The sky is falling — again — on public relations. After my decades in this profession, I’ve heard it all (just not with this rancor); what’s old is new again. We are the scapegoats for every client and reporter wronged by a PR firm; why? Because someone has to take the blame, and it’s my belief there are not enough mentors and leaders to educate our very own.
This post is from my dear friend and tweep who claims not to be in public relations at all — but when you write like this and sit in a corporate communications department, that’s, ahem, public relations. But, hey, Jenn? You can skin the cat any way you wish.
Here now is sharing her reactions about public relations:
Last week the illustrious of fame tweeted that her blood was boiling over a New York Times blog post. by Bruce Buschel. Curious, I clicked over, and immediately saw what she meant.
First, let me admit, I am not a PR pro; Jayme thinks I am. I don’t fight her on it because Jayme is very persuasive. But when it comes to creating a campaign to engage the media and pitching reporters, I don’t know the first thing. (In her defense, I think Jayme only considers this a facet of PR; I consider it to be PR in its entirety). If you’re wondering, then, I’d define myself as a corporate communications pro.
Either way, reading this article made me wonder if the PR industry needs to do a little PR for itself, (although one person missing the point doesn’t mean everyone else misses the point). Who in the professional services industry hasn’t experienced a client or potential client who misunderstands what you do and how much that should cost? So you educate, educate, educate, and then they ditch you and go overseas for a cheaper replacement.
Let’s sum up what moved Mr. Buschel to pen his anti-PR rant. He opened a in the Hamptons, and hired not one but two successive PR firms to create “a pre-opening vuvezela buzz” and neither firm met his expectations. Understanding Mr. Buschel’s expectations, however, takes a little detective work. He claims he went for the PR approach because “advertising was too complicated and daunting and expensive” and it made his “head spin.” Yet later in the article he says:
“I have been dealing with ‘P.R.’ people for a very long time. It would be crazy to categorize all public relations people as crazy, so let’s just say that P.R. people drive me crazy. All of them.” ~Mr. Buschel
A very long time would predate his Hamptons experience…and yet he still chose to go that route this time around, despite the fact that PR people drive him “crazy.” Curious, isn’t it?
What’s also curious are his complaints that his PR firm wanted to…wait for it…taste the food. No! The PR people wanted some knowledge of what they were promoting? That’s an outrage! Mr. Buschel was clearly outraged too:
“That last one was the showstopper. Come in for a close-up. A ‘P.R.’ firm — paid to promote us — would kick into high gear only after tasting our food? And approving of it? And what if the food wasn’t any good, wouldn’t we need more ‘P.R.’, not less? What happened to the pre-opening vuvuzela buzz? Why weren’t the social media all atwitter with Southfork Kitchen forecasts? And if our ‘P.R.’ experts accepted only clients whose culinary endeavors met with their approval, why hadn’t they dropped half their restaurant clients?” ~Mr. Buschel
And yet, in the very next paragraph, without a hint of shame, Mr Buschel complains “What I have finally come to understand is that ‘P.R.’ people are paid to twist reality into pretzels and convince you that they are fine croissants.”
Yes. The very same person who says (paraphrase) “if our food is bad, won’t we need more PR?” – meaning, if my food is terrible, you will need to spin it so people will come eat it – then complains that PR people spin things. I was flabbergasted. I shouldn’t be, but I was, no, I still am.
The rest of the article is rife with examples of Mr. Buschel not understanding the PR process, including his descriptions of how incredibly obtuse his first PR firm was. They were so obtuse in fact that they helped him define his target audience, which anyone reading this post should realize is a critical activity. Knowing your audience is half the battle, even if it is as broad as they came to realize. As to Mr. Buschel’s gross misunderstanding of all things PR, normally I might fault his PR firm for not educating him, but based on the evidence, it would seem he’s ineducable. (Is that a word? Well, now it is.)
Unlike Gini, my blood didn’t boil. I laughed at the author and the article. Gini wrote about this post (and other things) and examined the idea of expectations, generously including how it is our fault if someone doesn’t understand what they’re buying. At the beginning of this post I wondered if the PR industry needed some PR, itself. Reading Gini’s post, I’m reminded that we can’t do our jobs well without doing a little research and education first. The best way to fight the perception problem is to put on your consultant hat and discover those expectations. “What does success look like? What will be different if you buy our service? Can you give me a picture of what you see the end result being?”
