At times of trouble, businesses and organisations tend to prioritise legal advice.
But in public relation (PR) terms, that can be a big mistake:
- a disaster, in fact.
The last blog I wrote about PR got quite a response, and several people asked me to expand on my point about the danger of listening only to lawyers.
First of all, to be clear, I’m not saying you shouldn’t get legal advice.
It’s obviously important.
It’s just that being cleared legally for a course of action is nothing like the same as it being a good idea.
Here’s an example from King’s College, part of the University of Cambridge, last year.
This public relations stumble really saddened me as I’m a big fan of the college, given it’s one of the more progressive, warm and welcoming.
Grantchester Meadows, as in the picture, is among Cambridge’s most famous beauty spots, our seaside in many ways.
It's owned by King’s, and last summer the College decided to ban swimming, a very popular pursuit.
There was, understandably, outrage.
Mocking signs were put up saying the College was dismayed that peasants were enjoying themselves without permission, the story received masses of painfully negative news coverage…
And, just over a week later, there was the inevitable climb down. People could swim after all.
In public relations terms, it was awful.
The College achieved nothing apart from badly damaging its reputation.
So, why was that decision ever made, given how clever the people who run the College are?
There’s a clue in the media coverage, where the college talks about its legal duty to stop swimming on its land because of the risk that people may harm themselves.
In other words, it was a decision which the lawyers said was sound...
- in legal terms, that is…
But apparently no one thought about the public relations.
With the resultant derision, embarrassment and miserable mess.
P and O Ferries have made a similar, if far more heinous error recently.
Legally, it may have been okay to sack hundreds of staff…
- but morally? And public relations wise?
Just look at the outcry and the damage to the company’s reputation, so severe it may yet prove fatal.
The point being, what's the use of having a legally acceptable course of action if there's no company left to take it?
I’ve seen the legal obeisance problem many times in PR cases I’ve dealt with.
Want to take cash from an autocrat?
Legally, no problem.
But watch the reaction when the story breaks, and start getting ready to climb down.
Because you will have to, and usually in a humiliating manner.
Got a manager or culture that are causing real problems?
Reach for the nondisclosure agreements and payoffs.
Legally, that might be fine…
But these days, such issues don't stay quiet.
And they cause a dreadful stink when they erupt.
Want to cut your tax bill with a few smart dodges?
Legally, good to go.
Public relations wise…
Don’t ask.
The moral of the story being:
Legal advice is just that:
- it's advice
You don’t have to take it, and you certainly don’t have to follow it in unquestioningly, as I’ve far too often seen.
When you have a problem, don’t just consider it from a narrow, legal perspective.
It's wiser to think wider.
By all means do what you can to avoid a kicking in court…
But a thrashing in the court of public opinion can be far more damaging.
By the way, you may have noticed I haven't offered any strategies for dealing with public relations problems here.
They're all in the previous blog I wrote, Public Relations for Sticky Situations.
And yes, here comes the plug, as you expected...
If you need any help with a PR problem, please get in touch.
I'll be happy to listen, and with a common sense, rather than solely legal ear.
