Russia’s image right now is Podderzivat kogo-libo.
It’s ‘in the tank’.
China’s image isn’t so hot, either. It’s almost zhi chi, which, if the online translator on my computer has it right, means about the same thing… ‘in the tank.’
“International public opinion of the United States remains positive in the 18 developed countries surveyed” by the nonpartisan American think tank, the Pew Research Center.
“Most global citizens say that the U.S. is a reliable partner, and ratings for President Biden are mostly positive.”
But there’s a cloud on America’s PR horizon… “divisions over race, policy and politics are visible to many around the world,” according to an article by Tara D. Sonenshine in The Hill, the largest independent political news site in the United States. Ms. Sonenshine is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
So, as we’d say in the PR business, America’s got a situation brewing. Not a problem! We avoided using that word, when I was practicing PR. But our increasingly soiled laundry, one might say, is increasingly becoming problematic. ‘Problematic’ is okay to use… it doesn’t sound quite so serious as ‘problem.’
So how does America get back to being seen “as a beacon of light for democracies,” which seems to be getting “a bit dimmed?”
Some of the biggest PR firms could saddle up and take on the biggest client they’ll ever have: the United States of America!
But how would they go about burnishing the beacon? And what would their retainer fee be?
Should they charge only a dollar, to show their patriotism? Or forget about the dollar, and work pro bono… for the public good?
Imagine how that would burnish some PR firm’s image!
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.