Is any publicity good publicity?

How many times have we heard this line? It’s bad publicity’s self-made slogan and it’s so good he’s likely never to change it. On the surface I tend not to entirely agree with this statement as I don’t think it applies to ALL cases of negative press. Spin all you want Columbia, OJ Simpson and Kim Jong-il, but the PRs gurus can only do so much. One must concede, however, that when bad publicity is handled in the right way it can certainly do some much needed good.

According to author Ylva French, ‘no one in business can afford to ignore the fact that a disaster can have a devastating impact on the organization’s reputation and, therefore, on its future.’ (French, 1994, p. 107)

That sounds quite epic and a bit scary!! So what’s a country to do? Simple: plan, prepare and practice. French emphasizes the importance of planning when dealing with a crisis. Senior management officials need to be briefed and trained about how to handle the public and the media in light of an organizational mishap. Discussing potential scenarios and indeed participating in a mock disaster event will provide a unique opportunity to hone an appropriate response well before something actually occurs. (French, 1994, p. 108-109)

In 2002, terrorists converged on the resort island of Bali and killed 185 tourists. Immediately following the attacks, hotel occupancy fell from 73% to 3%, as 18,700 tourists left during a short 3 day period. (World Tourism Organization, 2002-2003, p. 49-50)

In response, the Indonesian government launched a marketing and public relations campaign aimed at restoring confidence in the country and stabilizing their rapidly collapsing tourism industry. Officials communicated new initiatives to beef up security, underwent an intensive image recovery exercise, set up media centres, participated in several travel trades shows and invited journalists for press trips. . (World Tourism Organization, 2002-2003, p. 52-53)

Six years later, in 2008, the country enjoyed a 20% increase of tourists over the previous year. (Huffington Post, 2008)

In a 2006 article, Time magazine posed the question: The Most Homophobic Place on Earth? in reference to Jamaica. (Time, 2006) Recently, Stacyann Chin, a lesbian Jamaican residing in New York, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the horrific treatment she received on the island due to her sexual preference. (The Oprah Winfrey Show, 2008) Additionally, the homophobic lyrics of popular dancehall artists such as Buju Banton and Beenie Man, have been well documented in the international press as their global performances are often marred by demonstrators who call for them to be banned.

Last year, Bruce Golding, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, appeared on the BBC’s Hardtalk to stem the tide of negativity surrounding the country’s crime rate and its policies toward homosexuals. Although he claims attitudes are changing, he staunchly defends his position not to allow any gays in HIS parliament. (YouTube, 2008)

Though widely criticized for its intolerance and amid years of calls to boycott the island, Jamaica enjoyed an increase of 670,000 tourists in 2008 over 2007. (The Jamaica Observer, 2009). These numbers, however, fail to indicate how many tourists chose not to visit the country due to its attitude towards the homosexual community.

Perhaps, the most incredible case of a country benefitting from bad PR, undoubtedly is Kazakhstan. In 2006, Kazakh reporter, Borat, embarked on obtaining ‘cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan’. What resulted was a world-wide phenomenon. In the film, Kazakhstan is portrayed as a backward homophobic, anti-Semitic and sexist place.

The Kazakh government was outraged by the false, negative portrayal of its country. It embarked on an advertising and PR campaign aimed at ‘setting the record straight’ in commercials and newspaper articles that depicted it as quiet, serene and peaceful. As the Kazakhs derided the movie and its creator, it seems they should have instead thrown him a party and bestowed the royal treatment. Despite the negative images surrounding the nation in the film, it got people talking about Kazakhstan. I, myself, admittedly, had never heard of the country before the movie.

Borat successful placed the ninth largest country on the map. According to Kenzhebay Satzhanov, Kazakhstan's Deputy Chairman for Tourism and Sports, the movie resulted in an increased interest in the country as well as a spike in tourist visits. (News.com.au, 2008)

Next blog: The bittersweet end

References

French, Y., (1994). Public Relations for Leisure and Tourism. Essex: Longman Group Limited.

Huffington Post, (2008). Arising from Terrorism and Natural Disaster, Bali Tourism Faces New Threat. [online] Available from: <http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ukp_vf6XY&feature=related> [Accessed 11 January 2009]

News.com.au, (2008). Borat Boosts Tourism in Kazakhstan. [online] Available from: <http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ukp_vf6XY&feature=related> [Accessed 11 January 2009]

The Jamaica Observer, (2009). Bartlett Announces Increased Visitor Arrivals for 2008. [online] Available from: <http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20090108T230000-0500_144627_OBS_BARTLETT_ANNOUNCES_INCREASED_VISITOR_ARRIVALS_FOR_____.asp> [Accessed 11 January 2009]

The Oprah Winfrey Show, (2008). Living Their Truth. [online] Available from: <http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/slideshow1_ss_politics_284/6> [Accessed 11 January 2009]

Time, (2006). The Most Homophobic Place on Earth? [online] Available from: <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1182991,00.html> [Accessed 11 January 2009]

World Tourism Organization, (2002-2003). Shining in the Media Spotlight: A Communications Manual for Tourism Professionals. 3rd Edition. Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

YouTube, (2008). Bruce on the Beeb: Part 3. [online] Available from: <http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BXgBlBxHs0c&feature=related> [Accessed 11 January 2009]