Palin: Marketing Genius or Public Spectacle

One of the questions that arise from the barrage of media attention Sarah Palin is getting for her book, Going Rogue, is whether she is a media clown or a PR genius.  Most of the political ilk would love to command the media attention that she is getting (although many from both sides of the political spectrum will tell you how they would make better use of that attention.) Meanwhile many in the general public don't know quite to make of the former governor.  Nevertheless, they eagerly watch every video clip and read every news story that has her name in the headline. 

I have to confess that I am of two minds on the subject of Governor Palin's publicity.  Few in the public eye can generate the meda attention that Gov. Palin has, especially with virtually no specific objective other than to sell her book (and the persisitant question of whether she is auditioning for Obama's job or Oprah's?)  She seems to have mastered the ability to generate the viral soundbite or videoclip.  Both get passed around with fervor and passion by supporters and detracotors alike.  Nevertheless, it seems to me that her media attenition has a definate half-life.  Since so much of her book and the subsequent press is about past events and her response to those past events, there is little substance left for a second or third act. 

Like Governor Palin, if your company or organization wants a sustainable media presence, you need a couple of things.  First, like Gov. Palin, it is helpful to have some element (a reputation, a product, an event, a leader) that captures the attention of the public and (perhaps more importantly) the meida.  Second, you need to have a message or a story that you share.  If your story, like Gov. Palin's, is focused primarily on the past, (here's what we've done, these are the awards we've won, etc.) the attention you generate will be short-lived.  However, if you focus on the future (this is what we are going to do for you, Mr. Customer) then the media "buzz" you generate will have some life to it.  That is the marketing difference between Going Rogue and The Audacity of Hope.  The first looks backward and the second looks forward.