Hello again.
I have a bee under my hat and it's name is bullshit.
Let me now clarify. I really, really, really hate it, when unskilled people try to spin crap. What makes it worse is when the general public believes that crap. Without trying to sound big-headed, I am a very good spin doctor and can smell when someone is spinning garbage (called "Spin Spotting"). I myself, never lie when putting a good spin on something that would normally be seen as bad. It's not good policy to lie, because invariably, someone will catch you out. So don't. If you absolutely must, make it very small and easily hidden. Every day now, I seem to be bombarded with bad or non-existent spin doctoring. Everything from Politicians and public servants to companies and private individuals. Everyone seems to be writing their own lines, and they stink.
SPIN ME A RAINBOW
Now. Spinning a yarn (as we say here in Australia) is as old as the hills. Some are good at it and some suck. The mark of a really good yarn is to keep as much truth in it as possible. Keep your embellishments small. Really small. That way, if someone picks on a particular point you can usually step around the spin and direct the focus onto the truth. But what is a Spin Doctor? Well. A spin doctor is a type of PR agent. Most PR agents though, are terrible at spin, and most spinners are terrible at true PR. If you can find someone who can do both and do them well, you have a real jewel on your hands. Most people link spin doctors to Politicians, but the truth of the matter is that most politicians are egomaniac lawyers and think they can handle their own spin. It's just not true, no matter how much they lie to themselves. Some don't even have a PR rep, which is just plain stupid. A lot of good spinners are tied to companies, major corporations and the like. They handle anything from stockholders meetings to the latest oil spill. Big tobacco had many good spinners, but almost all have left that sinking ship. Spinners now play a bigger role in marketing and advertising than ever before. The ability to write good copy is an aspect of spin.
There are various types of spin or techniques that you can use. They are -
POLITICAL SPIN
One thing I don't agree with is the use of Spin Doctors to create smear campaigns. I feel sullied by it. In the last election, the LNP spinners went nuts with it. I saw right through it all, but was constantly amazed at the way the general public lapped it up like an obedient mutt. On the other side, I watched the ALP spinners floundering in a vast sea of muck which eventually went right over their collective heads and drowned the lot of them.
Something I was told in marketing at college, the very first thing actually, was never shitcan the opposition. You should always open with "They're good, but WE are a gazillion times better." That should always be your starting point whenever you begin a campaign. If, however, your opponent opens with "They suck the blood from small children and kidnap old people forcing them into labor camps", all bets are off and you can start writing a campaign that will make people too scared to go with the other camp.
SCARY SPIN
Fear. A powerful weapon in a spin doctors hands. It can be used in many ways, but I warn you now, karma will bite you on the arse if you use it unwisely. Fear was employed in the last Australian Federal Election, it was not used well or intelligently. Oh yes, it achieved it's goal of getting LNP into power, but in the long term you just can't sustain the fear. When that happens, people eventually look under the bed and discover that there was no boogy man after all. Then you're in trouble. If you can't devise a way to move from the fear to a positive response seamlessly, you are fucked. In the end, people will resent the fact that you made them afraid of nothing and will lynch you at the next opportunity. So. I say again. Use fear wisely, use it sparingly, and above all, use it intelligently.
I'm all typed out for now. I may come back to this subject at a later time. But then again, I may not. If you want to be a spin doctor, I say good luck to you. It's a minefield out there, one wrong step and KABLAM your career is over and you'll be flipping burgers at Macca's. To all you smiling shit-eaters out there I say, keep smiling.
But don't forget to clean your teeth!
Who loves ya' baby?
Dr Guy.
SPIN ME A RAINBOW
Now. Spinning a yarn (as we say here in Australia) is as old as the hills. Some are good at it and some suck. The mark of a really good yarn is to keep as much truth in it as possible. Keep your embellishments small. Really small. That way, if someone picks on a particular point you can usually step around the spin and direct the focus onto the truth. But what is a Spin Doctor? Well. A spin doctor is a type of PR agent. Most PR agents though, are terrible at spin, and most spinners are terrible at true PR. If you can find someone who can do both and do them well, you have a real jewel on your hands. Most people link spin doctors to Politicians, but the truth of the matter is that most politicians are egomaniac lawyers and think they can handle their own spin. It's just not true, no matter how much they lie to themselves. Some don't even have a PR rep, which is just plain stupid. A lot of good spinners are tied to companies, major corporations and the like. They handle anything from stockholders meetings to the latest oil spill. Big tobacco had many good spinners, but almost all have left that sinking ship. Spinners now play a bigger role in marketing and advertising than ever before. The ability to write good copy is an aspect of spin.
There are various types of spin or techniques that you can use. They are -
- Using a particular phrasing that assumes unproven truths
- The non-denial denial or non-apology apology
- The delay (just don't wait too long)
- You can avoid the question completely or bury the bad news (not good methods)
- Claim that mistakes were made (the pity factor sometimes works)
- Use misdirection and/or diversion (useful for illusionists)
- And finally, cherry picking (only the good ones)
There are various ways to spin a yarn but I will start with my favorites. 'Cherry Picking' - It's just picking the best pieces of a story and leaving the rest. Simple. Not really useful on it's own but when incorporated with say, 'Misdirection', it becomes very sneaky. So you get "Sadly, look at what the opposition are doing. Oh! Here's a balloon! isn't that pretty?". See what I mean? 'The Delay' is useful if you know you have some good news coming up that will overshadow the bad news when you release them at the same time. Also if you have a balls-up too big to completely cover, you could use the 'Mistakes Were Made' ploy. If it's seen that you are being honest, even if it's only a small bit of earnestness, you can sometimes generate pity which can be stored like money in the bank. I think you know enough about technique, let's move on.
POLITICAL SPIN
One thing I don't agree with is the use of Spin Doctors to create smear campaigns. I feel sullied by it. In the last election, the LNP spinners went nuts with it. I saw right through it all, but was constantly amazed at the way the general public lapped it up like an obedient mutt. On the other side, I watched the ALP spinners floundering in a vast sea of muck which eventually went right over their collective heads and drowned the lot of them.
Something I was told in marketing at college, the very first thing actually, was never shitcan the opposition. You should always open with "They're good, but WE are a gazillion times better." That should always be your starting point whenever you begin a campaign. If, however, your opponent opens with "They suck the blood from small children and kidnap old people forcing them into labor camps", all bets are off and you can start writing a campaign that will make people too scared to go with the other camp.
SCARY SPIN
Fear. A powerful weapon in a spin doctors hands. It can be used in many ways, but I warn you now, karma will bite you on the arse if you use it unwisely. Fear was employed in the last Australian Federal Election, it was not used well or intelligently. Oh yes, it achieved it's goal of getting LNP into power, but in the long term you just can't sustain the fear. When that happens, people eventually look under the bed and discover that there was no boogy man after all. Then you're in trouble. If you can't devise a way to move from the fear to a positive response seamlessly, you are fucked. In the end, people will resent the fact that you made them afraid of nothing and will lynch you at the next opportunity. So. I say again. Use fear wisely, use it sparingly, and above all, use it intelligently.
I'm all typed out for now. I may come back to this subject at a later time. But then again, I may not. If you want to be a spin doctor, I say good luck to you. It's a minefield out there, one wrong step and KABLAM your career is over and you'll be flipping burgers at Macca's. To all you smiling shit-eaters out there I say, keep smiling.
But don't forget to clean your teeth!
Who loves ya' baby?
Dr Guy.
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