One principle PR holds is never to get too high and mighty because there will come a time when things change. Then, arrogance is rewarded with revenge from those who have suffered under the overbearing presence of the haughty. Take this person. He dominated politics in New Jersey for several years with his bullying, take-no-prisoners style. Then, he slipped with a scandal now called “Bridgegate” when his people shut two lanes to the George Washington Bridge to punish a mayor of a town. Since then, the governor has been on a down-slope, doing damage control, trying to hold back flood waters of bile roaring his way. Had he been more accommodating in the first place, there is less likelihood the political position he is in today would be as severe. Of course, this isn’t always true. The President started by trying to get along with Republicans, and it got him nowhere. Still, had New Jersey’s governor been more persuasive than blunt, citizens would have been more supportive. Now voters wish he would go away, but there are four more years.
Great Publicity
A medical marvel is always great publicity for the institution that produces it. Take, for example, this case. A surgeon at the Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville Kentucky used a 3D printer to build a model of a child’s defective heart so he could determine how to operate on it safely. It was a novel use of the printer and creative medicine. The hospital can justifiably take pride in the breakthrough and the publicity puts it near the forefront of medicine where researchers are building body parts out of human tissue. Moreover, it is good PR because it demonstrates what the hospital and its surgeons can do — a plus for worried patients and parents. Hospitals have never been slow to take marketing advantage of the breakthroughs produced in their wards. It is tried and true technique and still best.
Impostors and Reputation
For three years, Goldman Sachs has been embarrassed by a person who was posting comments heard in its elevators. Except, the person wasn’t in Goldman’s elevators nor was the person in Goldman. He is an impostor. Goldman was victimized not by a rogue employee but by someone who has never worked for the firm. While this might seem trivial, it is nonetheless a reputational problem. On the internet, anyone can pose as anyone else and vilify, mock or otherwise compromise the image of an organization or an individual. If the impostor is clever enough in covering his tracks, there is no reason for readers to believe that he is anything other than what he says he is. And, how is anyone to prove that he is not? There have been impostors through history. There is nothing new about them. The difference now is that they have a vast audience. This fellow had 600,000 followers. It seems that PR needs more than monitoring to protect clients. It needs good online tracking skills as well. Nothing would have stopped this impostor except exposure. Goldman was successful this time, but what about the next?