“Now you can talk about it” or PR of the 90s at work
Is it bad if someone, at their own expense, builds a playground like this or something similar for children in one of the courtyards? It's better to have it than not to have it, isn't it?
“And the word of the Lord came to him...”
17st Kings 2:XNUMX
17st Kings 2:XNUMX
People and story. Judging by the feedback from readers of our site, they liked the previous materials about PR in Russia in the 90s, since they open the door to a world that few of them are familiar with, the world of professional PR people who, acting as intermediaries between the authorities and the people, are often the the very “absolute power” about which the British made a very good television series. And today our story about events related to the PR work of those distant days will continue. Naturally, I can only talk about what I know and can be, one way or another, confirmed. Of course, I cannot talk about everything that is beyond my competence. So our readers will have to limit themselves only to the regional level. However, there were a lot of interesting things there too...
Does everyone know that it is often easier to take power than to retain it? And in one of the regions, the governor chosen by the people went to re-election. He did a lot in the region, so that the people, in principle, were for him in his second term. But... I wanted local support. So that the heads of district administrations actively campaign for him, and most importantly, that they do this sincerely and with soul. And it is possible that you are a good artist (but which of the district administrators are artists?), or... a skilled intellectual, skilled in Orwellian doublethink (but none of the heads of local administrations have read Orwell!). The governor was in trouble, but then a Moscow company came to his aid. She came, but demanded help from the local university, where the specialty “public relations” was already taught by that time. They selected several girls who were especially pleasant to look at, dressed them in a white top and black bottom, and, having provided the appropriate instructions, sent them to “work.”
And their job was to... interview all the heads of districts. Listen without interrupting, interjecting from time to time - “Oh, Oh, this is necessary, how interesting you tell it, is it really like that…”. Dictaphones were prohibited, but writing in notebooks was allowed, and it was necessary to select 2-3 memorable sentences from everything said. That's all!
And on the appointed day, the heads of administrations began to receive calls on behalf of the governor. “You have been chosen as an opinion leader! Therefore, an interviewer has been sent to interview you!” For some Mukhosaray district, which is 100 kilometers from the regional center, such an event is “out of the ordinary.” The heads personally greeted the governor's car, took the girls to lunch for free and did not serve it themselves!
And then - “I’m not for anyone, I have an interviewer from the governor!” - and they had a conversation for two, or even three hours, during which all the chapters received incomparable pleasure. Such a girl listens to them, the governor himself values his opinion, he is an “opinion leader”! These are not your relatives, who are bored to the limit, and not your wife - an old comrade in arms, old in all respects. Here you have... “this”!
And then the girls returned, submitted 2-3 proposals, all of them were written down, and... after some time the governor himself began calling all the heads and thanking them for their assistance. At the same time, these sentences were casually rolled in, like, I liked this and that in your interview, which completely convinced the person at the other end of the telephone wire that ... “the governor read his interview.” Well, then, just as casually, the governor said that he was counting on his support in the elections, because “who will help him if not him...”.
And, working off the pleasure they received and the feeling of increased self-worth, the heads tried their best. They campaigned quite sincerely not for fear, but for conscience. And their subconscious directed them to this: just to see such a girl again, just to experience this again! Needless to say, the governor was successfully re-elected, and he did a lot of good things for his region, although, as they say, he did not forget himself.
Some of the readers asked to talk about how businessmen got into the Legislative Assembly of Regions in the 90s. Everyone knows that they transferred their entire business to their wife and children, but they received money from it and used it to get by. But how exactly did this happen?
And it happened like this. One businessman decided to “go into power.” I came to a regional university, found a famous PR teacher, and offered to help him with his election. The teacher himself did not help him, but recommended an intelligent student. And they agreed that if he was chosen, he would pay for her two-week vacation in Turkey.
Preparations for the elections began almost a year in advance. On her recommendation, the businessman built children’s playgrounds in several districts of the city, in which there were many bright red details visible from a distance, and on each there was a sign with his name, phone number and the inscription “We will help mothers for free.” They created a headquarters that dealt with issues of such assistance. Moreover, if it was not possible to provide help, the mothers were told that... the person is not in power, it’s all on a voluntary basis, so he can’t do everything. Now, if he is elected... then...
By the way, we note that providing assistance to the city and its various institutions is a very good way to make yourself known. In particular, in one of the Russian cities in the zoo there was an “owl house” - an enclosure for owls - in very poor condition. On the advice of one PR man, one local bank not only renovated this owl house, but also painted it in their corporate colors (that is, making them more recognizable, since the zoo is a very visited place). In addition, there was also a sign on it that said the owlery had been restored by such and such a bank - telephone, e-mail - contact us! And, by the way, in the same zoo, students of the local university patronize black swans, about which there is also an inscription. What's the point of this? Well, first of all, this has benefits for the swans themselves, the residents of the city, and it is also a good reminder that there is such a university and its students help the city. A trifle - but nice!
In general, this construction of platforms alone made it possible to form a whole package of voluntary, and free, activists who only dreamed of being elected. And then numerous grandmothers from charity homes joined them, and this happened in a very funny way.
He once got ready for a meeting at a nursing home, called a girl student (they say, this is my secretary and confidant - “show-off is show-off”!), and she said to him: “Is this how you are going to go to your grandmothers?” - "And what?" - “Nothing, you just need to take off the Seiko watch from your hand, put on the suit that your wife makes you take out the trash in, a checkered shirt, a wrinkled tie, take off your leather coat for 20 thousand, put on something from the Soviet era, and we’ll go in your Land Rover, and on... an ordinary city trolleybus.”
“So they will decide that I am poor, how can I help them then if I have nothing?” – the candidate for deputy was amazed. But the girl managed to convince him that he was wrong. “Image is everything, income is nothing!”
They arrive, the deputy looks like a Vakhlatsky, but his grandmothers greet him with songs and dances, bring him bread and salt and say that they set up a post at the window and watched in what form he would arrive. “Otherwise, one came to us here... a beetle... a black car, all black itself. So we didn’t even let him in! And you, dear man, apparently belong to me.”
The grandmothers gave “our man” tea and pretzels and asked for an increase in their pension. “This is at the federal level,” the candidate began to explain, “it’s not in my power!” I can lay asphalt for you in the yard, I’ll bring a car of tangerines for the New Year.” And this turned out to be quite enough.
They left the grandmothers, “their man” thought and said to the girl: “Is this how they teach you at your university?” - “Yes, yes!” Well, it all ended with him being chosen. The person did everything right, because there is no good PR without a good event, and many good events always mean good word of mouth about someone or something, and good word of mouth is precisely the main goal of PR work.
Moreover, it should be remembered that there are no trifles in this work. But we’ll tell you about specific techniques for such work next time...
To be continued ...
Information