“Shouting fire in a crowded theatre” is a well known paraphrase of a U.S. Supreme Court decision which served as an example of the limitations on free speech, when the speech is imminently dangerous and has no conceivable purpose.   In a world where we have seen real revolutions in part because of digital media, its interesting that everyone today has digital media to amplify whatever noise they’d like to make – good or bad – and can utilize media without a filter.

Its on the backs of Wikileaks pressure by the American government to shut down – including pressuring financial companies not to process payment, threatened prosecutions and the like – that a close friend of mine for many years, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, is all over the media today threatening to sue Twitter for allowing terrorists to use the digital media network. Trust me, I know her – she is smart, focused and ideological – a formidable opponent raising a valid point. If the US government deems these organizations illegal and they cant raise funds – why can they amplify their message freely to Americans ?

Leitner’s organization, The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, is a civil rights organization dedicated to “combating the terrorist organizations and the regimes that support them through lawsuits litigated in courtrooms around the world.” They have done a lot of good worldwide to fight terrorism via lawfare – utilizing the courtroom to battle Anti-Western interests.  Hezbollah, al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab and others violate American law by using Twitter. A breakdown of terrorists utilizing social media is at: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/01/most-infamous-terrorists-twitter/46852/

The ACLU says “the government can’t force private companies to censor lawful speech just because the government doesn’t like the speech or the people making the speech.” Does that mean I can go online and scream fire in a crowded theatre ? Can I behave however I want simply because I am online and hidden behind a computer screen ?

While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently cited President Obama as believing that “the more freely information flows, the stronger societies become”, one wonders where the administration will stand if mass rioting was sparked by digital media.  UK authorities say rioters used social networks to coordinate mass civil disobedience earlier this year in London.  State prosecutors in Mexico have accused people of terrorism and sabotage by claiming that their Twitter posts helped spread false rumors about a school attack, leading to real-life violence.

Its no secret that the terrorists are public relations savvy and very concerned with brand and image.  As was recently reported, Al Qaeda is concerned about the baggage associated with that name, and is increasingly going by the name “Ansar al Sharia” because of concern about their brand. Its no secret that American PR Agencies have represented Qaddafi, Assad, and just last year Qatar hired a leading U.S. PR firm to lobby for the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.

Darshan-Leitner stopped the second Gaza flotilla earlier this year, and has won lawsuits against Hamas, Hizbollah and the Palestinian Authority.  I am sure Twitter’s going to be answering this one pretty soon. I’d venture that a modern “fire in a crowded theatre” discussion may be coming to a courtroom near us very soon.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a Top 25 PR Agency and has a best-selling PR book“For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations” an Amazon best selling Public Relations book available for purchase at: http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Release-Deliver-Game-Changing-Relations/dp/1936661160

This week we are in the midst of a lesson in Crisis Public Relations at its worst from two major brands – Blackberry and Netflix.  While blackberry for three consecutive days has seen outages worldwide and users unable to connect, struggles with Netflix continue week after week.

Users worldwide are outraged at being unable to communicate instantly as they have grown accustomed to – and Blackberry spokespersons are communicating with messages like “Message delays were caused by a core switch failure in RIM’s infrastructure”. That’s not consumer friendly English which resonates with people, and few of us know (or care) what a “core switch” is.  We just want our damn blackberries to work. And to make it worse, they have communicated that the service works – only to see it fail minutes later again.

The very basics of crisis PR management involves communicating clearly, honestly and in language which resonates with consumers.  The brand – particularly with the imminent launch of the Apple iPhone 4S – needs to very quickly communicate much clearer – in addition, naturally to fixing the problem immediately.

Netflix is a brand which also is failing miserably at crisis PR. Following weeks of bad marketing decisions – from the price increase which consumers hated, to their decision to split the business, Netflix hasn’t had a shining few months for brand appreciation.  Today, Netflix dropped the ball yet again and lost points with an announcement via a blog post that they no longer intended to split business units. Yes, a blog post.  Did no one have the guts to stand up and face the music?

In times of trouble, brands have to apply a personal, human touch.  It’s necessary for brands to provide a face for crisis – with senior management directly involved, not a blog posting. The media will ask questions, customers will leave, and no interaction allows media to define the issues as they see them and create others without Netflix’s help. A press conference was the way to broadcast a concise and consistent message. Gathering the media together, presenting the same message to everyone, and answering a few questions was the right path.  Amazingly, Netflix is a company that succeed as Blockbuster disappeared and didn’t address issues of importance to their core consumer – convenience, time, and cost.

The Chief Financial Officer of Netflix, Barry McCarthy has said in the past ““We have benefited enormously from the rapid growth in word of mouth (publicity). It has taken us to levels that we thought we would not soon see.”  In bad times, the company needs to apply these lessons as well, not just in good times.

As Warren Buffett has said “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, 1 of the 25 largest PR agencies in the US, and author of “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations” an Amazon best selling Public Relations book available for purchase at: http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Release-Deliver-Game-Changing-Relations/dp/1936661160

The killing of Osama Bin Laden was broken by a random individual on twitter, and the aftermath of the killing of the world’s most heinous terrorist shows just how important Public Relations is in all aspects of today’s world.  PR defines what and how the world thinks.

– The (usually brilliant at PR) Obama administration has clumsily handled his death:

• First the world was told that Bin Laden and his henchmen had offered fierce resistance during a sustained firefight and that Bin Laden had used one of his wives as a shield. Then it emerged that he was unarmed, and that the woman had charged at the US commandos.
• While this was undoubtedly an amazing victory for America and for the Obama administration, even the photo released from the White House had so many questions (and why, unless to embarrass Hillary Clinton would you release a photo of her gasping?)

