The Bad PR Never Stops
April 2, 2009 – 7:45 pm | by Daryl TayIt’s not often I get annoyed to the point of blogging, but this takes the cake. I’m going to post a few emails I got in the span of one day, and you can draw your own conclusions. I’ve chosen not to reveal the name of the PR person (though i will say his/her job title is senior account executive), the event or any such details this time round.
First mail, 12:45pm (click to view larger image):
Bad PR First Email
By the way, the event is tomorrow at 10:30am. So I’m given 22 hours notice.
So I can’t make it because I have a major presentation tomorrow, here’s my reply:
My Reply
The next email I get is at 4:12pm, asking me to invite friends/bloggers on their behalf:
Bad PR Second Email
Okay. I’m in class so I don’t reply instantly. Nice to see that they would like to get the message out to “as many people as possible” but they do that at 4pm the day before.
Third mail, 6:18pm, asking if I would like to write about their event even without attending it:
Bad PR Third Email
That’s the kicker. I don’t have a relationship with this person, I’ve never been contacted by this agency before, what makes them think this is an appropriate way to approach me?
One thing for everyone entering the social media scene to keep in mind: not all bloggers are going to be like me and choose not to disclose the identity. There are many others who will plaster your name, agency, client’s name and event and get it all the bad press you need before the event even gets off the ground.
Comments?
Tags: agency, bad pitching, bad pr, bad press, client, event, poor practises, relationships, social media
12 Responses to “The Bad PR Never Stops”
By Nabilah Said on Apr 2, 2009 | Reply
Ugh, not too good eh? Perhaps it was a young’en who hasn’t mastered the art of blogger relations? I read somewhere (forgot where sorry!) that it’s funny how media relations are so important in PR yet it seems the people who have to do it are the new hires who have no clue, instead of the senior people who do have the required skills. But it can also be argued that relationship building shouldn’t just be limited to the senior ppl, but that everyone in the PR firm should be savvy and do their homework before trying to contact bloggers. What do you think?
By Supriya on Apr 2, 2009 | Reply
oh lord! how about they learn to communicate properly first?
By Nicole Then on Apr 2, 2009 | Reply
oohh…haha, thanks for the entertainment of the day daryl. yup, agree with Nabilah sometimes I get emails from interns. but being an intern before i’m not so hard on them, their supervisors should give them the relevant basic training and guidiance first.
By Daryl Tay on Apr 2, 2009 | Reply
@Nabilah and Nicole: Yeah I know what you mean about being an intern/just starting out. However, the person is a senior account executive! And Nab, totally ironic. All they have to do is imagine themselves on the other side of the fence and ask “Would I like to recieve this email?” and they would know what to do. Or in this case, not to do.
@Supriya: You said it
By ange on Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
it sounds like the impression they have of bloggers is either that we are no-lifers who have nothing on their schedule.
By Kevyn on Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
Gosh, at a senior acct executive level, there should be no excuse.
PR folks need to heed the example and learn. Remember, if we want to be called communication consultants, we have to be able to communicate well first.
By Daryl Tay on Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
@Ange: Yup I totally agree with assessment. And unfortunately, just a few bad instances like this spoils the rep of people online as a whole.
@Kevyn: Yeah totally! I mean I bet they don’t communicate with traditional media/clients that way. Why should bloggers be any different? B-grade media in their opinion?
By Rachelle on Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
Contrary to Nabilah, I’d venture to say that it’s the older people who “have no clue” about how to build relationships through social media and instead try to apply their traditional frameworks (e.g. sending a press kit in an attempt to get coverage anyway) with no clue as to why they don’t work anymore.
By Daryl Tay on Apr 4, 2009 | Reply
@Rachelle: That’s an interesting perspective. I’m curious though, (and I post this to all PR folk), did/does that work with traditional media? I mean would doing that to a journalist who you’re emailing for the first time actually work? I ask because I don’t know if the difference is really new frameworks vs traditional frameworks, because at the core of it, it’s just how people should treat people.
By Su Yuen on Apr 4, 2009 | Reply
I am SHOCKED this came from a senior account executive… kind of gives the impression of insincerity and doing a last minute job.
On another note, another aspect which I think is BAD PR about such e-mails is the irrelevance of the event to the blog. Sometimes I get invite to events that are TOTALLY not related to what my blog is about.. which kind of pisses me off because it goes to show they didn’t even bother researching or even reading/checking out the blogs of bloggers they are about to invite.
By Vanessa Tan on Apr 4, 2009 | Reply
Sounds like this person isn’t sensitive to the nuances of new media PR. Like Daryl I wonder if traditional media journalists are also approached this way. I’m tempted to think no. Many big organisations already have a system in place for briefing traditional media while I get the sense that bloggers are treated more casually. I agree that it boils down to how you treat people.
Being asked at such late notice also give the impression that other bloggers higher up on the wish list couldn’t make it. Or it’s just a case of bad planning.
Also I wonder if this senior account exec is reading your post now. If so, it would be a good lesson and the person will be more careful next time.
In my view it’s OK to make mistakes the first time, but if you’re really interested in the bloggers you’ve invited, you’d be reading their blogs and will know if you’ve put them off, and then you will improve your approach. Those who aren’t interested won’t realise what they’re doing, and will continue making these mistakes.
By Daryl Tay on Apr 5, 2009 | Reply
@Su Yuen: Yeah some people have asked “what does your blog have to do with men, women and relationships?” and all I can do is shrug.
@Vanessa Tan: Right someone commented something like “not enough people attending so start asking bloggers” on Plurk. And while we certainly don’t know whether that’s the truth one way or another, it certainly can bring that impression across.
With regards to improving approaches, I wonder how many will take the easy way out and just go “this blogger damn troublesome, next time find other bloggers” instead of learning from it.