Articles published in April, 2009

1. The swine flu risk – managing perceptions vs reality

   Published on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
   When managing communications during a crisis there are numerous challenges.  First and foremost is removal of risk and management of any potential future risks.  To do this those who are potentially affected need to be made aware of the risk posed to them to the extent that they are motivated to take the appropriate action.  At the same time undue scaremongering and mass hysteria must be avoided.

   Within New Zealand there have been many occasions when people have had to be told that they may have a particular life threatening condition.  Think contaminated blood, failed cancer screening and CJD, not to mention medical misadventure.

   An individual’s own sense of vulnerability is based on personal experiences in the same way that past events in a country influences that nation’s response to future risk scenarios.  Take the UK for example.  With deaths due to salmonella-contaminated eggs and BSE in beef, their safe food lobby is highly vocal and effective.  They also have high rates of vegetarianism, showing that many consumers have acted, at least partly, as a result of such scares.

   Fast forward to the current swine flu pandemic alert and the response has been swift and of the highest profile.  The Ministry of Health, District Health Boards and other health agencies are to be commended on how they have responded and managed the issue.  As are our media.  Prior to the confirmation of swine flu there were some suggestions of a media set up, but we now know the response was justified.

   In times of crisis the relationship between the media and information authorities is of utmost importance.  Authorities were initially highly dependent on the media to attract the interest of the people they were trying to trace from limited flight arrival card information, and the media delivered on this responsibility.

   Allaying fears, and assuring those that get the sniffles who haven’t travelled to Mexico or the US in the last week don’t panic, continues to be an important task of the media.

   It’s great to see this crucial relationship working well in New Zealand – long may it continue.

   What’s your view?

   Posted in Health

2. Warning: Sunday Theatre to throw up to

   Published on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
   I love Sundays, the best day of the week for sharing the comfort of home with family and friends. Last Sunday evening I roasted a chicken, we enjoyed it with homemade pesto and fresh salad leaves picked straight from the garden. Grace, the household’s 13 year old has been working on a school project about Mexico and she treated us to a national specialty, steaming mugs of hot chocolate spiked with cinnamon and chilli.

   Ah what family happiness I thought as my university aged other daughter and I curled up on the couch for TV One’s Sunday Theatre.

   ‘Above Suspicion’ is based on a Lynda La Plant best seller. The television drama followed a group of detectives on the trail of a twisted serial killer; it was described as a crime-thriller and sported a pretty hefty series of warnings before it began.

   Fore-warned for sure but in no way was I prepared for what the censors at TVNZ pass as suitable free-to-air entertainment. The drama contained references, descriptions and re-enactments of mutilation, incest, and child rape, close ups of a naked corpse autopsy, an as-live suicide and I’d say pretty much every type of vileness imaginable.

   I was reeling by the time I hit the off-button. The 19 year old had voted with her feet much earlier. But now I’m confused, the Sunday Theatre used to be a television highlight, an evening of high quality, challenging drama. It was televisions’ finest hour sponsored by high-end brands like Montana and Lexus.

   TVNZ did communicate that the material was extremely graphic but none of the previews, on their website or others alluded to quite how disturbing it would be. The AO gave me no indication either. Audiences are abandoning free-to-air TV in great numbers, so is this no-hold-bar content an attempt to woo them back? I wonder how advertisers like Telecom and the Warehouse feel about being sandwiched in between such icky stuff for a premium rate? The tele will stay off next Sunday and as for Black and Green chocolate, the current sponsor, I’ll be leaving you on the shelf.

   Posted in PR Matters

3. There is a time for every season – and remaining silent

   Published on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
   I promise that I will never mention this again! Tony Veitch’s flawed media plan.

   Veitch stepped out of what should have been a humbling court appearance into a media maelstrom of his own making. It was a lesson in poor judgment.

   The Veitch camp made the mistake of trying to mitigate the damage of his guilty plea.  As a communications exercise the strategy was misguided and the execution appalling.

   It seemed to me that with anyone with the slightest interest in the case had already made up their minds about the assault long before Veitch’s appearance before Justice, the guilty plea and the sentencing.  Their opinions seem unlikely to have been swayed by the outcome of the case, leaving a group that didn’t care. So what was the point of banging on and on about it?

   But there is also another casualty of the case. It is the PR industry.  Referees were lied to to obtain their support. His advisor’s explanation: what else could we do?

   What beats me is why Veitch’s media advisor Glenda Hughes did not employ the strategy adopted by another of her celebrity clients, Mark Todd, when a serious spot of bother was alleged by the British tabloid media – saying nothing.

   Posted in PR Matters

4. Is democracy as we know it a realistic expectation for Fiji?

   Published on Friday, April 17th, 2009
   In a recent interview with Paul Holmes, Helen Clark posed the question whether it was always necessarily appropriate to expect to be able to drop a developed country’s model on a developing one?*

   While Fiji has long had a tradition of democracy, are the regular coups a sign that the democratic model needs some adaptation?

