Public Notice: How to Lose Trust and Alienate People

If you ever want to legally tell someone about something without them ever knowing you told them, use a public notice.

Have a multi-million dollar planning development you want to quickly get approved. Public notice.

Ever wondered about a government decision, ‘how did I not know about this?’ Public notice.

Whether intentional or not, the use of public notices to notify the public is grossly inadequate. 

A staple of local, state and federal governments, the public notice is a beast best understood through a simple Google search:

Used widely as a tool to notify and seek feedback from stakeholders (quite often due to legal requirements), this dull and uninspiring approach is in desperate need of a makeover. No other form of communication has persevered with as much nerve as this mono monstrosity.

And it’s not limited to the visuals either; the written form is just as poorly executed.

Let’s take a look at two options for making an announcement to a group of people you’d like to engage with. This first one is based on the thinking ‘what am I required to do to meet my obligations?’

Pursuant to the aforementioned inadequacies of public notification, it is hereby given that readers of this literature will be provided with opportunity to provide uninhibited feedback and contributions to a consultation phase as per the regulations imposed by the University and course coordinator. Submit your contribution at the conclusion of this notice.

Even if you can make sense of that paragraph, chances are you’re not filled with a desire to respond.

Now imagine I asked you to go the very back of the West Australian to read this. What’s that? You didn’t read that edition? Sorry it’s not available anywhere else - this is a limited time offer, pal. 

But suppose my approach was instead based on 'how can I write this so people will immediately understand.' Taking the first example and re-writing it as simply:

What’s your view on the role of tone and language in corporate writing? Post your thoughts in the comments section. 

And instead of the back of the paper, I post this on social media and as a news item on my website home-page. 

An extreme example, but one not too far from reality.

The more pessimistic among you may accuse these public notice architects of underhandedness. I take a more generous view. It’s not intentional, it’s institutional. It’s a habit-driven, culture based issue that’s as systematic as a 12pm lunch break.

So who will rescue the public notice from the depths of mediocrity?

PR folk of course!

At its core, this argument boils down to fundamental communication principles and it’s the role of PR practitioners such as us to fight for the rights of communication. 

There are great examples of this happening right here in Australia.

Project Robin Hood by the City of Melville is a brave approach to engaging residents in the council’s budgeting process.

Dumb Ways to Die by Metro Trains in Melbourne raised awareness of staying safe around trains.

This is broadening the issue to more than a simple public notice, but the principle is the same – take something that on the surface is dry and uninteresting and develop a communicative approach that successfully combines design, tone and distribution to legitimately engage with the public.

The three messages I want to drive home here are:

1. We must not settle for inadequate communications. 
2. We must not blame those who do not know better. 
3. We must work with our colleagues to develop a culture of broad engagement and accessibility.

So the next time your legal team asks you to place a public notice in the back of the paper, make it clear that the public won’t notice it.

Sometimes the best thing to say, is nothing at all

In the words of Ari Gold (and English poet Thomas Carlyle), Silence is Golden.

Well, sometimes anyway.

I'll start this post with an important caveat. When you're publicly expected to comment, you comment. When there's unquestionable benefit or untenable risk if you don't - you comment.

Now that's out of the way...

I spent many hours over the past week counselling my organisation in regards to corporate reputation and advising on a media issue - a debate being played out across the country with a clear link to grab hold of.

My advice? Say nothing.

My last blog touched on the importance of leveraging within the media cycle - taking advantage of trends, and smartly aligning your brand in order to reap some of the benefits. So it makes sense that we’d balance the ledger by now discussing the importance of silence.

We should always be scanning our environment for opportunities and threats. How we deal with each of these however, requires careful consideration. Not every opportunity should be explored, nor every threat abruptly extinguished.

Sometimes the smart choice, the strategic choice, is to remain silent.

I can see some eyebrows raising already. “But our job is to get positive coverage for our organisation!”.

On the contrary, our role is to enhance and protect reputation – media coverage is just one tool in our arsenal.  Strategic advice is another.

So when I find myself mid-discussion with key executives — as was the case last week — I know my role is not to simply nod my head, but to listen, analyse and provide quality recommendations.

When a director suggests we come out strong on an issue, they may have only considered certain pieces of the puzzle. My job is to bring all the pieces onto the table and show how, sometimes, they don’t fit.

I’d say for every opportunity we explore, we follow-through with maybe a third (the other 2/3 get placed in the ‘monitor’ bucket).  Of course your mileage may vary. If you find yourself in a job which is heavily consumer/sales based and your targets all revolve around awareness and sentiment, these bridges may be crossed far less often.

So what are some reasons you may use silence?

• Short-term exposure is outweighed by long-term impact.
• You please one stakeholder but alienate another.
• Your angle is weak, unlikely to be run and damages your reputation with the media.
• The issue is in its infancy and information is missing from the debate – you’d be making assumptions.

Considering stakeholders in decision-making - The Utopia way.

Of course, like anything in PR, there is no scientific method. Choices will depend on a range of factors, including your appetite for risk.

At this point it’s important to note the difference between silence and unresponsiveness. Silence assumes you haven’t been asked. Things change when the media specifically seek you out.

