The Norman Axiom

Don't be a dickhead.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

tl:dr;
The Norman Axiom asserts that brand relevance isn't a static achievement but a continuous strategic positioning process. Brands should anchor themselves on core values rather than chasing the approval from everyone at any time (since "Normans" with unreasonable requests will always exist).

โ€œCorrectโ€ isnโ€™t necesยญsarยญily good pubยญlic relations.

Some people argue that their actions shouldยญnโ€™t resยญult in bad pubยญlic relaยญtions because theyโ€™re a) legยญally in the clear and b) facยญtuยญally correct.

Iโ€™m sorry, but thatโ€™s not the way PR works.

Here we go:

The Norman Axiom

Many years ago, I stumbled across this meme with โ€œNormanโ€ comยญplainยญing about the noise from the nearby airfield. 

I call this the Norman Axiom.

The Norman Axiom - Norman living by the airfield complaining about noise.
The Norman axiom.

I tell the story about Norman to illusยญtrate two key points in pubยญlic relations:

  • Despite being โ€œrightโ€ legยญally and โ€œcorยญrectโ€ facยญtuยญally, youโ€™ll still sufยญfer negยญatยญive PR conยญsequences if you act unreasยญonยญably (e.g., no one likes Norman).
  • It doesยญnโ€™t matยญter if your organยญisaยญtion is doing what itโ€™s supยญposed to be doing, because if you reach enough people, some will find reasยญons to comยญplain (i.e. there will always be Normans out there).

If the paraยญdox of promยญinยญence is the quesยญtion, then the Norman Axiom is the answer.

Learn more: The Norman Axiom

Signature - Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin

Thank you. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions- and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. Please also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.

Psst! What should you read next?

Good PR vs Bad PR

In pubยญlic relaยญtions, sayยญing the right things will not be enough if you do the wrong things.

Doing the wrong things + sayยญing the wrong things = bad PR

Doing the wrong things + sayยญing the right things = bad PR

Doing the right things + sayยญing the wrong things = bad PR

Doing the right things + sayยญing the right things = good PR

Learn more: Good PR vs Bad PR

Psst! What should you read next?

The Paradox of Prominence

The โ€œdark sideโ€ of what drives peopleโ€™s engageยญment can be a true PR chalยญlenge. This pheยญnomenยญon, where every strength inherยญently posยญsesses a corยญresยญpondยญing downยญside, can be called the โ€œParadox of Prominence.โ€

The paradox of prominence.
The paraยญdox of prominence.

An example of this paraยญdox is the halo effect, where physยญicยญal attractยญiveยญness becomes an asset for a spokesยญperยญson. Attractiveness often leads to posยญitยญive biases; attractยญive indiยญviduยญals are freยญquently perยญceived as more credยญible and comยญpetยญent. 1Eagly, A. H., Ashmore, R. D., Makhijani, M. G., & Longo, L. C. (1991). What is beauยญtiยญful is good, butโ€ฆ: A meta-anaยญlytยญic review of research on the physยญicยญal attractยญiveยญness steยญreoยญtype. โ€ฆ Continue readยญing 2Silfwer, J. (2023, December 17). The Halo Effect: Why Attractiveness Matters in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹oโ€‹-โ€‹eโ€‹fโ€‹fโ€‹eโ€‹ct/

However, this same attribยญute can spark negยญatยญive reacยญtions. Critics might claim that the indiยญviduยญalโ€™s sucยญcess or visยญibยญilยญity is primarยญily due to their looks, underยญminยญing their comยญpetยญenยญcies. This dualยญity illusยญtrates how the qualยญitยญies that draw posยญitยญive attenยญtion can simยญulยญtanยญeously attract criยญtiยญcism and scepticism.

