October 2020
There are several variations of the same sentiment: ‘any publicity is good publicity’, ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’ or the famous quote by Oscar Wilde “There is one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”. But how true and applicable are those memorable phrases in today’s world of 24-hour news and social media shares?
At Branded, we can’t answer this with a blanket yes or no. For celebrities or companies that only care to make a splash based on their calculated view of risk, it could be beneficial. However, from a perspective of someone who has made a career in public relations in the corporate world, we lean towards having strategic, focused public relations efforts that ideally create a positive public image for your brand. So, for you, the answer is likely any publicity is not good publicity.
What can you do now to help your business avoid the wrong kind of publicity? For starters, businesses need to implement corporate guidelines of what to say and not say publicly at all times for all employees. Here are some examples:
- Negative statements about competitors or other businesses.
- Anything that can widely be considered offensive, including being tone deaf. Having an inclusion and diversity lead can be extremely helpful, but if you don’t have this role in your budget, make sure to cross check social posts, mass emails to clients and prospects, websites and other public-facing materials with a second set of eyes before distributing.
- Private information about the company or staff. This would include financial documents for private companies or personal information about the team members.
- Content for the sake of shock value. This one can be tricky, there are always ‘exceptions’ to the rule, but generally speaking, be cautious of what you release publicly that would make the average person’s jaw drop!
- Known lies or statements that are factually incorrect.
Having a public relations professional on the payroll and creating a plan of action in case of a crisis is critical. To adjust Mr. Wilde’s famous words, we say “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, not knowing how to respond.”
For more information on how Branded can help you with your public relations efforts, get in touch with us!