The DSK affair in New York has led to much soul searching in the French media. In particular, about their attitude towards DSK and his well-known attitude to women but more generally about lack of exposure of what some French female commentators are saying was a macho culture in the French political class generally.
At the same time, the French media have turned on the PR team behind Dominic Strauss-Kahn and have explored in detail their tactics in managing the DSK brand - a very powerful one in French politics which could have well led to him becoming the next French President before the brand and his career came to a grinding halt in the Sofitel hotel in New York. If the reports are accurate, then the model of PR adopted by his team was a classic example of command and control, similar to the Campbell/Blair model in the early years of New Labour.
DSK was advised by a small team of top PR advisers operating out of one of the top French and international communications operations, Euro-RSCG in Paris. The same people are also advisors to many of leading French organisations and individuals. Of course in the French language, the term PR or "relations publique" is hardly ever used; it is communications or com for short reflecting the strong influence of marketing and advertising in the development of PR in the French market.
The history of "command and control" as a PR tactic in any country is it seems reassuringly effective in the early days but when it fails, as fail it will, it tends to crash with spectacular results. In an era of social media, organisations, leaders and brands need to understand that the give and take of comments, compliments and criticisms is part of the process of operating in a global market. It is part of the "licence to operate" which any politician and organisation needs to gain from what is seen to be an equitable or in Grunigian terms a symmetrical relationship with stakeholders and society. PR practitioners need to encourage organisations to participate in this process not to try to hide away or control the flow of communications as in the case of DSK and the PR team behind his rise and fall.
DSK was advised by a small team of top PR advisers operating out of one of the top French and international communications operations, Euro-RSCG in Paris. The same people are also advisors to many of leading French organisations and individuals. Of course in the French language, the term PR or "relations publique" is hardly ever used; it is communications or com for short reflecting the strong influence of marketing and advertising in the development of PR in the French market.
The history of "command and control" as a PR tactic in any country is it seems reassuringly effective in the early days but when it fails, as fail it will, it tends to crash with spectacular results. In an era of social media, organisations, leaders and brands need to understand that the give and take of comments, compliments and criticisms is part of the process of operating in a global market. It is part of the "licence to operate" which any politician and organisation needs to gain from what is seen to be an equitable or in Grunigian terms a symmetrical relationship with stakeholders and society. PR practitioners need to encourage organisations to participate in this process not to try to hide away or control the flow of communications as in the case of DSK and the PR team behind his rise and fall.
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