Competence, anothยญer valuยญable trait, often encounยญters simยญilยญar pitยญfalls. Highly comยญpetยญent indiยญviduยญals inspire conยญfidยญence and admirยญaยญtion. Nevertheless, this comยญpetยญence can be perยญceived negยญatยญively when willยญfully interยญpreted as arrogยญance. Studies sugยญgest that while comยญpetยญence garners respect, it can also lead to social penยญalยญties, such as envy and resentยญment. 3Fiske, S. T., Cuddy, A. J. C., Glick, P., & Xu, J. (2002). A modยญel of (often mixed) steยญreoยญtype conยญtent: Competence and warmth respectยญively folยญlow from perยญceived status and comยญpetยญiยญtion. Journal of โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

Examples of the Paradox of Prominence

The paraยญdox of promยญinยญence seems to be an inherยญent aspect of human interest dynamics. 

ProminencePositive OutcomeNegative Outcome
Physical attractยญiveยญnessEnhanced credยญibยญilยญity and trustAccusations of superยญfiยญcial success
High comยญpetยญenceRespected and trusยญted as an expertPerceived as arrogยญant or unapproachable
CharismaAbility to inspire and attract followersViewed as manipยญuยญlatยญive or insincere
Strong advocacyIncreased supยญport and mobilยญizยญaยญtion for a causeTarget of intense criยญtiยญcism from opponents
WealthSeen as sucยญcessยญful and influentialResentment and accusยญaยญtions of greed or unfairness
AssertivenessEffective leadยญerยญship and decision-makingLabeled as domยญinยญeerยญing or aggressive
InnovationAdmired for creยญativยญity and forward-thinkingResistance to change and criยญtiยญcism from traditionalists
High visยญibยญilยญityGreater recogยญniยญtion and influenceIncreased scruยญtiny and loss of privacy
GenerosityViewed as kind-hearted and philanthropicSuspected of ulteriยญor motives
Success in comยญpetยญitยญive fieldsRole modยญel and symยญbol of achievementEnvy and attempts to underยญmine accomplishments

We must recogยญnise that with every increase in visยญibยญilยญity, there is a corยญresยญpondยญing increase in scruยญtiny and criticism.

Pick Your Opponents Wisely

Public awareยญness comes with inevยญitยญable costs.

In the quest for greatยญer visยญibยญilยญity and influยญence, it is critยญicยญal to acknowยญledge that โ€œbeing uniยญverยญsally well-likedโ€ is a naรฏve and unrealยญistยญic goal. 

  • โ€œPublic relaยญtions proยญfesยญsionยญals must straยญtegicยญally decide the audiยญences they aim to attract andโ€‰โ€”โ€‰of equal importยญance!โ€‰โ€”โ€‰the adversarยญies they are willยญing to conยญtend with.โ€

By straยญtegicยญally harยญnessยญing this paraยญdox, pubยญlic relaยญtions proยญfesยญsionยญals can manยญage pubยญlic perยญcepยญtion by interยญnยญalยญising expecยญted โ€œdownยญsidesโ€ as addiยญtionยญal awareยญness drivers. 

Learn more: The Paradox of Prominence

Annotations
Annotations
1 Eagly, A. H., Ashmore, R. D., Makhijani, M. G., & Longo, L. C. (1991). What is beauยญtiยญful is good, butโ€ฆ: A meta-anaยญlytยญic review of research on the physยญicยญal attractยญiveยญness steยญreoยญtype. Psychological Bulletin, 110(1), 109โ€‰โ€“โ€‰128. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹3โ€‹7โ€‹/โ€‹0โ€‹033โ€‰โ€“โ€‰2909.110.1.109
2 Silfwer, J. (2023, December 17). The Halo Effect: Why Attractiveness Matters in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹oโ€‹-โ€‹eโ€‹fโ€‹fโ€‹eโ€‹ct/
3 Fiske, S. T., Cuddy, A. J. C., Glick, P., & Xu, J. (2002). A modยญel of (often mixed) steยญreoยญtype conยญtent: Competence and warmth respectยญively folยญlow from perยญceived status and comยญpetยญiยญtion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6), 878โ€‰โ€“โ€‰902. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹3โ€‹7โ€‹/โ€‹0โ€‹022โ€‰โ€“โ€‰3514.82.6.878
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 Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

.

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