PR
Blunders and How to Avoid Them
Many small business owners think PR
means sending out a news release with carefully chosen
words to promote, say, a new product. But public
relations covers a broad scope of activities. Done
right, PR can help build awareness of your company,
products, services, technologies, people and issues.
Done wrong, PR will still do the same thing, but in ways
you really don't want.
The
Candy Bombers
Take,
for example, the 1920s German candy company that thought
it would be great public relations to drop confections
from a biplane. The press all over Europe exploded with
articles about the stunt - predominantly
complaints
from people who said they'd been bombed with
chocolate.
But
years later, in another context, the same idea was a
huge success. During the Russian Blockade of 1948-49, a
major Cold War crisis, pilots flying food and fuel into
isolated Berlin thrilled the city's children by dropping
candy attached to little parachutes. Reported worldwide,
the act of kindness had a huge positive impact on
German-American relations in postwar Germany.
Why
was one candy drop a PR blunder and the other an
international success? The former was self-serving, the
other selfless. Sure, corporate communications is about
getting the word out about your company, products,
services, technologies, people and issues as we've said.
But a real PR success goes beyond simple communications,
and says something about the values of the organization
too; it's about what you offer others.
Read
Complete
Article
With hurricane season officialliy
beginning today, it's as good a time as any to think
about your preparedness. Even if your area has been spared the
brunt of last year's storms, residents in areas that
traditionally lie in the path of hurricanes should be thinking
about whether they're prepared in the event of a major
storm.