We write press releases for a living and love them. But sometimes there’s just no need to go public. You’d imagine someone in the organisation would hold up their hand and say ‘no’, but so often they don’t.
The egotist’s press release
Take this example of self-inflation. The wealthy founder of US payday loans company, Allan Jones of Check Into Cash, issued a press release about his attendance at a charity auction. Star item was a tractor once owned by TV personality Jay Leno, which sold for over half a million dollars.
But in the release it stated, “Jones eventually pushed up the bidding on the tractor to $535,000 before declining to move forward.” So he never actually bought it. In fact it turns out he never bought anything at the auction.
His bragging backfired because a popular blogger got wind of the release and hit back at Jones.
The less isn’t more press release
You can sometimes say too little rather than too much.
An American retail giant was guilty of sending out a post-Christmas press release with too little information. In January 2014 it sent out a release with just three sentences, and no financial figures, with the headline: JC Penney Company Inc Comments on Holiday Performance. On the strength of what’s not said being more important than what is said, analysts and investors scratched their heads and sold stock – sending the company’s shareprice down by 8%!
Here’s the glorious release in full:
| J. C. Penney Company, Inc. Comments on Holiday Performance |
| PLANO, TX — (Jan. 8, 2014) — JCPenney reported today that the Company is pleased with its performance for the holiday period, showing continued progress in its turnaround efforts. Customers responded well to the Company’s offerings this holiday shopping season, both in store and online.JCPenney also reaffirmed its outlook for the fourth quarter of 2013, as previously set out in the Company’s third quarter earnings release dated Nov. 20, 2013. |
The insensitive press release
Choosing the right words can also be an issue when writing a sensitive press release.
After an air crash on approach to Laos airport, an airline released information that stated there had been an “unexpected turn of events for the passengers of flight QV-301”, after the aircraft reportedly went into the Mekong River. This was something of an understatement.
The airline official later confirmed all 49 people on board were killed.
The stunt press release
Then let’s think about why you’re sending a release.
In 2011 teen clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch issued a press release with the obscure heading, “Abercrombie & Fitch proposes a win-win situation”. In the two-paragraph release, which can be found on Reuters among other news sites, the company reported that it had offered “compensation” to a star of an MTV show to cease wearing their products.
The word ‘situation’ is an ape of the character’s catch phrase, and they had also released a T shirt with ‘The Fitchuation’ emblazoned on it.
The publicity stunt backfired when admitting a negative association led to a massive slump of 9% in the company’s share price. But the stunt took threatened to be much worse when the actor, Mike Sorrentino, issued a $4m lawsuit to the company. In the process he revealed that the compensation offered was just $10,000.
However a Florida judge found in favour of Abercrombie & Fitch, saying they had a fair use right to make fun of Sorrentino in a press release. Perhaps Sorrentino should have taken the cash, as in 2014 he was charged with $9m tax evasion.
The no news press release
And then there’s sending out a press release for the sake of sending out a press release, like this one, issued from the Bahrain high command. In it King of Bahrain thanks his Prime Minister for sending him… a thank you.
It’s really not news, on any level, and here’s how they put it:
Manama, April 26 (BNA) — His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa sent a cable of thanks to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in response to HRH’s cable of congratulations to HM on the success of the Bahrain Grand Prix Race.
The desperate press release
Stepping back to 1994, a US senator released this ‘brief’ press release:
STATEMENT OF SEN. HOWELL HEFLIN
HANDKERCHIEF
JULY 19, 1994
I mistakenly picked up a pair of my wife’s white panties and put them in my pocket while I was rushing out the door to go to work.
Rather than take a chance on being embarrassed again, I’m going to start buying colored handkerchiefs.
Why, you ask, would someone release that sort of information? Well the Senator was dining with some Alabama journalists when he reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and wiped his nose with some ladies panties.
If you’re going to make such a mistake, don’t do it when you’re sat with story-hungry hacks…