Paul Graham on PR

ralejs writes "Paul Graham takes on PR. From the article:'Why do the media keep running stories saying suits are back? Because PR firms tell them to. One of the most surprising things I discovered during my brief business career was the existence of the PR industry, lurking like a huge, quiet submarine beneath the news. Of the stories you read in traditional media that aren't about politics, crimes, or disasters, more than half probably come from PR firms.' As always, it's an interesting, surprising and slightly provoking read."

Comments

Yeah, suits are back....

[bhsx]

Lawsuits!

I'm confused

[youknowmewell]

When did suits leave? Why'd they leave? And what kind of suits are we speaking of (business, swimming, wet)? Because if swim suits left, I wish someone would have told me.

Submarine?

[Anonymous Coward]

...the existence of the PR industry, lurking like a huge, quiet submarine beneath the news.

This is good analogy, as I suspect that most PR reps (both male and female) are quite adept at looking after the parts of clients that are long, hard and full of seamen.

Finally

[JPelorat]

A topic that the Slashdot editors are intimately familar with!

My experience

[Neil Blender]

My favorite quote from our ex PR firm: "That is what they said, now I am going to tell you what they meant."

This was in response to a focus group clearly stating they did not like something and the PR people were trying to spin it to positive. I never listened to them again.

Re:PaulGrahamDot

[0x461FAB0BD7D2]

Actually, Paul Graham just told the submitter to run that story. This article is a "press hit."

It was all a show of how PR can still work in the anarchistic WWW.

Re:PaulGrahamDot

[SeventyBang]

I'll tie it to the tech community.

About eighteen months ago, I was being fitted for a new suit for a friend of the family's wedding at the Men's Wearhouse. When they found out what I did for a living - and the fact I got to lounge about at work in golf shorts, jean shorts, and sandals (which is how I went in there), they pointed out that the tech industry was reponsible for the lack of professionalism in the business community and the dot-com bubble bursting was one of the best things which could have happened because the "geeks & nerds" wouldn't have as much leverage as to where they worked or what the dress code would be (because things would have to loosen up to acquire adequate talent).

My response? "You mean you have less business because we can wear the same type of clothing at any hour of the day - we don't have a set of work clothes and non-work clothes; and if we had to wear suits, we'd have to drive a lot more business suits your direction, right? And on top of that, we don't even have to take everything to the dry cleaners, either. Do a wash and we're ready to go."

----- daggers emitted from their eyeballs -----

The suit: nicely done.
The looks on their faces: priceless.

Obligatory Bill Hicks Quote

[spun]

Okay, it's about marketing, not PR, but it fits:

"By the way if anyone here is in advertising or marketing... kill yourself. No, no, no it's just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day, they'll take root - I don't know. You try, you do what you can. Kill yourself. Seriously though, if you are, do. Aaah, no really, there's no rationalisation for what you do and you are Satan's little helpers, Okay - kill yourself - seriously. You are the ruiner of all things good, seriously. No this is not a joke, you're going, "there's going to be a joke coming," there's no fucking joke coming. You are Satan's spawn filling the world with bile and garbage. You are fucked and you are fucking us. Kill yourself. It's the only way to save your fucking soul, kill yourself. Planting seeds. I know all the marketing people are going, "he's doing a joke... there's no joke here whatsoever. Suck a tail-pipe, fucking hang yourself, borrow a gun from a Yank friend - I don't care how you do it. Rid the world of your evil fucking machinations. I know what all the marketing people are thinking right now too, "Oh, you know what Bill's doing, he's going for that anti-marketing dollar. That's a good market, he's very smart." Oh man, I am not doing that. You fucking evil scumbags! "Ooh, you know what Bill's doing now, he's going for the righteous indignation dollar. That's a big dollar. A lot of people are feeling that indignation. We've done research - huge market. He's doing a good thing." Godammit, I'm not doing that, you scum-bags!

Quit putting a godamm dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet!

"Ooh, the anger dollar. Huge. Huge in times of recession. Giant market, Bill's very bright to do that." God, I'm just caught in a fucking web! "Ooh the trapped dollar, big dollar, huge dollar. Good market - look at our research. We see that many people feel trapped. If we play to that and then separate them into the trapped dollar..." How do you live like that? And I bet you sleep like fucking babies at night, don't you?"