Following my recent blog where I said the best strategy is to be honest with the media, I thought it was timely to reiterate that the best strategy is always to be honest with the media.
Quite simply, if you lie you will come unstuck. And it will definitely not help your cause.
Recently a publicity stunt backfired for Surry Hills-based marketing group Naked Communications when they employed an actress to pretend she was searching for a handsome mystery man who left his jacket at a Sydney café.
The fact is the stunt was for a new menswear line of a large Australian retail company which previously sold only women’s fashion. Now they look bad and the hoax never really worked anyway because most media wouldn’t name the fashion label.
The mystery jacket
Social media expert Brendon Sinclair of Queensland-based Tailored Web Services said, “These clowns are screwing the Australian digital media landscape and giving everyone a bad name with their amateurish attempts at viral campaigns and use of social media. Here’s an idea I want to run past you people. Try, geeeez I don’t know… how about you try a little honesty? How about you actually engage your customers or market? How about you just be authentic? How about you get a clue?”
In their attempt to use viral marketing to promote their client’s new range, this agency has committed the sin of lying to the news media. You see, it is never wise to lie to the media. Never – about anything and under any circumstances.
Yours in book publicity
Chelsea McLean