This detective work goes both ways. The client can find out if the firm is capable of delivering on your expectations. And, the firm can find out if they’d be taking on a client who has insurmountable expectations and even prejudices against what you do. If your research turns up someone who believes you’ll make him crazy, I say take a pass.
… “what if the food wasn’t any good, wouldn’t we need more ‘P.R.’, not less”
Um, no, if the food isn’t any good then what you need is better food not more PR. While this ‘gentleman’ claims to have a lot of experience with PR, he apparently doesn’t know what the ‘R” stands for. Relations implies two way communications, saying what you want to have said, AND understanding your target audiences reaction to your message.
Ray, thanks for saying so. How this guy got to rant on NYX is beyond my comprehension. Ridiculous, but that’s the media at large for you…whenever they can incite against PR, they’re all about it. I can say that in general terms from pitching media my entire career. Are they ALL that way? Nope. Just like not ALL PR folks are the way this dude says, either.
There’s so much wrong with this beyond the tip of the iceberg we’re touching, and it’s a truly sad case study for the marcom professors. Thanks for popping in here; I appreciate it, and Jenn does too!
Hey Ray, thanks for your comment (which made me snort all over again). You’re absolutely right. Any PR pro who sells the press on lousy food is going to take a hit to his/her reputation. Next time that PR person pitches the reporter about food, is that reporter going to believe? Doubtful.
As to Jayme’s point, my suspicion is that this guy had the magic formula: not just an anti-PR rant, but an anti-PR rant from a Hamptons restauranteur. Oh but oh.
I commented on Gini’s post rather lightheartedly, seeing it as more of the same negative image most have in mind, and still (like Mr. Buschel) hire them. I’m pretty sure if he wants to continue to avoid my kind because of the complication and expense, he’ll probably give it another go, too. So it stung, but it’s also a rant, and a pretty transparent one. Later, though, Gini kindly commented on a blog post of mine and I think she hit it on the head when she said, “I also have a service business so I respect people who sell their brains. It’s hard for people who sell products or widgets to understand that.” I agreed, “We speak very different languages using the same words.”
What an eloquent way of saying we know we don’t all suck; in fact, we do pretty good work! Thanks, for adding your thoughts here!
You have a great idea here – we should be glad he doesn’t want to hire us! Thanks for commenting, Taqiyyah. I also appreciate the reminder of that quotation of Gini’s. I think possibly a restauranteur doesn’t appreciate the selling of brains.
I think it’s also important to note this guy is a really bad guy. He’s also written “You are a douche of the first order,” “100 things restaurant staffers should never do,” “Don’ts for waiting tables” and a bunch of other stuff that clearly makes him one of the most difficult people to work with. He’s one of those people who is successful in spite of himself. I’ve never understood how you can employ people when you manage that way, but people do it…and so does he.
The reason my blood was boiling is because of his broad stroke of generalizations on all of us. And because not everyone will do their research to see he’s actually the biggest DB of all. As someone commented on Spin Sucks, it’s like saying all restaurants in the Hamptons suck because of their experience at his.
If you have the space in the NY Times, why wouldn’t you use it to educate small business owners on what to look for when hiring a PR firm? And educate PR pros on how to set expectations and work with clients who’ve never done PR before?
He’s a not-nice word.
P.S. I’m with Jayme…you’re in PR. Corporate communication is one facet of public relations, just as publicity is and events and crisis and rep management and employee comm.
Big kudos to you for looking in to this guy’s background. When someone presents this way, that ought to be the first point of action.
I’ll let Jenn respond here to her post, but I am tickled you agree with me in the P.S.!!
So many people legitimately in the public relations discipline are trying to define themselves as something else. No one in PR knows how to do it ALL, nor do we need to!
Thanks, Gini, for taking your time to reply here.
Heck, right now I don’t want to be known as a PR pro, either!
