(This week, PR News editors Phil Hall and Courtney Barnes bemoan the PR professionals who make grand promises they cannot or will not keep.)
PHIL: I'm not a happy camper. A PR rep for a wine importer promised me a selection of her client's finest vintage. Either my mailman is enjoying my Cabernet
Sauvignon or that goofy PR person forgot to keep her word. That's one of my pet peeves: PR professionals who can't keep promises. Whether it involves interviews, information, or
intoxicating goodies, I hate when something is promised but never delivered.
COURTNEY: The lost wine is unfortunate, though not unsurprising; publicists make empty promises all the time. They must think it's an easy way to score quick points,
assuming that by the time they are supposed to come through on their word, the recipient will have forgotten all about it. It speaks to the recurring themes of integrity and
reliability. It would be much wiser for PR professionals to underpromise and overdeliver instead of the other way around.
PHIL: And let's not forget the sister to that situation: The old bait-and-switch. I once did PR for an author who wrote a book about living with a horse in her home.
She was supposed to bring her horse to a book signing, but at the last minute the promised equine was abruptly unavailable. But the author provided an "alternative." She stated
her husband was a very sexy man who had a natural charm that women loved, and thus he would be a perfect replacement. Not being a PR practitioner who believed in bait-and-switch,
I cancelled the appearance.
COURTNEY: Instead of complaining about the lack of credibility that plagues the industry, professionals should address this behavior. Why do PR pros feel justified in
giving clients or customers the run around?
PHIL: The powers that employ the PR people are not fools - when they see inadequate measurement and they start to hear grumbles of wobbly PR support, something is going
to hit the fan. There is no shortage of honest PR professionals out there, and the dum-dums who don't deliver will find themselves replaced with serious people who do their job
correctly. And if my long-overdue wine ever shows up, we'll drink to them!