2008 Primaries, Views on News, public relations • July 31st, 2008

Barack Spears?

by Chris Lato

There are many perils for politicos who associate themselves with celebrities. Witness the mini-uproar over Bill O’Reilly’s favorite rapper, Ludacris, and his tune that sings the praises of Barack Obama.

The problem with tying oneself too closely to a celebrity is that one day the politico may be called on to condemn or defend what that celebrity is doing or saying.

That’s the danger when any surrogate is out there talking up a candidate. Surrogates often stray from the talking points or ignore them altogether. Throughout this presidential election season, the candidates have had to disavow or toss their surrogates aside entirely when the mouth moves faster than the brain (Phil Gramm, anyone? How about Geraldine Ferraro? ).

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Views on News, public relations • July 30th, 2008

Filet o’ Fischer

by Chris Lato

This is why the Doyle team had to cut bait on Jack Fischer (get it?).

It is a steady drip-drip-drip of bad stories that would have continued to slice away at Fischer’s ability to perform as state Commerce Secretary. It is why he ‘stepped down’ ten days after the first story broke. Otherwise, it is death by a thousand cuts. Fischer would have been constantly distracted by the brewing scandal.

Also, this is the type of negative story that keeps on gathering steam and comes back to haunt a governor who is running for re-election - or is he?

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2008 Primaries, Messaging, Views on News, public relations • July 30th, 2008

Darling vs. Wasserman

by Chris Lato

Few races are shaping up to be as painful to watch as Democrat Rep., Dr. Sheldon Wasserman’s effort to knock incumbent Sen. Alberta Darling off her perch in River Hills.

Darling has been painted as a RINO (Republican In Name Only, for those not in the know) but I still have to think Dr. Wasserman, a straight-up Democrat, has his work cut out for him in this race.

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2008 Primaries, Creative, Global Concerns, Messaging, New Media, Promotions • July 28th, 2008

The GOP joins the Twitter generation

by Chris Lato

Hey, give ‘em points for trying. Some College Republicans are touring the nation, visiting only ‘red’ Congressional districts across the nation and pitching in with volunteer work.

Although one of my first thoughts was, gee, this must be costing them a lot in gas money.

The perception is the Democrats are young, hip and wired into the latest technology – that they’re swamping the GOP in appealing to the Twitter generation. Republicans, by comparison, are stodgier and slower to take on these new ways of communicating.

That said, in 2004 the Bush campaign and RNC invested a lot of dough in technology advances connected to collecting data on supporters for use in driving voter turnout. At that time, it was pretty clear the GOP was working to get ahead of the game. Presumably, improved versions of these tools will be employed to help John McCain this fall.

We’ve written about new technology and social media on this site before, and it’s difficult to say at this point how much this stuff moves the political numbers. However, any campaign ignores these tools at their peril, and they will only get more important to use as time goes on.

They may seem like bells and whistles, and a powerful TV ad or well-timed press event with plenty of photo ops (hello, Obama World Tour!) can still cut through the clutter like nothing else. But campaigns are well advised to use these relatively low-cost, potentially high-impact communication tools in ways that help spread and control the message.

One other note: I have argued in the past that widespread liberal bias in the press is more myth than fact – that of course there are reporters who are biased but in actuality, reporters prefer a good fight or a ‘gotcha’ than they do a nakedly partisan stance. But in the face of evidence like this, it’s a bit harder to make the case. Follow the money, indeed.

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Branding Politix, Research & Ideas • July 24th, 2008

Minimum markup madness

by Chris Lato

I stopped for gas yesterday and was downright elated to be filling my tank at a paltry $3.93 a gallon. Boy, times change. News that oil prices are dropping a bit causes us to all breathe a sigh of relief. Now, we’re learning the truth about an arcane practice that artificially heightens the cost of gas in Wisconsin (no, not the gas tax). It is intended to keep ‘predatory pricing’ from driving smaller competitors out of business.

