Mad Men: The Good/The Bad PR

The hit show Mad Men kicked off its fourth season with an episode entitled "Public Relations." Two main examples of public relations were shown to viewers; one good and one bad.

Let me begin with the bad. To publicize a client that sells ham in a can, Peggy, an advertising copywriter for Sterling Cooper Draper Price, decides to execute a publicity stunt where two actors are hired to fight over the last ham in a grocery store. It is hoped that a local newspaper will pick up the small story and publish it, providing publicity for the product. The plan turns into trouble when the two paid actors are actually arrested and held in jail. Peggy quietly bails them out of jail and pays them off to keep their mouths shut, which is more money than agreed upon at first because one of the actors ended up physically hurting the other.

When discussing the aftermath of the stunt with her superior Don Draper, who had not approved the idea, he is not happy. A member of the public could have been hurt or someone could find out that the incident was a cheap attempt at publicity. It is understood that if the public found out about the debacle, it would harm the image of the advertising agency and the client. They were lucky that when it was said and done, no media caught on to the negative side of this poor choice in PR maneuvers.

An example of good PR from the episode is when Don Draper is interviewed by a journalist from the Wall Street Journal. The new advertising agency Sterling Cooper Draper Price needs publicity to attract new clients and the creative genius that is Draper is renowned in the Madison Avenue advertising world and is the interest of journalists and the public alike.

Only the beginning of the interview is shown, but it is implied that it will go well, be printed in a positive light and be well received by readers. No fog or curtains, tricks or stunts. It is one professional being interviewed regarding the story of his new company.

The episode clearly shows that distasteful publicity stunts are not the way to go. To be successful, transparency and honesty are vital. It is just a television show of course, but ask any PR professional and I believe they will tend to agree.