The hallmark of a good campaign is that it spurs public discourse on a particular subject. In this sense, the #SayaPancasila campaign can be said to be successful, if the preponderance of the hashtag and profile pictures bering the message on social media are concerned. Effective public discourse, however, exists when there are differences of…
Category: Persuasion
Making war with unreason
This is something I wrote for the Maverick blog. I hope PR professionals will find it useful. How to Battle the Forces of Unreason How many of you PR consultants, facing a client in a crisis-like situation, are asked to highlight he good deeds they have done, their CSR commitments, the amount of taxes they’ve…
Najib’s March of Folly
In 1985 Pulitzer prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman wrote the book The March of Folly which was a fascinating study of why leaders from Troy to Vietnam acted against their own self-interest. If she were updating the book today, Unspun thinks she would certainly consider not only adding Malaysian Premier Najib Razak but perhaps promote him…
The Buzz about Buzzers in Indonesia
So here we have it, the widespread use of buzzers in Indonesia to push the products or brands of companies. The questions marketers need to ask before they embark on their next foray with buzzers are these: What competitive advantage is there for their brand when their competitors are all also doing the same –…
Najib and the PSYchology of BN persuasion
Unspun mudik-ed to his kampung in Malaysia for the Chinese New Year and was tickled pink by the desperate efforts of the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s attempt to shore up his support among the Chinese community for the upcoming national elections that must be held in the first half of this year. The…
The uncreative PR industry
Last month Unspun was speaking at the International PR Summit in Bali. The talk was entitled was “Sleeping with the Enemy” where essentially Unspun lamented how the Advertising Industry — in defiance of Al Reis’s prediction about The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR — has not only checked its fall but have…
What is the end game for all social media investments?
Unspun was conducting a social media workshop recently when the topic settled on KPIs – Key Performance Indicators. The answer was simple but I could tell it was unsatisfying to the audience: it depends. The audience wanted definite answers to tell them when they were getting their money’s worth if they poured money and resources…
Why Fauzi is being Foked on social media by the Jokowi crowd
The video below that is well produced and catchy with a huge dose of humor is yet another reason why the incumbent Jakarta Mayor Fauzi Bowo is losing out big time in the popularity stakes to challenger Jokowi and his running mate Ahok. Joakowi supporters and his camp are proving very adept at using social…
The Jakarta Globe mounts a defensive commentary on its Lady Gaga editorial
Thank God and the FPI for democracy. Because of them the Jakarta Globe could show its true colors on where it sits where freedom of speech and taking a strong stand on sensitive issues are concerned. Today it took an unusual step in penning a commentary on its controversial Lady Gaga editorial that resulted in…
Malaysian Police solving wrong problems precisely with Bersih 3.0 video
Watching the Bersih 3.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur from a distance and following it on social media, Unspun was struck by the efficiency of the Malaysian police in the use of video and YouTube. It was first very quick off the block in airing the video of the “attacked” and upturned Police car, providing “visual…
SBY’s say-nothing News Conference
Why does anyone or any organization call a news conference in the first place, instead of merely sending out a news release? The reason for calling a news conference, for most people who are media savvy, will be that it gives the spokesperson the chance to deliver his messages effectively and to be able to…
Raised by lesbians – and what’s that got to do with the price of fish?
Anyone would be proud to have a kid like Zach Wahls. And he was speaking in defense of the right of his parents to marry legally. His parents who raised him are lesbians.
