Needed: More news releases that don't take themselves too seriously

Posted by on May 27, 2009 in Marketing Industry | 3 comments

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, posing with some nice palm trees

All too rare, an exceptionally well-written news release is something this writer truly appreciates. It’s not just enough for an inspired PR pro to have an idea that’ll take the piece he needs to write from “poo” to “powerful.” He needs to work that piece through his colleagues’ and supervisors’ revisions and contributions — not to mention their apprehensions and their own “wonderful” ideas. As if that weren’t enough, the legal department looms dangerously close to the end of most approval processes.

When Ford found its 2010 Fusion Hybrid on the receiving end of some rumors circulating via e-mail — specifically, that the car could be had for only $15,000 via a special program — creativity kicked in faster than full-on crisis communications. For the better, I believe.

Now surely, this news release isn’t the most free-spirited, humorous or irreverent we’ve seen, but it’s a great example of maintaining a very reasonable, very human tone in a less than ideal situation. This release certainly could have been a straight-laced, by-the-book chunk legalese. You know, play it safe and whatnot.

Instead, Ford took the opportunity to convey a hint of personality — and to drive home a few key messages, to boot. Well played.

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company via Flickr

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  • http://www.howdoesshe.blogspot.com Stephanie

    Suddenly working in internal public relations for Ford seems like the best job in the world.

    It’s not trying to be news, its tone isn’t “carefully crafted,” it’s not heavy with talking points and keywords. It’s beautiful!

  • Todd Nissen

    As the author of this release, I wanted to send a belated thanks for this note. We knew we had to get something out quick, and the more I thought about it, this seemed like the right opportunity to damn-the-bureacracy and do something on the lighter side. Thanks for noticing.

  • http://www.fasthorseinc.com Mike Keliher

    Thanks for stopping by, Todd. Again, kudos to you and your team for putting quality before tradition.

    I’m sure you recognize that this much more human approach to writing “corrective” news releases has an impact far beyond effectively communicating the releases’ messages; it conveys something important about the company doing the communicating. Well done.