Few TV shows captivate me like True Blood. 
The HBO hit feels like a comic book come to life, with fun characters experiencing a major breakdown in their reality.
Vampires, fairies, werewolves and shape-shifters – oh my!
And on the most recent episode (aired July 8, 2012), there was a PR “ah-ha” moment.
Jason Stackhouse, the shockingly coming-of-age, ne’er do well brother of main character Sookie Stackhouse, said something that hit a nerve with me.
He had the realization that all of these creatures (“supes,” as he called them) had been around for centuries killing people (or worse), but that it wasn’t until the vampires “came out of the coffin” a few years ago that anyone paid attention.
So what does that have to do with PR?
A lot, actually.
But today’s lesson is to beware of unintended consequences.
Before you announce something, take a holistic look at the surrounding ecosystem. How will your announcement impact anything and everything around you?
Plan for how every audience will receive the news:
- Media
- Existing network (customers, vendors, partners)
- Public (broken down by demographics, geography, etc.)
- Internal (staff, investors, stakeholders)
- Competition
Something that you do may cause a ripple effect around the industry or beyond.
I’m sure everyone in marketing can think of a campaign or event that either backfired or took on a life of it’s own – far greater that the intended scope.
Once you have an idea of how you think all audiences will respond to your event or announcement, you can proceed as you wish. You don’t need to change your plan, but being aware of everyone around you will help you in many ways. Like not getting bitten by vampires.
(Mar…