When a journalist knocks, the one phrase you can never say is ‘no comment’. For obvious reasons… it sounds evasive, it’s too blunt and it annoys a journalist who wants a balanced story – not good media relations!

However, sometimes you’ll find yourself saying ‘no comment’ without actually saying it. And that’s OK if the circumstances call for it.

It’s perfectly OK to say “we take this very seriously and will investigate and get back to you again by X date”. That’s better than guessing.

Or for example “As this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time” (side note: ‘legal matter’ and ‘commercially confidential’ are bugbears of journos so don’t use them as a scapegoat!).

It’s important not to let the media pressure you into making rash decisions or providing inaccurate or unnecessary information. Much like the strategic pause used by reporters to elicit extra commentary - an empty space shouldn't always be filled*. 

In my example, I spent close to three hours in meetings, drafted up a press release, and prepared a media plan. All of this despite recommending not to pursue it. Why? Because in the event we were green-lit, we’d be ready to go without delay.

On this matter, my advice was taken on board and three days after the idea was floated, it was parked. Here I had lost several hours preparing for something that would not eventuate. And I had done my job.

Demonstrating you understand not just how the media operates, but also how decisions: 1. Influence your broader stakeholders, and 2. Impact your organisation in the short AND long-term, make you a sought-after resource for key decision-makers.

Don’t be afraid to question decisions from higher-ups in a respectful and constructive manner. Give reasons and alternatives, don’t just point out problems. Over time, as your relationships develop and confidence grows, it will become second nature.

And as if to contradict this entire post, I’ll finish by saying silence is always your last resort. Your goal is to test every option to see if commenting can provide a positive outcome. And of course this does not apply during times of crisis or when stakeholders are otherwise expecting a response.

When deciding on whether to enter a debate at all, you may run through all the scenarios and find silence is your only option – and that’s perfectly fine.

Rhys

*Unless you're Tony Abbott and likely to stare awkwardly for 24 seconds on live TV.

Why is Your Library Suddenly Interested in a 90’s Cartoon?

It’s 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon at the City of Kwinana. I’m on my third double shot espresso and I’m scurrying to meet a press deadline. Time is not on my side and distractions are most unwelcome.

So when a colleague, the Manager of our community library, interrupts my frenzied typing to ask me about little monsters called Pokémon, and puts in a request for a Facebook post, you might expect I’d react poorly.

Not the case.

It didn't take long for the memes to roll in.

As a Public Relations practitioner, my job is to anticipate and respond to social trends and use them to the advantage of my employer and our publics.

So the explosion of new smartphone app Pokemon Go, with its focus on local landmarks, is a clear opportunity for local government, with our myriad facilities (think parks, artworks, community centres and the like) at constant need of a sustainable draw-card.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past two weeks, there are countless articles explaining the Pokemon Go phenomenon.

For a Public Relations practitioner it presents a clear leverage opportunity, but also a degree of uncertainty. Jump too early and risk not fully considering the safety and reputational impacts. Jump too late and miss the small window of social relevancy. It’s a fine line made finer by the immediacy of social networks.

Something as simple as a Facebook Post can conjure dozens of questions:

Does the post align with the existing and desired audience?

Just because something is trendy, doesn’t mean it is audience appropriate.

How will micro audiences react?

While the majority may react positively, you must consider if a small segment will be adversely affected. Maybe local businesses are finding the Pokemon craze more a hindrance than a help.

When should I post?

Should I try and compete during high traffic windows, or post at quieter times when competition is lower? When is the audience for this not just active, but likely to interact?

How should I post?

What combination of text, image, video and links should be used?

Tools to the rescue

Social media management is both an art and a science - at the same type bursting with creativity and technicality. At the City of Kwinana we utilise a range of tools to ensure professional and effective outcomes.

• Sprout Social – Our weapon of choice for day-to-day monitoring, responding, scheduling and reporting.
• Bitly – For all of our link shortening needs (via a custom domain – kwin.city).
• Pablo – For easy image resizing.
• ShortStack – For when we want to run a contest or competition.
• Trello and Todoist - For task and project management.
• Zapier – For automation of every kind. The efficiency gains possible will surprise you! (check out IFTTT for a free, but still brilliant, alternative).
• Snip.ly – A nifty tool for more engaging links.

Tools are great support mechanisms however I could list all the websites in the world for the rest of this blog, but they mean nothing without the knowledge to back it up. Only a skilled digital copywriter who understands the industry at play, the audience being targeted, and any influencing environmental factors, will achieve great results.

The result?

73 likes, 55 comments, 33 shares and 12,000 views.

The post was made just before 5pm to catch those heading into the City Centre after work and school and a question was posed about what Pokemon had been spotted around the City. This resulted in an immediate and ongoing response from followers.

The key takeaway from this post? Communication is equal planning and responding. By being flexible with your comms you can avoid costly mistakes and take advantage of trending topics.

Oh and if you were still wondering, I did meet that original press deadline (from my intro) – but chose to omit the reason for the delay. We can’t have our journo friends thinking Pikachu comes first.

Til next time...
Rhys