Hathahaters: Anatomy of A Collective Bullying

April 8, 2013 Leave a comment

anne_hathaway_1549_635xSunday’s New York Times ran an article titled “Do We Really Hate Ann Hathaway?”  The article went on to list the blogs and articles that have all taken their shots at the actress and went on to further cement the term Hathahaters in the current pop lexicon.  This phenomenon is not confined to bloggers or Twitter.  It has been covered not only in the Timesbut also in New York Magazine, the New Yorker and the New Republic.  It is generally covered with a certain amount of glee.  The writers in the mainstream outlets tend to feign neutrality and proporte to simply be reporting on the story, which is tantamount to telling a group of thirteen year olds that other people are calling one of their classmates ugly.  You’re not saying it of course; you’re simply reporting what you heard to the rest of the school.

I think it’s safe to say that these stories Tweets and posts reflect more on us than they do on the actress in question.  For a culture that prides itself on taking a firm stance on bullying, we seem to have a collective relish for it.  For that’s all that is really at play here.  Miss Hathaway seems to annoy some people, but a lot of celebrities annoy us.  That’s really what’s at work here.    With the collective piling on of the highbrow and lowbrow media, pop culture has given itself a free pass at collective bullying.  It’s okay to attack her because, hell, everyone else is; not only are some bloggers taking shots, but the mainstream media is as well.

A few weeks ago Howard Stern did a riff on the topic, but that’s his job.  At least that makes sense.   As to the rest the ongoing attacks they must be difficult for her to take.  Yes, I know, she’s a celebrity and needs to have thick skin if she’s going to be in the public eye.  But this is more akin to a Lord of the Flies mentality at play than a TMZ day at the office. Hathaway doesn’t seem to be the real story here and all in all, it certainly doesn’t reflect well on us.  There is an axiom that all publicity is good publicity. I doubt it.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

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Spring Breakers Gives Hollywood a Lesson in PR 101

March 19, 2013 Leave a comment

url-1The LA Weekly wrote that Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers is like Godard meets Girls Gone Wild.  The review starts with Jean-Luc Godard’s famous quote “All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.”  That quote’s not far off the mark. I’ve read and heard quite a few reviewers make the Girls Gone Wild comparison, although that particular series ended up with a crash and burn scenario.  But where Spring Breakers is gaining most of its coverage is due to the casting.  And in this case it’s not so much that the names carry such weight, but that it’s a film in which a slew of Disney-esque squeaky clean pre- teen idols turned bad… really bad.  Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson turn their good girl images on their preverbal heads.  That is the real buzz behind Spring Breakers and what’s causing the media frenzy.   It would have probably received a fair amount of coverage with James Franco and a cast of sexy half- naked gun totting actresses, but it’s the image shift of these particular actresses that has commanded such media attention.

Either Korine is simply incredibly lucky, or this was a very well thought out bit of casting that he understood would be the engine to fuel his PR onslaught once the film was released.  I think we can dismiss the luck theory.  He’s no slouch when it comes to savvy marketing, although this will be his first film to truly break into the mainstream.  And that can primarily be traced to his savvy casting.

'Spring Breakers' Rome Premiere

Regardless what you think of the acting, the story, the direction, or the film itself, there is quite a lot to be learned here from a PR perspective.  This is a perfect example of how a few choice decisions can drive the marketing of a film.  Spring Breakers is generating enough media heat to fuel its sales in a big way.  So the question is, will audiences pay $10 or more to watch Selena Gomez and other good girls go bad?  You bet they will.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

FameFlynet Inc. “51020722 Stars attend the Rome premiere of ‘Spring Breakers’ on February 22, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. Stars attend the Rome premiere of ‘Spring Breakers’ on February 22, 2013 in Madrid, Spain.” Photo. imnotobsessed. 23 Feb 2013. 19 Mar 2013. <http://imnotobsessed.com/2013/02/23/vanessa-hudgens-selena-gomez-ashley-benson-rachel-korine-spring-breakers-premiere-in-italy/spring-breakers-rome-premiere-4/&gt;

 

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Picking the Pope, PR & Pop Culture

