I am starting another blog post about PR disaster but on an international level. For sure it does not apply to most PR professionals here in Winnipeg, but I am passionate about the subject as I have always followed international news given my European and Asian experience. I believe being exposed to more international issues would broaden the horizon of PR professionals here.
My first case is about the business school of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Their EMBA program is the number EMBA program in the entire universe according to the Financial Times (higher than any EMBA program in Canada). A recent graduate of their MBA program developed an app for game called Towers of Saviors, which has made the developers millionaires. However, for those who have used the app find this app very similar to a game developed by a Japanese company which was also a blockbuster.
The problem for HKUST is that they have openly endorsed these two graduates AFTER they donated about $125,000 to the University by inviting them to talk about their success stories and on the HKUST Facebook page. Apparently it is not a PR disaster to HKUST as they simply do not care. However, given my previous experience with HKUST, it is totally consistent. HKUST cares about money and ranking but nothing else. For a PR professional, it is about choosing an organization that you agree with in terms of their ethical standard. I never intended and I will never work for HKUST, no matter how much they pay me. Seriously.
Another recent international disaster is the death of a soldier in Taiwan when he was in camp. Unlike the rest of China (i.e. Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau), Taiwan has developed a democratic society and I have been amazed time and time again by how civilized the society has become.
For this tragic incident, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated right in front the equivalent of the White House demanding an explanation. Even movie stars have voiced their anger, which is extremely uncommon for the Chinese culture. No one single political party has tried to rally the people, it was (and still is) something that many citizens have chosen to do based on their free will. The consequence is the existing government has to answer the questions raised. A young man has died, and justice should be exercised. The Prime Minister Ma has not really said anything that satisfies the public, and it is a really PR disaster at the moment. It would be interesting to check out the development in a week.
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
PR Heavy Weight - North America
This blog post is the beginning of a series of Public Relations-related blogs, and this is called "PR Heavyweight" to simply imply a difficult situation for PR professionals. The first case is the recent train derailment in Quebec and I think no one can argue with me.
How wrong can you get? The MM&A has simply failed in every domain that you can think of as a PR person or a senior executive. Not coming to the centre of disaster because it was easier to make phone calls and liaise with insurance companies in your office? Blaming the firefighters? Scared of coming? Did not translate the press release in French properly? You name it, they did it all. Now they have filed bankruptcy, which is exactly what I predicted. MM&A is one issue, the handling of oil transportation is another. With this tragic accident, we should really sit down and push for tighter regulations relating to oil transportation - or someone else would have a tough PR job. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.
My second favorite this month so far is the cancellation of Obama's trip to meet Putin. Remember Snowden? This gentleman has left the airport in Moscow, and he is seeking asylum. Apparently many consider it as a slap in the face to Obama, hence the cancelled trip. The spokesperson said it was only one of the many reasons, but really? The development is getting even more interesting than ever, and there is definitely a PR lesson for us all.
My third is the scandal surrounding the various senators - the latest casualty is Sen. Mac Harb. It seems like the more we dig, the more unpleasant it gets. Yes, Canada is not free from corruption. However, we are at least trying to fix when we spot an issue. The development can be nasty for the Harper's government, but they can bounce back if they can be more proactive. Why not start putting together more transparent and tighter policies when it comes expenses? Start the conversation, and invite participation from the public. Take the lead, instead of being led when another scandal breaks is my advice.
The development in Rehtaeh Parsons' case is another hot topic. No matter what charges are laid, some people feel some justice has been served. I have lived in a city where police can pretty much do anything (including assaulting citizens in broad day night and then be escorted away by other police), and I appreciate the fact that most police here respect the law and work within it. Yes they did not do the best PR job on the this planet at the beginning, but the police did respond quickly in the end. The death of a young girl is always tragic, but if lessons can be learnt here then at least Rehtaeh did not die in vain.
Check my post regularly for more cases!
How wrong can you get? The MM&A has simply failed in every domain that you can think of as a PR person or a senior executive. Not coming to the centre of disaster because it was easier to make phone calls and liaise with insurance companies in your office? Blaming the firefighters? Scared of coming? Did not translate the press release in French properly? You name it, they did it all. Now they have filed bankruptcy, which is exactly what I predicted. MM&A is one issue, the handling of oil transportation is another. With this tragic accident, we should really sit down and push for tighter regulations relating to oil transportation - or someone else would have a tough PR job. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.
My second favorite this month so far is the cancellation of Obama's trip to meet Putin. Remember Snowden? This gentleman has left the airport in Moscow, and he is seeking asylum. Apparently many consider it as a slap in the face to Obama, hence the cancelled trip. The spokesperson said it was only one of the many reasons, but really? The development is getting even more interesting than ever, and there is definitely a PR lesson for us all.
My third is the scandal surrounding the various senators - the latest casualty is Sen. Mac Harb. It seems like the more we dig, the more unpleasant it gets. Yes, Canada is not free from corruption. However, we are at least trying to fix when we spot an issue. The development can be nasty for the Harper's government, but they can bounce back if they can be more proactive. Why not start putting together more transparent and tighter policies when it comes expenses? Start the conversation, and invite participation from the public. Take the lead, instead of being led when another scandal breaks is my advice.
The development in Rehtaeh Parsons' case is another hot topic. No matter what charges are laid, some people feel some justice has been served. I have lived in a city where police can pretty much do anything (including assaulting citizens in broad day night and then be escorted away by other police), and I appreciate the fact that most police here respect the law and work within it. Yes they did not do the best PR job on the this planet at the beginning, but the police did respond quickly in the end. The death of a young girl is always tragic, but if lessons can be learnt here then at least Rehtaeh did not die in vain.
Check my post regularly for more cases!
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