Note to CMO: How to Make Things Even Worse

Dear CMO:

Remember all those times we talked about what to do when things went wrong? We said that if you screwed up, you'd quickly do four things:

1. Acknowledge that you screwed up.
2. Apologize. Mean it. You can use a bit of humor, you can be yourself, but admit you ruffled feathers a bit and be a genuine, contrite guy about it.
3. Fix the problem.
4. Communicate how well the fix worked after the initial shock and awe of your screw up has died down.

Then -- and only after you've gone to these lengths -- you move on with life, albiet with a few new scars.

What you don't do might include the following:

1. Don't become a comedian.
2. Don't think you're a celebrity.
3. Don't -- ever -- make fun of the Boston Police Department. They're not comedy fans. Or the NYPD, who similarly lack that particular strain of humor. In LA, they'd just beat you.


Let's examine, for example, a recent feather in the cap of a fine agency called Interference, whose recent work with the culturally uplifting Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon on the equally disturbing Adult Swim portion of The Cartoon Channel put them in this predicament:

Berdovsky -- a Belarus native with flowing dreadlocks -- and Stevens mocked the process in an appearance with reporters, insisting on talking about hairstyles from the 1970s rather than addressing questions about the incident.

In case you were wondering if "any PR is good PR" in this case, the answer is "No. No, it isn't. This isn't good PR at all. You're both fired."

Lots of pundits are wagging the finger at Turner's The Cartoon Channel, the client in this case, for their alleged role in the "cover up". And I'd agree. If this happened to my brand and I signed the work order for this tactic, I'd get a jump on things and put my stuff in a cardboard box on my own volition.

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Key Takeaways:

> When you, as the brand, sign your name to an agency's work order authorizing them to do work for you and get paid to do it, you are responsible. Do something stupid and expect to get a sharp reprimand. Do something inexplicably stupid and expect to get fired.

> If you're an agency, you are being hired to not only come up with very clever ways to break through the messaging clutter in the market, but to think through things that your client wouldn't or couldn't or shouldn't know. You're paid to know stuff. How to get things done right. You're not paid to do half a job -- like coming up with a clever idea that looks like a bomb, for example.

> And by all means, if you screw up, return to "smart" as quickly as possible. Unlike these two bozos up top. If you screw up, tell the cameras that this was a very clever idea to break through the intense advertising clutter, and -- gosh -- you didn't connect the dots that a power supply connected to a circuit board with a blob on the back wrapped in duct tape might look like a bomb. Offer to buy new bullet proof vests for the guys, do some pro bono ad work for their Boosters Club, and APOLOGIZE FOR THE TROUBLE. Was I shouting? Sorry.

* * *

Lot's of excellent posts on this recently, from CK to Ann at The Fix. But I finally had to get this off my chest. I hate it when people screw up and fail utterly to comprehend their role and their resulting responsibility. Hate it.

Sorry to be such a buzz kill, but guys, you're fired.




Regards.


Copyright (c) 2007 Stephen Denny