DR PHIL OSAGIE WRITES FOR YOU:4 PR Lessons from Trump & Britain’s Exit Vote from Euro
Dr Phil Osagie, one of Africa’s front line Public Relations doyens has over the years built a reputation as a consummate
communications player
Though a born and trained writer, his
passion, as he once confessed is in the art of writing big business proposals, he
makes no fuse about it “Proposal writing is my calling “he once said over a
lunch date with yours truly
But then, make no mistake, in his spare time, apart from reading the Holy Bible, playing some amateur golf, winning souls for God or VISITING some lakeside / resorts with his adorable wife, he also love to write on other topics
But then, make no mistake, in his spare time, apart from reading the Holy Bible, playing some amateur golf, winning souls for God or VISITING some lakeside / resorts with his adorable wife, he also love to write on other topics
In this exclusive report made
available to CERUTTI MEDIA GROUP (CMG)
/WORLD INDUSTRY LEADERS BLOG SITES Dr Phil bares his mind on the current situation on ground. Please take careful note as you enjoy this piece
/WORLD INDUSTRY LEADERS BLOG SITES Dr Phil bares his mind on the current situation on ground. Please take careful note as you enjoy this piece
*4 PR Lessons from Trump & Britain’s Exit Vote from Euro
The polls and the
media can fool you! There are valuable PR lessons to learn from the The Brexit
NO vote, the Trump surprise and many more!
As the saying goes, the bigger they
come, the harder, they fall! The decision by the people of Great Britain to
leave the Euro is still sending shock waves around the world. The 400
wealthiest people in the world lost over $200 billion in two days and global
markets recorded a paper loss of over $3 Trillion.
It was not only a shocker for the
financial markets, it was also a ‘coup’ against the political establishment.
Despite a well oiled communications campaign led by the UK Prime Minister
himself, David Cameron backed by respected business leaders, academicians and
media owners, the public voted against remaining in Europe.
The closest comparison to this, was the
emergence earlier in the year of Donald Trump as the US Presidential flag
bearer for the Republican Party, despite ridicule by the media and orchestrated
criticism by his fellow Republicans. At the start of the campaign, one major
global magazine title, boasted about restricting coverage of Donald Trump’s
campaign to the entertainment section! The publication has since stayed silent.
In far away Nigeria last year, the
sitting President, Goodluck Jonathan lost the Presidential election to the
clear underdog, General Buhari, despite a formidable war chest and complete
domination of both the traditional and social media.
There are several public relations and
communications lessons to learn from the Brexit saga and other convention
defying outcomes around the world.
1. PR Lesson 1- Never
under estimate the power of populist sentiments. In the Brexit case, the opposition to staying in Europe was
largely based on sentiments and national pride. The pro Euro camp saw this, but
they grossly under estimated the strength of the anti establishment stand of
the U.K. public.
As Jamie White commented : “It’s not difficult to see how the disconnect between the Remain and Leave forces developed: the unemployed 50-year-old woman in Birmingham had certainly not seen her fortunes increase the way the lawyer in London had. The prosperity the elites toasted seemed a far cry from the struggle of the working class in Cardiff. All three major political parties, the Bank of England, countless businesses, foreign leaders and celebrities cajoled, scolded and threatened voters — only for their words to go unheeded, with 52 per cent of Britons voting to leave the EU.”
As Jamie White commented : “It’s not difficult to see how the disconnect between the Remain and Leave forces developed: the unemployed 50-year-old woman in Birmingham had certainly not seen her fortunes increase the way the lawyer in London had. The prosperity the elites toasted seemed a far cry from the struggle of the working class in Cardiff. All three major political parties, the Bank of England, countless businesses, foreign leaders and celebrities cajoled, scolded and threatened voters — only for their words to go unheeded, with 52 per cent of Britons voting to leave the EU.”
Brexit Shocked David
Cameron
2. Don’t be carried
away by the media- the media can easily
fool politicians and communications practitioners. It is a truism that the
media generally reflects the mood of the populace. But then, there is an
increasing correlation between resources and perception. Those with greater
resources tend to have a louder media voice. The power of the golden rule is
reversed on its head- he who has the gold makes the rules! But it doesn’t
always work out this way.
So it will pay leaders and PR people to know that the media can raise you today and bury you tomorrow! And the polls may fool you into counting your chickens before they are hatched!
So it will pay leaders and PR people to know that the media can raise you today and bury you tomorrow! And the polls may fool you into counting your chickens before they are hatched!
3. Always remember
the David vs Goliath rule. In a David vs
Goliath scenario, the weight of public opinion tends to swing towards the
underdog and the seemingly smaller David. No matter how perfectly you package
your communications and irrespective the size of your advertising and
communications budget, the public will swing rewards the underdog.
The key to communications success in this case is to pitch your message in the tone that resonates with the emotions. Facts and statistics are great. But they are not enough. As Kevin Robbins noted in one of his sermons, “The longest journey is between the head and the heart!”
The key to communications success in this case is to pitch your message in the tone that resonates with the emotions. Facts and statistics are great. But they are not enough. As Kevin Robbins noted in one of his sermons, “The longest journey is between the head and the heart!”
4. Life goes on. Regardless of the tsunami effect of Brexit, the trillions of
dollars lost, the Prime Minister losing his job, life goes on. “In three words,
I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.” (Robert Frost).
PR people should learn this life lesson. Your best campaign should be the next one!
PR people should learn this life lesson. Your best campaign should be the next one!
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