PR Blunders that Make Us Wonder? Could have been a Hero, instead of a Zero

Some recent posts on Twitter have centered around the misguided attempts of an electric company in Flordia LCEC in dealing with a local investigative reporting team.

The story just goes to show you that sometimes you need to be flexible. Instead of the thousands of dollars lost and spent on this negative story, LCEC could have turned this into a HUGE positive story and been the HERO by waiving the fee.

The Rossman Group has three rules for Ms. Ryan (LCEC’s PR Rep):

Rule #1: Don’t shoot the messenger!

Especially when you’re already limping from a media beating and the masses are hungry for blood. Explain that company rules on rare occasions need to be adjusted for our brave men in uniform. If necessary, pay the $30 out of your own pocket.

Rule #2: Don’t blame viewers for bad policies!

Don’t try and kill the story by telling the viewers – on-camera – that their rates may go up because you are forced to spend time dealing with the media inquiries due to your backwards policies. What do you think they will do, be quiet or call for your position to be eliminated so their rates don’t go up?!

Rule #3: It goes back to the basics of crisis communications.

Don’t be PASSIVE, you must be ACTIVE! Get out in front of the issue. Don’t blame Fox 4 for doing an unnecessary investigative story that clearly their viewers asked for. Accept and identify the issue, then work to make it better. Don’t blame the news organization for shining a bad light on your company.

End of Story.

-APF

Mel Gibson’s PR Blunder That Makes Us Wonder

While Toyota struggles to find how to put the brakes on, maybe Mel Gibson should put the brakes on … his mouth!  In a recent interview, Gibson flunked the “shut your mouth until your microphone is off your body and you are driving out of the parking lot” test by referring to a reporter as, well, an anatomical hole, so to speak.  And the reporter was simply asking what Gibson should’ve been prepped for anyway – “How have you changed since your public drunken, anti-Semitic rant?”  We’re certain that what Gibson meant to say, if he had a brain and was even remotely in tune with reality, was “I was an idiot then and I’ve learned many lessons in life – that one was by far the most difficult and the most necessary.”  End of story.

-KRM

Capitol Insiders: Governor’s State of State Address Irrelevant

Expectations are very low for Governor Jennifer Granholm’s eighth and final State of the State Address Wednesday night, according to a survey of state capitol insiders, those individuals closest to the daily happenings in and around Michigan’s state capitol.

According to the on-line survey conducted by Denno-Noor Research in partnership with The Rossman Group and The Perricone Group, a solid majority, 62 percent of those surveyed, indicated the Governor’s speech was either “unimportant” or “useless,” while only 38 percent of those surveyed called the Governor’s speech “crucial” or “important” to her legacy. Democrats were most likely to consider the speech of their party leader relevant.  However, only 55 percent called it “crucial” or “important,” compared to 33 percent of Republicans and 34 percent of Independents who agreed with its significance.

I want more!

A PR Blunder That Makes Us Wonder…

What on earth was the president and CEO of Toyota thinking when he apologized to the Toyota-driving public, then vamoosed in – yes, we’ve got it right – an Audi?  Was that his effort to prove that Toyota will rise again, like the much-aligned Audi did following its over-exaggerated performance issues a decade ago?  And how serendipitous that he made his public apology in Switzerland, the land of neutrality  – since one of the recommendations from auto experts is to put your “I can’t stop my frickin’ Toyota” into neutral to prevent, um, harm.

In PR world, crisis communications is pretty darn simple: Own your mistake, Apologize for it, then FIX IT!!!!!  Two out of three ain’t bad but millions of Toyota drivers are wishing they had an Audi right now.

Our advice to Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda: next time you apologize for your stop-free cars, actually get in one and drive away.  Or walk your talk – literally.

-KRM

2009’s Top 10 Public Relations Blunders

Lions and Tiger and Bare – oh my…

Votes for the biggest news stories of 2009 have been tabulated. And the results? Well, that’s what USA Today and Parade Magazine are for. Rather, as Michigan’s top Public Relations Firm and an industry leader for more than 20 years, The Rossman Group is much more interested in the stories that didn’t have to happen – those PR blunders that keep guys like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in laugh tracks, Tim Skubick looking for another news outlet to add to his media empire, and potential clients looking to The Rossman Group for Crisis Communications help. Fortunately, to compile our list of 2009 PR Blunders, we didn’t have to look much past Michigan.

So, without further ado, we present the winners of The Rossman Group’s 2009 Top Ten Political Blunders:

1. Michael Phelps – Olympic gold medalist and world-class bong smoker

After a photo of the 14-time Olympic gold medalist and star University of Michigan swimmer smoking marijuana from a bong backstroked across the internet, Phelps was suspended from all competition. Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way that cannabis, chlorine and coeds don’t mix.

