Ask the Misfit: Publicity Problem with Big Client

Publicist Jaan Vare, owner of Vare & Jaakkola, recently asked folks on LinkedIn what he should do with a "client problem." Specifically, Jaan shared:

"We have a relatively big client from finance sector. Their image in past was terrible and we have done great job to make it better. Most of recent publications (interviews, articles, news stories etc) have been neutral or positive.
We wanted to carry on with this strategy (lots of positive publicity in dailies and mags) but client is in now telling us, that there has been too much publicity and he is too famous. He wants to cut most of planned media activities and keep low profile.
The reason for that is that he is too famous, good media coverage is not helping the business and he is afraid that when things go bad, he’ll look stupid.
I have told him that company’s good image is built through client relations, positive coverage in media, opinion articles etc. He fully understands that, but still does not want to be in media. I tried to explain that it’s hard to be only reactive if you’re not even a little bit proactive. Still no change. He is on retainer fee (since June this year) and that’s very convenient for us, because we have to do less for them. But at the same time it’s very risky (but the client does not understand that).
Have you encountered this kind of problem? How have you solved it? Any other brilliant thoughts how to deal with this kind of client?"

marketing misfit response

I recently met the CEO of a large company that specifically said he does not want to be famous, does not like to be in the spotlight, does not like seeing his name or photo in the media, papers, etc. I think that can be really challenging to manage as a PR person, especially when (hellloooo???) the CEO is *the* face and voice for the company as a whole.

That said, when a company is large … you can spread the media wealth, so to speak, to other managers or senior members of the organization if the CEO or head honcho wants to give others a chance at the spotlight (thus, relieving some of the attention from him or herself).

When the company is small or smaller, this is really challenging because the CEO/president/owner in smaller organizations tends to really be *the* primary brand representative.
Despite all your logical efforts and common sense reasons you are explaining, and all your guidance and attempt to direct this client in the right direction, at the end of the day … sometimes there is not much you can do above and beyond the client’s wishes.

If I were in your shoes…

Shifting PR attention to others
If I were in your shoes, however, I would ask if he or she would welcome shifting the spotlight from him or herself to perhaps other senior managers. And anything that could be done to maintain the spotlight on the organization, the services or products vs. the CEO and his/her name may also be a welcome shift. I realize that may sound slightly counterproductive but it doesn’t have to be if you give it the right spin.

Inquire about the PR and marketing culture before proceeding
If the opposition is to attention of any kind (???) rather than attention on himself, then this is a whole separate issue and not entirely related to that of PR. It’s like trying to dive into a social media environment but having an anti-transparency culture where blog comments by third-parties are not allowed. The two don’t go hand in hand.
Perhaps identify the frequency of exposure to see if it can be tapered down some; also address if possible the specific article or articles that are making him clearly insecure and uncomfortable. Perhaps you may be able to identify something more *specific* beyond just not wanting the attention.

Readdress the value of your client’s PR investment(s)
In the end, if despite all your renewed efforts to better comprehend the PR opposition lead to no new "aha!" answers, you will need to readdress the value of his company’s PR investment with his organization (which I know some companies would just ignore and keep the money, sad to say). With his PR-aversion, what role then does PR play in this organization’s marketing planning? You will need to ferret this out to better understand how your PR agency can be of better, more relevant and meaningful service.
You may want to investigate what the client’s top main three competitors are doing and create a matrix of their PR exposure, outreach and mentions to help better illustrate their marketing and PR direction.

When that all fails, it’s time to go "solo"
If non of the above helps in any way, then you may very well want to still maintain a proactive approach and continue to collect ideas, create a list of upcoming opportunities, events, etc. and emailing them 1x-2x a month. Allow your client to review and consider all your information. In the end, if he rejects them all … hey, at least you did your job and tried … it’s about all you can do at that point. I would keep close track of all PR reports or lists you send over so that if, in the future, the CEO changes his mind, you are not scrambling or starting from a total zero.