Why Israel Cannot Solve Its PR Challenge (or, It's The Message, Stupid!)
By Glenn Jasper
I spend my days helping clients develop and implement PR campaigns designed to promote the company in such a compelling way that its key audience will respond positively to what the company is communicating. Ultimately, the goal is always to build momentum and help the company achieve its potential.
So given that professional experience, it should be relatively simple to diagnose the PR problems
And it is simple, but not in the way you might think.
Much has been written over the past few weeks - ever since "The Flotilla Affair" - about the overall weakness of
But I'm afraid they've missed the mark as well.
One example lamented Information Minister Yuli Edelstein's frustrating cell phone contact system. But that is wrong, because fixing Edelstein's voicemail wouldn't help fight the incredible PR machine our enemies have built.
Another article suggested that as long as
Another PR complaint over the years has been the lack of
And yet,
How can it be that we did better PR during the post-9/11 phase, when Ariel Sharon - who had trouble speaking "sound-bite English" - was prime minister, than we are doing now, when U.S.-educated Binyamin Netanyahu is at the helm?
When you consider the overall futility of the three above arguments of 1. Logistical ineptitude (the Edelstein example), 2. Brushing aside the negative, in favor of the positive (the
It's not about any of these things.
To understand why we are failing, we must first look at why the other side is succeeding. And the answer to that question is simple: A unified message.
It wouldn't matter of Edelstein drank Red Bull 24 hours a day and was 100% available for all requested interviews. Because an hour later, someone from the government opposition will submit to an interview and completely contradict what Edelstein has said.
It doesn't matter that
And it doesn't matter that we have our strongest international spokespeople since the days of Golda Meir and Abba Eban.
Because we do not have that item that can often be the difference between success and failure for any PR campaign. In fact, it should be the cornerstone of any campaign.
It is the unified message.
After 9/11,
But time has "healed," and we have once again descended to our previous disagreements and ideologies. We are not united.
And sadly, if
So, please do not waste your time analyzing the PR strategy - or even lack thereof - or tactical approach of the Israeli government. It's not about that. It's the same problem that has plagued the Jewish people for centuries. We can't unify. Even about a message. Even when our future is at stake.
Glenn Jasper is a PR veteran and the General Manager of Ruder Finn Israel, the leading full-service strategic marketing consultancy and public relations agency in Israel.
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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