Online Public Relations Thoughts

Favorites are in a dangerous position.  They are hyped by the public, which wants to see them win.  But, the reality is that often they don't.  Whether horses at the Kentucky Derby or contestants at the national spelling bee, failure surprises an audience, which assumes victory. It is best from a PR and reputation perspective to downplay the public's expectations.  It is less pressure on the contestant and closer to reality. 

Is it anti-Semitic to criticize Israel for anything it is doing?  Netanyahu apparently thinks so.  What message does that send to the rest of the world?   No country is above criticism.  All are flawed, especially the US.  "My country right or wrong" is blind ignorance.

Has Netanyahu gone too far and irredeemably shattered Israel's reputation among the nations?  

Today we remember the war dead from conflicts past and present.  It is curious as one reads history that both sides of a conflict claim that God is on their side.  The pope has made it clear that neither side is in the right in war because of its fatal and ruinous nature. Yet, battles continue and one nation rises against another or against itself.  Is it too much to ask that all wars come to an end and negotiation be the rule?  The answer to that is sad but true.  Humans will continue to fight one another to get what they want regardless of the suffering they cause.

A new low in blame-the-victim legal strategy.  Fortunately, American Airlines did not let the defense go forward.  Still, it is lousy PR for the airline.

Former President Trump has such power and PR that even his critics are falling in line to support him.  The Republican party is the Trump party for better or worse. 

Domino's Pizza is showing how to do great PR from customers' pennies.

Netanyahu claims this is anti-Semitism at its worst, but maybe not.  It could be the court trying to stop the slaughter.  Whatever the intent, it is a harsh message that has divided the world.  

This is a PR coup for Jeff Bezo's rocket company, Blue Origin.  It still has a long way to go before it catches up with SpaceX.  

The Vatican has released new rules for determining whether a supernatural event has occurred. They are based on facts and not contentions of an individual who claims to have experienced an otherworldly happening.  The Vatican has a right to be skeptical.  We are in an age when frivolous claims are made regularly and followers are duped into believing.  There are too many innocents who fall for supernatural claims and are misled.  For the sake of its own authority, the Church has to get it right and that is not easy when dealing with individuals who claim to see things.  It could be a PR disaster if the Church is duped as well.

 A private entrepreneur wants to fix the Hubble telescope before it plunges back to earth in a fiery ball.  NASA is not so sure it is a good idea even though it would get the fix for free.  The entrepreneur wants to use a SpaceX capsule and do space walks from it.  NASA  has never done that and is concerned it won't be safe.  The entrepreneur is pushing.  NASA is silent.  Would it be good policy and PR to let him try or an incipient disaster?  No one seems to know at this point.  NASA is on edge. Let him do it -- or not?

Is school integration a failure or the result of a deep economic divide between rich and poor districts?  That is the question after 70 years of mandated integration.  The socioeconomic divide lies in parents wishes for the best education for their children, perhaps more than latent racism.  Change in some behavior proceeds slowly, if at all -- a lesson for communications practitioners.  

If you are not a Tesla owner, you don't like the company.  If you are a Tesla owner, you are positive about it.  Elon Musk is dealing with deeply divided PR.  With Tesla sales dropping, it is a perception to worry about.  Tesla needs a spate of good news.  

What do you do when an ally is behaving badly?  You try to talk sense to him without breaking the bonds of friendship.  Hence, the Biden administration's relations with Netanyahu. 

 Hertz has lost a customer with this PR cockup -- charging a refueling fee for a Tesla.  

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the strident Republican radical, was struck down yesterday by a coalition of Democrats and fellow Republicans when she tried to vacate the Speaker's chair.  As one congressman said, she's great at getting attention but not at getting things done.  She is a publicity hound using any means to roil the calm and get her way.  It was past time to put her in her place.  The best thing that could happen to her would be to lose the next election.   

Victorinox, the Swiss maker of knives, is testing a multifunction tool that will not have a blade, an essential component of a knife.  If the company launches it, it will test its PR with millions of users of Swiss Army Knives.  Will people buy a product that has a cork screw, scissors, saw, pliers, can opener and much more but no blade?  I wouldn't but the CEO of Victorinox has a good reason for the attempt. Knives get confiscated at airport security now.  They are seen as weapons, not tools.  If the product succeeds, Victorinox will be entering a new market.  If not, it will be back to the blade.

If Trump gets sent to jail for contempt of court, he will play the martyr for his followers to solidify their support.  It's a time-tested communications strategy.  

Russia is holding tactical nuclear exercises in response to statements by European nations over defense of Ukraine.  If Russia were to use them, it would be World War III.  But, Russia is bluffing, isn't it?  Who knows the mind of Putin and his military commanders?  The West needs to take such threats seriously given Russia's behavior so far in the conflict.  It has shown no restraint in attacking citizens and cities with bombs and rockets.  It has used choking gas in spite of international law against it.  It has sent tens of thousands of soldiers to death without compunction.  The perception of the country is one of Machiavelli  -- unbending cruelty in pursuit of its end. It's a hard message to accept but one the West needs to confront.  

 A company built on a fad will have trouble once the fad passes away.  Hence, this.  There is little chance of Peloton returning to high growth. 

His speech and positioning during rallies reveals the desire to be a strong man in the presidency.  Is he planning to be a dictator?  

The Japanese have just opened the highest observatory on earth -- 18,500 feet above sea level.  It is located on a mountaintop in Chile where the desert air is still and there is little moisture.  Astronomers go to where no one else would dare enter.  One can only imagine what  future archaeologists will think when centuries from now they stumble on the decaying buildings and recall that the Japanese had been there hundreds of years before.