Get away from her, you pitch!

As an ex-teacher I’m well aware of how a good metaphor can be a vital aid to learning. It’s the principle that means a new superhero film will be accompanied by pieces along the lines of What Can Batman Teach Business (which never seem to mention lesson 1: make sure you have near-limitless funds at the start), which ideally will make information much more likely to stick.

With that in mind, and with what I thought would be a crashing lack of topicality, I ended up watching Aliens (again) recently and, in a post-Christmas-party frame of mind, began to notice that James Cameron’s film contained several lessons of relevance to most PR projects. Not necessarily in terms of plot, although that said making sure you’ve checked blueprints for ceiling crawlspaces before setting up a defensive perimeter is something we’d all do well to remember. Rather, in the way a selection of disparate elements such as London power stations, airport equipment, black tights and the director of Piranha 2: Flying Killers and writer of Rambo: First Blood Part 2, can be brought together into a coherent and highly successful whole.

What’s The Message?

Whatever we’re working on in PR, message is the most important thing. Yet what is there on the surface is not always the most appropriate, or the most long-lasting, message that is picked up. For example, Aliens is a film about, well, aliens. It’s also a film about motherhood; about guilt; and about the Vietnam war. Similarly, you should be careful when developing a campaign not just of the main message but also those that are beneath the service. For example, you may be saying that BYOD is presenting a security challenge. Yet are you also saying it’s more trouble than it’s worth?

Don’t Cheat!

When developing a PR campaign or piece of writing, it can be tempting to take shortcuts: simply introducing concepts, statistics or products as you feel they’re needed. However, much like in other writing, that presents a payoff that simply hasn’t been earned. If you want to show a climactic battle between a giant alien and a powerloader (sorry, SPOILERS!) you need to establish that the central character can actually drive one. If you want to end with a massive explosion you need to set up the circumstances that could cause one in the first place. And if you want to show the awesome solution to a business challenge, you need to introduce and examine that challenge in detail.

Recycling is Good:

Nothing exists in a vacuum: if you have well-established messages and approaches that are proven to work there is no sense in abandoning them every time in order to start afresh. Just as Aliens recycles and expands on the lifecycle, world, technology and musical cues that were used in the first film, so each project should build on what has come before: in message, information and when necessary language. After all, none of the work we do should be a one-off.

Everything is a resource:

This is linked to recycling, but you should never be afraid to look further afield for (well-sourced) resources that can help you. Need a statistic to support an argument? Check reputable analysts and pollsters. Need a futuristic tank? Get a used airport tow truck and modify it. Need an atmosphere processer? Film in a Acton power station. Need futuristic fashion? Just turn up the collars of suits. Need an army of aliens? Kit out a load of dancers and stuntpeople in black lycra and a few pieces of foam: they’ll be covered by camera movements and smoke anyway. Essentially good PR, like good filmmaking, should have an element of Wombling about it.

Watch your language:

Jargon and technical language is a tricky thing. Too much and you can easily lose an audience. Yet used sparingly it can make a work more believable. For example, “10mm explosive tipped caseless, standard light armour piercing rounds” on its own is simply incomprehensible jargon to anyone who isn’t some sort of gun nut (and if you are, it’s probably nonsensical in the best traditions of SciFi). Yet in context, it makes the characters’ weapons seem more dangerous (and ultimately useless). Similarly, when writing about technology a small amount of jargon can, where appropriate, ground work in the correct industry and also concisely explain a concept.

If all else fails:

Dust off and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.