Is bad press really like bad breath?
We’ve got a gossip columnist here in Minneapolis who trashed me (in print AND on air no less) after which one of my clients called me and quoted George Plimpton – bad press is like bad breath, it’s better than no breath at all.
But is that really true? Since we were talking about bad publicists last week I thought I’d add my two cents on this topic. Most of us think of bad press as press where we are mentioned in a bad light. It’s really more than that and for PR 2.0 bad press can linger a long, long time. As I mentioned earlier, placements that make no sense are worthless for a brand. To me that’s bad press – my client paid for my time to make that placement so it’s money thrown down the drain. Remember every single mention can live forever online – in my book you have to avoid bad press like the plague.
So what exactly do I consider bad press? Here’s my list but feel free to add more.
- Placements in the wrong media – this can be really, really bad. For example, if you’ve got a family-oriented brand you probably don’t want a mention in Hooters Magazine. (This actually happened, by the way, to a toy company that got included in a Christmas gift guide)
- Spelling your name, the name of your company or the name of your product incorrectly. Guess what – you’ve now got a new keyword to search for because once someone does it, it spreads like a virus. Just ask Rachael Ray (or Rachel Ray the incorrect spelling)
- Incorrect quotation – this happens all the time. I got quoted in a story once and I was sure I said all the words she used. But not in the order she wrote them. Guess what, the story showed up as the lead on MSN one day.
- Previous, ahem, indiscretions. Like my life coach client who happened to be a former Playboy lingerie model. She didn’t even know her old pictures were being used for cellphone wallpaper (and other things)
- Mentions from previous stories that weren’t so flattering. So you’ve got one bad story – other media will mention it again and again.
Of course the worst is when someone trashes you, like the aforementioned gossip crone. A good publicist will help you avoid those situations as well as the ones above. Are they making sure your name is spelled correctly? Are they asking to vet quotes? Are they pitching the right media. Some of these things are outside of any publicist’s control, no matter how good they are. Full disclosure is key to your PR folks – I learned about my Playboy client AFTER the fact. The fact being I had already booked her on Fox’s The Big Story. Thank god she was bumped that night.
So no, in my book any press is not good press. Today’s news lives forever.
Tags: bad press, social media, Wax Marketing, worst pr pitches
December 18th, 2009 at 2:03 am
In my opinion: Yes it is… And what a nice way to put it! – No all PR is good PR.
June 20th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Good Blog. Thanx.