Go on step on the grass… when it’s OK to go off message
Time to read: 1 minute
Another of Sam Howard’s pet rants subjects:
In PR, you hear a lot about being ‘On Message’. This is very important, isn’t it? Being on message means having your people rehearsed and slick so they can always be on message. Oh please.
If a journalist knows what you’re going to say before you open your mouth, why would he/she bother to rock up for the interview? I mean, seriously, what’s in it for them? If they just want the corporate spiel, they’ll check out your website. If they want to talk to you, it’s because there’s a vague hope that in and around the adaptable-scalable-innovative-flexible monologue, you might actually have a view. You might say something interesting, topical, original, or even human. And then, you might actually provide some decent copy.
Gotta love Mr Caplin
The best view to have, I think, is one that runs contra to the stream. Back in the mid-90s, when I laboured over my very first press release, I was super diligent about being fact-based and succinct (I had been trained well, forever in debt, Mr Springett). However, I wasn’t confident writing the quote for my boss. So, instead, I wrote, “Say something contentious here.” He did, and it worked a treat. Mr Caplin gotta love him; even if you don’t, he always makes excellent copy.
Occasionally, it’s OK to fess up to that slightly dodgy implementation when your record is normally great. You can demonstrate that you’ve learned from it. Or admit the recession is taking its toll on you, too. But you will haul your weary backside out of it or die trying.
You see the joy of sometimes wondering off message, which means that when you do get back on it, your audience might actually believe you. And isn’t that quite important? Besides, whoever wants to hear somebody else’s diet is going really, really well?
When I work with my PR clients, we work hard on looking at where we can, first and foremost, add some value/originality to the debate. You know, not everything that comes out of your mouth is necessarily going to be that great, and that’s where your trusted PR comes in. They can tell you what to run with and what not to bother banging on about because it is irrelevant or just actually not that interesting. Sometimes, it is all about the team singing from the same hymn sheet, but other times, you just need to know a good tune.
