Advice for PCOs #3: Bad Publicity

There's no such thing as bad publicity, but there is such a thing as unhelpful publicity.

The key to successful media relations for any public-facing organization is not to be widely loved, but to be widely known. Whether that means being widely known for that which is positive or that which is negative does not matter. Being widely known for anything simply gives any entity an opportunity to engage in self-promotion and to attract attention, which could (and often does) result in new followers or customers being brought into the fold upon hearing its sales pitch, as it were. This is what Donald Trump did in his 2016 campaign for President.

Of course, it's not always prudent to attempt to harness infamy as a means of self-promotion, or at least not to harness infamy concerning specific things. The point of attracting publicity of any kind is to make a candidate visible and compelling to persons who otherwise would take no interest in him. If a sizable group of the electorate is inclined to react negatively or apathetically to that which the candidate is building notoriety off of, then deliberately building such a brand could be harmful, not helpful. One man's audacity is another man's sleaze.

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