Oh, yes you do! It’s up to us to set the record straight as you’re doing and show the world that good PR exists, just like a good hairdresser who can cut my curls. (I just haven’t found him/her yet.) P.S. Please, curse away!
Come visit me – the Hair Nazi will take care of you.
Lol, “He’s a not-nice word.” Thanks for the background, Gini.
Well, I was going to say what I really think, but it’s not my blog so I didn’t want to curse. 🙂
Seriously, though, I kind of figured only someone with the track record you found would make it onto NYX–in spite of himself.
Gini, I really appreciate your insight into Mr Beschel’s illustrious background as a world-class jackass (sorry Jayme). I don’t think you were wrong to have your blood boil – I just found him so over-the-top ridiculous that I laughed really hard at him! On another day, it might have hit me differently.
As for PR/no-PR – I’ve always thought of PR as being media relations, and media relations is TOUGH. I had to do it briefly in the past and I was NOT good at it.
Jenn, I ranted and raved over at Gini’s .. more about the comments regarding the nature of this type of client than the NYT piece itself. I guess I’m jaded; I’m wasn’t shocked enough for my blood to boil, just disappointed in the generalizations written and the pulpit that was given.
Oh good gawd…love that you took a deep dive into Buschel’s past…
Plus…he provides us with his own CV…it appears he’s done everything and anything from owning a newspaper to running a radio station. Funny, how nothing has stuck over his ‘career’ tenure.
I can only imagine that Mr Buschel has left a veritable trail of people in his wake who never understood his vision – no matter what the undertaking. And now he’s in the restaurant business…where his every move will be criticized.
The only thing he needs right now is a pacifier…and I mean of the baby sort….
Wahhh…wahhh…wahhhh…
Elissa, what a great point – “a veritable trail of people in his wake who never understood his vision.” This does seem to be the underlying complaint, doesn’t it? “No one understands me even though I fail to explain myself. Also, I rant publicly about those brave enough to keep trying to understand me, especially when they fail!” Thanks for commenting.
I can help, Ms. Soulati,
“…and yet he still chose to go that route this time around, despite the fact that PR people drive him crazy. Curious, isn’t it?”
Not to me. Good PR is priceless. I thought I had found a good PR firm. Would you agree that some agencies are less than brilliant?
“What’s also curious are his complaints that his PR firm wanted to…wait for it…taste the food. No! The PR people wanted some knowledge of what they were promoting? That’s an outrage!”
The reality is this: after collecting fees for several months, when the opening was finally upon us, the firm said they had to taste the food before getting excited. We didn’t have any food. We were not yet opened. Don’t you think they could have said that a lot sooner in the relationship? And what if they didn’t care for our food? Then what? Would they return their fees? Leave me high and dry? Remain unexcited? No one wants
an unexcited flak. The second firm did indeed taste our food and they wanted to change it — found it too complex, too refined, too expensive. But they wanted to keep the account. Curious, isn’t it?
“They were so obtuse in fact that they helped him define his target audience, which anyone reading this post should realize is a critical activity. Knowing your audience is half the battle, even if it is as broad as they came to realize.”
Did you read the article? I don’t believe it says any agency helped define the target audience. I would not open a restaurant without knowing my audience.
“As to Mr. Buschel’s gross misunderstanding of all things PR, normally I might fault his PR firm for not educating him, but based on the evidence, it would seem he’s ineducable. (Is that a word? Well, now it is.)”
Experienced is another word. I have owned a newspaper, ran a radio station, worked for national magazines, written books, and produced a series of television shows. I know a little about public relations. If public relations industry has poor relations with the public, how good can it be?
Good Evening, Mr. Buschel, and thanks for taking your time to respond to Ms. Jenn Whinnem’s guest post today. Your side of the story is a well-written diatribe targeting my peers in the food and restaurant side of public relations. It would be absolutely balanced and fair to hear from the two firms with which you did not see eye to eye, and, thankfully, you did not share their identities in your national rant. I invite them here to share their points of view about you as a client; not sure they’d go on a national daily blog and call all their clients crazy, but perhaps.