March 13, 2013 Leave a comment

1813840619Pope Benedict became the first pontiff to step down in six centuries.  Now the process to choose his successor begins.  The doors to the Sistine Chapel swung closed Tuesday, signaling the start of what is known as the conclave, in which 115 Roman Catholic cardinals will pick the next pope.  It is a secretive process.  The outside world’s only connection is a chimney installed on the roof of the historic chapel.  Puffs of smoke are released after each round of voting.  Black smoke signals that the process continues.  White smoke signals that there is a new pope.  The one who is chosen will emerge as the spiritual leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

All eyes are on Rome now.  TV print and social media are following the process.  Who will emerge as pope and what will come from this is yet to be seen, but the Catholic Church has an incredible opportunity offered to it.  The message the church sends at a time when it is so firmly in the spotlight is important and not just for Catholics.   As one of the world’s great religions, the church has an immense impact.  With the tsunami of scandals that have plagued the church in recent years, this offers a remarkable opportunity to redefine itself and its message, to offer transparency and set a new path forward.  Only time will tell how this will play out, but from a PR and image standpoint, this could be a God given opportunity.

And in true pop culture form, there are a number of apps to help you in the Pope picking process, such as Pick the Pope and Pope Alarm.  But it doesn’t stop there, apparently millions are being bet on who will be the next pope, when he will be chosen and how many ballots it will take.  The papal conclave is being watched followed and cheered on like the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards.  And the winner is…

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

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Ben Afleck’s Remarkable PR Transformation – And You

March 2, 2013 Leave a comment

urlThe PR and image rehabilitation of Ben Affleck is a pretty amazing one.  If you think back to the days of “Gigli” and the whole Jennifer Lopez media blitz, all was not going that well.  It was around that time that he was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, which moved him from Oscar winning writer and serious actor to being thought of pretty much as a full time tabloid star.

J.Lo jumped from Afleck to  Marc Anthony and Affleck went to Jennifer Garner.  He ended up marrying his “Daredevil”/”Elektra” costar.   The Lopez tabloid days were his lowest point media wise and it looked like he could be stuck there for a while.   In 2007, he moved from actor to director and his first feature film “Gone Baby Gone,” was released.  That he followed with The Town”  which garnered an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Renner for best supporting actor and made over $150 million.  Afleck was back in the running as a serious actor and director in Hollywood.  Next came “Argo.” Which he produced with Grant Heslov and George Clooney, not bad company.  And the rest, as they say is history.

So, where do you fit into this article?  We’ve all had setbacks.  We’ve all had times where everything seems to be headed in the wrong direction.  Here is a transformation story to remember.  What Ben Afleck pulled off was pretty remarkable and I applaud him for it.  It’s easy to give up and get stuck when things aren’t going your way.  Hollywood and the public can be particularly fierce and when they turn on you it can cause a whiplash.  Afleck kept his bearings.  He kept moving forward and reinvented himself.  This is a lesson for all of us whether inside or outside of the entertainment industry.  Down times can be temporary, if we keep forging forward.  Have a vision and stick to it.  When things seem the bleakest you might feel lost at sea, but keep moving and soon you’ll see at least glimmers of the shore.  And you never know what can be the key that will open that door for you.  So,  I congratulate him for his Argo win, but, to be honest, I still think “Gone Baby Gone” is his best work to date.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

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A Strange PR Week: Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey and Manti Te’o

January 18, 2013 Leave a comment

imageIt was Lance Armstrong’s interview.  Long anticipated, long awaited, although by the time the cameras rolled most people knew what the basic content would be.  The results felt scripted, as though he were reading from a teleprompter.  He did little to win sympathy for his cause or explain his story.  The clear PR winner was Oprah.  It was her show.  Her stage.  She landed the interview and media around the world were pulling quotes or running clips from her exclusive interview.   The interview began along these lines.

Did you take banned substances?  Yes

Did you take EPO? Yes

Did you take blood transfusions? Yes

Did you use banned substances when winning all seven Tour de France titles?  Yes

The interview pretty well went downhill from that point on.

