I found this recent CNN article interesting as it is basically making the same point I made a few days ago about Obama's messaging strategy and how it may be deeply flawed.
I also found Fareed Zakaria an interesting watch. You can watch the whole show on CNN.com (or right below).
Basically the point is that austerity does not instill confidence and that confidence is the key to getting out of this recession. Which is why I think Obama's blame game is a negative messaging strategy right now.
It's a basic chicken and egg scenario - businesses and people won't spend until businesses and people are spending.
What frustrates me with this entire recession / great recession / depression is how little PR is being used to restore confidence. It's almost like people are afraid to even try to restore confidence or make the case for confidence for fear that they sound optimistic and then storm clouds hit and they look incompetent.
So instead everyone takes a 'wait and see' attitude and basically sits on the sidelines from a messaging perspective.
Where is the spirit that made America great? The spirit that anything is possible? That no challenge is too big to be overcome? Where is Obama's "Yes We Can" spirit?
Although I'll give it to John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, he seems to still have that spirit. Chambers should step down as CEO of Cisco and go work for the President as "Chief Communications Officer on the Economic Recovery".
At the end of the day things aren't horrible. Companies have TONS of cash on their books just waiting to be spent on new hires (once their fear of deflation is gone). Consumers are saving and paying off debt, which will give them tons of spending capacity once they stop being afraid that the world is coming to an end.
So we are primed for businesses and people to start spending again... if only they had confidence.
And from my perspective, with the exception of a few guys like Chambers, no one is telling them that's it's ok to have confidence. Or if not confidence, it's at least ok to not fear that the world is coming to an end.
And since Chambers is unlikely to go work for the President in the short term, the White House should consider hiring some of Cisco's communications people, who know how to speak to stakeholder concerns in an effective way.
One last comment... while I enjoyed the CNN article, I don't know why they don't include video references with their stories. It's so easy to plunk in videos that help folks understand the story better (as I did with a couple of Ronald Regan videos). I suppose with deadlines though it adds another layer of work to writing a story.
I also found Fareed Zakaria an interesting watch. You can watch the whole show on CNN.com (or right below).
Basically the point is that austerity does not instill confidence and that confidence is the key to getting out of this recession. Which is why I think Obama's blame game is a negative messaging strategy right now.
It's a basic chicken and egg scenario - businesses and people won't spend until businesses and people are spending.
What frustrates me with this entire recession / great recession / depression is how little PR is being used to restore confidence. It's almost like people are afraid to even try to restore confidence or make the case for confidence for fear that they sound optimistic and then storm clouds hit and they look incompetent.
So instead everyone takes a 'wait and see' attitude and basically sits on the sidelines from a messaging perspective.
Where is the spirit that made America great? The spirit that anything is possible? That no challenge is too big to be overcome? Where is Obama's "Yes We Can" spirit?
Although I'll give it to John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, he seems to still have that spirit. Chambers should step down as CEO of Cisco and go work for the President as "Chief Communications Officer on the Economic Recovery".
At the end of the day things aren't horrible. Companies have TONS of cash on their books just waiting to be spent on new hires (once their fear of deflation is gone). Consumers are saving and paying off debt, which will give them tons of spending capacity once they stop being afraid that the world is coming to an end.
So we are primed for businesses and people to start spending again... if only they had confidence.
And from my perspective, with the exception of a few guys like Chambers, no one is telling them that's it's ok to have confidence. Or if not confidence, it's at least ok to not fear that the world is coming to an end.
And since Chambers is unlikely to go work for the President in the short term, the White House should consider hiring some of Cisco's communications people, who know how to speak to stakeholder concerns in an effective way.
One last comment... while I enjoyed the CNN article, I don't know why they don't include video references with their stories. It's so easy to plunk in videos that help folks understand the story better (as I did with a couple of Ronald Regan videos). I suppose with deadlines though it adds another layer of work to writing a story.
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