I’ve been in public relations for 27 years; I can agree with you there are poorly run firms and there are those your budget likely could not touch to work with you. Our profession is quite similar to a restaurant — if the food sucks, you don’t go back.
There are those among us who work hard to uphold the name of our profession; I am one of the them. Sadly, your two experiences, in this particular case and as stated in your blog post, have caused you to allude that all PR (when you abbreviate PR, there are no periods) practitioners are “crazy” and we twist reality like a pretzel and then call it a croissant.
Those generalities aside, public relations is a two-way street; to succeed, we need seamless teamwork with our clients. If said client is writing a blog and scooping the PR effort; that’s a big red flag and the campaign is doomed for failure. Sounds like you also had your own ideas how to make news with a cameraman and celebrities. Was this at all coordinated with the PR team to ensure everyone was tracking and not stepping on each others’ toes?
After nearly three decades in PR, I’ve heard all this before; what’s old is new again. Fortunately for you, social media provides the bull horn with which you can amplify your opinions against all my peers in my ENTIRE profession. Indeed, it also provides a forum for we practitioners to set the record straight.
Hi Mr Buschel,
I am the author of this post; this is a guest blog. All thoughts contained within are mine. Thanks very much for taking the time to comment on & respond to my post.
Please allow me to address your points in the order presented. First of all, of course I think good PR is priceless! Yet I find it strange that YOU find it priceless, when you wrote in your post about PR people tricking people into eating pretzels by pretending they’re fine croissants. That’s a fairly negative accusation. Have you instead changed your mind? Do you instead think 1) that is what PR people do, deceive people, and 2) that it’s good that they do that?
As to your second point, I would think that asking to taste the food, and making that a requirement before they would agree to “get excited about doing our (sic) jobs” would be par for the course. I really don’t see why this would be a surprise to you. Would you truly expect your firm to reliably speak about your food without having tried it? Were you going to have them work off talking points or a list of adjectives about the dishes to get them to talk to press? I am genuinely curious, here. How did you expect this to work?
To your third point: I admit I read “But out of the mess, we had redefined our target audience as both youngish and oldish, readers of newspapers and manipulators of hand-held devices” as meaning, yes, the PR firm helped you define your target audience. Especially since you had discussed how they had trouble positioning you, and how during the media-a-trois mention was followed by a list of people wanted at the restaurant. Was this not the case? I don’t think it’s quite fair to ask me if I’ve read your article, which I quoted frequently in my post, when really what happened was that I was sorting out your writing as best I could.
As to your last, that’s quite a list of accomplishments. It would seem you certainly do know “a little” about public relations. I myself have eaten at hundreds of restaurants and cook dinner for myself nearly every night, so next time you’d like to know how to run a restaurant, all you need do is ask.
I’m normally more elaborate, but I’ll just be brief … What a self obsessed tool.
So, newspaper, radio, magazines, co-wrote a Watergate guide book 38 years ago, wrote a book about walking around Philly, produced tv shows (you should let imdb know about that), blogger, restaurateur (yawn) sorry, anything else we should be impressed with while you’re tooting that horn.
Yes, the first firm wanted to taste the food and they waited a couple of months, but according to your own wording, it was still before you were open. Well, they couldn’t very well taste the food before you were about to open, so yes, they probably had to wait until you were ready.
Yes the second firm may have had suggestions, and still want to keep the account. Telling you about what they think should be addressed, and representing you as a PR firm aren’t mutually exclusive. PR firms exist to do more than just blow sunshine up their clients collective asses, they also try to let you know when you’re doing something that may not be in your own, or your target audience’s best interest.
In looking at your writings, you have a tremendous proclivity to point out faults and errant behavior in others, but nearly no capacity to accept criticism yourself.
SPOT ON, Ray! Thank you for sharing!
“Yes the second firm may have had suggestions, and still want to keep the account. Telling you about what they think should be addressed, and representing you as a PR firm aren’t mutually exclusive. PR firms exist to do more than just blow sunshine up their clients collective asses, they also try to let you know when you’re doing something that may not be in your own, or your target audience’s best interest.”
My sentiments in my comments on Gini’s post yesterday. Well said.
