the publicist to be concerned with what they write, then nurture the relationship on behalf of your client. If you mistakenly mishandle a media person or blogger in your industry, then amend the blunder with good old fashioned honest communication.
The same holds true, in my estimation, of John McCain’s PR person who cancelled his interview in October with David Letterman. That was a flap of major proportion. Anyone who watches Letterman (as a PR in this position should), would have known the liability of canceling a scheduled interview with him in favor of another. Big mistake. It wasn’t McCain’s place to fix that PR kerfluffle with Letterman … it was the PRs job. And they messed it up pretty badly.
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