2. Kwame Kilpatrick – former mayor of Detroit and current destitute Texan

The disgraced former mayor was in court again in December trying to get his restitution payments to Detroit taxpayers reduced from $6,000 to $3,000 a month – apparently you can’t restitute if you’re destitute! However, Kwame had to defend spending more than $15,000 on plastic surgery for his wife. “I wanted to make her feel beautiful, that’s what that was,” a tearful Kilpatrick explained. “I embarrassed her. I cheated on her. I lied to her. I put her through hell.” Tearful Detroiters understand, because nothing says “forgive me” like a tummy tuck!

3. Tina Houghton – Lansing City Council member-elect and forgetful taxpayer

Unknown to voters at the time of her November election victory to the Lansing City Council, Tina Houghton was in arrears on more than $3,000 of property taxes, a violation of the City Charter. But the bigger mistake occurred when Houghton, forgetting the charter violation, signed an affidavit swearing she met the qualifications of candidacy. Oopsie! Concerned citizens gathered outside of City Hall in November to protest her election, and the city of Lansing is being sued to keep Houghton from being sworn-in in January. So what’s the big deal? Not paying taxes is an actual prerequisite for a job in the Obama Administration…

4. The Detroit Lions – Perennial Cellar Dweller, Doormat NFL Franchise

OK, so we don’t have Matt Millen to kick around anymore (well, actually we do – he’s still getting paid by the Lions, isn’t he?), no Michigan PR Blunder list could be complete without mention of the pitiful Detroit Lions. While last year’s 0-16 team is now widely considered the worst in NFL history, if not for a few inadvertent wins (which may cost us the number one pick in the upcoming draft), the hapless 2009  team would be giving them a run for their money. With recent television broadcasts of home games blacked out because of a failure to sell enough seats, the franchise tried to boost attendance and revenue by offering free tickets to former season ticket holders. It’s only because the blackout keeps us from watching that they aren’t higher on this blunder list…

5. Monica Conyers – Former Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem and Sewage Maven

Monica Conyers, wife of Congressman John Conyers and former president pro-tem of Detroit’s City Council, pleaded guilty to taking bribes of at least $6,000 to change her vote on the $1.2 billion sewage sludge hauling and treatment contract in favor of Synagro Technologies Inc. of Houston. Seems with Kwame Kilpatrick on his way to Dallas, Conyers wanted Texas to manage all of Detroit’s, er, waste.

6. Dave Bing – Detroit Mayor and Eventual College Graduate

Dave Bing, Detroit mayoral candidate and former Detroit Pistons player, claimed repeatedly he graduated from Syracuse University in 1966, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from General Motors Institute in Flint. He apparently lied about both. Bing does not have an MBA and Syracuse spokesman Kevin Morrow said Bing did not receive his degree in economics until he completed additional courses in 1995. While the issue dogged Bing on the campaign trail, as long as he didn’t receive his imaginary degrees at an imaginary ceremony at the Manoogian Mansion, Detroit voters didn’t seem to mind – they elected him twice in 2009.

7. Chrysler Group – Former “Big Three” Auto Manufacturer

Chrysler cut 25 percent of its dealership network as part of the auto-maker’s bankruptcy by sending out the bad-news letters through UPS – on the same day it went public with the list of 789 dealerships slated for termination. Chrysler only gave the dealerships 30 days to close their doors. If only they’d managed their product lines that efficiently…

8. Sam Riddle – Embattled Political Enigma

A riddle wrapped in an enigma, the Detroit political consultant continued to cause problems for himself in 2009. Already in hot water because of his role in the Synagro Technologies bribery scandal (see Monica Conyers above), the 63 year-old Riddle was allegedly caught just before Christmas in a “compromised” position with a 30-year-old health assessment coordinator by live-in girlfriend and former State Representative Mary Waters. For his role, Riddle was first being sent to jail (early reports indicated that Riddle aimed a loaded gun at Waters, and his ‘friend’ was arrested for marijuana possession – see Michael Phelps), the judge later got really serious, confining Riddle to his mother’s home. Man, what did she do?

9. Pete Hoekstra – Tweeter, Bicyclist, Michigan Congressman and Gubernatorial Candidate

Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra tweeted his way into trouble not once, but twice in 2009. During a congressional session last summer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned off the lights on Hoekstra while he sat tweeting to the outside world about the GOP’s “drill, baby, drill” protest. Previously, Hoekstra, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted details of a confidential congressional trip to Baghdad. Congressional Quarterly called it a security breach; but given Hoekstra’s opposition to much of the Obama Administration’s intelligence policies, supporters called it Tweet Justice.

