PR Resource

The explosion of a truck bomb in Baghdad’s central market is a form of speech — an ugly taunt at the government and proclamation that no one is safe in Iraq from the Islamic State. There is no reasoning with people who use such message transmission.  The only safe outcome is use of force to capture and end the explosions.  Some communication is beyond the pale of humanity and this is an instance of that.  Bombings are so frequent that one wonders why the Iraqi government hasn’t cracked down hard on those suspected of doing it and also why security failed to spot the vehicle.  Baghdad’s citizens have a right to be enraged, but the issue is what is to be done about it.  If the Islamic State can bomb at will, the Iraqi government has lost the country.

This is dismal news for hourly and salary workers.  Not only has the buying power of money declined but there is the prospect of less of it for employees across industries.  It points to an internal PR challenge — to keep restive workers happy.  One way to handle the situation is through transparent and abundant communications.  Talk to employees with the same in-depth analysis that one uses for Wall Street but with simpler language and analogy to make points clear.  The days of “happy talk” employee publications that say little to nothing about the company are past.  They should be given over to discussions of the business and prospects for the future with the understanding that employees may not be told anything that the Street and investors have not heard.  Companies have done this with great success and there are plentiful examples of how to involve employees more deeply in a business and its marketplace.  By not keeping employees in the dark, there is a greater chance of increased productivity as employees pitch in to find  better, faster and less expensive ways to get things done.  Achieving that leads to higher wages.

Everyone knows the twin train tunnels under the Hudson River are a vital link of the eastern corridor.  Everyone knows the 100-year-old tunnels are in need of repair.  However, fixing them has become an exercise in finger pointing between the States of New Jersey and New York and the federal government.  The states are ready to start digging with a federal grant of several billion.  The federal government says it has no money to give but it could make a loan.  Not good enough says the governor of New York.  The governor of New Jersey long ago pulled out of the tunnel project because the state hasn’t the money.  But, that doesn’t solve the issue — digging replacement tunnels, so the old ones can be repaired and brought back into service.  Finger-pointing is an exercise in negative PR.  It’s a “not-my-problem” statement.  The new tunnels are being held hostage to the treasury, and everyone is waiting for the other to blink.  Usually this goes on until one or the other party gives in or more likely, one or the other existing tunnels have a major problem that forces a  shutdown.  If and when that happens, hundreds of thousands of commuters and travelers on the East Coast will be inconvenienced.  Angry citizens become hostile voters.  Then the governors of New York and New Jersey will have something to worry about.

South Korea said it will restart propaganda broadcasts to North Korea in reprisal for North Korea planting two mines that injured South Korean soldiers on patrol.  This tit for tat is part of the ongoing truce between the two countries.  The war between the north and south has never been concluded — only stalled with each side warily watching the other and building armed forces.  The propaganda blaring from huge banks of speakers is unlikely to change any minds, but it will serve as a sonic annoyance that can carry as far as 15 miles into North Korea.  The broadcasts won’t help anyone trying to escape because the DMZ is sealed with barb wire, mines and constant patrols.  Successful breakouts take place along the northern boundary of North Korea with people crossing the Yalu River.  And, few make it.  One almost wishes that fighting between the two countries would erupt again with the North losing badly and suing for peace with a discontinuance of the communist regime. North Koreans have suffered enough.

What does it say about politicians that this fellow had more credibility than most of them?  He dared to satirize those in power and he became a media force for the years he held the desk.  Yesterday was his last show and he will be missed although spinoffs will continue.  Jon Stewart educated a generation on the ways and wiles of politics and that group will look askance at any politician who tries to spin his way to credibility.  Maybe his legacy will be politicos who dare to say what they mean no matter the consequence and act in concert with their words.  That won’t keep them from facing opposition but it might be refreshing for us poor citizens.

The SEC has adopted a rule that forces companies to disclose the ratio of the CEO’s pay to that of the median employee.  Get ready for spin.  Some companies will pursue pretzel logic to reduce the ratio.  Others will state what it is and do little more unless there is shareholder activism. In fairness to CEOs, it is difficult to know what a median employee’s pay is in an international company with facilities in low-wage countries as well as high-pay locations.  The rule apparently allows a snapshot of worker pay in a three-month window before the end of a year.  You can be sure CEOs will game the system as much as possible to their advantage.  Spin will enter the equation once ratios have been published.  In the face of questions whether the CEO is worth that much more than the median employee, there will be plenty of justification.  Much of this will happen outside of the purview of corporate communications and will lodge with corporate counsel, investor relations and HR.  Look for tortured rationales beginning in 2017.

There is a truism in organizational behavior.  Government tolerates situations that it won’t stand for in corporations.  Consider this case.  Government did not cause the initial pollution in the lake, but once it nationalized the petroleum companies, it didn’t begin to clean the water.  Today, it appears to be tolerating the mess as long as it can continue to extract oil. Citizens have learned to live with it, but the drifting oil slicks and bubbling gas are not healthful to them or their environment.  Long ago as a journalist reporting on environmental issues it quickly became clear that the federal government was attacking corporate polluters before it brought municipalities and counties to heel, even when local towns were dumping sewage into the river.  Since then, government has forced cities, counties and states to clean up, but corporations faced the sting first.  PR practitioners gain nothing by pointing out government hypocrisy because bureaucrats believe they are on the side of the angels. Rather, it is best to adapt quickly and go along with the regulators.

One of the standard defenses of the criminal element is “Everybody does it.”  The pleader is trying to hive off punishment by claiming he was not alone.  The answer to that is “Everybody doesn’t do it.”  Some are honest and perhaps are in the majority.  Anyway, even if everybody did it, then everybody should stand trial when the time comes. There is an allure to the everybody-does-it defense as if plurality makes right.  There is a temptation to use it when protecting a corporation or individual’s reputation.  From a PR perspective, the defense is empty and has no moral authority.  If an organization or individual has done wrong, they should own up to it. It is harder to do, especially if there is prison time to consider.  Still, honesty is the best policy.  And if everybody the defendant knows was doing it, he can become a witness for the prosecution and perhaps earn time off from his sentence.

This is an example of smart PR on the part of a chicken producer.  Knowing the public has turned against antibiotics in the growth of animals, Perdue has taken the lead in producing meat that is free of human antibiotics.  The step has taken a prolonged effort and changes in the way chickens are raised, but it has given the company the lead in the industry and a differentiation that is difficult to get with a commodity product, such as poultry.  It is one more example of the statement, “PR is what you do, not what you say.”

This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.  China is actively building its military presence on islands in the South China sea.  It is trying for a coup de main — expanding its forces enough that it won’t be opposed when it takes over the sea.  So why is China accusing the US of militarizing the area?  One explanation is that China is playing to its citizens.  Its accusations are designed to increase and inflame public awareness of the military exercises and patrols the US is doing in what the US maintains are international waters.  This tactic can and does work when the public is on the side of the government.  And, the indications are that Chinese citizens do support their military forces.  The danger of this kind of thinking, however, is that it can tilt over into hostile action and escalate tensions, something that no one wants.  So, it is best if both China and the US sail carefully in the South China sea and diminish the war of words.