If you look at any group of children, for the most part, they are happy in each other’s company. They play, they chase and they will generally amuse themselves happily. However, once they become intimidated, worried or frightened, things change. Once they’re uncomfortable they try to put things right by deflecting their fear onto someone else and before you know it they are accusing someone that “my daddy is bigger than yours“.
Now you might be wondering why someone so absolutely unqualified and inexperienced as I in matters of child affairs is attempting to unravel the mystery of childhood, but there is a lesson for all PR practitioners in there. Bear with me!
Companies who aggressively target their competitors through their marketing are letting themselves down. They are saying to the world, “all is not well here”, worse they are telling the world they are afraid of their competitors – and they are taking the time (and money) to point those competitors out to their potential customers.
That’s not to say it’s always the wrong strategy. In carefully planned circumstances a smaller player can get excellent mileage from some well aimed arrows at a larger, incumbent vendor. But on the whole, IMHO it’s a strategy to be avoided.
Of course scaremongering is not a tactic exclusively reserved for client companies. I am often amazed at the number of PR agencies who openly diss their competition in pitches and even in social settings.
The first thing I do following one of these outbursts is go and talk to the other agencies, because they are obviously doing something right to draw such vitriol!
So here’s the message: Focus on what you and your firm or client do well. Deliver on that and you’ll be closer to succeeding. [Comments]
Murphy's Law 