Silence As A Tactic

One PR tactic practitioners often condemn is silence — making no effort to address an issue or to explain oneself.  But, silence can and has worked, especially when the public supports individuals and organizations.  Consider the National Football League.  Concussions, child abuse, domestic scandals have all rolled off the back of the commissioner who has maintained a steadfast policy of non-engagement.  He can get away with this because football is still the most watched game in America.  Soccer pales by comparison as does baseball, basketball and hockey.  Will it always be this way?  No, but for the time being, the NFL is in a privileged  position.  It can do no wrong in the public’s eyes.  Come the day that the public tires of two teams competing on stripes, the NFL will have to be more transparent than it is today, but that might be years away.  Meanwhile, it can exploit its popularity by refusing to comment on issues affecting the league.