10. Michigan Taxpayers Alliance – Debate Hall Monitor

Thinking it a clever public relations move, The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance decided to host a Gubernatorial Debate for Republican candidates last September at the Michigan GOP’s biannual Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island. However, when, because of “time restraints,” MTA announced GOP state Senator and announced gubernatorial candidate Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) would not be allowed to participate, their public relations dream turned into a nightmare. MTA President Leon Drolet tried to downplay the controversy, but surrounded by Mr. Perks and the island’s horses, it was getting a little deep…

Honorable Mention – The Prickadillos…

Even though 2009 was a relatively light year for sexual indiscretions among Michigan politicians and celebrities, there was certainly no shortage of sexual public relations blunders nationally. A partial list includes:

• U.S. Senator John Ensign (R-NV)
• Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC)
• Tiger Woods (PGA Professional)
• David Letterman (Late Night Television Host)
• Steve Phillips (ESPN Baseball Analyst and former NY Mets General Manager)
• Shaquille O’Neal (NBA All-Pro Basketball Player)

Even though past luminaries like Kobe Bryant and Larry Craig are not on the 2009 list, Sexual Scandal Lifetime Achievement Award winner Roman Polanski did make a return appearance.

It should be noted that not all sexual mishaps resulted in a PR Blunder. In particular, by dealing with his issues immediately and head-on, late night talk show host David

Letterman came out of his controversy relatively unscathed, and it’s not likely to cause long-term damage to his career (but careful Dave – interns are plentiful in the TV world…). In addition, Jenny Sanford, wife of the internationally sexually scandalous Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC), handled her family’s difficult situation with dignity and grace.

“While there was an abundance of nominees for our 2009 Top Ten PR Blunders List, 2009 could easily be called the ‘Year of the Prickadillo,’” said The Rossman Group president Mark Pischea. “Many of these serious public relations problems could have been avoided by employing The Rossman Group’s OAF strategy – Own ‘It,’ Apologize for ‘It,’ and for heaven’s sake, get ‘It’ fixed.”

Rossman 2010 Calendar Caption Contest!

With the help of the Detroit Free Press’ award-winning editorial cartoonist Mike Thompson, The Rossman Group will launch our annual calendar at the end of December.

BUT, we want our friends to be part of the creative process this year – so help us out with a caption for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick!

The winner of the caption contest will have his or her smiling face drawn into the 2010 calendar by Mike Thompson and will receive a bunch of other prizes, including four tickets to the MSU vs. Wisconsin hockey game on November 27 (courtesy of our awesome client, NBATV commentator and Spartan hoop god Steve Smith)!

Please take a look at the picture below, sketched by Mike Thompson, and take your best shot! BUT before you do, please read the contest rules carefully, they are listed below.

Thanks and good luck!!

How do I enter?

Simply submit your caption with a wall post on our Facebook page

OR

send us a DM or @reply through our Twitter account

Twitter users: Go ahead and use the hash tag “#Kwame” after your caption so everyone can follow other people’s entries.

Contest Rules

• The contest will run from Tuesday, November 17 until Wednesday, November 25.
• To be eligible, you must be a fan of the Rossman Public Relations’ Facebook fan page, or a follower of TheRossmanGroup on Twitter.
• All entries must be submitted by Wednesday, November 25 at 12 noon to be eligible for consideration.
• There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit.  
• Winners will be determined on Wednesday, November 25 during The Rossman Group’s scheduled calendar staff meeting.
• The winner of the contest will be contacted via Twitter or Facebook on November 25 and must submit a photo by 5 p.m. that day in order to be included into the calendar.

Prize Package

The winner of the contest will receive the following:

• Inclusion – your very own caricature – in the Rossman Group 2010 Calendar (don’t worry, we will be gentle)
• Two Rossman Group Lobby Guides – with one year of online access!
• Four tickets – with parking passes – to the Michigan State vs. Wisconsin hockey game on November 27, courtesy of Steve Smith

Now have fun and get creative! If you need inspiration check out last year’s 2009 Calendar, posted below.

Rossman's 2009 Calendar

Don’t have a Facebook account? Click here and sign-up right on the homepage!

Don’t have a Twitter account? Click here and select the green “Sign up now” button to join!

To view Mike Thompson’s work, visit The Detroit Free Press website.

The winner of the contest will be contacted via Twitter or Facebook on November 23 and must submit a photo before noon on November 24 in order to be included into the calendar.