One of the problems was it had been widely reported for days that he was going to fess up.  It began with a number of well orchestrated leaks.  The New York Times reported that Armstrong was considering singing a different tune. Then came USA Today reporting that he planned to confess to Oprah. Then came the AP) stated that he had in fact told Oprah he’d used. By the time the actual interview surfaced, no one was surprised by his admission, what people were looking for were how forthright he’d be, how contrite and to find the truth of when, where and how.  His delivery was restrained and stilted.  The fact that most other news shows featured guests who had been targeted by Armstrong only weakened his story.

The Lance Armstrong story is a remarkably sad one. He doped and he lied.  Neither of those are good things, but it’s his actions after the facts that are in a sense the most shocking.  Fame, money and power seem to have unleashed a monster.  He was vicious in his assault on those who accused him of using performance enhancing substances.  Because he had the money and clot to bury those who were telling the truth he did so with a vengeance.  Using the legal system and the media he savagely attacked those who dared to cross him by committing the crime of telling the truth.

Can Armstrong rehabilitate his tattered media image?  Is there a PR or media relations formula that can resuscitate his once stellar story?  Or will he fall into the OJ Simpson category of public relations lost causes?  Generally America is a nation of second chances, of rising from the ashes, but the Armstrong case is a uniquely tough one.  He betrayed and alienated so many, that I’m not sure you’d get good odds on a favorable outcome.  Still, stranger things have happened.

Whereas I don’t feel Armstrong accomplished what he hoped for by granting the interview, it was Oprah who came out the winner.  She landed the interview, asked the tough questions and her show was featured in nearly every conceivable media outlet.

Perhaps the strangest thing about this week was the fact that the Lance Armstrong story made sense compared to the strange saga of the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax.  Good luck coming up with a positive media or PR spin for that story.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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The PR Case for Taxes

December 4, 2012 Leave a comment

gty_tim_geithner_john_boehner_barack_obama_jt_121202_wgThere has been a concerted marketing and media relations campaign focusing on why taxes are bad.  Some state that no new taxes should ever be considered, while others want to greatly cut those taxes already on the books; but what about the other side of the coin?  It’s interesting that, from a public relations perspective, the anti-taxes campaign has gained such traction, while a campaign to explain the benefit and necessity of taxation has been all but negligible.  Granted, an anti-tax campaign is a much easier sell.  Who wants to pay taxes?  No on that I know.  But a compelling argument can be made as to why taxes are essential and how they help build and maintain the country, along with the very fabric of our society.  So, let’s say taxation came to me for a PR campaign.  What if it wanted to change its image and improve its brand?  If I were charged with making the argument for taxation, how would I approach it?

I’d begin by quoting  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr, one of the most vociferous and articulate defenders of taxation, who explained that “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.”  There was also President James Madison who stated that, “The power of taxing people and their property is essential to the very existence of government.”

If we believe that a system that helps build our roads and infrastructure, provides public education, cares for the elderly, supports our justice system, maintains our fire and police forces, and protect the environment is a good system, then how can we view taxation, which is how we pay for all of the above, as a bad thing?  Taxes are what allow the government to function.  There is no government without taxation.

Some will say that no government is the very thing they’re hoping for and good riddance to any and all government.  But few people who make that blanket statement have taken the time to picture exactly where they’d be and the type of a society they’d live in, if every service that is paid for through taxes suddenly disappeared.  It would be a harsh return to an every-man-for-himself Dark Age.  Again to quote Justice Holmes, “I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization.”

We can all agree that unless taxes are used wisely and efficiently they are a waste, but when used correctly, taxes not only support our government and our society, they actually save us money.  Just think if there was no police force or every fire station was shuttered and it was everyone for him or herself.  What if all the money for building or repairing roads suddenly disappeared and the ability for commerce to flow freely came to an abrupt halt.  Not a pretty picture.

Of course it’s not as simplistic as this.  These types of issues never are.  Cutting spending, monitoring exactly how our taxes are used and a myriad other issues come into play.  So, what would be my pitch if taxation came on board as a client?  The bottom line would be that  taxes can be a good thing.  They can more than pay for themselves, they can help the weakest links in our society from going under, keep our social structure intact and save us all money in the long run.  Now if spending cuts decided to hire us, that would be a completely different campaign.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Falcone, Michael. Walter, Amy. “U.S. President Barack Obama, right, speaks while Timothy F. Geithner, U.S. treasury secretary, left, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, middle, listen during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Nov. 16, 2012.” Photo. Otus News. 03 Dec 2012. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/analysis-doomsday-fiscal-cliff/story?id=17866588#.UL07XJPjmI0>

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As The Election Looms: Is the Electoral College Bad PR For the Country?

