Note to PR Pros: Keep Your Key Messages Consistent

Consistency in public relations is important. Public relations consultants and corporate executives are often told to “stay on message” and not to stray from a script. Companies and organizations put an enormous amount of time and energy into hammering home a consistent key messages, be it through public statements, advertising, or simple branding. (Read more…)

Ex-White House Flack’s Leap of Faith Backfires

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan dominated the headlines for a brief window last week and racked up book sales.

On its release, McClellan’s book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception,” promptly rocketed to #1 on Amazon.com’s Bestsellers list. The first advance press for the book didn’t hit until the previous evening, when Politico leaked details of the tome. (Read more…)

Lessons From the Campaign Trail

The only thing that will bring more excitement than the election before Nov. 2 is if the Boston Red Sox miraculously fall apart and lose the last four games of the World Series. Stranger things have happened — just ask the New York Yankees. Nonetheless, with the election on tap for next Tuesday, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the PR winners and losers of what we Americans like to call the democratic process. (Read more…)

How To Destroy Your Business

For some reason, the most exciting PR disasters always involve the media. (Read more…)

They Shoot Friends, Don’t They?

I never thought I’d say the words “Poor Dick Cheney,” but that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking this week. Cheney, of course, is the Vice President of the United States, and he’s also the man with the most famous hunting accident of all time under his belt. (Read more…)

The Year in PR Winners

Last week, I brought out the year’s PR losers, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m bringing you the winners this week. (Read more…)

Katrina’s Public Relations Aftermath

The September 11th terrorist attacks in New York City made Rudolph Giuliani a hero. The then Mayor of New York City, Giuliani displayed the kind of leadership that enthralls people. He was a mesmerizing force, a steady hand during a time of uncertainty, and a leader willing to get into the trenches with his soldiers. Giuliani’s response to the devastating events also led many people to forget his misgivings. (Read more…)

Through the PR Looking Glass

Scanning the news lately, I’ve been intrigued by quite a number of PR gambles, ploys, actions and foul-ups. Here’s a look at some of the more important instances, from which I think we can learn something. (Read more…)