PR is a double edged weapon!
“I would have been badly accepted here, and they would have looked at me badly there if I accepted your proposal!” (Still from the film The Three Musketeers, directed by Bernard Borderie. Considered to be the best adaptation of this novel).
Here, for example, I visited a conversation about the myths of war not long ago on the VO website, and someone under the nickname Fantômas (it seems there were two more letters there, but this was not unprincipled) stated that many important documents of that time were fake, and as testimony cited the words of the communist Viktor Ilyukhin. And the motivation: "I have no reason not to trust him!" But then I have them. Of course, de mortuis aut bene, aut nihil, that is, about the dead or good, or nothing, but ... we wash the bones "iron Commissar", "commissars in dusty helmets," but who knows who else. So for some reason not to learn from the examples related to the life and activities of people who are not so ancient in time? Moreover, all this is connected with PR, and this is very strong weapon and an interesting topic in the context of the next escalation of information wars. Yes, and next elections again soon ...
Well, we need to start with the fact that the formation of PR in our country began in the 90s. The time was difficult: the paradigm of consciousness was changing, the economy paradigm, everything changed. And it was then that the first PR events began to be held in Penza, and from 1995, PR began to be taught at our Penza State University.
As always, smart and stupid people met in Penza, and the latter, as elsewhere, had more. And they also made PR for themselves and others, without asking the specialists why various embarrassments happened to them.
Worked, for example, in our Penza one A.F. Kavlyagin, himself a native of the village, from the 1982 year on posts in the apparatus of the Central Committee of the CPSU: instructor, then assistant to the head of the department of party organizational work. Then in 1986, he was elected second secretary of the Penza CPSU Regional Committee, and then in April 1993, as a result of the first general elections, he became governor, receiving 71% of Penza votes. The absolute majority, so to speak! He then went to the Federation Council, and all sorts of other "members", but in April 1998 of the year, running for a second term, lost the gubernatorial elections to the head of the administration of the Zheleznodorozhny district of the city of Penza, Vasily Bochkarev, and State Duma deputy Yury Lyzhinu (KPRF ), taking only third place. These are the mean lines of Wikipedia, but in life it was much more interesting.
Penza was then in fourth place from the end in terms of life among all other regions, newspapers were black and white (well, sometimes with a red heading!), When, shortly before the voting day, the Penzents had a newspaper in their mailboxes: “Governors Club and mayors №1 ". Full color printing! Bright colors! And the text: on every page, what a good Kavlyagin! And they wrote about him in this newspaper and Yegor Stroyev, and the governor of Kamchatka, and the president of Kalmykia ... You look at the map ... Where is Penza and where is Kamchatka? How was it possible to give them complimentary articles, when it’s one thing to work together in the Federation Council, and quite another, here, on the spot. But most of all I “liked” the last page. There, the then Penza ruler from the Russian Orthodox Church directly stated that "Kavlyagin is pleasing to the Lord." That's right - "good" and all! And against scrap, as you know, there is no reception!
Oppositional “Birzhevaya Gazeta”, supporting V.K. Bochkareva, then wrote: "You would be" guys "on our 300 rubles per capita" and ... where did the money for this colorful, lurid newspaper come from? And why is the “number one” started with Kavlyagin, and where is the output of the printing house, where it was printed? In a word, the editorial board of the “stock exchange” broke up this colorful opus “like a god of a turtle”! By the way, the number in which she gave materials “for Bochkarev” was outwardly the same as all the others, that is, modestly black and white and ... I am not surprised that Kavlyagin then lost, and many noted that it was this newspaper that the straw that “broke the camel’s back”.
But the real Fantômas once said: “Even a great man is worth nothing without a press!”
And here is the question: after all, it was an obvious PR, and how then did such a “wise” leader not understand that it was impossible to do this, and - most importantly, who advised him to do that? If he came up with it, then ... well, it is clear how we call such people vernacular. If you advised any "friend", then ... the same ... unprofessional in this matter. But if “friend / foe”, it means that poor Anatoly Fedorovich warmed a snake on his chest and did not recognize the trick! Or maybe bought into beautiful pictures? The psychology of its citizens did not know? That is, PR is a good thing, as is a sharp knife, but it’s dangerous in inept hands - you can cut yourself!
And further and funnier. The unexpected happened: between the new governor V.K. Bochkarev and the editors of the “stock exchange” “ran a black cat”, so much so that from their former friends they became ardent enemies.
It was here that Mr. Ilyukhin appeared on the horizon, who by that time had long broken up with Penza, but then returned to the next election. And the Birzhevaya Gazeta began to agitate for it! I told them: “Guys, remember how d'Artagnan answered Cardinal Richelieu when he invited him to his guard -“ My friends are there, and the enemies ... are here. I would be taken badly here, too, and they would look at me badly there if I accepted your proposal! ”After all that you wrote about the Communists, they will not consider you as their own, but the Democrats will turn away from you, this is clear as god day!