   Bainimarama comes to the current situation – of his own making – from quite a different cultural background to most of us, one that’s somewhat feudal and patriarchal. Is this the nub of the issue?

   Until now we have gone to Fiji for our family’s annual winter warm-ups, and felt entirely comfortable that the coup-phase was a transition stage and because I did not want the people at the resort we visit to suffer the consequence of tourists not going. But what now?  Is my presence helping or hindering them?

   The other dimension of Fiji’s current situation is that it is a text book case of how not to communicate.  As one of my colleagues said not one of the parties is listening to or acknowledging the other. There will therefore be no movement unless someone is able to offer a compromise.

   There are some who say that Bainimarama is being backed into a corner and the media have had a role to play in this. In order to give him some room to move don’t we need to offer an alternative solution, and perhaps in doing so, acknowledge that our model of democracy may need some serious adaptation for Fiji?

   That said, the Pacific still supports a monarchy. New Zealand recently participated in the Tongan King’s birthday celebrations, a man who is said to be out of touch with the needs of his people and lives his life at the cost to others, quite literally.

   Why do the Australian and NZ governments not offer some appropriately credentialed expert to assist Fiji to work out a realistic solution? And maybe we can step back from the stand over tactics and threats in favour of agreeing on an acceptable timeframe to help them develop a solution.

   But then I have been known to be called Pollyanna. And no I am not trying to find a reason to justify this year’s trip to Fiji.

   *See six minutes into this interview http://tinyurl.com/crarhg

   Posted in Politics, PR Matters

5. Will adding ‘super’ to the brand bridge the divide?

   Published on Thursday, April 9th, 2009
   What many of those who have the good fortune to live in any corner of New Zealand except Auckland don’t get is that there isn’t, and never has been, one united Auckland. Nor, for that matter, is there one typical Aucklander.
   Auckland in its sprawl from Waiheke Island to Otara market to a race-day at Avondale or a boardroom table a-top the Vero centre is a multiplicity, not a single city. The Queen city is a mixed bag made up of urban and suburban tribes. Your Cheryl Wests are as true-blue Auckland as your Rosie Hortons. It is a super place to live but is it ready to be a super-city?

   The Government seems to think so. Its decision to make Auckland a super-city, with one mayor elected by voters and up to 30 community boards, has drawn praise from business and community boards but naturally enough brickbats from other sectors.

   The thinking is that the region’s 1.4 million residents could be better served by their councils and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce head Michael Barnett says a single city will remove confusion and will be a big advantage for local businesses. There is talk too of this model becoming a blueprint first for Wellington and beyond. Does Wellington then become a super-city too? Or will it remain what it is? Auckland is what it is; this country’s most populous, most visited and most business-centric city. Calling it ‘super’ is ring fencing it from the rest of New Zealand who really could take more cheerful ownership and engagement and maybe even pride in their biggest-smoke.

   Afterall one in 3 Aucklanders are drawn here from the regions.

   Posted in PR Matters

6. 21st Century Prohibition – Managing the modern day Pandora’s box

   Published on Friday, April 3rd, 2009
   As I write this post my Twitter profile is minimised, I’ve checked my Facebook at least twice today, researched articles on-line and watched a couple of items from last night’s TV news – a normal day in the life of a PR professional. For many the internet is an essential tool. But it can also have a dark side (and I don’t mean the vast amounts of R rated content). It can seduce you into spending far more time surfing than you initially intended and decrease productivity and focus.

   One survey suggests that personal internet usage at work accounts for 25% of all browsing while others have put it closer to a staggering two thirds of browsing time. Like Pandora’s box the temptation to look inside and see what’s new is irresistible especially when you have a case of 3.30-itis.

   So how can we balance the benefits with the down-sides? How can we ensure it doesn’t eat at productivity and organisational performance? Strict rules and bans are probably not the right approach for most organisations. If people want to spend their time surfing the net and avoiding work it is likely there are bigger issues than internet access. The tone of an organisation is likely to change when there are strict bans enforced. People who want to slack off can find plenty of other ways – txting and emailing for example.

   In our organisation the work-home blur means there is frequent overlap. Media calls and releases late at night are balanced by the ability to dispatch personal matters through the course of your work day. The ability to quickly deal with a pesky bill payment or booking on-line can prevent that nagging distraction in your workload and allow you to focus on the job at hand. That free thinking time to surf and trawl can result in new ideas or spark creative inspiration for a campaign you may be working on. In setting your internet usage guidelines you need to ensure it fits with the culture and professional requirements of your workplace.

   As communicators we are self-regulating. On the other hand it has been suggested recently at TVNZ that sites such as Facebook and TradeMe be blocked during work hours. The thinking behind this was cutting bandwidth costs. As they are communicators as well, is this conducive to business in the media sector?

   

   Posted in PR Matters, Trends