True or false: The CEO is the best PR representative for a corporation? The answer: True and False. It is true if there is a CEO who is comfortable with the media and
investors and who can inspire confidence even during times of crisis. But it is false if the CEO is not willing to take the ultimate responsibility and acknowledge that problems
have blossomed while he or she has been at the helm. This week, we visit three CEOs to see whether their recent public appearances have been examples of inspirational Good PR or
exasperatingly Bad PR.
| The PR Focus | Good PR or Bad PR? |
|---|---|
| On June 28, Ford Motor Co. CEO William C. Ford Jr. announced his company would not live up to its highly publicized 2005 goal of building
250,000 hybrid vehicles by the end of the decade. Ford explained to the New York Times: "This is in no way a lack of commitment to hybrids. It's an expansion of our commitment to other technologies." The other technologies he referred to are gasoline substitutes, such as ethanol. |
BAD PR: As a CEO whose PR imagery has been heavily invested in a concern for environmental issues, Ford's abrupt about-face from his lofty
hybrid goal is nothing short of embarrassing. Coupled with other press reports of Ford assuring his investors that corporate bankruptcy is "not an option" and that his ailing company had no intention of going private, the PR generated by this CEO is erratic and problematic. |
| Last month saw a brouhaha at Macy's downtown Boston store when a window display supporting the city's Gay Pride events was reconfigured when
a local right-wing group objected to the presence of two male mannequins standing next to each other. Following angry protests from Boston's gay community, Macy's CEO Ron Klein stepped forward with a public letter apologizing for the poor judgment in the handling of the display. |
GOOD PR: While Klein's explanation for the store's actions was somewhat suspect (he claimed the action was not spurred by the right-wing
protests, but by a hitherto obscure store rule about not using mannequins in "community windows"), his willingness to acknowledge the problem as "Macy's mistake - unquestionably" showed grace and maturity in addressing a thorny PR dilemma head-on. Kudos go to Klein for not passing this PR buck. |
| South Africa's mining industry received a polite jolt when Keith Rumble, CEO of Impala Platinum, calmly announced he was leaving at year's
end to "pursue other interests." In a radio interview, Rumble reviewed his achievements by noting he was "trying to do things differently there," most notably in opening "a participative management style into the workforce" and encouraging diversity in senior mining management. |
GOOD PR: Rumble wisely avoided a hubristic self-tribute, noting "there is still a long was to go" in reconfiguring the senior levels of the
South African mining industry to align itself closer to the nation's demographics. Rumble modestly did not boast about his five-year success as CEO (the company is among South Africa's most profitable corporations). Rumble is a rarity: A sincere and successful CEO. |