WHY WE SHOULD ALWAYS THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK

Has anyone else noticed that human beings have an awful habit of opening their mouths before their brains have had enough time to kick in and tell them that it would be a really, really bad idea to say whatever they are planning on saying?

Saying something inappropriate is not so terrible when it is in the privacy of your own home, in front of friends and family. The result is usually nothing more than a red face and a hasty apology. However, when a badly thought out remark is uttered in the public arena, by company leaders, the effects can be long lasting and extremely damaging.

For example, Decca Recording Company (now part of the Universal Music Group) should really be remembered for the role it played in the development of recording methods (in the UK) and the development of original cast albums (in the US). However, due to a slip up by a Decca executive, this company will forever be remembered for saying, when questioned about why they turned down 'The Beatles' in 1962:

'We don't like their sound and guitar music is on the way out.'

I bet it wasn't long before that executive started wishing that those words hadn't slipped out of his mouth...

Business figures can also attract condemnation for not saying enough. How often have you seen a prominent business personage shouting 'no comment' into the TV cameras as they exit a court room or heard of a troubled company that refuses to talk to the media? Your instant and natural assumption is that these people have done something wrong, whether this is accurate or not.

PR consultants dedicate hours of their lives to teaching clients how to recognise when it is appropriate to speak out and when they should be slightly more discreet. A good PR consultant will also make sure that the spokesperson from their client's company is fully media trained and is able to deal with appearing on TV and radio, as well as being comfortable with being contacted by journalists. You can usually spot the companies that have a PR team behind them as they are usually well prepared for speaking to the media, give appropriate amounts of relevant information and are as honest and transparent as possible.

I am sure that I am not the only one who believes that being an expert in your specific business field does not automatically mean that you will know how to communicate with your key audiences. Learning when to speak up and when to be quiet, as well as knowing exactly how to deal with the media, is an important skill that no business person should be without.

Has anyone else noticed any examples of businesses communicating badly recently, either in New Zealand or globally?

ANDREW FROM SPOKE SAYS SUSTAINABILITY NEEDS TO BE MADE FUN, INTERESTING AND MORE ACCESSIBLE

Andrew Melville, a highly experienced PR consultant from Spoke Ltd, began his PRiNZ presentation on the issue of sustainability by treating us to a few notes on his traditional Maori flute. The beautiful sound of the putorino, the tones of which sound similar to that of a native bird, permeated the hushed private event room at Glengarry and served as a reminder of the things that we would miss if global warming ever took a serious turn for the worst.

Andrew went on to describe how, despite the potentially devastating consequences of abusing our delicate environment, many companies put sustainability into the ‘too hard basket’. Other corporations attempt to convince their audiences, through marketing, that they are environmentally friendly when they are not actually doing very much to make a difference. This is often labelled ‘greenwashing’ and is done purely to expand markets and to sell more products. More information on ‘greenwashing’ in New Zealand can be found here.

Andrew complained that there is too much media ping-pong, regarding environmental issues, between journalists and officials. Because of this, increasing numbers of frustrated consumers are heading to online sites such as Facebook and Bebo to get the information that they need.

There are no clear messages and not enough companies leading the way forward, especially within New Zealand which is estimated to be about five years behind the rest of the world when it comes to dealing with these, and other, issues. One way of getting the ‘green’ message across is to make it fun and interesting. Andrew recommended viewing a selection of ‘green’ sites to get an idea of how this can be done:

http://www.grist.org/

http://www.ecorazzi.com/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/sycamore_ceilin.php

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2005/10/south_africa_th.html

Andrew also pointed out a few global companies that are courageously leading the way forward when it comes to tackling green issues:

http://plana.marksandspencer.com/

http://www.citroen-online.co.uk/citroen-environment/

The presentations from both Andrew and Tim were extremely thought-provoking and certainly stimulated a lot of debate amongst attending PRiNZ members! However, I am still unsure as to how much of an impact sustainability has on consumers. After all, whatever businesses say and do, they are all interested in the bottom line and who can blame them? Their very existence depends on a continual stream of revenue. I just wonder what kind of gap exists between the number of consumers who think favourably of green initiatives and eco-friendly corporations and the number of those that actually act on these views and will pick up and purchase the environmentally friendly, locally sourced packet of tomatoes even if they are more expensive than the shiny red tomatoes exported from overseas.....? It is an interesting question and not one that has a simple, easy answer.

ARE NEW ZEALAND COMPANIES MERELY PAYING LIP SERVICE TO SUSTAINABILITY?

Last night, I attended an Auckland based PRiNZ event called ‘Communicating Sustainability: Green is the New Black’ which examined whether the words ‘business and sustainable can ever live happily together in the same sentence’ and what PR’s role should be in helping clients and customers get to grips with ‘green’ issues. Tim Rainger from Creo Sustain and Andrew Melville, Director of Communications and PR at consultancy, Spoke Ltd, were our presenters for the evening. However, in order to keep my posts to a reasonable length, this entry will focus purely on what Tim had to say.

Tim, who has been involved in a number of environmental groups such as ‘Surfers against Sewage’ in the United Kingdom, ‘Patagonia’ in the USA and KASM (Kiwis Against Seabed Mining), here in New Zealand, certainly provided us with some food for thought.

One of the things that he warned against was sending out mixed messages to audiences.
Tim cited the now infamous Noel Leeming advertising campaign, featuring Erin Brokivich, as an example of a company sending out confusing messages and the extreme negative backlash that can occur because of this. Ironically, if Noel Leeming had told the story of what the corporation itself was doing to help climate change, the response from the public would have been a million times more positive. The expensive TV ad only invited cynicism (especially since the woman featured in the advert had claimed, on numerous occasions, that she detested large businesses...)
At the other end of the scale is the New Zealand company, Grove Mill Wine. Rather than investing in a glossy, over the top advertising campaign, Grove Mill are living what they preach. They are part of the carboNZero programme and are members of the Sustainable Winegrowing NZ. They also have put some great systems and innovations in place to reduce their impact on the environment, including: an energy efficient waste heat system, a commitment to recycling, use of organic fertiliser, insulated warehousing and the use of eco-friendly packaging. There is no consumer cynicism here- it is clear that they are doing what they do because they are interested in preserving the environment and producing good quality wine. As a nice side effect, their sales are booming.

I think that the overall message from Tim was that if you want sustainability to work as a part of your business, you cannot treat it as a bolt on attribute. Transparency, honesty and effort go a long way. As Tim said, ‘It has to be lived, not just paid lip service to’.