This month’s issue highlights the area of public relations.  It’s difficult to put a concrete value on PR; but I can tell you after having been involved with many organizations and many circumstances, both negative and positive, [delete that phrase?] through the years, it is a very important component of business, and often personal, success.

A major historical example might be the public’s lasting perception of two U.S. presidents,  Kennedy and Nixon, and the PR following notably damaging incidents occurring during each one’s administration.  Remember the Bay of Pigs?  Media coverage and public reaction indicated not only a major drop in Kennedy’s popularity, but more importantly an electorate whose confidence in their president’s leadership was dramatically shaken.  The PR take on this?  The matter was handled forthrightly, with Kennedy admitting his responsibility, and addressing the country and the international community about the Administration’s errors in judgment.  As a result, he got back to governing the country and the incident slipped into its historical niche.

On the other hand, the PR at the time of Watergate focused on President Nixon’s denial of knowledge of the break-in and continued cover-up.  With media coverage and public reaction continuing to seek truthful answers,  the situation escalated to indictments, convictions, and a probable impeachment interrupted by Nixon’s resignation.

Extreme examples?   Would denial PR have left us with a less-popular Kennedy legacy?  Could Nixon have been saved with a different PR approach?  Perhaps.  What we can see from these situations is that it is very important to know your “customers” and to have PR people working with you to present you and your work in the most truthful and informative way possible.

As I said, it is difficult to attach a dollar figure to the return on your PR investment; and as a result, it’s very likely you would discover it’s an even greater asset than you might imagine. [You might want to delete this sentence.] Here in the Greater Lansing area we are indeed fortunate to have public relations firms who know how to tell your story, putting your best foot forward.  This month’s issue highlights some of them; we hope you’ll find it enjoyable and informative.

Thanks for reading The Greater Lansing Business Monthly, and have a prosperous month.

Chris Holman

		Chris Holman Publisher