Manage the Media: Don't Let the Media Manage You

Prevent the Emergence of Broad Coalitions

In crafting a strategy, every CEO should attempt to avoid the PR nightmare that Wal-Mart finds itself in. The company faces an implacable coalition of critics who cooperate with each other to frustrate Wal-Mart’s business objectives and to tarnish its already bruised image. “Since when do you have enemies like labor and environmentalists and local zoning people all on the same page?” asks David D’Alessandro. “That should be a pretty good sign that they are erecting a gallows for Wal-Mart. If you are attracting enemies that don’t normally coalesce, you are in a losing proposition.”

Thought leaders in the PR field believe that one key for CEOs is, rather than raising the barricades, to start dialogues ...