By Brian Russell
I chose Guerrilla P.R. 2.0 by Michael Levine. Levine, is the founder of one of the most prominent entertainment P.R. firms, and has been called “ one of Hollywood’s brightest and most respected executives” by USA Today. I think the book is very practical for people who are on a budget (which is a great number of people in today’s economy) that need to still carry out an effective public relations campaign. The book gives the definition of ethics as the following : “ Ethics constitute the unwritten and unenforceable laws that allow us to get along with one another.”
The book goes on to explain public relations in the most simplest form, and helps people understand the basics of our field. This is a great guide for people who would manage their own small business or non-profit to get a campaign off the ground. The best advice that is given for ethics is, never deliberately lie. This sounds pretty self explanatory, but Levine elaborated in a small list that everybody should follow:
The book goes on to explain public relations in the most simplest form, and helps people understand the basics of our field. This is a great guide for people who would manage their own small business or non-profit to get a campaign off the ground. The best advice that is given for ethics is, never deliberately lie. This sounds pretty self explanatory, but Levine elaborated in a small list that everybody should follow:
- Do not make a promise that you know you can’t keep.
- Do not fabricate anything about your project that you cannot in some way substantiate.
- Do not mislead the media about any of the central merits and attributes of your project.
- Do any of these, and, as they say in the movies, you’ll never work in this town again.
This list does a great job of summarizing the do’s and don’ts if you want your campaign to be taken seriously. If you begin to burn bridges in this business, it will catch up with you quickly. By not following these rules your credibility will be eliminated, and most likely your campaign will be in the same boat as you are in. It’s easy to think that most people have good ethics, but it is always tempting to take a shortcut and fall off the deep end. I believe the people who have read this book will know the consequences that it can do for not only yourself but also the campaign.
- Do not fabricate anything about your project that you cannot in some way substantiate.
- Do not mislead the media about any of the central merits and attributes of your project.
- Do any of these, and, as they say in the movies, you’ll never work in this town again.
This list does a great job of summarizing the do’s and don’ts if you want your campaign to be taken seriously. If you begin to burn bridges in this business, it will catch up with you quickly. By not following these rules your credibility will be eliminated, and most likely your campaign will be in the same boat as you are in. It’s easy to think that most people have good ethics, but it is always tempting to take a shortcut and fall off the deep end. I believe the people who have read this book will know the consequences that it can do for not only yourself but also the campaign.
