Is There Really No Such Thing As Bad Press?

You know the saying, “there’s no such thing as bad press?” Only to a certain extent do I believe this. The phrase would be more accurate if tempered with two qualifiers:

Potentially, eventually.

Lady Gaga, Oscar Wilde.
Both adept at capturing press attention.

This is because in the event ofbad press, it can be manageable to varying degrees – but it always takes deliberate, meaningful effort, and it definitely takes time.

I absolutely don’t believe, “hey, there’s no such thing as bad press, so let’s just go for it all…” is wise PR strategy, unless the goal is simple notoriety along the lines of Paris Hilton or Lady Gaga. In these cases, I’m reminded of what could be the inspiration for this concept: Oscar Wilde’s quote, “There is only one thing in the world that is worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

The problem with the idea of no bad press is that with today’s A.D.D. news cycle and the everlasting searchability of the Internet, missteps can take an extraordinary effort to overcome, although it can be done. National Strategies Public Relations CEO Jennifer Vickery sums up the concept: ”While there is such a thing as bad press, the main take away should be that good press can come out of it, provided the situation is handled properly.”

Proper handling would mean execution with transparency, honesty and consistency over an interval long enough to shift focus to the present and future more so than the past. In this way, and ifdone right, bad press can become a real opportunity and cataylst, not just in terms of spin, but also toward doing the right thing.

What do you think? Is there truly no such thing as bad press? What are some examples of bad press being handled properly? Let us hear from you in the comments.

Related articles

• The 5 Unbreakable Rules of Public Relations (under30ceo.com)
• How Bad Press Can Get You Canned, Tarnish a Reputation and Destroy a Brand (Jennifer Vickery)
• The Oatmeal Sucks, Even if Buzzfeed Was Wrong (Gawker)
• Ultimate list of online public relations tools (raventools.com)
• What Good’s PR? (Dick Martin)
• The Biggest PR Myth of All: There’s No Such Thing as Bad Publicity(ereleases.com)
• Looking Back: It’s Not Always A Bad Thing (moveintoaction.com)
• Leveson inquiry (nickclarkeconservative.wordpress.com)

Occupy Art

The point of this post is not to debate the merits of the still-running Occupy Wall St. (and other places) protests, but rather to note some connections spurred by communication around the topic. Politics aside, I noticed something last week that I found kind of amazing.

 

Click for full size



As I commented at the original story by Marketplace, I heard this example of shared communication on the radio (streaming, via my phone), read it online, linked to it on Facebook and Twitter, and am now blogging about it.

I think it's extraordinary — that this one guy has a thought, it gets adopted by someone in this protest, it's a highly relevant thought, and now it's broadcast and rebroadcast via many different channels. Will anything come of it? Who knows; my point is that we are part of communication magic, and it's worth reflecting upon.

True, there are maddening issues spurring on the protests, and many of them are complex... adding to the maddening. And along those lines, I think this sign captures the thought that originally inspired its content, while also making a statement on the complexity and associated frustration around the issues — while also illustrating the evolution of mass media communication, given the new breadth an individual's thoughts can achieve through technology... right to this very moment on this blog you're reading now.

There's something artful in the expression.

It makes me wonder if we're indeed in a revolution, at least in terms of communication, what with having the ability to reach and influence in so many ubiquitous, yet simple ways. We walk around with computers in our pockets and can connect with someone on the other side of the globe with ease. Or, maybe I'm just noticing the traceable pathways of the communication. Still, it's interesting to observe and document. I'm no protester, but I'm intrigued. As Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal noted, it's all very... "woah." And so, I was inspired to do some documenting via Instagram...

I photographed this sign made by a protestor in my city over the weekend:

Turns out I was subliminally giving props to Rage Against the Machine.
Which, oddly, is kinda appropriate:

And in fact, I support long-haired freaky people,
and I actually thought I was paying tribute to Tesla...

So hey, there's some art — or at least the convergence of national and local events, mass media, music, and visual design. I think that's remarkable, and I hope something can come of it, even if only reflection or informed entertainment.

Update, 10/26: not so sure I meant this kind of entertainment, from the people who brought you Puck and Snooki. Oh, well. For the story on how all this started in the first place, see the original author's follow-up.

Have you had any transcendental communication moments? Do you think we're in a revolution? Do you remember Tesla? Tell us in the comments...

An Airline Gets it... Right?

In these days of security pat-downs, rising travel costs, and seemingly ever-declining customer service, it's with great interest that I read the story of Mile Runners — freakishly dedicated travelers who go to great lengths (literally) to rack up frequent flier benefits. My favorite part of the article, however, was the official response from Delta:

We take mileage runs and our customers’ commitment to maintaining their SkyMiles Medallion status as confirmation that we’re offering highly desirable benefits to our customers. The lengths our customers will go to gain and maintain their miles are impressive, and we take it as a compliment. [read full story]

I mean, wow — here's an industry with very real challenges gracefully acknowledging the positive aspect of their powerusers. More importantly, they're taking the right approach from a customer service and media perspective. And rightly so; everyone wins in this story:

• Delta gets confirmation that frequent flier benefits are attractive


• They get some free advertising for said benefits


• Mile runners get a bit of glamor with their specialized knowledge

All of the above is a win-win for any company and its superfans, especially a company facing the sometimes very public challenges Delta and other airlines surely do every day. Props to Delta and spokesperson Chris Kelly Singley for getting this one right.

I don't know that I'd ever take up mile-running, but it's good to know the industry might be behind me if I did.

What do you think? Did Delta do right? Or do you have a similar example to share? Let us hear from you in the comments!

Recent travel photos. More over at Instagram, or on the web at Statigr.am

 Thanks to Mary Julia Smith for inspiring this story. See also: Shira Levine, MilePoint.