PR Lessons from the Presidential Race
Today’s news offers two PR lessons from the presidential campaign. The first involves media relations, and the second relates to the expectations game.
First, according to this article on FOX News, reporters from three newspapers that endorsed John McCain have been told that they can’t travel aboard Barack Obama’s plane in the final days leading up to Election Day. According to the article, Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon told FOXNews.com that the Obama campaign said it didn’t have enough seats on the plane, but “I don’t think the explanation makes sense to us.”
Press Releases: Another Thing NOT to Do
Another thing to avoid when writing press releases: DO NOT TYPE THE HEADLINE IN ALL CAPS.
LinkedIn Question: Is Barack Obama a Brand?
On LinkedIn, members are given the opportunity to answer questions posed by other members.
This question was posed in the public relations category: Is Barack Obama a “brand?” If so, do you think it happened organically or was it a planned marketing strategy?
My answer:
I agree with the other respondents who state that all presidential candidates are a brand, for better or worse. With that being said, I believe the Obama campaign has done a very effective job of branding their candidate, and I believe it was a planned marketing strategy. While there has certainly been an organic, viral component of the Obama campaign, I believe that was part of their planned campaign strategy.
Press Releases: Two More Things NOT To Do
On Aug. 21, I wrote a blog entry entitled “Press Releases: a few things NOT to do.” On Sept. 30 I posted a follow-up entry on the same topic. As I stated in those posts, for the past year I have had the opportunity to sit on the other side of the media table, in the editor’s chair, for a community Web portal. During that time I have received press releases from a wide range of organizations. Based on my observations, here are two more things NOT to do when writing press releases:
Your Marketing Budget and the Economy
To put it mildly, the economy has been on everyone’s mind over the past few weeks. The recent downturn in the stock market is impacting the entire economy, and it is has made many small business owners fearful of what the future holds. Many small business owners are looking for ways to cut costs as their budgets tighten.
AIG's Mindless PR Blunder
Earth to AIG: if Congress has just voted to give your company $85 billion in bailout funds because you are on the verge of going belly-up, it’s probably not a good idea to throw a $440,000 party for your employees.
Believe it or not, that’s exactly what insurance company AIG did. The company held a $440,000 retreat for its employees at the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, California — a retreat that included $23,380 in spa treatments.
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