From Bad PR to Worse PR

A classic Bad PR tactic, and one already documented on this site, is to ring up journo and check whether he/she has received the press release sent a couple of weeks ago or whenever it was. It’s wrong and pointless. No need to explain further.

Yet I’ve just had a call from a hapless PR that ‘develops’ this classic bad move into something even more horrendous, more inept.

Here’s a rough transcript of the call, from memory:

Bad PR (older, authoritative voice): Sorry to disturb you, but have you received an invitation from Bad PR regarding the XYZ* event in London?

Me (lying): I don’t recall it.

Bad PR: It was sent last week. It’s called the XYZ event and we wondered whether you would like to come.

Me: Can you tell me what it’s about and I’ll see if it’s relevant to what I’m doing?

Bad PR (Flustered): Er, I don’t know. It’s in the email. Didn’t you get it? Let me see…

Me (interrupting, out of sympathy): It’s just that I work in a very specific part of the industry and…

Bad PR (interrupting, out of relief): Ah here it is. (Sound of rattling paper, then continues in an undisguised reading voice). The XYZ event is about the development of next generation of networks and how companies can take advantage of state-of-the-art developments in this field. There will be senior executives…

Bad PR continued to rattle on, the reading becoming even faster and by doing so rendering the words even more meaningless (if that were possible).

She would have continued for a good few minutes, I’m sure, had I not interrupted with a weary “OK” to call a halt to the monologue. The Bad PR then gave a little giggle (all semblance of authority now lost) and a phew-like “Did you get all that, then?”

I told Bad PR I wouldn’t be attending, briefly saying it wasn't relevant. I thought that would be the end of it, with Bad PR only too willing to hang up after such a disastrous call.

But you can’t keep a good Bad PR down. “Do you know of any other colleagues who you could nominate to attend in your place?” Bad PR asked, the tone of a ‘well-seasoned PR campaigner’ returning to her voice.

You couldn’t make it up.


*The only thing made up