Public Relations; Needed or not?

Do you remember when Jack in the Box, in a specific area of the country, was found to be using tainted meat? There first reaction was to recall all advertising, giving them a chance to evaluate what was happening. There next step was to put out a public relations message to calm consumers down, to re-assure them that it was not their intention to use damaged products.

More important was that they were looking into the matter to make sure it didn’t happen again. Once the problem was discovered and isolated to one market, they eliminated the damaged products and again were able to move forward and promote their products in a positive way.

Another more recent public relations nightmare was Mel Gibson’s personal misgivings going public. They involved harassment, drinking and anti-Semitic perspective. When these all became public it made it hard for him to find work. No one is feeling sorry for Mel Gibson-but this is a prime example of how if your public relations part of your business is not in order, how fast you can go from the top to the bottom.

Whether you hire a public relations firm or not to handle your PR, it is vitally important to always be aware of how important it really is to make sure you stay positive in the public’s eye. Today, reviews are prevalent on the internet and throughout social media. You should be constantly keeping in touch with your customer to be able to right the ship when it is starting to tip over, but more important, to provide positive perspective when things are going right.

What are your challenges when it comes to public relations? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…