Christian Schneider with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute debunks the myths surrounding the continued need for a minimum markup on gas in Wisconsin. The bottom line: drivers could be saving a lot of dough in this time of sky-high gas prices by doing away with the minimum markup (hereafter referred to as MM) in Wisconsin.

Credit the Petroleum Marketers in Wisconsin for effectively lobbying against repeal of the MM for so long now. Politicians in both parties have been hammering away at the MM for ages, without success. The idea that mega-sized gas stations would drive the little guy out of business has been a truly powerful PR incentive to keep the MM in place. The notion that corporate giants would sweep in and drive ‘mom and pop’ shops out of small-town Wisconsin has been the strongest case that could be made. It’s a potent hook that still resonates for some.

Trouble is, Schneider points out it’s not necessarily a relevant argument, or even true anymore. Remember, the MM is based on a Depression-era model. The MM is really little more than a form of profit protection for gas stations and interferes with free market forces. That profit goes up as wholesale fuel prices rise, according to Schneider. The MM is so high now that it threatens to eclipse the gas tax.

If government was in the business of protecting the ‘little guy’ then McDonalds, Walgreens, Culver’s and Wal-Mart would be out of business. Like it or not, shoppers choose to go where they can save money, especially in economically challenging times.

As a young(er) reporter, I was covering anti-MM news conferences back in the mid-1990s. That’s how long this issue has been kicking around. Back then, Republican Scott Jensen joined Democrat Shirley Krug (truly an historic and rare pairing) to call for an end to the MM by holding a press briefing outside a Madison gas station. I recall Petroleum Marketers officials on hand as the loyal opposition. To be fair, here’s where they stand on the issue.

But now is the time when repealing the MM could really make a positive difference. For once it could be a bipartisan victory on behalf of Wisconsin consumers to see at least a modification of the minimum markup law, if not an outright repeal - which in the current climate seems to be the better option. Talk about a great issue for politicians to take back to constituents this fall – it hits the sweet spot for struggling families and shows that both sides can work together for the common good.

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2008 Primaries, Promotions, Views on News, public relations • July 23rd, 2008

The six-million-dollar election

by Chris Lato

Brace yourself for a new round of hand-wringing. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has issued an analysis that shows nearly $6 million was spent in the recent State Supreme Court election between Mike Gableman and Louis Butler.

The biggest spender: that shadowy cabal known as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. The right wing has MoveOn.org to loathe – now the Wisconsin left has WMC to demonize.

We’ve been down this road before, but it’s amazing that Butler’s supporters still aren’t letting this go. Like it or not, the Supreme Court race was democracy in action. Was it nasty? Yup. Did some of the ads take harsh pokes at the candidates? You betcha.

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Strategic Blueprints, Views on News, public relations • July 22nd, 2008

The cookie crumbles

by Chris Lato

What a public relations nightmare.

When Midwest Airlines does PR well, the company does it very well. The idea of Milwaukee’s hometown airline, the chocolate-chip cookies on the flight, the overall high quality of service (at least in my experience) – the company has built up a lot of goodwill and has generally delivered on its promises and reputation. In southeast Wisconsin, the public has a warm-and-fuzzy feeling about Midwest. If I have a choice in airline, Midwest has always been #1 for me.

But the current crisis looks bad, making the company appear unprepared to deal with an avalanche of calls from confused or angry customers. That goodwill is eroding fast.

As a reporter at WTMJ last year, I was one of a number of staffers writing about the attempted takeover of Midwest by AirTran. The company mounted a smart and spirited defense in the face of AirTran’s bid, started a ‘Save the Cookie’ campaign and in my experience managed the situation well by always being available to update reporters and commentators.

The company ended up being bought by investors with ties to Northwest Airlines, which I and others I know have had disastrous experiences with. What, exactly, was worth saving here? In the face of disastrous PR, slashed flights, a steep decline in service, and the specter of bankruptcy looming, the question becomes: was Midwest really worth ‘saving’ in its present form?

