Why CEOs suck at PR

Seth Godin, who writes about all things marketing (as well as very philosophical observations), has a post today that reminds me of why CEOs suck at PR. 

Check out “How to lose an argument online.”   Point number 1 reflects the attitude of a lot of executives with whom I’ve worked:

Have an argument. Once you start an argument, not a discussion, you’ve already lost. Think about it: have you ever changed your mind because someone online started yelling at you? They might get you to shut up, but it’s unlikely they’ve actually changed your opinion.

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Chapter 9 in my book deals with this phenomenon – “the natural human reaction is to fight back to reclaim your territory.  You instinctively want the media to know and understand that YOUR company was first in the market.  YOUR product and customer service are the best.   If you could only convince them of the plain truth of your claims.  You tell yourself that you must launch a direct attack!”

This is why the testosterone that makes many CEOs successful also makes them extremely poor at public relations concepts and execution.   The way to win an argument is not to resort to primitive instincts that are more applicable to Cro-Magnon Man.  It just makes you look plaintive and whiny.   You need to move the battle to your own turf, where your adversary can’t compete.

The ability to create an environment in which your company’s natural strengths are obvious is intuitive to public relations professionals, not to CEOs.   They don’t know how to create a fight based on reality instead of reacting to what the competition is doing.

There’s a strategy to competing and arguing, and I’ll talk about that in my next post.