Good PR vs Bad PR

Only PR problems can be fixed with PR.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

What is good PR vs bad PR?

What con­sti­tutes good pub­lic rela­tions doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here’s a simple mat­rix to keep things straight:

Nathan-W-Pyle-Squirrels-with-good-PR
Credit: Nathan W Pyle (Buzzfeed)

Good PR vs Bad PR

Only PR prob­lems can be fixed with PR. Some prob­lems aren’t PR prob­lems, they’re just problems. 

Doing the wrong things + Saying the wrong things = Bad PR

The PR func­tion will only accel­er­ate the organ­isa­tion’s inev­it­able demise.

Doing the wrong things + Saying the right things = Bad PR

The organ­isa­tion’s lead­er­ship must adhere to stra­tegic advice from the PR function.

Doing the right things + Saying the wrong things = Bad PR

The organ­isa­tion’s lead­er­ship must reform or replace the PR function.

Doing the right things + Saying the right things = Good PR

The PR func­tion must main­tain stra­tegic advis­ory and good communication.

Read also: Good PR vs Bad PR

What does this mean?

This means that you can fix pub­lic rela­tions prob­lems but can’t fix organ­isa­tion­al prob­lems (bad products or ser­vices, uneth­ic­al prac­tices, illeg­al prac­tices etc.) with PR activities. 

Every now and then, I have to point out that some organ­isa­tion­al prob­lems aren’t PR prob­lems; they’re organ­isa­tion­al problems.

Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at KIX Index and Spin Factory. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

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“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” The harder you attack someone publicly, the more you convince their fans of their existing belief, not yours.
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