Wow. Just when I thought the discussion couldn’t get any better…great post, Jenn. It takes all kinds and there will always be misfires, but do we really all deserve a public rant in the NYT? Really, does that help the situation? It certainly did not make the ‘ranter’ look better and confessing that his food wasn’t deemed good enough to promote really doesn’t do him any favors. I represent a Chef/restaurateur and you can bet if I didn’t love her food, I wouldn’t represent her. Hey, look who just dropped by…Mr. Buschel! I’ll stay tuned, for sure.
Thanks Erica! I agree, I don’t know that it’s fair to fault all of PR for this one experience, but it would seem Mr Buschel’s experience goes beyond SouthForkKitchen. He knew PR people would make him crazy based on past experience, and yet he still hired it. I guess we can say his expectations were met.
And…excellent point about the PR people not liking the food! Thanks so much for chiming in.
Hmm.. Good publicity is very valuable, I can get why that was the goal vs. advertising. Having read yesterday and more today, it’s hard for me to call not the least of which is because I don’t want to generalize and because I don’t know all sides. It appears as though Mr. Bushel did contract firms with specific experience in the restaurant industry and yet, there’s a disconnect somewhere – the expectations from both sides.
I know I’d have wanted to see concept menus, get a sense of the service and style of the restaurant, certainly its LOCATION (parking, amenities, destination features) and yes TASTE at least some unique creations of this Michelin chef before I signed on and starting promoting his work; not just for my enthusiasm and due diligence but also to do my job: targeting, marketing research, competitive analysis, etc. On the surface, it does look like there were stories to tell but the delays – for which Mr. Bushel accepts responsibility in other NYT blog posts promoting the restaurant – put a wrinkle on that. It would be hard for me to pitch an opening, then have to go back to reporters and editors to change the date again and again, not have pictures yet, no soft opening previews, etc.
I go back to expectations and like you wrote Jenn the detective work goes both ways. Service providers should ask, clients should offer details on: “what do you want, when? How? What will you contribute to help, what do expect to see in 2-4-6 months, where? Are you wanting an integrated PR campaign (defining what that is) or strictly a media relations, publicity push (educating as to the difference)?” Clients should ask (and providers should be clear): what a firm CAN and CAN’T deliver; knowing what you WANT is helpful but not always be realistic; addressing NEED may better help the business and its promotion, help both parties define strategy, measurable, attainable goals, the tactics for a successful campaign. Everyone needs to sit down figure out of they’re a good fit; I know I’d probably not work with anyone who considered me a PR flak. FWIW.
Davina, this is excellent insight. I appreciate you detailing what you, as a PR pro, would need to know in order to be able to do your job successfully. We can only hope the client wants you to succeed – if you have that, you should at least be able to discuss any barriers to success that arise. “You want me to make the Twitters shake with news of you? You’ll need to stop scooping me with your blog.” Etc.
Your last paragraph almost reads like a primer in “how to engage a professional services firm.” Cans vs. Can’ts, Wants vs. Needs, all important things to suss out before the engagement.
Jenn, I’ve used that in many contexts about marketing, being clear about motivations and the differences in “want vs. need.” That touches on which computer someone buys, the cars, the services, what they expect of their service providers, all of it. Nothing like directness to help set limits, manage expectations: this is what I can do, this is what I won’t do (i.e. random broadcast spammy email or Twitter pitches). I can’t get you on this TV news show or the front page of whatever .. unless you meet some very specific criteria, like you make really cool tech toys that I want (but admit I don’t need) or are batshit crazy, a trainwreck from which we can’t seem to look away. 😉
Also happy to hear from a PR pro as to what the expectations would be on your side, and I think the misunderstandings in the end must definitely have come from a mix-up somewhere in the understanding of what PR should be doing in this situation. Thanks for saying it out loud.
Shakirah.. it’s a lesson hard learned. Per your comment above about using the same words, yet speak another language. There have been times I thought I was clear about the workflows, the process, the role the client would play, etc. but then, hearing it come back as something totally different. At times I may be too tough on the “You are not Apple, that is not news” but it’s part of my job to help the client see the big picture, to understand timing, audience, market. It’s important for both sides to press for details, specifics.. and to revisit the issue throughout the process. Another thing I’m trying to build into projects is that regular check in, so we don’t get months and $$ into a project before we realize the mismatch.