November 5, 2012 Leave a comment

According to an article in the New York Times, “In 2008 voter turnout in the fifteen states that received the candidates’ attention was 67 percent.  In the remaining 35 states it was six points lower.”   In other words, those voters who felt they were being actively engaged by the Presidential candidates were more likely to participate in the political process.  In the 1960s candidates would cross the country addressing the needs of the nation and reaching out to a large swath of voters.  This was particularly true in the tightly contested 1960 election between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.  Between the two candidates every one of the 50 states was visited by at least one of the candidates.  Fast forward to 2012.  Since the political conventions the candidates have only campaigned in 10 states.  There are small cities in swing states that have had more attention from Obama and Romney than the entire west coast.   Now that we have red states and blue states, areas that the candidates feel sure that they’re either the strong favorite, or odds on to lose.  In a tight election such as this our candidates chose to ignore those states.  Because most states chose to deliver their electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, there is no impetus for the candidates to reach out to states that seem decided.  As we saw in the 2004 election, it’s possible that one candidate wins the popular vote, while another wins the Electoral College.

There are various plans out there seeking to address the issue, one is the National Popular Vote plan.  It is a voter initiative proposed by John R. Koza.  According to Mr. Koza, it can be implemented without a federal constitutional amendment.  The actual elimination of the Electoral College would require one; but, as with the constant plans being offered to change the tax code, chances are slim that any change will come about.  Still, many of the voters around the country feel like they’re watching on the sidlines as the voters in Ohio, Florida and Virginia are courted by both candidates.  Each person wants to feel that his or her vote matters.  When voters feel taken for granted, they lose interest.  That’s bad PR for our political system.  When voters feel excluded they tend not to participate, not the best thing for a democracy.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Heuer, Jennifer. “American Flag”. Photo. The New York Times.  03 Nov 2012. 05 Nov 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/sunday-review/the-vanishing-electoral-battleground.html?_r=0>

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President Obama, Governor Christie & Hurricane Sandy: More Than Just A PR Opportunity

November 4, 2012 1 Comment

On Wednesday Obama flew over a devastated New Jersey coastline with Christie the state’s Republican governor, creating a rare, bipartisan moment in what had been some of the most partisan months imaginable.  Some were pleasantly surprised, others suspicious and others outraged as the final days before Tuesday’s election drew near.

The pugnacious Mr. Christie has been a staunch a supporter of Republican candidate Mitt Romney and a rather vociferous critic of the president.  Yet after the worst storm New Jersey has experienced in a generation, Christie joined Mr. Obama on the presidential helicopter to survey the battered homes and flooded streets.  The two men praised each other for their response to the storm.  Whereas most see this as an example of how strange bedfellows can join forces in the wake of tragedy, others see it as as a PR motivated move by both men.  Following this rather cynical logic, Obama is using the storm and its aftermath to land millions of dollars of free media coverage, and Chris Christie is positioning himself for is 2016 Presidential run.

“I want to thank the president for coming here today,” Christie said. “It’s really important to have the president of the United States acknowledge all the suffering that’s going on here in New Jersey and I appreciate it very much.” Obama also had words of praise for Christie. “I want to just let you know that your governor is working overtime to make sure that as soon as possible everybody can get back to normal,”

The fact that Obama and Christie are working together for the good of the state and the nation has many hyperventilating and conspiracy theorizing.   Whereas some conservatives would cringe at the mere thought of being attached by Limbaugh and others in the media, that has never been Christie’s style.  When Christie was asked by “Fox and Friends” co-host Steve Doocy whether he would invite Gov. Mitt Romney to tour the wreckage, he responded:  “I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested. I’ve got a job to do here in New Jersey that’s much bigger than presidential politics and I could care less about any of that stuff. I have a job to do. I’ve got 2.4 million people out of power. I’ve got devastation on the shore. I’ve got floods in the northern part of my state. If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics then you don’t know me.”

