On no other day is public relations so closely linked to the presidential circle than on Inauguration Day. The Inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, was no exception. Come to think of it, the five days prior to January 20 were not an exception either.
I find it somewhat amusing that this country is going through a recessional period, but we still have millions of dollars to welcome our new President into office. I ask you, what would have been wrong with just swearing Obama in on the National Mall and throwing one inaugural ball in his honor? Was it really necessary to hold 20 press conferences and 11 balls for the guy?
If you are a public relations specialist for the presidential team, you bet it is necessary! Inauguration Day is your bread and butter; it is what you’ve lived for since hitting the campaign trail with Obama almost a year ago.
All the speculation about what Michelle Obama would be wearing; all the insider information on what moving day in the White House looks like; the well planted “leaks” about the note that incumbent George W. Bush left for Obama in his desk; they are all carefully orchestrated to catch readers’ attention.
If you were to Live Search “Inauguration Day 2009,” thousands of links come up. The majority of those have to do with events that were coordinated throughout the day. There was the church service this morning, the actual swearing in at the National Mall, coffee with the Bush family, the limo ride, and appearances at several inaugural balls; all of which was hyped to the fullest.
The number of articles already written about this day, the hundreds that are still to come, and all the links popping up left and right are the proof that Obama’s PR team is a keeper. Without their organization, flair, know-how, and downright doggedness, this day would not be so well publicized.
Good journalism comes from good internal PR, no matter what topic is being discussed. It is our job as PR specialists to make the right things important. By that, I mean that if we place more importance on the attire of the President and First Lady than on what his inaugural address addressed, we have not done our job properly. Once the public’s attentions shift, it is difficult to get them back on track.
The PR team for Inauguration 2009 gets two thumbs up in my book. They helped to orchestrate one of the biggest days in the history of this country, and besides Senator Kennedy suffering a seizure at lunch, it went off without a hitch.
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I doubt the PR team could have done much about Senator Kennedy's illness. :)
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought process about how is it ok to spend millions on this whole pomp and circumstance when there are people losing their homes. However, I do see the need, especially in this particular transition of power, to make it a big deal and celebrate. Obviously, it was a big deal to the rest of the country. Look at all the people who flocked to the Mall to witness the historic event. The country needed an uplifting event, so it seems money well spent, even if most of the citizens weren't anywhere near the big parties.
I heard from a co-worker that for inagurational day, only 6 people missed work. And if one were to watch it on TV, they'd see the place just crowded... I just thought I'd bring that up because it just makes one think, what do all those other people do?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, onto the subject - Obama's PR's did do a great job at making January 20 the most memorable day in the history of presidents.
I understand that swearing the new President in is a big deal for our country, but I do think with the country in a recession we could have done a little less and save millions of dollars. I feel that we could have just had one press conference for him and the one ball. They are all the same thing and it is just a waste of money I think. We all would have still been able to watch the press conference on any channel anyway. I am not trying to take anything away from the President, I still feel it is a big deal, but we could have saved millions.
ReplyDeleteI am not one to watch the news and read up on what is going on within the presidency, so I did not know that notes were exchanged between the former president and president elect. I thought that the Bush leaving Washington news article was a very interesting article especially for me who doesn’t see the news and hear about how this goes on. I do think that it is a bit ridiculous that the president elect gets 20 press conferences and 11 balls, because he hasn’t proven anything to us yet, and until he does I don’t think we need to be spending money on a guy who hasn’t proven anything yet. When he proves himself I would be pleased to see him to a great farewell.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that this day was a PR person’s ultimate dream event. How incredible for this group / team to plan a week long series of events, photo opportunities and the train ride which was planned to emulate Lincoln’s train ride from IL to DC for his swearing in ceremony. Yet how so different! Lincoln took the train out of necessity Obama’s PR team rented a private train for publicity purposes.
ReplyDeleteWhat many people do not realize is that the PR team went beyond the big splash / events that we all saw on TV - there were PR people in the crowd of well wishers talking up the incoming president creating an electric atmosphere among the endless attendees.
These PR executives were good – they thought of everything!
this presidential inaguration was the most important of all in the history of the united states, aside from George Washington of course! i cant help but agree with everyone in that the PR professionals did a great job in making sure everyone in the country knew the importance of this event. you didnt have to look far to see coverage of the president being sworn in. to me it is incredible to imagine the amount of man power and planning to put something like this together.
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