Fantastic post! I absolutely agree with your last point that EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS needs to be picky about the clients they choose to work with (sorry I paraphrased your wonderfully eloquent paragraph). In fact, I just spoke about this to a crowd of small businesses yesterday. We spend countless hours lamenting over the stock we print our business cards one, what printer to buy for our office or which brand of water to stock our fridges with. And yet, many of us jump for joy the minute someone calls our office with a job. Why is it that we don’t place the same amount of scrutiny on the engine that keeps our businesses running? Our clients.
Today, anyone can tweet, facebook status update, blog, create a video, write a review about our company. And others will use those reviews to help form their decisions on who to work with and who to stay away from. Work with enough people who don’t get you, don’t understand what you do, don’t care and you’re creating your own detraction engine.
Fantastic post! I absolutely agree with your last point that EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS needs to be picky about the clients they choose to work with (sorry I paraphrased your wonderfully eloquent paragraph). In fact, I just spoke about this to a crowd of small businesses yesterday. We spend countless hours lamenting over the stock we print our business cards one, what printer to buy for our office or which brand of water to stock our fridges with. And yet, many of us jump for joy the minute someone calls our office with a job. Why is it that we don’t place the same amount of scrutiny on the engine that keeps our businesses running? Our clients.
Today, anyone can tweet, facebook status update, blog, create a video, write a review about our company. And others will use those reviews to help form their decisions on who to work with and who to stay away from. Work with enough people who don’t get you, don’t understand what you do, don’t care and you’re creating your own detraction engine.
Hello Ready2Spark, thanks for commenting! And no, I like your paraphrasing. You’re absolutely right – it is not worth it to take on some clients, period. Your analogy is spot on – that level of scrutiny is so important!
Hello Ready2Spark, thanks for commenting! And no, I like your paraphrasing. You’re absolutely right – it is not worth it to take on some clients, period. Your analogy is spot on – that level of scrutiny is so important!
I work in IT but manage the social media for our company. In software development, as in any field, defining requirements before writing one line of code is the first step. And they have to be done as ‘testable’ requirements so that in testing the delivering product we can define if the requirement has been met. The next step for me is laying out what requirements can actually be met, whether in the first version of the product or subsequent versions. Sometimes this is based on time lines, resources and priorities for deliverables. Everything is documented. Then all parties agree and we start work. Now of course once the customer starts to see results, they want changes. Changes are usually built into the timelines. If something gets added to the project, outside of the original project (we call this scope creep), then everything goes back to square A and the project has to be re-evaluated. If timelines can be changed, then resources have to be added, another project may have to be put on hold or something has to give. This is continuously communicated to the customer. Some get it….some do not. So I do not think the problem is unique to PR. There are just some people who never do and never will ‘get it’. Their expectations are unrealistic and there is nothing you are going to do to change that. In my field, I do not have the choice to say then I am not taking on that customer, BUT I may offer a different solution…perhaps we buy instead of develop (and then their hands are really tied because it will NEVER do everything they want it to do the way they want it to do it….) but they may be good because next time, they may get it (lesson learned right?). I think some of the ‘taking all jobs no matter what’ is because of the economy…is a bad client better than no client. In reality if it ends up hurting your brand or reputation, then pass the client. I think in this case, because there were choices of work with this guy or not, perhaps some research on the part of the PR person researching this guy and past experiences with him may have helped. I would also have to bet that in that very first meeting, there was some inkling of what he was going to be like to work with. I would have to bet there were plenty of comments made about past experiences and dealings with PR or advertising firms and how they never gave him what he wanted. That in itself would have set off red flags all over the place. If he does it to them, he will do it to you….sometimes no client is worth that.
You’re so right, Kathie! About half-way down your reply, I thought you were responding to the What is PR blog post of today, as it’s also relevant how you’re describing what you do! Great analogy to your IT work, and you’re spot on about people taking clients they ought not to work with due to economics. Thanks for participating here!