Unforced Errors

Going a little shorter this week (if you prefer this length, let me know); below we have a successful reframing of the single most important technology of the last 50 years; and a buffoonish franchise punches themselves in the groin. Again.

Winner: OpenAI for some smart framing, but also, Axios for furthering its position as the outlet of record for serious, policy-forward storytelling. This week, Axios got the exclusive on OpenAI bringing Clinton/Gore and AirBnB veteran Chris Lehane on board as VP of Public Works. Neither of these things is surprising; Lehane has been consulting for OpenAI for some time, and the company has not shunned the spotlight. But two things jumped out at me about this -- 1) the positioning of OpenAI, and AI in general, as "critical infrastructure", aligned with America's economic and national security interests, dovetails with a growing consensus that America needs a more robust industrial policy to better counter the Russia/China/Iran axis; and 2) taking this incredibly important framing to Axios as an exclusive is another piece of material evidence that it is the outlet of record for business leaders and policy makers.

Learning: To the extent that you can frame your corporate narrative in the broader context of the challenges facing the changing economy, culture, security, and growth, do it. But make sure it's credible. Also, don't get stuck in the NYT/WSH/Washington Post rut. Those are incredibly important outlets, and will remain so. But the list goes beyond them.

Loser: Chicago Bears ownership, for their tone-deaf rollout of their new stadium plans. The Bears are no strangers to failure, having last been relevant when I was in high school in the mid-'80s. I'm not counting their Super Bowl appearance in 2007, where the only memorable thing that happened was Prince's amazing half time show. They've sucked for generations under the bumbling stewardship of the Halas/McCaskey family of billionaire dipshits. But that was all poised to change this week, thanks to a shrewd trade last year that handed them two of the top 10 picks in the NFL draft, which they used last night to take blue chippers Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. For a team that hasn't had a Hall of Fame QB since Sid Luckman was smoking Winstons on the sidelines in the 1940s, this is a big deal and a chance to reset decades of on-field incompetence. So what did these galaxy-brained executives decide to do? Roll out their grand plans to build a new stadium on the south side lakefront, hat-in-hand, looking for a $2.4 billion public subsidy. This, after taxpayers in Kansas City and Virginia told the Chiefs/Royals and Wizards/Capitals owners to pound sand and pay for their own stadiums. And in not waiting just a week, they took all the air out of what should have been a goodwill-building triumph.

https://youtu.be/-WYYlRArn3g?feature=shared

Learning: Timing is everything in communications. ANd while it sometimes makes sense to "take out the trash" by creating and clearing a negative newscycle before announcing something positive, in this case, all it did was taint the positive news.

I'm Hani Durzy, president and founder of Red Dog Strategies, a senior level communications consultancy. We fulfill fractional and interim comms lead needs; handle distinct and specific projects around crisis comms, corporate narrative development, M&A/financial communications, change management, and building editorial content capabilities to augment storytelling; and execute "wellness check" assessments of existing comms programs to unlock the power of the function. If you want to talk, please reach out at [email protected].