Having worked as a freelance writer, editor and PR consultant, I have to admit to at times feeling more than a bit jaded about the political process, but, in this case, I commend the Governor of New Jersey and the President of the United States for working together to help the citizens of New Jersey in a true time of need.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Samad, Jewel. “N.J. Gov. Chris Christie (R) and President Obama during the president’s visit to the Garden State to tour storm damage”. Photo. The Washington Post. 31 Oct 2012. 3 Nov 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/10/31/president-obama-gov-christie-to-tour-storm-damage-together-in-new-jersey/>

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Miley Cyrus for Obama, Lindsay Lohan for Romney: What does it all mean?

October 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Miley Cyrus endorsed Obama online whereas Lindsay Lohan came out for Romney.  What does that mean in the grand scheme of things?   Apparently more than one would think.  There are articles all over the net deconstructing how Lohan’s endorsement of Romney will impact the presidential race.

I’ll leave this one to the pundits, but it is interesting that these types of endorsements are garnering so much coverage.  Is it that there are just too many outlets now with not enough news, or is the definition of “news” being redefined as we enter a new media era?  It used to be that newspapers, radio, magazines and network and cable TV drove the conversation.  The traditional media set the talking points and defined the perspectives and points of view and shaped the stories.  We’re now in the world of citizen journalists and social media.  Twitter or Facbook not only distribute information, now they become stories in and of themselves.

But in this case it’s only citizen journalism to a point.  It’s celebrity-citizen journalism.  Lindsay posts a Tweet and you suddenly have a news story.  But, as we all learned during the Palin era, the person who posts the story, doesn’t necessarily control it. Online PR approaches are very different from traditional media public relations campaigns.  Online celebrities are talking directly to the public.  At least ostensibly they are.  Their posts or Tweets can take on a life of their own, one that doesn’t always enhance the image of the celebrity poster (for lack of a better term).  The trouble with social media is I’m not convinced anyone truly understands exactly how it works or when it can backfire.  It’s a continually moving target.  Someone can be an online darling on Monday and be shot down in flames by Friday.  It’s a precarious world to navigate.  Simply because someone is a celebrity and has been continually highlighted in the media doesn’t mean he or she can control the inner workings of the online world.  Celebrities are often the most vulnerable ones in this universe.  They often have a somewhat naive take on how social media works, because they are used to a good deal of image control.  On the net, the control lever is usually disconnected.  It simply doesn’t work.

And this holds true for controversial or PR-oriented posts as well for posts as simple as “I endorse… (fill in the blank)”.  Once a post is set free it takes on a life of its own.  It can die a quick death or can build until it reaches critical mass, or it can be reworked, reinterpreted and in the end a type of social media Frankenstein monster can emerge.

I suppose that makes the online media world interesting, but not necessarily intelligible.  Which brings us back to the online revelations that Miley likes Obama and Lindsay likes Romney.  Does it really matter?  Your guess is as good as anyone’s.  Now as to Big Bird, that’s a whole other story.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

“Lindsay Lohan endorses Mitt Romney for President.” Photo. Heavy. 12 Oct. 2012. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.heavy.com/news/2012/10/lindsay-lohan-endorses-mitt-romney-for-president/&gt;

 

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From 2016: Obama’s America to The Prosecution of an American President

September 20, 2012 Leave a comment

2016: Obama’s America has become the fifth highest-grossing political documentary of all time and the most lucrative documentary of 2012. The documentary is based on Dines D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rageand features an interview with Obama’s half brother, George Obama.  But when it comes to highest grossing documentaries, Fahrenheit 911 easily tops the list followed by Sicko, An Inconvenient Truth, and Bowling for Columbine.

Michael Moore has taken this style of filmmaking to a new level which is either a positive or a negative, depending on your point of view.  The genre can promote ideas or a specific ideology and with shrewd media relations or PR, it can reach a remarkably large audience.  What some see as fact finding and truth telling, others view as blatant advocacy at best and political advertising at worst.