It was a major American victory and a triumph for the free, civilized world – Am sure many of us wish it could have been handled in a better manner.

– Today we see Bin Laden videos released of him in a home video clutching a remote and channel surfing through footage of himself on a TV:

• Media Reports have said, wisely that he was “as much a PR person as a terrorist.” In many ways, Bin Laden utilized all forms of modern media to speak to his audiences, and he really understood the power of media and power of images. As owner of a PR agency, I am not surprised to read that he dyed his beard to look better nor that he practiced his lines for a propoganda video.

Even the world’s most heinous terrorist understands that mastering PR is key to success.  Truly Amazing.

 Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Ronn Torossian – Blog Post 4/12/2011

Reading this op-ed http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2011/04/muni-ficent-pr-useless-waste-san-franciscos-money in The San Francisco Examiner I am simply livid at the continued convenience of beating up on the Public Relations industry. This industry is a convenient whipping boy.

In an editorial, the paper stated:

• “It’s ironic that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, by agreeing to spend $100,000 for a public relations firm, has created a PR nightmare. Facing a $21 million deficit and a history of problematic service, the last thing the SFMTA should be doing is wasting money on outside media consultants, particularly when the agency already has a press office.”

If one has a press office, so that means they cannot hire press specialists? If the city has a budget officer then why do they need auditors? If they have a prosecution attorney, then why do they need a contract attorney? Public Relations professionals are not all the same – and people who work for the city may need assistance, and truthfully $100,000 is a nominal sum compared to the millions cities waste on most other things.  The very fact that they are being attacked for hiring a PR firm means they are likely to face more criticism and so should be prepared for an ongoing battle. Hence, if a PR agency succeeds at making the San Francisco transportation look better and more professional they will  recover that fee many times over.

Why do most organized businesses and even government office not allow the average employee to talk to the media without preparation?  Well, because it is very risky, and you can be sure that there are many more attorneys on staff than PR people – just to keep people inside from talking to too much and possibly saying things that can be misconstrued.  While a lawyer can help instruct you what not to say, or even what is permitted to be said, a good PR pro can help make those comments or the silence seem totally appropriate and understandable.  Lawyers know legalese while PR pros understand media.

• The paper goes on to state: “If the agency really wants to improve its public image, it should start by reducing the lateness of Muni’s vehicles and decreasing the unexplained absences by transit operators. Muni registered a sorry 71 percent on-time mark from October to December. The agency has a mandate to achieve an 85 percent on-time rate, which it has never approached.”

If perhaps vehicles are late because they are old and not repaired who can explain that? If traffic lights perhaps do not work properly or there are other issues which affect tardiness, who should tell the story?

·       “Instead of spending $100,000 on PR flacks, the SFMTA would be better served by hiring more security officers to catch or deter fare evaders.”

$100,000 to hire “PR flacks”.  What is it about managing media that people seem to find so convenient to insult? Reporters and journalists make and break people, organizations and companies – that is how the media sees its role – to grab the story and make it a bigger story.  Often, media helps make a mountain from a molehill and the subject of the story, truly deserving or not, can lose his reputation.  Good PR can counter than.  In the grand scheme of things $100,000 is a small fee when one considers how much municipalities spend on legal fees.  Honestly, how much security will be hired with $100,000 – two extra security officers? If PR is successful and the public is convinced of the need for security, politicians will find budget to hire many more than two security officers.

There’s nothing wrong with public relations and nothing wrong with trying to maintain your image, protect yourself or just making yourself look good.  It is like asking a woman –“Why do you wear makeup?”

Good and quality public relations similarly does not hide anything; it simply allows one to put his best foot forward. It is tiring to consistently read stories written by media insulting the Public Relations world.  It is like criminals waxing eloquent about why police are overrated.

Ronn Torossian

5wpr

I read an interesting article in Friday’s NY Times about Anthony Scaramucci and his recent exchange with President Obama. I spent an hour or so with Mr. Scaramucci about a month ago at 5WPR and I was impressed with his background; as the NY Times states, “He did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth… he went to public school.”  He struck me as an ambitious entrepreneur and – admittedly – I really wanted him to hire us as his PR agency, and was quite disappointed when he didn’t.

During his recent exchange with President Obama, he said, “We have felt like a piñata. Maybe you don’t feel like you’re beating us with a stick but we certainly feel like we’ve been whacked with a stick.” Speaking of the “connection between Wall Street and Main Street,” he returned to his theme. “When are we going to stop whacking Wall Street like a piñata?” The self made Scaramucci mentioned his 43 employees how in New York City “a $50,000 employee will cost him $90,000, and that person will bring home only about $35,000.  Seems very disconnected, and that doesn’t encourage job growth.”

(The exchange can be viewed at: http://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-scaramucci-pals-around-with-president-obama-2010-9)

As a small business owner in New York, one who isn’t part of the Wall Street community, I share exactly his sentiments.  Why is it that there isn’t attention directed to people who create jobs and opportunity – the same people that can create jobs further down the line? Wouldn’t the government want to encourage entrepreneurs rather than tax and hamper them further? Obama’s answer, discussing the Top 25 hedge fund managers who brought home $1 Billion didn’t resonate with many entrepreneurs, like myself, who don’t make anywhere near $1 billion; and yes I aspire to do so, as do so many others.  Is that a bad thing – something we should discourage in our capitalist country?

I am frustrated with continued tax increases, the inability of businesses to get financing, and increased government intervention. I fail to understand how any small business owner in New York can’t feel the same way and applaud Scaramucci for letting President Obama know how he felt.  (Anthony – You still should have hired us!).

Wall Street, and all of the other industries which create jobs, is Main Street, and it does create opportunities for the entire U.S.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR