Is any PR good PR?

P.T. Barnum once said “There’s no such thing as bad publicity”, but is this true? Publicity does create awareness about a brand, but what if it’s bad things being said about a brand then it can tarnish a brand’s image. If brand awareness was all that anyone cared about, public relations would be easy.

Let’s talk about the difference between good publicity and bad publicity. The Kardashians are a prime example of publicity stunts. For example, Kim Kardashian became known for a scandal she had. At first, it was bad publicity. People were slandering her all over social media. However, her name got out there and look at her now. She built an empire over one scandal, but she also has a lot of haters and a negative look on her brand.

Good publicity is talk about a brand that creates trust and shows the brands values to consumers. It makes people want to buy into a good or service. Good publicity maintains a good relationship with the public. It makes the public associate a company with something good or pleasurable.

A great example of good publicity was when McDonald’s flipped their famous “M” logo to be a "W" for International Women’s Day in 2019. Many people thought that it was a prank, so it generated a lot of press. However, it showed the brand’s stance on gender equality and gained brand awareness in a positive light.

Publicity can be generated for many reasons. Obviously, the most common is to generate brand awareness. However, it can also be to convey a brand’s values or personality. Brand personality is associating a brand with human characteristics.

Bad publicity can create a negative outlook and lack of respect for a brand. Bad publicity is bad public relations. Instead of helping a brand build a relationship with the public, it destroys its relationship with the public.

A good way to look at publicity is like a stairwell. At the top is the publics support of a brand. So when a brand does something good, it goes up a step. Making it closer to the public’s support. When it does something bad or scandalous, it goes down a step. Making it farther from gaining the public’s support.

In conclusion, not all PR is good PR. Good public relations goes hand-in-hand with good publicity.