The last couple of weeks have seen New Zealand Inc. descend into some of the lowest depths we have ever seen as our politicians lurch unceremoniously from one disaster to the next. It’s actually becoming very hard to take anyone seriously as the dirt digging and cheap shots start to resemble the American elections.
Underneath it all, it’s worth observing how some of the general principles of public relations are being applied and making sure to make none of the same mistakes in our own businesses.
Many people will have heard the saying “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” This is actually only half the saying that was coined by Irish Poet, Brendan Behan. The whole saying goes along the lines “there is no such thing as bad publicity, unless it’s your own obituary.” It’s very different once you add the second half.
Winston Peters built his name and a considerable following off the back of the first half of Brendan Behan’s saying. With minimal resources and very little actual policy, he has become a very influential figure in New Zealand politics through his bloody mindedness and advocacy for the grey voters. He was thrown out of Jim Bolger’s caucus, sacked as Deputy Prime Minister; he lost his seat in Tauranga and now he has been stood down from his ministerial position as the Serious Fraud Office investigate his dealings with big business donors. All the while he has tried to stare the country down as he swears black and blue that he has done no wrong.
Time will only tell who is right and who is wrong. But in the meantime, Winston Peters has had more publicity in the last few weeks than most businesses would only dream of in an entire lifetime. His name has appeared countless times in print, he has been the lead story on the television news, his photograph has been on the front page of the daily newspapers many times and the radio network have been bringing updates on the life Winston Peters every hour on the hour.
For a time, negative publicity is not all bad. A great deal of marketing is all about awareness and nothing builds this better than a sensational story or two. The problem is that unless it blows over quickly, the mud will start to stick. Then the story will gain new angles and before you know it, you’ll be stuck in the middle of a raging bush fire with no hope of escape.
The best way to deal with a negative story is to front up. “Tell the truth, tell it quickly, tell them all”, as an old PR friend of mine used to say. And failing to stick to this is precisely what has caused so much grief if you ask me. Instead of Winston Peters fronting up and telling us what happened, we’ve had the typical Peters evasion and counter attack. Why on earth couldn’t he have just said that he was given money by a billionaire? There’s no crime in taking money from people. Adding insult to injury, the Prime Minister has also been exposed as being very economical with the truth and has been tainted by the whole thing.
So a PR disaster has become a saga of epic proportions simply because there was no attempt to be up front in the first place. In the meantime, the opposition parties have started to distance themselves from NZ First, with National saying they will have nothing to do with them. A high stakes gamble that is going to make a huge difference to how many people vote and a huge call in an MMP environment.
I have a certain admiration for Winston Peters. He has stood up for the underdog and has a genuine passion for the country. And like many Kiwi individuals and businesses he has managed to punch above his weight in the publicity stakes and gain a profile well in excess of his size. The problem is that there are flaws in his execution and he is now finding that you can only weave a web of riddles and half truths for so long. Eventually this approach will come back and visit you looking for the full story, and it is at this point that you may be left wishing you didn’t seek as much publicity. Because as well as building you up, publicity can also destroy you - particularly if you love seeing your name in the paper, whatever the context.
So the real lesson is when to realise when to pour cold water on the fire created by bad publicity. Because if you don’t, the second half of Brendan Behan’s saying will come to pass and the cumulative effect of it all will lead to the need for your own obituary to be written. We’re only a couple of months away from finding out if Winston Peters has written his in advance. |
