Bad PR…Bad

We present the best of the Bad PR examples from the ‘net. We hesitated to put this page together but there’s too much to learn from other public relations mistakes, PR Fails, bad blog pitches, media missteps, bad judgment, poor PR pitching and PR faux pas. It’s fast becoming one of our most popular pages for those who like to ask “What were they thinking?” I guess there’s something about PR train wrecks that appeal to us all. One thing’s for sure, you’d don’t want be a bad PR example because on the ‘net, it’s forever!

If you want more of the same you may also like Social Media PR Lessons and the PR Coach blog This Just In….  Sites with a W are PR Coach “winners.”

5 PR Disasters You Can Learn From
Five PR lessons from PR Professionals blog including Kanye West’s fake outrage, PRSA’s abuse of Lois Whitman, United Airlines, UK retailer Habitat and Golden State Warriors.   W

5 PR Pitches: The Good and Bad
Tech journalist Marskall Kilpatrick highlights good and bad PR pitches.

10 Biggest PR Fails
Learn from these 10 fashion pitch failures.

10 of the Biggest PR Blunders in Recent Memory
PR Channel Blog profiles 10 big PR disasters from OJ and Ellen DeGeneres to AIG and John McCain.

11 Athlete Endorsements that Were Lost to Scandal
There are many lessons to be learned from the athlete misadventures.

12 Things Not to Do When Pitching a Story to Mashable
If you want into Mashable, heed Adam Ostrow’s tips on what NOT to do.

A Brief Diversion: The LOL Bad Pitch of the Day
Susan Getgood shares a poorly targeted but very funny bad pitch.

A lesson for Etsy
Tough customer, social media and PR learning.

A Roll of Nickels and a Phone Booth
More bad PR targeting shared by The Marcus Letter.

A Social Media Firestorm about Apple Pies
Magazine rips off writer, then fusses and doesn’t apologize.

A Tale of Two Faux Pas: When Transparency Meets Bad Behavior
F-bombing reporter and poor PR response make for bad results as Jennifer Leggio recounts a good bad PR example.   W

A Week in Bad PR: Object Lessons From the Dark Side
What a week writes Davina Brewer with the good, the bad and the galactically stupid in PR.

After the Lawyers, Can We Kill All PR People
Techdirt to PR people: “Read the damn submission page.”

AIG: Bailout Money, Your Money, Goes to PR Groups
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow goes after AIG for using Burson-Marsteller, of which she says “When evil needs public relations, evil has Burson-Marsteller on speed dial.”

Amazon.com Rave Book Reviews: Too Good to Be True?
A publicist with 72 glowing book reviews for clients, and her boss, is outed by the Cincinatti Beacon. Definitely bad ethics.

Astroturfed by Demand Media
PR Fails when transparency is lacking with reporters and bloggers.

Astroturfing: Maybe it’s Not as Bad as it Seems
Astroturfing is always wrong, always a PR Fail IMHO.

Attention All PR People: Stop Sending Us Press Releases
We’ll let the folks at Techdirt say it again: “Stop with the press releases.”

Awful PR for the Public Relations Society of America
WWF-style bashing from guess who?  W

BP Attempts to Clean up Gulf via Twitter
Reality check: Tweet with integrity or get slammed.

Bad Pitch Blog
Dozens of bad pitches flagged and ridiculed by bad pitchmeisters Richard Laermer and Kevin Dugan.   W

Bad PR Gone Viral
Companies no longer control the online conversation, evident in the United Airlines and Horizon Group Management cases cited by Jones Huyutt Partners’ blog.

Bad PR Pitch #317: Shaklee/Lippe Taylor Brand Communications
Another misdirected, mistargeted, lazy blog PR pitch highlighted by Dave Taylor.

Bad PR: The Social Media Stalker
This bad social media PR example from Amber McNaught is kinda funny and pitiful. Jeez.

Bad PR Works
Todd Defren looks at PR spammers.

Bad Press Releases: BS + Bafflegab = PR Fail
When you mix BS with bafflegab all you get is bad news.  W

Believe It Or Not, Another Really Bad Public Relations Website
Newt Barrett cites a PR agency for some self-absorbed website content. Lessons in content here.

