Last month Kevin said something that stuck with me: Let’s not be partisan on the blog. It was when I was going to go all Barack on you guys…saying how people had to stop saying how Barry’s Win was a fait accompli. This was just before the convention so I’m glad I didn't bother. Naturally, I digress. The fact is—Kevin’s right, this is not a place for me to come down on any one side because, a little sincerity here, for the last 2.5 years our idea has been to talk about PR good and PR bad, put our own educated opinions into your heads, and talk some good talk about bettering this business. We’re not political muckety-mucks.
I bring this up today because it’s great he said something intriguing (and everyone should know that), and more to point out that you also have to think about this for your own PR work during election period. [PS: Less than two months to vote. Get registered now, please.] If you are in a service business your angles always have to be relevant, but they can’t say "Hey 50 percent of the country: I hate your guts." Meaning, don’t be glib (imagine me saying that) with comments that are political. So what if you think Republicans are droll and hateful and small-minded; they are customers buying a service from people, as opposed to...
The product side has a distinct advantage. Products can actually be proffered as somewhat political — after all, audiences always prefer to buy from a human seller, with blood and emotions, as opposed to a corporate monolith that just treats consumers like numbers, and if you have a sense of humor about it, you can get away with making fun of/in the political season. Products don’t vote, right? So what if you’re Kenneth Cole and sell shoes and say funny things about one party’s dumb platform. You’re still a shoemaker and if the shoes fit, we’ll still wear 'em.
It is dangerous, still. No matter how cool you are about saying something, the art of offending people is easy in a sensitive political year like this. I mentioned Hillary as one who was stubborn (back then) in a blog post and I got tons of nasty mail of the “What if she were a man!” variety. Well, then he should have given up earlier!
It's damn tough to sit in the middle and do nothing. (Ask the kids who don’t get picked in school.) Especially when America is mired in the biggest mess in memory. This election is supposed to be the one where a brand new leader comes in and fixes things. So it’s super important that we take a side and stand by it. But then again, “partisan” means something new nowadays. It used to be you could just say you wanted someone and people would listen to what you had to say. But everyone is right these days… fervently sure that they see things the way they need to be. And in an election where everyone is saying “Change” is what’s needed, it’s hard to undulate on the sidelines.
I feel like a drums-and-bass song here: I’m constantly repeating the refrain be careful. But be careful, dudes. In the end, that old man or that young man will win and you’ll either be mad with joy or completely zonked. Remember it will be business as usual for the foreseeable future. And your business needs to weather any storm, whether it’s Ike or one that comes from serious political turmoil. Happy ’08!
Eh. I take sides on my blog. If people don't like that, too damned bad. But once the election's over, it's over. People go back to their lives, their jobs, and basically shut up til the next one. Everyone leaves the post-election politics for the people who are paid to stomach that stuff. And, really, it makes no difference to me if someone differs with me politically. That'd be like discriminating against someone because they liked a book or TV show I didn't. I think most people share that sentiment too.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be surprised how many folks get mad at service providers for disagreeing with them publcly, particulary if the mad-ees have a negative belief ("We need to stop the..."). And marketers often need to straddle the line between crapping on the political horrors and just shrugging and saying "I'll do this on my own damn time."
ReplyDeleteWish I read this post a few days ago. I succumbed to my momentary impulses to trash the political opposition and received a scathing rebuke from a guy who unsubscribed. He had a lot of good points - like keep these opinions to yourself or share with friends or family. Now I am thinking of doing something radical - deleting the political post and learning my lesson to stick to the topic of the blog.
ReplyDeleteMark - Don't delete it. Just update it and note what you did here...next time you'll keep it off blog. My two cents (USD).
ReplyDeleteAs a business owner, I've typically been cautious about expressing political viewpoints, but after the last eight years I feel that my duty to be a responsible citizen (especially one with reasonably honed communication skills) must trump my concern about communicating views some clients may not embrace. I care deeply about my business, but I also care that the future of our democracy, our environment, and the U.S. role in the world are at a critical juncture. I'd be disappointed with myself if I were silent.
ReplyDeleteI do not think we're saying be silent. I'm not silent about my religion for example, I practice it daily. But you do not know what it is based on this blog. Similarly I think we can provide a blog about bad media relations pitches without being silent about our politics. But neither one needs to intersect the other per se.
ReplyDeleteAnd for heaven's sake people VOTE!