Tesla Killed Its PR Department. Here Are 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't.
Fast Company and other media outlets wrote the epitaph for Tesla’s PR Department this week. But the reality was an official death certificate for a communications program that had been missing since at least December, when Keely Sulprizio, the last known person responsible for communications left the automaker.
Signs of life—like press inquiry responses—had not been seen in months. The rest of Tesla’s PR team moved to other jobs inside and outside of Tesla. It was time to declare it dead.
Survivors include the investor relations department and claims of unfair negative media coverage by founder Elon Musk (the guy who now has to ask a securities attorney for permission before tweeting anything “material” about the company.
Musk, the one who claimed he alone (not that “Pedo-guy”) could save the Thai children stuck in a mine and that his truck’s windows were bulletproof. The one who tweeted that he deleted his Twitter account (only to tweet hours later). The one who named his child a collection of unpronounceable letters and symbols that he tweaked days later (Speculation suggested that the first choice ran afoul of California law).
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) issued a statement that called the move “alarming” and that it sets a dangerous precedent for blocking the continued flow of information from one of the world’s most influential companies.
But the reality is that Tesla has never been great at public relations. For all of the company’s brilliance, there could always be an “idiocy squared” moment just around the corner.
So it might not change much from the current state of Musk using his Twitter feed as his own press conference, eliminating barriers between him and his public, the primary one being media which he believes is unfair.
Reasonable for him? Arguably. Precedent setting? Probably not.
Even if you earnestly believe your company is the next Tesla, you should not kill your PR department any time soon.
5 Reasons Why You Need a PR Team or Agency
You’re not Elon Musk. (You Need PR for visibility.)
Before Elon Musk could make news for anything, from his questionable opinions about COVID-19 to his bad rap song (But RIP anyway, Harambe), he was a bright kid who was nonetheless bullied in school and a college graduate who couldn’t get Netscape to call him back about his resume. If that Elon had tweeted about his latest invention, neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor the media would have noticed.
That’s where public relations comes in, to build awareness for your brand and to tie your brand’s story into relevant trends and topics covered by the media.
Elon Musk as a person is his own PR department. There’s certainly an argument to be said for shock value shenanigans, and indeed his stunts have made him a household name. But you are not Elon Musk and you can’t afford not having someone do public relations work for you.
You need PR to time your announcements.
Elon Musk’s name can get the media to pivot and cover whatever he’s doing or saying. In fact, if I were timing an announcement of bad news, nothing would be better than announcing sad news when I know that Tesla or Elon is about to announce something notable or notorious.
And that’s why you need a PR expert to help you time your releases and stories when they will get maximum (or minimum) exposure.
You need PR to control the narrative.
Despite Elon Musk’s claims of biased media, in general, the media has been quite good to him. What’s been lacking is a solid PR strategy and a sense that he doesn’t “need the media” because he’s Elon Musk.
By contrast, a PR pro helps you refine your messaging to meet the objectives of what you’re trying to communicate with various audiences. Strategic PR maximizes the positives and minimizes the negatives for your brand. It also considers how your messages are perceived in the competitive landscape, and adjusts accordingly. Need the target audience to act in a specific way (go to your website, rush to the store to buy your new product, whatever it is)? PR solves for that too, working with the media to emphasize the most important calls to action.
You need PR to mitigate crises and confusion.
Elon Musk seems to thrive on crises. Whether it’s a fatal crash with a self-driven car, a libel lawsuit, or deliberate disregard for his state’s health mandates, Musk runs toward controversy as a PR strategy. Even though his business is successful, don’t treat his approach as a best practice.
Not all news is good news, especially in a social-media-driven world where a story can live on forever in Facebook feeds and web searches. But PR anticipates crises and confusion, preparing proactively and responding immediately to protect your brand’s reputation in the community and marketplace.
You need PR to maintain credibility and relationships
As a life-long news junkie, I’ve always been a fan of the media. Elon Musk is not. But at what point did this symbiotic relationship fall apart? Generally, people seem to have an affinity for building someone up only to tear them down. But could the real reason lie with Musk’s media relationships souring?
A PR Pro ensures that you maintain credibility and positive juju with journalists by supplying accurate information and media assets (like images and video) to reporters when they need it. With a solid PR program, you will send out timely information that adds value to what the media is reporting. Over time, consistency and quality will earn you credibility with reporters, and thus the public.
Journalists are people, too. It’s not hard. Except maybe for Elon, bless his heart.
If you’re looking for a PR team, let’s chat.
