Garry South is not your typical PR executive. He is brash, profane and loves to trash his clients' opponents in the media. "The Guinness Book of Poisonous Quotes" rests on
his office bookshelf. And he has more than $30 million to spend between now and November.
South is the Los Angeles-based campaign manager for California Gov. Gray Davis. And as we are in the primary election season, it is instructive to compare the media relations
roles of political consultants with the more genteel tactics of corporate PR operatives. Don't get us wrong: Trash-talkin' PR is definitely not right for everyone. But political
consultants offer a few interesting lessons in how to catch the media's attention and sway it in your favor.
South is in the news because he just pulled off what The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and others have called a "hall-of-fame" move. He selected his opponent, attacking and
helping to defeat former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in the Republican primary so Democrat Davis could face the presumably more vulnerable businessman Bill Simon.
Such tactics are brash by corporate PR standards (and by political standards, too). Political consultants distinguish their work from their cousins on the PR side by claiming
the results of their trade are absolutely measurable - on the evening of the election. Political PR is about winning and losing. That often brings out the best in strategies and
the worst in people. Corporate PR campaigns can bring out the best in people and the worst in strategies, in good measure because of the inability to objectively judge
results.
Of course on the corporate side, there was a pretty good slugfest going on between opponents and proponents in the proposed Hewlett-Packard/Compaq merger. Yet while public
relations operatives were working (expensive) overtime on both sides, their activities have remained traditionally veiled.
As the HP/Compaq issue shows, the distance between political and PR campaigns is narrowing. There are a number of PR pros, including this writer, who have moved between the
corporate and political worlds. Certainly, the practice of public affairs straddles both. (In the political off-season, South worked for Burston-Marsteller, and bragged that he
could have financially "cleaned up" if he had agreed to lobby for individual clients.)
Political operatives like to think of themselves as warriors - amusing, as most are middle-aged and way out of shape. They live in their heads, believing they are practicing an
inherently superior brand of consulting, often a most extreme form of "ends-justifying-the-means" strategizing. Their ego-driven personalities (note the extra "r" in South's name)
can be less than attractive. South "seldom regrets even his most insult-laden attacks on opponents," says The LA Times. Political consultants have been known to lie, cheat and
steal. But they can be awfully good at it.
In the arena of media relations, political types generally have a clear advantage over PR operatives. They have less competition. There are only a few candidates running for
any office, and initiatives have only two sides. This can put the political consultant in the enviable position of managing press inquiries and shooting from the lip, with
assistants scheduling rounds of daily calls with reporters and opinion-makers.
Like operatives on the PR side, political consultants start with modest-level clients, working for a "down ballot" candidate or in a contest outside a major media market. In
such situations, the political consultant knows they are only going to get a few good shots at the media, so they plan and work on it, a practice that sharpens creative, as well
as disciplined, media relations skills.
Strategically, the political consultant's view of the media can differ from the PR pro. PR seeks to place stories in the media and wants to work with reporters. Managers of
high profile political races view the press as a necessary evil. Political consultants would rather manage their message through targeted TV spots and direct mail - while
collecting a typical 15 percent commission on the buys - instead of working through uncontrollable political reporters.
PR and political operatives have their biases. PR types believe many reporters are lazy and undisciplined. Political managers see media as too energetic, but relentlessly
negative. The latter is more accurate.
PR NEWS columnist Paul Shinoff heads up the San Francisco-based Shinoff Group, and contributes regular commentaries to The San Francisco Chronicle on communications and other
issues. He can be reached at [email protected] or 415/495-1991.
Media Relations Tips from the World of Politics
- Know the reporters. One leading consultant brags that her first step in any campaign is to compile a personality profile on every political reporter in the district.
Another makes it a practice to visit newsrooms and wander from desk to desk introducing himself. - Stay in close contact with the client. Unlike most PR operatives who rarely see the CEO and key decision-makers, campaign managers are in constant contact with their
candidates. It allows them to speak to the media with authority, saying things the candidate cannot. - Do not be afraid to maintain professional distance when appropriate. Campaign consultants maintain credibility by occasionally offering background analysis, including
critical comments on their own client. - Be quotable. The Los Angeles Times described South as "blunt, often profane, and effortlessly quotable." Reporters have to cover campaigns, but they don't have to write about
you. - It's about good guys and bad guys. Even in the fuzzy world of corporate activities, you can put a white hat on a client and position them as an alternative to something
socially negative.