- Image by jmtimages via Flickr
Considering the recent slipping of his approval rating, what should President Barack Obama do to gain favorable support once again from the public via marketing, advertising, social media and PR? Should President Obama make the media and talk show rounds again? Will this help or hurt? Is this just a natural political cycle? What would you do? Well, I received a blogger outreach email pitch from Lauren Bishop over at 5W Public Relations and her boss, 5W CEO, Ronn Torossian, thinks he has the answer:
“Right now the American people are not interested in seeing the president on The Today Show, Jay Leno or YouTube and tweeting. By now they understand he is a “hip” president who is in touch with the public, and it’s time for substance. We are in the midst of a horrible economic recession, and people voted Obama in as the leader of our country to implement effective changes—not to sing and dance. As things heat up with the healthcare plan the administration is looking to pass, it will be critical for Obama to speak to the American people about the topic in a concise and clear manner that addresses any fears,” said Torossian. “Once people see that Obama is someone they can trust to make decisions that will benefit their lives in a positive manner, it is likely his approval rate will increase again.”
Here’s the context, from the mouth of 5w PR:
Love him or hate him…you can’t ignore the numbers. And the numbers right now indicate that people may be jumping off the Obama bandwagon. With the focus right now on an uncertain healthcare plan that the Obama administration is adamant about passing, many have been wondering where the plan will leave them standing in their times of need. According to the Gallop poll on August 12th more Americans disapprove (49 percent) than approve of the bill (43 percent). And if that isn’t a wake-up call for the president who had at one point one of the highest approval rates of presidential history, then the fact that Mr. Obama’s overall approval rate is at its all time low at 47 percent as of August 13th might be.
So with the facts and figures singing a somewhat melancholy tune for the president who simply had to smile to win people over, what is next? How does the President gain favorable support again? Will a media relations tour help the president or do people simply want to see him come through on his promises and not so much on their TVs over and over again?
Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independent PR firms in the U.S. who has worked extensively with various political figures and programs, believes it is time the president flies a bit under the radar and focuses more on the programs he originally promised.
To me, this is all very strange. How often does one receive such a thing from the CEO of one of the largest indy PR firms? Well, you have to admit it, this sort of thing does require a lot of chutzpah. I admire chutzpah because I like to think that it is something I like to foster in myself and in my team at Abraham Harrison.
