The Perfect information storm

As a TV news junkie, I find it interesting that there seem to be two main subjects dominating the talking heads. The first is what ever celebrity has had a break down, been arrested, etc. The second is the messages regarding the economy. While we can always argue from a political perspective how good or bad it is, the way the message is being delivered is fascinating from a messaging and marketing perspective.

For one thing, the message is being disseminated by various talking heads, each representing not just their own point of view, but also the respective investment house or research institute they work for. This leads to a massive amount of confusing and often contradictory information being passed out. It is not uncommon on CNBC to see person A claim that things are great and the economy is finally on firm footing only have person B claim the exact polar opposite.

While I find this maddening to watch one person tell me that the sun out is a good sign and another tell me that the sun out will lead to more skin cancer it is an interesting view to communications theory. This is the perfect information storm. A lot of it confusing and often completely contradictory. This is where the Corporate Communications plate come into play.

Sadly, while many would like to live in a black and white world, the world is really built into shades of grey. But it is our job as communications professionals to offer the best counsel they possibly can. Yes that can offer mean offering unconventional advice.

Take for example the current year that the Boston Red Sox are having. They are out of running this year but as a true fan I can't say the season was a failure. Yes if you set the bar high (winning the pennant) then they aren't going to have a successful family. But if you look at over all performance, overcoming difficulties and adversity, I would argue they have had a very successful season.

The is much information circling the airwaves these days. In some respects the best talking head is combination of facts and information, but also preparation and skill by their own PR or corp comm people. The fact that a certain person's message is being repeated is a combination of both the right message, but also let's not forget the hard work and skill of the PR person behind the scenes doing the message development and pitching the speaker.