Brodygate: The Great PR Flub of 2009? Hardly
A contrarian view by Al Kruger on Brody PR’s celebrated email pitch faux pas.

CFTC Refers Forged Comment Letters to Justice Department
Dewey Square Group forged comment letters to CFTC. PR, ethics Fail or what?  W

Carl’s Jr, Hardee’s Launch Comprehensive “Robust” Mobile App
WTH? Enjoy! Not just a burger ‘n fries LOL but useless apps too.

Cheapflights.co.uk Swears on Twitter and Calls X Factor Contestant a Silly Bint
Now here’s a Twitter mistake NOT to make. Ouch!

Cheating the App Store: PR Has Interns Post Positive Reviews for Clients
MobileCrunch outs Reverb Communications for some unprofessional and unethical PR practices.   W

Chik-fil-A Flubs Crisis Management
No excuse to get caught up in this anti-gay maelstrom.

Childish Press Release of the Day
Badvocate lacks credibility on nuclear told-you-so.

Chipotle Mishap Highlights Importance of Clear Communication with Customers
Two-for-one deal confuses customers and leads to negative impact.

Chrysler Social Media Agency Told to Hit the Highway After Twitter Foul Up
PR Fail or appropriate response? You decide.

Cigarette Company Sponsors Volcano Relief Efforts
This PR fail is too funny!

‘Cooks Source’ Apologizes to Blogger Whose Story It Lifted
Lukewarm apology doesn’t lower heat on plagiarizing publication.

Cooks Source Magazine Ignites Copyright Firestorm
Excellent analysis of the magazine PR fail by Kathy Gill.  W

Cooks Source: What Should Judith Griggs Have Done?
Certainly, she shouldn’t have done what she did.

Cooking PR Chile
PR Fail. Sometimes PR is just crass, opportunistic and stupid.

Corporations Try to Ride the Sheen Machine on Twitter
Talk about marketing on the backs of misery. Distasteful or what?  W

Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans
Excerpt from Deadly Spin by Wendell Potter.

Dear PR Flack
This is where “bloggers point and laugh at bad pitches.” For shame.

Dirty money: Polishing Gadhafi’s image has been lucrative for US firms
Seemed like a good idea at the time? Now, not so much.

Dropped Letter in School Message Leads to Embarrassing Billboard
Always watch for typos. Whoo hoo.

Etsy’s #PR Nightmare: Greeting Cards Making Light of Rape
Etsy’s lack of sensitivity and tepid response hurt its reputation.

FTC Orders PR Firm to Remove Misleading iTunes Reviews
Fake PR activity gets justice.

Facebook Invitations: UR Doing It Wrong
Peter Shankman says there’s no excuse for these Facebook faux pas.

Flack’s Revenge
Bob Geller is running a good series of “PR Death Watch” posts where he looks at dinosaur PR practices.

Fox News Sets a Bad Example for Media Relations
Jon Greer sets off a good debate on media bias.

Frightening Fake News
PR Fail practices worth noting.

[From #PR with Love] Why PR People Get Paid and You Don’t
Success is all about blogger respect.  W

GE Flubs a Pushback Against The New York Times
Debate on tax and GE response continue.  W

GE Illustrates How Not to Use Twitter
Sometimes a tweet is not so sweet. Blogging or advocacy ads are more effective in complex arguments.  W

GE Launches Twitter Blitz to Combat NY Times Article
This bad PR included using the wrong medium (Twitter), spinning answers and then not responding to media.  W

Go Daddy CEO Steps in Elephant Dung
Wise-ass dot.com exec deserves crisis PR lesson.

Good and Bad PR
Follow Good and Bad PR from the folks at 10Yetis on Twitter.

Greenpeace Sues Chemical and PR Firms for “Unlawful” Spying
PR agencies’ ethics and conduct leave much to be desired.  W

Greenpeace Sues Chemical Makers, Alleging Spy Effort
PR agencies fall way short on ethics and conduct.   W

Groupon: “World’s Greatest Sleep Aid: Depression”
Argh! Another hour, another social media PR failure.

Hacked E-Mails Show Web is an Increasingly Useful Tool in Dirty-Tricks Campaigns
DC still dirty after all these years.

