Mudslinging Strategies

Authenticity and trust are the two pillars of reputation management. People like Ellen have it - so when she ends up publicly spilling tears over a dog custody dispute you can bet the public is going to believe that she was genuinely concerned about the dog’s welfare when she inadvertently broke the rules of her adoption contract. This week Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said “Barack Obama” when he meant “Osama bin Laden”, but plenty of pundits are not willing to believe it was an innocent slip.

This month Ken Silverstein writes an excellent article in Harper’s about Mitt Romney’s efforts to shore up his reputation. Specifically, Silverstein explores strategies among Romney’s Presidential campaign team to deal with a flip-flopping public perception. Can a candidate win if voters believe they will do - or say - anything to create a winning persona? Ironically, Romney’s publicity machine is accused in the article of employing manipulative tactics to create the impression of authenticity. So, in the world of public relations, the question boils down to this: do you actually need to be authentic to create an impression of authenticity? Do you have to be trustworthy to be trusted?

Someone at Romney’s PR firm decided to put up a website titled PhoneyFred.org which appeared to be an independent critique of Romney’s opponent but ultimately was unmasked as an inside job. Romney has displayed a penchant for hiring tough communications consultants who have engaged some of the roughest publicity battles. His opposition research, for example, is headed by Barbara Comstock who has been engaged in such issues as the Whitewater investigative efforts of the Clintons, the Scooter Libby trial, the 2000 Florida vote recount, and the nomination of John Ashcroft for Attorney General. Recently Comstock took Obama to task for supporting age appropriate sex education by accusing him of supporting “kindergarten sex education and funding abortions for everybody”.

Sometimes these aggressive public relations tactics can carry the day for politicians, but for long-term reputation management they are generally ill-advised. One Romney consultant likens electoral campaigns to checkers, not chess. Moving the game forward in a short-lived campaign is remarkably different than building a reputation for an organization, an idea or a product.

The public has a remarkable ability to recognize authenticity. Not always, and certainly not consistently. But ask the marketing pros at entertainment giants like Nickelodean and they will say emphatically that serving kids programming that is authentic to their lives and interests is the only winning strategy. Just ask Ellen, who suddenly found herself tearful on television, about the value of trust.