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J.A. Ferris asked about what it takes to mount an
effective publicity campaign. Here are a few
suggestions:
1. Honesty: People are increasingly skeptical, and
skilled at picking up on any intentional or
accidental slantings of the truth. It's not enough
simply to get your message seen: it must be
demonstrably true, particularly (e.g., government)
if you have adverse preconceptions to overcome.
2. Attention-getting: If your message doesn't
stand out from the background noise, nobody's
gonna examine it in enough detail to get your
message.
3. Short and simple: Nobody has time to read (or
watch/listen to) everything they want to read
(etc.), so make the message short enough that
they'll stay the course and get the whole message.
Don't make anyone work hard to understand it.
Remember "KISS"? Keep it short and simple.
4. Appropriate: The message must reach the right
people and in the right form of presentation
(audience analysis).
5. Needs-based: The message must address an
audience's needs, whether for information,
entertainment, reassurance, or whatever. Can you
tailor your message to meet these needs?
--Geoff Hart @8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: If I didn't commit it in print in one
of our reports, it don't represent FERIC's
opinion.
