I shared this with a fellow PR colleague, who then sent it onto someone who is blogging about the beer summit. Thought I’d put in my two cents:
I think the whole scene was not about diffusing racial profiling opinions. True, there was discussion on the subject, but ultimately, Americans and the press were more concerned with the types of beer the men drank and the silver bowls that held the beer pretzels. This leads me to think that the beer summit was more of a PR stunt than anything (and I hate using the word “stunt”). With Pew Research showing a drop in Obama’s job approval rating by 7 percent (according to the Times), Obama’s public relations gurus knew they needed to do something to instill more into the citizen image of the man who is to give the nation “hope”. (These are not completely telling statistics in my view, since the AP also said Obama’s approval rating jumped up 11 percent among minorities just prior to the summit). I voted for Obama, but I think that this type of summit may not have been the most prudent use of press time. Any old day, a handful of men can sit around brews and discuss an issue, but it’s best to actually make sure the issue’s message rings out clear, not the fact that Obama chose Bud Light and Biden had a non-alcoholic brew. I think more reactions came from the national beer brewers than any other group, wishing more of the chosen beer had been American-made. But if Crowley wanted Blue Moon, why should he choose anything else? If I am at an event and I would like a glass of Moscato that is made in Italy and not from the local Iowa wineries, why should I choose otherwise? It's too much celebrity concern and not enough about the issues. But props to Obama for trying something and at least getting out there.
I think the whole scene was not about diffusing racial profiling opinions. True, there was discussion on the subject, but ultimately, Americans and the press were more concerned with the types of beer the men drank and the silver bowls that held the beer pretzels. This leads me to think that the beer summit was more of a PR stunt than anything (and I hate using the word “stunt”). With Pew Research showing a drop in Obama’s job approval rating by 7 percent (according to the Times), Obama’s public relations gurus knew they needed to do something to instill more into the citizen image of the man who is to give the nation “hope”. (These are not completely telling statistics in my view, since the AP also said Obama’s approval rating jumped up 11 percent among minorities just prior to the summit). I voted for Obama, but I think that this type of summit may not have been the most prudent use of press time. Any old day, a handful of men can sit around brews and discuss an issue, but it’s best to actually make sure the issue’s message rings out clear, not the fact that Obama chose Bud Light and Biden had a non-alcoholic brew. I think more reactions came from the national beer brewers than any other group, wishing more of the chosen beer had been American-made. But if Crowley wanted Blue Moon, why should he choose anything else? If I am at an event and I would like a glass of Moscato that is made in Italy and not from the local Iowa wineries, why should I choose otherwise? It's too much celebrity concern and not enough about the issues. But props to Obama for trying something and at least getting out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment