The Power of Imagery

What do you see in this picture? An emergency landing?

Photo credit: Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch

Without explanation, and with issues in the news over the last year regarding Bombardier Q400 passenger planes, one might assume that airport fire crews were in place for an emergency landing (http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2007/09/12/bombardier-q400-crash-as-caught-on-tape.aspx).

This image, taken from the tbnewswatch.com website, only tells one half of the story. This was in fact one of two fire trucks creating an arc of water over top of this plane, in recognition of Porter Airlines first flight into Thunder Bay.

Many "readers" and viewers form impressions in a split second, based on a single photo. They choose to skim websites and newspapers as they seek out stories that interest them. And without the benefit of full visual context, what did they see when they saw this image?

As communications professionals, we must analyze situations like this and be bold enough to advise against proceeding with otherwise well-intentioned initiatives. As innocent as the "arc of water" idea might have seemed, this type of photo can impact the reputations of two companies: 1) Porter Airlines; and 2) Bombardier. If you were with either one of these companies, would you want your Porter Airlines Q400 visually associated in any way with airport emergency crews?

The power of imagery...

It's So Because "They" Say It's So

Have you ever written and distributed a news release only to find out that none of the recipients thought it was newsworthy enough to cover?

There can be a number of reasons for this, including the fact that your event or announcement was only "news" to your organization. But there is one tool that you can use to increase interest in what you have to say: the quotable quote.

Simply put, having somebody of stature connected to your news release provides a degree of validation.

For example: announcing an expansion to your business may be big news to you but can be of little or no interest to news agencies. If, however, you are able to include a quote (or quotes) from the president of the local chamber of commerce extolling the benefits of your expansion to the broader community, you have accomplished two things.

1. Your news release has been validated by someone other than you.
2. You have made the reporter's job a bit easier by giving them a second interview subject.

It can be difficult for you to make the contact with a figure like the chamber president or a city councillor because of your obvious self-interest. That's where it's useful to have a communications firm on your side - someone who is skilled at positioning those sorts of requests. Using a professional to open the door for you and ask the right questions to get the right quotable quote is of immense value.

You want to be featured on the six o'clock news and in the morning paper. This type of coverage replaces costly advertising and, again, you have the benefit of third party validation. People tend to believe what they see and read from news sources more than they believe your paid advertising. It's all about effectiveness.

Never underestimate the power of third party validation. It's not news because you say it's so; it's not true because you say it's so; it is only so because they say it's so.

"Superstore mum after man seriously injured while returning grocery cart"

I was in B.C. when this story broke. It was everywhere and Superstore looked really bad. Their approach turned an unfortunate incident into a crisis for their brand. Millions of potential shoppers have been left with a rather unpleasant perception of Superstore and their parent, Loblaw Companies.

Textbook case on how not to handle communications. I think someone at Loblaw Companies should have taken two steps back from their legal department and consulted with a public relations professional. There are ways of handling situations like these without accepting responsibility (financial liability), with or without the Apology Act.

You sometimes hear people say that "All publicity is good publicity"; not so in this case. Their approach can end up costing them through not only a potential claim by a now irritated Yau family but also through reduced customer loyalty due to a damaged image.

Handled well, two things would have happened:

1. The story would have virtually vanished on day one.
2. The company would have actually walked away with an enhanced image.

Moral of this story: If your communications consultant tells you that this is the textbook method of handling an incident, throw away their textbook and call a professional.