Make the right decisions

People tend to think that all publicity is great. Well, let’s think this through.

If you align yourself with as controversial subject, or company, or person, then you too will inherit that image.

Here’s a good example. In today’s paper, Cindy Sheehan was posing with Venezuela’s president while she continued to show her protest against president Bush’s war program.

I’m not here to judge her, only pointing out, like Dan Janal did in his blog this morning, that this association puts a major risk on her being compared to Jane Fonda during the Viet Nam war. Is this the type of pr you want for your company? If not, then re-think who you team up with and who your company associates with.

Let me go another step further.

Building a positive brand takes positive association. Begin to build a branding program with "co-op". This term means to align your company with a tie in that will garner you good pr and with a positive brand recognition.

Examples are when United Airlines decided to serve Starbucks coffee in-flight, it gained a lot of good pr and approval by the passengers. You also see this in automobiles that use branded names for their stereo systems to let consumers know they are a quality auto manufacturer. It’s the co-op and association that elevates your brand, or in Cindy’s case, lowers her position.

Build branding faster and in a positive pace by aligning yourself with companies that already have customer acceptance. Have a plan that includes co-op, but don’t just do this as a one shot deal. Have a plan that might include other co-ops throughout the year. Then one day someone will knock on your company door asking to co-op with you. It’s good PR.

See Also

• Dan Janal
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