ideaLaunch Blog

Team Conan is in the Lead. Image from BittenandBound.com

In life and business, things are not always sunshine and lollipops (and if that’s news to you, I’d like to switch places with you for a week, please). While public relations is most frequently used to announce good, fun things like product launches and events, PR is also utilized to deal with tough issues.

As you’re probably aware, NBC has one of these tough issues on its hands: it has three evening variety shows and a schedule that’s not working well for anyone. To combat this, NBC suggested bumping everyone back – a move that greatly tests peoples’ interest and ability to keep their eyes open late enough to catch their favorite funny man (be it Leno, Conan or Fallon). Jay Leno agreed and NBC pressed Conan O’Brien for his response. It came this afternoon in the form of a public (aka PR) statement. I’ll let you read it for yourself:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Is that not a well-crafted statement or what? Here’s what you can learn about PR from this event and this statement:

• Online, news travels fast – and it travels quickest by people on social networks. Within an hour of the statement being sent to the “People of Earth” it was trending on Twitter feeds. For the most part, blogs were some of the first to carry it with online media coming in a close second. This is a chief reason why using an online news wire like ideaLaunch client, PRWeb, makes a lot of sense.
• Keep it sincere. One of the top complaints people have about official statements is that they sound as if they were crafted by a department (and they often are) rather than an individual. This release is Conan O’Brien through-and-through. The classic self-deprecating comment at the end seals it for anyone in doubt.
• Know your audience. This is important for all aspects of content marketing. Understand their issues (like not likely watching a late night program on Tivo) and communicate to them.
• Understand that it’s not all about you. While this was a statement from Conan about his participation in the NBC TV line-up, the point that is most driven home in this release is about the interests of the audience and the integrity of the show for their viewing pleasure. The concept of putting one’s ego to the side and speaking about what matters to the audience is something that every content marketer should remind themselves of.
• Nail down the facts. This statement reviews the situation and the history of The Tonight Show succinctly, giving the reader excellent context for the rationale behind his decision.
• Be a professional. Whining, name-calling and all-around bridge burning won’t get people on your side. Writing and acting with class always will.

With one, simple, well-crafted piece of PR writing, Conan O’Brien has a slew of “Team Conan” supporters that will likely follow him wherever he goes.

Tags: personal branding, public relations, writing tips

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 6:20 pm and is filed under Writers, handling a crisis, personal branding, pr in a crisis, public relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.