Most annoying PR flak EVER
By Tony Hicks
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 at 3:20 pm in Uncategorized.
So Channel 7′s Dan Noyes was doing a story on allegations that Laguna Honda administrator’s used money that was gifted to patients for catered meals and flights, among other allegations. That’s not very fun. What is fun, however, is Laguna Honda’s annoying PR guy, Marc Slavin, trying to divert Noyes from talking to hospital director Mivic Hirose.
I admit the PR guy’s job is to deal with the press, but instead of talking to Noyes like he’s a child and repeatedly touching him when Noyes repeatedly asks him not to, maybe Slavin should’ve done what a good flak would’ve done: make a deal to get him a statement after the meeting, or at least a few minutes with the director, after the hospital folks can circle the wagons and get their stories straight. Noyes is sort of annoying as well, but he’s got a point: don’t touch strangers and don’t touch people’s cameras.
A colleague asked me what I would’ve done if I was Noyes. I have a feeling I would’ve knocked the guy’s arm away long before Noyes did. Or pulled out my flamethrower and let him have it.
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May 29th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
man! what is wrong with this pr guy? it’s as though he *can’t* stop touching! he’s actually lucky the tv guy was as controlled as he was, especially after he started man-handling the camera woman and the camera. this was *so* unprofessional
May 29th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
What an idiot PR flack! I hope that Slavin got fired! What an idiot!
I am afraid that I, too, would have knocked his arm off me and maybe done worse.
It makes you wonder what the hell this hospital was hiding. I’m guessing, lots!
May 30th, 2010 at 6:22 am
I am amazed the reporter didn’t turn around and deck the PR guy on the way out, when PR guy touched him AGAIN, REPEATEDLY on the shoulder. But I am glad the reporter did not lose his self-control that way. This is a total win for the reporter. The PR guy behaved like a complete ass. He did not protect his company; on the contrary, his behavior likely served to verify suspicions. I wish the reporter had made good on his threat to call the police. The PR guy’s behavior was harassment, and it should not be tolerated.
May 30th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Wow! how can one person be so clueless AND annoying?!?
He’s like a character from “The Office”.
He’s really incredible. there’s one government position that could be harmlessly un-filled.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:31 am
Yikes! This guy has got to be the most stupid PR guy EVER! I have been a flak for over a decade, and I wouldn’t dream of doing something like that. He should be hoping this vid doesn’t go viral because he will never work again. I actually looked him up on LinkedIn, and found that he is still employed by the same company.
Lastly, I have to hand Noyes a lot of credit for not up and punching his ass out. I would not have exercised that level of restraint.
June 1st, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Any time you send out a release inviting media to your institution you are welcoming everyone in. If its during a bad time – you need to be doublely ready for just such an incident. Obviously this PR guy has never taken a crisis management course or worked with this reporter before. It’s all about relationship building and trust. This guy has a lot of damage control to do !!
June 1st, 2010 at 12:25 pm
This is so sad on so many fronts. Laguna Honda obviously hadn’t thought the meeting through in terms of ground rules for the public and for media access. The PR person obviously was frightened and didn’t have a clue how to handle the situation, so he reverted to being a parent, not a professional. He didn’t help the hospital plan the event, plan the messaging, plan for the media or plan for contingencies. As a result, what could have been a productive, open exchange of ideas deteriorated into a sideshow.
June 1st, 2010 at 3:31 pm
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June 3rd, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Unfortunately, there are good and bad PR people as well as reporters. However, this is one of the worst examples that I have ever seen of mis-handled media relations. Marc should be fired and we in the business should be ashamed that he considers himself a PR professional – he doesn’t even deserve to be called a flak — he’s just a flop.
June 4th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
I agree, it could have been handled much better.
But, it does appear to me that Noyes came in looking for a comment when Mivic Hirose wasn’t prepared to give one. You can’t always get what you want.
Perhaps Slavin was told by his bosses not to let Noyes speak with Hirose? Sometimes PR people have to play the role of the bad guy… it’s not a great part of the job, but it’s part of the job.
June 6th, 2010 at 6:30 am
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Where did this guy learn to practice PR anyway? This is wrong on so many levels, going well beyond “PR” to just plain respectful, professional behavior.
June 6th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Wow. Was that guy really that clueless? Forget the flamethrower. Think along the lines of
Ray Wershing and a fifty yarder to that guys cajones.
Read your column quite often and your viewpoints crack me up. Being similiar
in some ways like age and socioeconomics helps of course. Keep ip the food work
Tony.
June 10th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
The PR guy needs a new job — say in car sales! and the director needs media training immediately.