Media-Savvy

While Barack Obama was in the midst of taking his bows for a brilliantly run campaign against the relentless Hillary Clinton, John McCain lobbed a smoke bomb into the Obama camp by inviting him to accompany McCain on a trip to visit the troops in Iraq. Talk about media savvy, this was the perfect “call out” that didn’t attack Obama with some insinuation about an association with an out of control preacher or playing up a former advisor’s contacts with a foreign government from the great white north. This was a pointed attack designed to embarrass the candidate and no amount of media coaching could save this hit.

First off, the invitation to accompany McCain, allowed the presumptive Republican candidate to highlight the fact that Obama hadn’t been to Iraq since 2006. Then the notion that their “joint” appearance would depoliticize the event, just added fuel to the fire. The image of the older, war veteran McCain standing next to a more slight, youthful Obama both reviewing and talking with the troops, would conjure images of John Kerry duck hunting or worse, Michael Dukakis riding around with his head sticking out of a tank.

So what did the Obama campaign do? They had to adopt a new media strategy on the subject. Number one, they rejected the “joint” trip. Then they had to admit that they are reviewing the prospects of a Summertime visit to that war torn country of their own. Either way you look at it, it was a “swiftboat” worthy McCain coup that was only disrupted by the annoying release of the Scott McClellan’s tell-all tome this week.

Teddy Roosevelt clearly didn’t need any media coaching and was famous for knowing value the “Bully Pulpit.” He knew instinctively that a single, powerful voice heard over an often confusing sea of disparate voices could more effectively persuade the masses. Somehow that lesson has been lost over time. The most recent wrangling between the current Democratic candidates involving surrogates to deliver inflammatory messages, shows a lack of media training on the part of the campaign advisers, and has only fueled the need to rethink the process of getting out one’s message. In particular, James Carville’s comments about Gov. Bill Richardson taking on the role of Judas, is the kind of statement that any seasoned political spokesperson should know will only stir the pot and make no one look good.

When you don’t speak with a single voice, that you learn in any session of media interview coaching, and you chose to use “snipers” to do your dirty work, you relinquish control of your message. Invariably you end up doing damage control anyway. Sure, it’s acceptable to have a formal spokesperson to deliver the company line, but they are empowered with your voice, so that there are no confusing signals.

Getting others to take the heat may seem like a good short term media strategy, but in the long run it can cripple your overall plan. The best way to stay on message is to speak with one clear voice, take the hits along with the platitudes.

Say what you will about the blatent stupidity of what Elliot Spitzer did in his private life, you have to admit that when it came to his media strategy for managing the story, he deserve high marks. With only a few days to process the collapse of his personal and private life, he stood before the media, made a short acknowledgement of his wrong doings and got off the stage without feeding the already out of control media frenzy by taking questions.

Today, in his follow-up act, that featured his continued apology to his family and the citizens of the State of New York as well as his irrevocable resignation from his position as Governor, he again took responsibility for his actions and moved on. He has obviously had some good media coaching over the years that’s resulted in his good use of the media to fuel his crusades, but when the white hot spotlight was turned on him, he put his ego aside was smart enough to only say what needed to, and then leave. People do dumb things, they should step aside, take their punishment, and let us all move on with our lives.