By Fraser Seitel and John Doorley
Published by Palgrave Macmillian
Available at Amazon.com for $14.95 (hardcover) and $12.99 (Kindle)
Review by Arthur Solomon
I am not a big fan of "how to" books on PR or journalism. That's because I find the do-it-by-the-numbers techniques have little to no value outside of the classroom.
But I was pleasantly surprised with "Rethinking Reputation: How PR Trumps Marketing and Advertising in the New Media World," a new work by Fraser Seitel, an odwyerpr.com contributor, and John Doorley.
Rethinking Reputation gives a behind the scenes expert analysis of news making PR events and how to restore damaged reputations. It's a valuable tool that should be read by everyone in the business.
What to Like: There are no how-to-prepare news tips, photo captions or press releases in this beneficial tome. Instead, it describes how different companies and individuals handled major crises situations and other strategies, including how to create a buzz for important issues-oriented campaigns. And the authors pull no punches when giving a thumbs up or thumbs down for each situation.
Written in a mini case history style, each informative, easy-to-read chapter also includes what I call "lessons that everyone in our business should remember." But in order to fully appreciate the usefulness of the tips, you should read the situations and not just take the easy way out and go straight to the tips.
Examples range from crisis communications – the BP, Exxon Valdez oil spills and Johnson & Johnson's product recalls – to the travails of bold face individuals. Seitel and Doorley include the widely successful PR strategy of T. Boone Pickens' energy campaign. For those who like to read the gossip magazines, there is an informative and instructive chapter titled "Control The Agenda," using Kobe Bryant, Roger Clemens. Tiger Woods, John Edwards, and other prominent names as examples.
The case histories just don't dwell on the corporate and individual mishaps. The book details how damaged reputations were salvaged through expert PR planning, thus the title.
One chapter that I find some fault with is titled "The Sin of Spin," which the authors say was triggered by answers Bill Clinton gave during the Monica Lewinski scandal.
Spin has been around since the days I was a "cub" reporter. When I entered the PR world, spin became a valuable tool during the creative process when writing client programs. If done properly, not to deceive the media or the public, I believe that spin should be in every PR tool box. It can especially be valuable when disseminating a PR message. (I guess your feeling about spin depends upon how you define the word.)
Despite my disagreement about spin, if I had to grade this book, without hesitancy, I would give it an "A." It should required reading for every communications student and their instructors, and for every person involved in a business that may some day have a PR problem or use a PR firm.
It's also a great read for anyone interested in the media and PR process because it provides an insiders look at events that dominated the news cycle when they happened.
Both authors are known as experts in our business. This book shows that their reputations are well deserved. Put it on your must-read list.