Practices

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Poking Fun at Yourself can be the Best Communications Strategy

Sabrina Schaeffer

In communications, there’s a fine line between making your voice heard and shooting yourself in the foot.

Perhaps that’s why I’ve been thinking a lot about Levi Johnston – the twice almost son-in-law of Sarah Palin – and how he could benefit from some communications guidance. The father of Palin’s grandson has made a career out of extending his fifteen minutes of fame – posing for Playboy, appearing in music videos, and now announcing he will run for the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

While his quest for fame is not unusual, his communications style makes his chances of success unlikely, at best.

In an interview with CBS’s The Early Show, Johnston apologizes for apologizing. In case you’ve been busy with life outside of the Palin-Johnston saga, he recently apologized for lies he spread about the Palin family. But in this forthcoming interview, he recants that apology, adding, “I don’t really regret anything. But the only thing I wish I wouldn’t have done is put out that apology ‘cause it kind of make me sound like a liar. And I’ve never lied about anything.”

Confused? Well, that’s communications problem number one. Johnston can’t seem to stay on message. Which brings us to communications problem number two: what is Johnston’s message?

Johnston would be wise to consider candor. As Al Ries and Jack Trout write in their famous book The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, “Every negative statement you make about yourself is instantly accepted as truth. Positive statements, on the other hand, are looked at as dubious at best.”

That certainly seems to be the case with Johnston. Does anyone really believe that he’s “never lied about anything”? (Don’t forget, this is a guy who was forced to end his second engagement to Bristol Palin after news broke that he fathered another baby with a different young woman in Alaska during their time apart.)

Ries and Trout make the point that sometimes, it’s OK to poke a little fun at yourself. They like to use the example of Smucker’s Jam. Instead of ignoring the less-than-perfect family name, the company uses humor: “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.”

If Johnston can be a bit more self-deprecating, he might actually get elected Mayor of Wasilla.

Access to proxy and the integrity of corporate boards

Clark S. Judge

On August 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission, in a partisan three-to-two vote, approved its long-awaited access-to-the-proxy rule. The rule will allow any shareholder or group of shareholders representing three percent of outstanding shares and having held them for three years to nominate directors in board elections.

As a practical matter, this means that labor unions as well as major environmental organizations and other political activists will soon be organizing to win seats. At stake will be whether boards reflect the interests of shareholders as a whole or those political interests. Many corporate managements will feel compelled to run the equivalent of internal political campaigns in order to protect the integrity of their boards.

Last November I co-authored an article on this topic in The Wall Street Journal. You can find it here.

Clinton Nuptials

Sabrina Schaeffer

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Chelsea Clinton just got married. Wedding bells chimed over the weekend as Chelsea and longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky were wed in Rhinebeck, NY against the backdrop of the Hudson River.

It’s not surprising that Americans were eager to learn all the details about the former first daughter’s nuptials. All of us (ladies, at least) love to sneak a peak at romantic bouquets, gowns and a first kiss.

But reports from the media were not all rosy. In fact, there seemed to be a not-so-subtle message about why we’re all so eager to catch a glimpse of Chelsea walking down the aisle.

It’s a great time “for us to take a look at what she has become,” historian Doris Kearns Goodwin told The Today Show. “She’s the ugly duckling that’s become a beautiful swan,” presidential historian Doug Weed added.

Wow. So the truth comes out.

I admit I enjoyed clicking through the photos posted online, but isn’t it time we just leave Chelsea alone?

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