This post today is not necessarily about phones and why Microsoft’s Kin didn’t make it, but about how to handle PR when products shut down. [...]
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 I've spent my entire professional life as a television network publicity and corporate communications executive at such places as Fox, GSN and Lifetime TV. I get a rush dealing with live broadcasts, tight deadlines and press conferences. I think I enjoy my job so much because I love working with the press. In addition to all that, I enjoy being an industry blogger and a social media expert and leading my own consulting firm in Los Angeles.        
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I’ll going to let you in on a little secret. Secrets are a dangerous tool in your public relations tool chest any way that you look at them. When your client is keeping a secret from you – that’s deadly and when you use them in your strategy – that’s never a good thing. So my advice to all you budding publicists and those more advanced is to never go that route ever if you have the choice. For secrets, always have a way of rearing their ugly head. [...] Imagine you are the head of communications at Toyota and this assignment gets dropped into your lap. What do you do with a situation where a person may have allegedly faked a runaway incident in order to receive a new car? As a PR pro, do you “out” the person and tell the world that he did this as a stunt to get a free car? [...] Does Toyota ever need crisis communication– for this once-stellar company is hemorrhaging everywhere. Every time a new edition of an online report comes out there seems to be some new allegation or fine being imposed on this global Japanese car manufacturer. They are in a heap of trouble. [...] Toyota’s recall media plan is steeped in corporate jargon. Where’s the personal touch-where’s the assurance that this problem will be 100 percent fixed by installing a shock absorber to the pedal. More importantly, where’s the assurance that the vehicles on the recall list are safe to drive until they are fixed. People are skeptical that this is the cause. There has been some finger pointing between Toyota and the pedal manufacturer which has been raising eyebrows. This needs to be cleared up in the public’s eye. [...] |
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