So it turns out Brownie wasn’t doing “a heck of a job” after all.
Simply put, the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina showed us that if PR or advertising initiatives don’t take reality into account, they won’t work.
When the gloriously badass Lt. General Russel Honore rolled into New Orleans to oversee military operations a couple of weeks ago, he was asked why the response took so long. “This is a disaster,” he said. “This isn’t something somebody can control. We ain’t stuck on stupid.”
Well, there are few Russel Honores in the advertising industry. If we think we have absolute control over public perception anymore, we’re stuck on stupid.
It’s the focus of my new column on Talent Zoo. Check it out.