May
11
“But if the whole point is to generate public interest in the subject being discussed, why not go directly into the public sphere? Because PR people see themselves as these back room operators, moving around and doing their thing backstage. The ‘audience’ isn’t supposed to know they are at work. Journalists haven’t kicked off their stories by saying ‘Joanna Wimplepuss of HyperPR sent me an email today, extolling the virtues of SuperSoftware 3.0., and asserting that John Fizzel said “This is so cool. It’s way cool,” although I never actually heard him say that.’ Instead they have print the bogus quote, incorporate the bulleted lists and links from the press release. Everyone is acting in collusion to spread little teeny tiny white lies to the rest of us. I am too gonzo for that. We need to be honest about who is trying to influence who to do what. And the simplest move is for the PR flacks to come out into the light of day and explicitly say “here’s something I think is interesting from my client Blatz Software,” and we’ll evaluate it on it’s own merits. The implication that I want the PR people to make it easier for me to crank out 700 words by midnight is old school, and worst of all, we are supposed to not talk about it, like the illegal aliens making lunch for us at the deli, or mowing our lawns. I want it all to be open and above board, and the PR pros to be just an additional voice in the conversation, instead of being treated like the deranged aunt that lives upstairs and that no one ever talks about. Come out into the light of day. We’ll set up an amnesty program, and all the past misdeeds will be forgiven.”
Stowe Boyd (You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Stage Two Consulting PRology)