PASSIVE OR PITHY—WORKING THE MEDIA

I had noted in an earlier blog that one of my client’s most effective way of responding to a hostile media was to be disarming. And I used the example of Minolta President Sam Kusumoto whose first question from a radio show host had nothing to do with office copiers or cameras. It was direct, it was blunt and it was somewhat naïve—but it was also top of mind to everyone in Lafayette: Japanese carmakers were taking jobs away from American factory workers so why should Americans buy Japanese copiers and cameras.

I noted that Sam’s responses set the tone for how I would handle such tough questions for clients in the years to come. Sam’s two responses:

“I first came to America through San Francisco on a commercial freighter with a box of cameras in its hold. When I saw the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time I said to myself “My God, why did we fight these people?”

“I don’t understand why people are upset with us. After World War II, America showed Japan how to be capitalists, you showed us how to make quality products with your manufacturing processes and technology. We simply copied everything you showed us how to do. And now we’re doing it.”

Sam didn’t confront the radio host, he disarmed him. And it’s a lesson I’ve taught clients and my own agency people ever since.

It got me to thinking about the tactics of other clients I had worked with and how they approached media opportunities.

The famous diet doctor, Robert Atkins, did the precise reverse of Sam. Bob courted controversy, knowing it would gain him notoriety and front page/talk show exposure. At first, we tried to tame Atkin’s ranting against the American Medical Association, thinking it would be better for exposure if he took a gentler approach. But we soon learned to do otherwise. Atkin’s sometimes controversial diet suggestions were what got his books and his clinic exposure. And when he baited the AMA the media would go to the association for comment. Doctors would come right back counseling against his diet and doubling awareness about him.

Ironically enough, Atkins was not all that keen to promote branded diet products with his name on them. It was only after his death, that the branded products took off commercially.

I have a question for anyone—(knock, knock, anyone out there) who might be reading my ramblings.

When you’re doing media training for more than one person from the same client. Should you let all of them in the room when you’re grilling the first candidate or should you conduct that tough first mock interview with each one-one at a time? Your thoughts?

Tags: Media relations

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