More stupid PR tricks
Last week I was working on an article for business magazine. My deadline was Friday and, in fact, I was trying to finish it on Thursday because it was my sister-in-law’s wedding on Friday.
I was trying to interview a senior industry figure. I finally booked the interview for 5pm on Friday which meant a) postponing my deadline to the last possible moment and b) leaving the wedding reception early. I explained this carefully to the PR guy.
I get back home ready to do the interview and, guess what, a message on the answerphone: “sorry he can’t do it after all, can you reschedule for next week?”
PR stands for public relations but it could also stand for press relations. This is a classic case where a PR manages to screw both pooches in one go.
Nancy Friedman wrote:
I mean, really. Haven’t these people heard of manners? Respect? Basic human decency? (Perhaps you can discern that this sort of thing has happened to me as well…once when I was actually en route to the interview, in the tunnel beneath S.F. Bay.)
Posted on 11-Sep-06 at 12:23 am | Permalink
Owen Lystrup wrote:
Unfortunately in this case, it probably was not the PR practitioner’s fault. The person supposed to do the interview most likely cancelled, leaving the practitioner out in the wind.
But the PR should have most definitely explained the importance of making this interview and not let his client cancel.
Either way, it’s just a bad deal.
Posted on 11-Sep-06 at 1:28 am | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
I agree with Owen that it was probably the client’s fault but I should add that the PR had two weeks to set the interview up and only started on Wednesday and we went through protracted negotiations about the questions I was going to ask and the timing of the interview. He was in no doubt about the deadline or my plans for the wedding. He should have communicated better or let the interview go earlier.
Posted on 11-Sep-06 at 6:39 am | Permalink
Sherrilynne Starkie wrote:
Name ‘em and shame ‘em Matthew.
Posted on 11-Sep-06 at 10:45 am | Permalink
Matthew Stibbe wrote:
I don’t post this kind of thing for the castigation of the wicked but for the enlightenment of the wise. Naming and shaming wouldn’t help either party.
Posted on 11-Sep-06 at 6:40 pm | Permalink
Brr! This PR blanket isn’t working « A Swallow in Spring wrote:
[...] another post from his blog, Stibbe wrote that “PR stands for public relations but it could also stand for press [...]
Posted on 25-Feb-08 at 7:46 am | Permalink