PR Disasters
There is reference to PM's meeting Mukesh Ambani.THE PMO came up with an unconvinving explanation that PM meets industrialists all the time.Having worked as Informaiton advisor to PMs,I found this statement to be totally incorrect.PM's avoid meeting individual industrailists.They meet them in delegations.
In the instant case,both Mukesh Ambani and PM made a cardinal mistake by meeting and courting a controversy at a time when politics was turning murkier. From the Industrialist point of view, WPT as demanded by SP Leader Amar singh could not have been imposed without Parliamentary approval by the Govt. BY seeking a meeting and gaining one, one of the Ambani's came into media lime light and was projected as an industrialist interested in toppling the Govt. Further, it led to speculation that he was responsible for the appointment of a new Petroleum secretary, ahead of the retirement of the present incumbent.
The PM attracted avoidable attention from the opposition, particulalry the Left that accused him of being pro business.
The lesson for PR manager is that one will find it difficult to manage a unwise and untimely move/decision by the subject; in this case the PM and Ambani.If the PR man has advance knowledge that such a meeting was likely to take place, he shouid advice the boss not to have such a meeting. Post a bad decision/development, such as PM's meeting, there will be adverse fall out.
In 1997 during DAVOS annual meet in Switzerland, the Hinduja brothers were keen to meet the then PM. Those were the days of the Bofors controversy. The advice to PM was not to give occasion for a meeting with them. Yet a contrversy erupted when a reporter wrote incorrectly that one of the Hinduja brothers was seen in the hotel where PM was staying. No amount of explanation that any one can be seen in a hotel where the PM stayed would remove the media speculation. As they say you should not be seen drinking even milk under a toddy tree.
S.narendra
On 18/07/2008, santoshbalan <santoshbalan@indiatimes.com> wrote:
(Moderator's Note : I agree with Santosh. It would be a good idea to develop case studies of PR disasters. Members can share some of the Corporate PR disasters also. If they are published in media, you can name the corporates. If it is not, you can share the case study without mentioning the names of companies and people involved.)
Dear Mr.Srinivasan,
Would like to suggest that we have a dossier of major PR disasters on a quarterly basis. This issues can be discussed, deliberated and pondered and members can also suggest how well they could have been handled.
For eg. Immediately one can think of the "PMO meeting Ambanis". After
meeting the elder brother in full glare the PMO was finding it
difficult to convince people that it was not related to a counter
demand from SP, who was acting in cohort with the younger brother.
The second was the "IPL doping case implicating Md Asif". This issue also could have handled better.
It would be prudent for each one of us contribute as to what we think
was the PR disaster which can be compiled and released every
quarter /month. May be some of this issues can be taken in the e-zine.
Once this is done, a dossier on this can be released as a compendium.
These are just suggestions.
Would like to hear from other members of what do they think about this exercise.
Thanks & Regards
Santosh Balan
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