Bernard Gauthier

It’s an old-fashioned idea, I’ll admit. Elected officials weigh their options when it comes to policies, laws and taxes. They consult with the public and with experts of all kinds. They debate in an open, public forum. On the basis of all this, they pass laws in the best interest of the people they serve. There’s even a role for communicators in all of this. Governments turn to communicators to help the public understand the process they used to arrive at a decision and the wisdom of that decision. As I look around my city, my province and my country, of late, it seems these old-fashioned ideas are being increasingly ignored.

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We are all, I imagine, like Pooh Bear these days. We bounce around the forest with so much to do (find honey, eat honey, nap), so many people to keep in touch with (Roo, Tigger, etc.), and so many places to explore in the 100 acre wood. When we happen across one more piece of information we have to pay attention to, decode and process, we simply sigh and say “oh bother.” In this kind of environment, why is it that so many communicators still insist on making it harder — not easier — to engage the messages they send? Read the rest of this entry »

It seems the good people at the National Capital Commission have decided that what the National Capital Region really needs is a slogan. The article on the topic explains that the slogan will help to “brand” the region. I’m a big fan of this region (having lived here much of my life) and I’m generally a big fan of slogans (having tried to craft them for a living for much of my adult life). I’m, not so sure, however, that slogans for regions, or cities or countries make a whole lot of sense.

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I have studied the history of advertising for more than 15 years, I have taught advertising history for more than 10 years, and I have practiced advertising for 25 years now. I have seen ads that deliberately lie, scare, manipulate and confuse all for the sake of selling more stuff. I’m left wondering this week if the new Nike ad featuring Tiger Woods is the worst of a very bad bunch. Read the rest of this entry »

He finally did it. Tiger Woods began his long journey of rehabilitation with a sort-of media conference this morning. Much of what he said and did worked for him. Much of it did not. And, frankly, much of this is of relatively little importance when it comes to defining the post-Thanksgiving Day Tiger. Read the rest of this entry »

In an earlier post, I suggested that the response to the listeriosis crisis by Michael McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods was visible, sincere and empathetic. The efforts worked, the brand is alive and well and the stock price is up from the depths it hit at the time of the outbreak of 2008. The performance of Maple Leaf Foods has become somewhat of a textbook case for how to handle a PR crisis in Canada. Maple Leaf Foods raised the bar and Toyota now suffers by having to meet much higher expectations. The trouble is they have a significant disadvantage before they even begin.

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On the level of PR and political strategy, the Conservative government’s move to prorogue Parliament (again) seems to make sense. After all, when a competing voice is starting to break through and score some points with voters, why wouldn’t you want to take away their podium? If you can’t beat them on the level of messages (hard to do when your messages keep changing) and you can’t discredit them (they tried with diplomat Richard Colvin), you’re left with one final and unsavory option: silence the opponent. Strategic in the short-term, yes, but will it work in the longer term? It depends… Read the rest of this entry »

We all know how the roll out of the H1N1 vaccine has, shall we say, fallen short of expectations for one of the world’s wealthiest countries, with one of the world’s most expensive primary care systems. Allow me to focus on the lessons learned strictly in the area of crisis communication. There are many. Read the rest of this entry »

It seems Microsoft has a hit with a new series of commercials starring “Kylie” — a five-year-old spokesperson from California. Who would have thought that an endearing school girl could somehow come to represent a company that generated more than $58 Billion in revenue and seems to constantly be entangled in some sort of anti-trust scandal. On one level, of course, the young spokesperson who flies through Windows with ease sends a clear message that the new operating system is so simple, well, even a child can use it. But there’s much more to this campaign that ease of use, it seems to me. Read the rest of this entry »

Much coverage in the media of late over the impossible-to-miss ad campaign funded by taxpayers to promote the Conservative’s economic recovery plan. There’s concern that the government is spending more to toot its horn than to inform us about H1N1. The Liberals have joined the protest and are promising to do better. So, is the campaign strategic? Is it any good? Is it ethical? Read the rest of this entry »