But they did not listen! There was at that time in Penza a purely communist newspaper “Lyubimy Gorod”, and there they came up with an even better course: they began to write in each issue “before Bochkarev’s re-election left ... days and then the sun would rise over the Penza region! Until ... three days left and then the sun will rise over ... "
It’s impossible to write to a PR manager! Unprofessionally, because the forces of nature are beyond the control of anyone, and it is silly to appeal to them - the same thing as to spit against the wind! And about the “stockbrokers”, “commies” began to say that they “wriggle on the winners,” although the victory was still very far away. And here, right on the eve of the elections, the next issue of the “stock exchange” goes entirely “for Ilyukhin”. The number came out, the editorial board sits, rejoices, and here Ilyukhin comes in and shows them ... another, exactly the same number of their newspaper, but with information turned upside down in 180 degrees! On the first page - an interview with him and a photograph - you can’t imagine worse! Well, the text. In the original: "I am a fighter in life!" In duplicate: "I am in life ...!" And so the whole newspaper, and the style of the journalists was copied, and under the articles of their signatures - all as in the original, only the content is completely different. And the circulation - what the first!
And after all, what does this do? The diskette in the printing came in 19.00. The next day at 5.00, the newspaper was ready and began to be delivered point by point. This means that during this period of time, some group of journalists, and professionals, received a duplicate number (and who gave it to them, how could this even be?), Managed to make a double number and sent it to print ... Where? Where it was printed so that when Ilyukhin sued, no one ever found? That is, all this was done clearly not at the local level, but where and who did it, God knows ... But although this was a very dirty PR, it was done skillfully, it should also be noted.
And with the "beloved", it was like that. Their newspaper has closed. And the same author of the texts that “the sun will rise together with his re-election to the governors of Ilyukhin”, six months later he received an invitation to the PR department to ... Governor V.K. Bochkarev and, spitting on all his convictions, went to work for the good of the “anti-people regime.” The same fate befell another young and fiery Penza Bolshevik, who left as deputy presidential representative somewhere far, far away. Probably both of them received offers that they could not refuse! And those who continue today to “denounce the regime” obviously have not received such proposals yet!
"New exchange" is also not lucky. She closed. VC. Bochkarev filed a lawsuit against her - she wrote something “unsubstantiated” to him, and ... the fine resulted in a very large sum. Not without reason, by the way, American journalists are not so much writing articles, but checking how the facts stated in them are documented. Otherwise, a lawsuit, a court, a huge fine and a queue for a free plate of soup to the canteen of the Salvation Army!
As for Mr. Ilyukhin, he, agitating for his own election, came to our university. An audience of professors and associate professors gathered him; two groups of students drove the students for mass, he ascended the podium and began to speak. He talked for half an hour and, as it were, not to the governors of methyl, but to the ministers of foreign affairs, all about how bad the Americans are and that the threat of a new war is again on the threshold. And he said nothing about what he would do for Penza as governor. That is, he didn’t have a very good “political information”. And to whom? No, somewhere on the farm among the breeders or in a brick factory with outdated equipment that would have worked quite well. But not in the audience of associate professors and doctors of science, including those in the social and humanitarian disciplines. But the main rule of PR is that you need to focus on the audience. Therefore, he got through only one retired veteran, who immediately stood up, said that he opened our eyes to all of us and wished him success as the governor of Penza. And then one of the associate professors got up and asked the question: you came to us for the votes, didn't you?
It seems to be a direct question and it should be a direct answer? “Well, in general, yes!” Answered Ilyukhin, but he obviously shouldn’t have responded that way, because the catch was clearly felt. “Then tell us,” the assistant professor continued, “who was the first to support the fascists in Germany in 1929, and why?”
It is clear that Ilyukhin did not know this, very few people know this, except professional historians, but still, his “I don't know” left an unpleasant impression!
And the assistant professor continued: “So know that it was not the workers, not the peasants who supported them, but the All-German trade union of associate professors! Do you know why? Because Hitler promised to raise their salaries four times! And the question is: how much will you raise your salary if we, associate professors, give you our votes? ”Cynical, isn't it? But how correct! After all, he said: "I came for the voices!"
You would see how this valiant agitator has changed in the face. Faded right in front of you! And all because ... I could not give a figure lower than the associate professors promised the possessed Adolf, because he understood that the reply would be a reply, “why do you value us so little?” But he couldn’t call a big number, because The Communist Party of the Russian Federation was not a word about it, and journalists would immediately “smash” his statement and cause an intra-party scandal!
But he found a way out of the situation! He looked at his watch, said that "he needs to go to speak at the plant," then said that "we all destroyed the Union and we all will work to restore it!" And headed for the door. Only he was seen! And one of the students shouted loudly: “He did not answer the question! Out of response! ”And there was silence! I never met him personally, however, and this meeting, it seems to me, was quite enough!
Why? Well, I do not really respect people who do not know how to work professionally with target audiences, but they come to the podium. Because of lack of intelligence or sad arrogance and the habit of thinking that “they will get away,” it does not matter. You can not do it this way! And this game he lost in our university at that time outright, and, by the way, in Penza also lost the election! That is, I repeat once again: PR is a strong and double-edged weapon, and it should be used by either very clever people or professionals who have all the subtleties of this craft! And if you yourself do not understand this, then you could hire a specialist, because any business should be done well. Or ... not to do at all!
Well, what fate awaited the communist journalist who went to the PR people to the Penza governor? He worked there for several years, and then something went "wrong" and sent him from the government to our department to teach ... PR! I remember how I smiled to myself when I met this former “fiery fighter”, but since we were educated and intelligent people, we greeted and dispersed. But only he for some reason left us very quickly ...
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