I realize high gas prices and an overall drop in the economy are key factors here – although some say the company has been mismanaged for a while and failed to invest in more fuel-efficient planes when it had the chance. The bottom line is that Midwest is hurting and that’s not good news for Wisconsin. Miller moved its highest-paying jobs out of Milwaukee, GM is ramping up its timetable to shut down the Janesville plant early…the list of bad news keeps growing. We all feel for the employees whose jobs are being cut, and again, Midwest has been a quality airline until now. It would be a shame to see this decline continue.

Hopefully this is a blip on the radar. But one wishes Midwest had put as much thought into service and corresponding public relations in the face of this crisis as it did when it was trying to keep AirTran at bay.

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2008 Primaries, Views on News, wispundits • July 21st, 2008

When life gives you lemons…

by Chris Lato

If the polls hold (and keep in mind a LOT can happen between now and then), our next President will be Barack Obama. And if the idea of ‘President Obama’ comes to pass, I am nearly convinced Governor Doyle will get a job offer to join the Obama administration. I would be shocked if Doyle refused such an opportunity to get out of Wisconsin as the economy continues its slow, painful slide, with marquee businesses like GM saying ‘adios’ to the Badger State.

I wrote about this scenario a while back but wanted to revisit this after Scott Milfred wondered what Doyle’s departure would mean for the GOP.

There are many factors to consider: what if the Dems take over both houses of the Legislature this November? The game’s not over yet but GOP is definitely nervous. (By the way, you can hear my take on that by visiting Wisconsin Public Radio’s website – I appeared as a guest on Joy Cardin’s show during the 7 o’clock hour this morning).

Also: what kind of governor would Barbara Lawton make? Is she ready for prime-time after the years spent in Doyle’s shadow? Would two years of all-Dem control with Lawton at the helm prove that Dems really are the better party to lead Wisconsin forward, or would it be a disaster of biblical proportions?

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Views on News, public relations • July 18th, 2008

Managing great expectations

by Chris Lato

I was inspired to write about this by the rampant speculation over just how much money and how many box-office records “The Dark Knight” is expected to break this weekend. I am a movie freak and cannot wait for this one (even though I will probably stay away this weekend – the packed-crowd thing can get annoying).

The hype machine is fully cranked up for this movie – and everyone is talking expectations. If it doesn’t make $150 million this weekend, the movie is somehow a disappointment, which is a ludicrous position to take.

Keep expectations on the low end of things - and if you pass those numbers, the movie is viewed as a hit. The studio has to be nervous that expectations are now beyond its control.

Another expectation that is almost secondary at this point – is the movie any good? The reviews are strongly positive, but once the hype machine cranks up, there are bound to be plenty of people walking out who say, “Meh…it wasn’t THAT great.”

I bring this up because PR is oftentimes a matter of managing client expectations. Overpromising and underdelivering is a trap that hurts the industry as a whole and leaves a pile of burned clients in its wake. Honesty goes a long way, in terms of being realistic about what a client can expect.

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Messaging, public relations • July 17th, 2008

Fischer fried

by Chris Lato

That didn’t take long.

State Commerce Secretary Jack Fischer’s resignation comes a mere 10 days after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel piece took Fischer to task for questionable spending of taxpayer dollars. Some who traveled on trade missions with Fischer also criticized him for substandard performance.

It was a good piece of digging-up-dirt reporting, aided by the fact that the defense offered by the Fischer and the Doyle administration was virtually nonexistent. The administration realized it had to cut bait or risk a continuing string of really bad PR. The longer this lingered, the worse it would be for the administration. Better to throw Fischer under the bus now than to risk this becoming an even bigger problem.

Could Fischer have survived the bad press? You never know - perhaps if he had agreed to talk on the record and attempt to explain himself. Fischer’s steadfast refusal to comment looks bad. It allows others to paint the picture – and not in a flattering way. He never got out in front of the story in any way – and, fairly or not, it suggests the guy was guilty of something.

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