‘Amateurish responses’

‘Amateurish responses’

Leslie Susser has good reason to be critical of Israeli PR in the July 9 issue.The images projected by its enemies capture world attention, and Israel flounders belatedly trying to catch up.

Some of the best PR practitioners are Jewish, but they do not seem to work for Israel. The answer may simply be that companies run by engineers treat PR as a needless expense, while companies that rely on consumer acceptance of retail brands treat PR as a vital practice. Generals are engineers and their mindset runs Israel. Thus Israel makes belated, amateurish responses to crises.

For example, Israel knew about the Mavi Marmara long before it set sail, but launched no pre-emptive program weeks ahead to demonize it as a terrorist action. The emphasis was not on PR but military action. So Israel was demonized instead. It won the skirmish and lost the battle.

comments