media relations is not a one way street. It is about relationships and dialogue. This afternoon, the world’s greatest golfer, the master of his own destiny and his own mind, may well find that his single-minded stubborness to accept defeat in any area of his life is not his greatest strength but his biggest weakness.
Whatever happens, Terry has caused this problem for himself. Like Tiger Woods before him he has been exposed as the antithesis of what he portrays. It is that portrayal which has, along with his undoubted talent, elevated him to where he is today. It is that portrayal which may ultimately be his downfall.
The media offers the ultimate tool to raise awareness of campaigns – be they cynical or philanthropic. PR consultants and their clients have the skills, contacts and ability to utilise this tool. Whether that be for pure commercial gain, charitable causes or a combination of both, I’d argue that the question should always be “which came first?” The PR campaign or the urge to help?
Tiger would have been better served by coming out and making a statement to the media immediately. Instead, he sat back, probably worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. The resultantvacuum of silence was then filled by a voracious media, determined to get their pound of flesh and now the leeches are forming on the underbelly of the popular press, feeding their faces at the banquet before the platters are removed.
Thanks to everyone who voted in the recent Ryan Air poll on this blog.
Good news for them really. 50% of you may have not changed your opinion but a whopping 44% did and changed it in favour of the airline. Only 6% of you liked them less.
Until a rival changes its offering and starts to compete on price, Ryan Air can continue annoying people and courting profits, not friends. For now, that includes the media. The media knows O’Leary and his motley crew will always guarantee a headline when news is slow and so does Ryan Air.
What a start to the weekend! Vishal from Blak Pearl and I headed over to the BBC studios in Nottingham at 8am today to do an interview on the Breakfast Show – an exhilerating feeling as we walked up the steps and signed in at the front desk.
It is these sort of people that we need to lead us out of this recession. They embrace the new, they are eager to learn, they want to be a part of things.
It was great to see their enthusiasm in supporting Vishal in his business venture and I hope that once we get this show on the road we will be able to demonstrate that Nottingham has a heck of a lot going for it, especially with regards to innovative businesses and student enterprise.
Michael O’Leary’s gift for getting media attention (or one of his very smart colleague’s gift) is incredible. There was the mooted “Fat Tax” which was met with extreme hostilty and a plot to remove the number of toilets and now we have them floating the idea of a standing room only seat. These will be cheaper and maybe even free.