Online Public Relations Thoughts

The discovery of a large marine reptile skull has illuminated the speed of evolution.   Instead of 100 million years for a new species to emerge, the animal appeared in just three million years. Conditions were just right for the transition.  It is a reminder that in science, facts emerge constantly to change views of nature, and one should not become fixed in communicating them.  Instead, one should refer to what we know now with a nod to what will emerge later.  Truth is not a rigid set of principles and insights in science, and that can be frustrating to those who want immutable answers.  We know more about the world now than ever in in the history of humans, but we still don't know enough.  There is an infinite amount more to learn such that no individual can grasp it all.  We are fated to be ignorant of entire branches of research no matter how hard we try.  As communicators we scratch the surface of understanding and that is the best we can do.  

Intel is caught in a geopolitical bind with China.  To satisfy US regulations, it has asked its Chinese customers not to use products from Xinjiang province where the Western world has evidence of forced labor.  Intel has apologized to its Chinese customers for its stance but that hasn't satisfied the government nor the people.  Chinese celebrities have cut ties with Intel and a foreign ministry spokesman has cautioned the company.  Intel tried to communicate by straddling a line between the US and China.  It didn't work.  This is an instance in which a company is on one side or the other.  There isn't much Intel can do.  Its hands are tied and it now faces loss of much-needed Chinese business.  Sometimes apologies aren't enough.    

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been building his case for an invasion of Ukraine.  He states his country has "every right" to "react harshly to unfriendly steps" by Europe and the US.  Putin is communicating to his constituency as much as he is putting the West on guard.  Should he decide to cross the border and subjugate Ukraine, he will need support at home to offset sanctions that will inevitably come.  So, he appeals to Russia's safety as his excuse for the buildup of troops and weapons of war along Ukraine's border.  One might call this a manufactured crisis, but Putin apparently doesn't see it that way.  He wants to return Russia to the strength it had as the Soviet Union when it could dictate a position in world affairs.  The course he is taking is risky and his statements might be over the top, but the world at least is taking his communications seriously.  That's what he wants.  

Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, has sunk President Biden's Build Back Better bill. Republicans are praising him and Democrats are grinding their teeth in rage and frustration.  Manchin says he would have a hard time explaining it to his constituents.  Democrats say he is "gutless."  An issue now is communications.  How will the White House position this defeat, especially with the upcoming election year when Democrats usually lose a majority?  It's a tough message for them unless the public was counting on the bill becoming law.  Republicans can play to their base, but their base is a minority of voters.  The real question is what independents think and whether they will vote in the off-year ballot.  The White House should be reaching out to them starting now.  Still, it is a hard call when one has to campaign for a bill that one's own party won't support. It will be a test of Biden's leadership and legislative skill. 

A leader knows when to send a message by showing up and demonstrating concern.   That's what President Biden did in Kentucky when he toured the destruction wrought by tornadoes.  The irony is he did it in a heavily Republican district whose Congressman is a vocal opponent of Biden and a full-throated supporter for former President Trump.  Biden handled it nicely.  He said in tragedies there are no red and blue states but humans in need.  It is interesting that Biden invited the entire Kentucky delegation to visit with him but only one accepted, Congressman James Comer, the representative of the district.  The others stayed in Washington DC and let it be known they would visit later.  It seems they don't accept Biden's view that there should be no politics at a time like this.  Cynics will say that Biden did it for a photo-op, but the people he visited know the White House is paying attention and help is on the way.  

"Kraft is using its cream cheese shortage as a marketing opportunity."  So starts a story on the cream cheese out-of-stock in the US.  Kraft, the maker of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, will pay up to 18,000 people as much as $20 to forego making cheesecake during the holidays.  The reimbursement is cumbersome through a special website and a two-day time span for the offer, but it shows that someone at Kraft is thinking about the customer and trying creative ways to offset the lack of the product.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if more companies used similar smart marketing?

While one might be cautious about flaunting a rocket launch that has yet to take place, there are no second thoughts on medicines that have been shown to work.  Thus, Pfizer broadly published final data on a new pill to alleviate COVID symptoms.  It has been shown to be 89% effective in double-blind testing.  Pfizer has now shared its data with the FDA and is looking forward to full approval for its use.  It is a significant breakthrough in combating the pandemic.  Pfizer deserves the honor and reputation it will reap.  It is the best PR and puts the pharma on another level among its peers.  The company can rightly claim the prowess of its R&D and its science.  That will boost its stock price and embed its name with consumers the world over.  Kudos.