For years this type of filmmaking was seen as extremely niche and unprofitable, but over the last decade all that has changed.  The film genre has become increasingly accepted and successful in theatrical release.  Films such as Fahrenheit 911, Religlous and  An Inconvenient Truth have shown that documentaries can not only make a statement, they can also make money.  Compared to narrative features, documentaries can generally be made for pennies on the dollar making them less risky ventures since even in a limited theatrical release can result in a decent return.

For a while it seemed as though those with a progressive or more liberal message were the main players in the documentary film world, but in 2012 2016: Obama’s America quickly evened the playing field.  Now a new political documentary enters the fray with the release of The Prosecution of an American President. The film documents the efforts of Vincent Bugliosi, one of our nation’s foremost prosecutors, as he presents his case that former president George W. Bush should be prosecuted for the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers who died in Iraq. Based on Bugliosi’s controversial New York Times bestseller, the movie discloses hidden details of how key Bush officials and President Bush himself systematically lied to Congress and the American people, deliberately taking our nation to war under false pretenses. Watch the trailer here:

According to the film, Bush and his people said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They didn’t. They said Saddam was an imminent threat to our national security. He wasn’t. They convinced us Iraq was involved in 9/11. They weren’t. And yet America, still reeling from the tragic September 11 attacks, launched a full scale invasion of Iraq.

As with 2016: Obama’s America, The Prosecution of an American President has a specific market it’s addressing.  The interesting challenge for all of these politically oriented documentaries is to see if they can not only speak to the choir, but enlist a few new converts.

List of top 10 political documentaries

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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Eastwood, Akin, Isaac and the Republican’s Media Campaign

September 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Well, no one said presidential campaigns were easy but, at least from a public relations and media perspective, the Republicans have had an exceptionally tough couple of weeks.  First they had one of their own eclipse Mitt Romney in the media when Todd Akin, a Republican congressman running for the Senate in Missouri, stated: ‘from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”  Not exactly a quote you want associated with any political party as it’s ramping up for the convention.

Next hurricane Isaac had the convention start one day later than planned and received much of the coverage on the second day and then on the closing night of the convention when presidential hopeful Mitt Romney gave his address to the nation, Clint Eastwood delivered perhaps the most bizarre eleven minutes in campaign history.  The upshot being that most of the conversation at the end of the Republican convention was about Eastwood’s speech not Romney’s.  The now famous empty chair speech was originally scheduled for 3 ½ minutes, but it ran for almost 12 minutes of primetime coverage.

CBS’s Bob Schieffer said it was a political disaster, shifting attention from the candidate to a loopy actor addressing an empty chair. His colleague Norah O’Donnell, stated it was the “not good, the bad and the very ugly.”

Newsweek’s take was bit different: “we got Clint and it was electrifying — a glorious, bizarre, fun, wild, weird, kooky, incendiary moment that threatened to throw the entire convention into a complete tailspin — and just before the nominee spoke. Now THAT’S entertainment, friends.”

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said, “the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life … and it will be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen if I live to be a hundred.” Fox News’ Chris Wallace took a different approach saying, “Let me say that I get paid to review politicians. There’s no way I’m going to touch Clint Eastwood’s performance tonight.”

Seconds after Eastwood finished his speech, the Twitter world responded in mass. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics tweeted: “I’d feel better if I knew for sure that Clint doesn’t see anyone in the chair. :) “

Granted the speech made for great entertainment.  Eastwood seemed to be having a good time and the audience was responsive, but is that the story that the Romney administration wanted the media to focus on?

The bottom line when it comes to running a presidential campaign is that you want to be able to control the message, or at the very least stay in front of the story and keep the campaign’s talking points front and center.  There is not much a political party can do about a hurricane, but Akin’s statements and particularly Eastwood’s performance was definitely controllable.  A three minute prerecorded video presentation would have both featured Eastwood and assured a controlled message.

So, the Republicans have had a rough time as of late.  The Democratic national convention comes next.  We’ll see how they do on the media relations front.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Fang Zhe, Xinhua / Landov. “lint Eastwood speaks to the audience during the Republican National Convention in Tampa on August 30.” Photo. The Daily Beast. 1 Sept 2012. 1 Sept 2012. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/01/clint-eastwood-s-rnc-speech-ben-affleck-and-other-hollywood-insiders-react.html&gt;

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