Obama and Putin – Who had the better PR team?

We have been reading more and more about the situation in Syria, and the Russian and American take on it. With the issue at hand being analyzed and reanalyzed by innumerable experts there is nothing I can say that has not been said before. But from a public relations standpoint there is definitely something I can contribute that may put some things in new perspective.

Obama addressed the issue by doing what he does best, orating. And Putin reached out to the Americans through an unconventional op-ed in The New York Times. Both ideas worked by gaining the attention of the people but the effect it had on them is debatable.

Obama's speech conveyed to the audience what they already knew. He did not give them a clear cut solution nor did he take a stance, which he should have done. It sounded more like he was trying to justify his previous stance of going on a military strike and at the same time convince the public that the new peaceful solution was indeed for the better. If I were in Obama's PR team, I would have made complete use of his oratory power and would have crafted a message that would state clearly the future course of action while explicitly stating why. Though Obama's quotes and facts were exemplarily put forward, it could not hide or make up for the lack of decisiveness. It is disappointing that the PR team did not use this opportunity to Obama's best advantage.

On the other hand, Putin's piece was well crafted but came across as being very rigid and inflexible. It sounded more like an ultimatum rather than the plea that it was supposed to be. While addressing another nation on a sensitive matter it is always best not to sound dictatorial, especially when peace is being propagated. But it was a very smart PR move to run the op-ed and make people aware of Russia's peaceful stance as opposed to Obama's less-than-peaceful proposition.

The purpose of both the messages was to convince the people. Putin knew that more than 60 percent of the American population preferred a peaceful solution and his PR team made use of that while addressing the people. According to me, Putin's PR team did a better job than Obama's. Though it had its fair share of foot-in-the-mouth moments, it accomplished its goal of sending out a strong message. As future PR practitioners we are expected to leverage facts that would benefit our client and that is what Putin's PR team did.

I am not taking sides nor am I criticizing people. All I am doing is exercising my First Amendment rights for the benefit of PR.