Darkness Public Relations. Anton Vuima

a very interesting process. It allows us to prove that the black – it is white and white is black. However, because the enemy of retaliation may also use creative reframing, so either you have to make a reframing that can not be fight off, or find a more efficient information. What is quite interesting, the finding a real black information concerning many companies in Russia is a very easy process. Russian enterprises are not spoiled with a professional black PR and therefore they are not prepared for such attacks. In many enterprises in Russia there are clearly visible defects and flaws in the system of a business.And no matter where the service is, or any products, the Russian companies can often find a lot of flaws. Moreover, they do not even try to fix these deffects. A typical example of this area is the conversation I had with one of the leaders of the Yandex advertising. I complained about disadvantages of their advertising service. The fact is that even though they promise that the advertising message will only be seen by someone who bought the word, in fact it is not often seen by people you need. I pointed out to them how this defect can be corrected, and received this reply: «Well, because our service is just advertising, and advertising is always hanging anywhere and anyhow who watch it. Did other forms of advertising guarantee you hit the target audience?». Indeed often advertising in Russia does not guarantee getting into the audience due to the fact that the creators of the advertisement does not seek to do so. You can order advertising in the elite magazine, but it turns out that in addition to the homeless nobody reads it, because they are the first ones who take all the editions. And always, In innocence, I thought that getting into the target audience is the main objective of advertising.

      Overseas production quality is watched much more. Here are a few cases of subsidiaries of large international companies in Russia.

      One of my student previously worked at Philip Morris. His function was to control machines operating with the foil used in the packaging of cigarettes. The machine with which he has worked, scratched foil for cigarette and struck her logos. Once the machine, for some reason, stopped working properly. This person has corrected the defects, uploaded foil and started the process. Then he went for lunch. After having lunch and a rest for a about two hours, he returned and found that the entire conveyor was stopped. The fact is that the quality control department found a deffect in a final product. Logo on the foil was stamped on the back, instead of being stamped on front. This is hardly noticeable and do not influence the quality of the cigarettes, but still the whole lot was destroyed. And for two hours the machine had produced more than 50,000 packages. Thus, the error of my student brought to the deffect for a total of $ 15,000. No one did not take the money from him, but he was fired.

      I’ll tell you another case illustrating the level of quality control in the western industry. My student was working in the logistics department at the Ford factory in Vsevolozhsk (city in Russia). They were trying to produce the Ford Focus for two years. They have done about 50 cars per month, sending the whole lot to the press. Sometimes the machines have been such a fate only because of negligible quality defects. For example, in one car after driving 50,000 kilometers there is a cranky few screws on the instrument panel.

      However, even this Western system allows you to find negative information about the company. For example, take some quality expensive car. The quality is difficult to find fault in. However, you can, for example, to find statistics on car crash about this car. Simply collect and publish data on tens of road accidents associated with it. For example, after the death of Princess Diana, the Mercedes sales fell for a while. Indeed, the firm was proud of airbags, and other means of protection of passengers, but none from it saved the princess.

      Another way to find fault with the perfect car would be a simple car repair statistics. You can collect data: the owners, who most often come to repair their cars. Or just calculate from the statistics of the same year of production. Sometimes it gives the most unexpected results. Especially because most owners of Lada repair their cars in the garage by themself.

      After gathering the information it is necessary to carry out its reframing. That is why, need to choose a perspective view of the facts, to make them be in the most effective position. As a rule, the same problem can be seen from dozens of different points. Some of them modify the problem in a private internal corporate event. Other way is to make the issue of smart news that concerns the whole of society, but do not suggest to take any action to wok out an issue. But it is only one point of view which will work, that is, considering the facts from the point of view, when the problem becomes very relevant, important, comprehensive and demanding action. Such actions that will lead, ultimately to your desired result, for example, the destruction of the image of a competitor, bankruptcy, etc. And it is absolutely true that at the wrong reframing it can become a lie. Very often people believe in the truth less than in a lie. What’s more important, if truth is not given in a proper way, it is is perceived as false.

      Develop a chain of events which will be your PR campaign. Single action can be very effective, but as a rule, to achieve a significant effect you must implement a set of several stocks. Therefore, it must be immediately to develop a system of consecutive events. They may be consist of one main and several side. May be also consist of a series of similar sides, but in any case, this complex of events must be focused on one task.

      For example, initially a competitor hurt your client and the client started a hunger strike in front of the city administration. Then a group of customers joining the same meeting, and then jumps into the water from the bridge to protest or burns competing products. One such event would attract little attention of the press, and all together they will cause strong repercussions. And all this during the main event may actually be a lawsuit against the group of consumers of your competitor. Of course, the claim must be based on real facts and real shortcomings of the product of the enemy. Typically, these events are not made on behalf of the customer, and on behalf of a public organization or person from people. In rare cases, the black PR can be conducted on behalf of the parent company.

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      Example. Enemy powder

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      In 1994, Procter & Gamble faced some problems due to the advent of washing powder Persil Power from the company Unilever. The effectiveness of this new powder was significantly higher than that of the same powder of P & G. Powder Power was much more economical. It allows a small portion of washed off as much clothes as much a big portion of the powder Ariel with the same value. P & G had to do something.

      Ed Arttst head P & G has nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, has taken swift action against the new trends in the market and aggressive competitive actions of the company Unilever. Having studied in our laboratories new powder of a competitor P & G, he found a Manganese catalyst inside of it, which can harm the fabric too much. In March 31, 1994 P & G, Unilever issued an ultimatum and warned that they will have to take active steps if Unilever will not remove from the market a new powder.

      After refusing the complain by Unilever, P & G began an active black PR campaign. In April 27, 1994 in the Danish press reports that the powder Power can destroy a fabric. This message came from the person from P & G company. In April 29 Unilever held a press conference denying all the complaints of P & G and reported that they were going to sue P & G.

      In response, P & G hired a Rowland Company for massive PR campaign. The latter came into contact with all the European Association for the rights of consumers, manufacturers of washing machines, a variety of retailers and other public organizations.

      Many of these organizations have been doing actively the briefings, press conferences and show the samples of fabric damaged by Power powder. As a result, photos of damaged fabric reached many major newspapers and magazines. Sales volumes of new powder began to fall with a great speed.

      Environmentalists accused in Sweden Power, that he had put the national dress in a danger.

      After all these PR campaigns, which was stretching for several years, P & G were able to achieve the destruction of the powder and the Power was withdrawn from