Business owners in New York City are rebelling against a mandate to have their workers vaccinated before Dec. 27 this year.  The order from the mayor has sown confusion and anger.  It matters little that the dictate is meant for the common good.  The challenge for communicators and government is that emphasis on personal rights has overtaken collective action even though individuals face harm from failing to get vaccinated.  Proprietors are thinking in the short term. How do they operate when some of their people can no longer work?  The mandate won't be effective until that objection is resolved.  Since the mayor is ending his term in January, business leaders will wait until the new mayor takes over to see if they have to comply.  The idea of community needs to be rebuilt in the nation, and it will take decades to do it.  

President Biden has been selling and selling the infrastructure law to Americans.  They aren't listening and his message isn't getting through. Rather, citizens want to know what he is doing about soaring inflation, and there is little he can discuss there. The official line is that inflation will moderate when the logistics logjam is broken.  The problem is that the nation's ports are overloaded with goods and there aren't enough truckers to haul them to their destinations.  That won't be solved in months, so voters are blaming Democrats and Biden.  The president should be deeply concerned about his standing and his grim prospects in the 2022 elections.  There are signs that even his own party is restless with the job he is doing.  He is in a difficult position and his leadership is being questioned from all sides. He increasingly appears to be a good man in an impossible job.  

Elon Musk, the king of electrical vehicles, is blasting the proposed government spending on EV's in proposed legislation before the Senate.  He wants Congress and the White House to get out of the way.  Musk is forgetting subsidies for Teslas that spurred uptake of the vehicle at a time when EVs were considered exotic and range-limited.  Now that the market is developed and exploding in growth, he doesn't want any more Federal help.  The Secretary of Transportation begs to differ and says some things "don't happen on their own."  Pete Buttigieg is right about that, especially when it comes to getting rid of all gas guzzlers in favor of electric motors and batteries.  Musk isn't afraid of picking a public quarrel but it is hard to see how he can win this war of words.  One hopes he doesn't.  

Evergrande, the Chinese property developer, has missed its debt payment and is once again at risk of formal default.  

"Failure to make $82.5 million in interest payments that were due last month would trigger cross-default on the firm's roughly $19 billion of international bonds and put the developer at risk of becoming China's biggest-ever defaulter – a possibility that has loomed over the world's second-largest economy for months."

The company is living the Perils of Pauline with one near disaster after another and its investors in revolt.  What can it say to buy time?  Probably little to nothing. It needs to make an interest payment to persuade investors it is viable. There are few words for a situation like this nor leadership that can calm strained nerves.  Persuasion is action, and that is missing so far.  The government seems disinclined to step in so Evergrande is twisting in the wind. It's a terrible position for a CEO to be in.  

This is an example of communicating badly.  The Kentucky representative wants to build support among Republican gun owners and chose an awful way to do it. Having your whole family photographed with assault weapons and asking Santa for ammo is disgusting just days after another school shooting in Michigan.  The Congressman has no sense of what is appropriate.  That written, he certainly boosted his appeal to a minority that owns and defends guns, but what about independents who aren't dedicated to the Second Amendment?  Maybe he knows his constituency better than outside observers.  If so, there is much to be scared about.

The Biden administration sought to depoliticize the fight against COVID 19 and uphold science.  For that decision it earned attacks by Republicans saying Biden is at fault for mandating vaccinations.  Democrats are beginning to fight back, but is it too late?  Republicans have had weeks to oppose vaccine mandates and the public is weary.  So, Democrats are now pointing out how contradictory the Republican position is.  Is anyone listening or do citizens just want the issue to go away?  It's a tough call at a time when everything seems to be caught in a political chasm.  Biden wants Congress to work together as it did on the infrastructure law, but that is nearly impossible with Republicans lined up in opposition and the Democrats' control of both houses so slim. So, Republicans bray against mandates and keep an eye on 2022 elections.  For the moment, they seem to have the upper hand, while appeals to science have been overpowered by their noise.      

The Biden administration is jawboning Russia in an attempt to head it off from invading the Ukraine. The threat is harsh sanctions.  Do communications like this work?  It is hard to say when the only thing a leader wants and understands is power.  Putin knows he can take over the Ukraine with his forces, sanctions or not.  He also holds a trump card in his hand by his supply of natural gas to Europe.  He could threaten to cut it off or actually interrupt supply to bring the EU to its knees in the winter months.  Putin knows that neither the EU nor the US have a stomach for war.  He can leave the two of them blustering while he takes over the geography.  There are times for words and times for action.  Putin has the upper hand if he invades.