Hey PR, Bloggers Are Not Tools to Be Used
It’s true. Some PR people don’t do their homework and bloggers are not tools writes David Spark.

Hilton Worldwide and the Lesson of Bad Appearances
No excuses for this PR fail. They forgot to say sorry and mean it.

How Many PR Companies Post Fake Reviews Online?
Glowing book reviews before the book was even available? PRFail.

How “No Comment” Has Edelman in Trouble
Surprisng media relations and PR Fail by world’s largest independent PR agency.  W

How NOT to Respond to Negative Publicity on a Blog
David Risley shares a telling tale of terrible blogger relations, illustrating again how poor practices live online for a long, long time.   W

How Not to Use Twitter for Work
Ouch! This example will serve as a reminder of the negative impact of bad Twitter, or any social media, practices.   W

How to Create Bad PR
The National Pork Board shows how by sending a blogger and activist a snide cease-and-desist letter in this post by Jackie Huba.

How to Get an Angry Email From Me
Aaron Brazell vents about bad PR blogger pitches and shares an example to make any PR pro cringe.

How to Handle Bad Press
PR Fail illustrates the results of poor media relations.

Is Cuppy’s Trying to Stifle Bad PR About Them?
Appears so says Tris Hussey if disappearing negative posts are any indicator.

Is It a Good PR Pitch or a Bad PR Pitch?
Shannon Cherry talks about bad pitching and suggests how to do it better.

Is Latest Oil Rig Crisis Another PR Disaster?
Was response adequate? A look at the crisis response to the oil platform fire by Mariner Energy.  W

It’s NOT a PR Problem. Think Real Values, Mission and Culture Reputation
Tom Gable writes a thoughtful essay on how companies have not had a PR problem but rather have gone against their real values that made them successful in the first place.

Learning from Kenneth Cole’s Social Media Mistake
Crisis PR tips: Did KC do anything right?

Liberty Watch Radio Bad – PR
Lots to learn as radio host Charles Heller shares bonehead pitches.

Lois Whitman Now an Unwilling Case Study in How Not to Do PR
Infamous PR spammer Whitman gets more bashing from TechCrunch.

Marc Jacobs Intern Has Public Meltdown on Brand’s Twitter Account
This PR Fail ain’t pretty!

Media Muckups: Crunks 2010: The Year in Media Errors and Corrections
Excellent, funny PR Fails.

Media Training 101: Rudeness is Never Acceptable
Toronto’s newly elected mayor shows crass rudeness in this nationally broadcast radio interview on CBC.

Meet Lois Whitman, The Poster Child for Everything Wrong With PR
More damn the PR from Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, but justified and entertaining, especially the comments.

Middle East PR Agency of the Year Makes Major PR Blunder
Sometimes, small things, and hutzpah, can trip you up.

Monitor Group Consulting Firm Admits Errors in Work for Libya
Bad PR and ethics?

Most PR People Are Spammers – Chris Anderson Now Blocks You and I May Be Next
PR spamming? David Meerman Scott shines a light on lazy PR pitching and the outcome.

Motrin Moms: Social Media Fail Whale
Sarah Evans notes that Motrin removed its controversial ad after huge mommy blogger pressure. Fated to fail from the start.

Mud sticks – The Top 10 PR Disasters of 2010
10 Aussie disasters and plenty of PR lessons.

Netflix Example: How Bad PR Can Lead To A Failed Company
Video company’s bad strategy leads to reputation impact, lost customers falling share prices.

New Business? Not With This Global PR Firm!
What can you say about a PR agency that doesn’t respond to a new opportunity, leaves a prospective client hanging and makes it even worse? Fail!

Note to PR People: PLEASE INCLUDE A LINK TO YOUR RELEASE!
Argh! What’s up with feckless PR people who don’t do the basics? PR Fail.  W

NY Times Exposes J.C. Penney Link Scheme in Google
JC Penney expose for the SEO curious. Gaming Google but claiming no knowledge.

Oops of the Day, Part Deux
Darn that F word Chrysler says.

PG&E Executive Generates Online Backlash
Fake comments on smart meters force exec’s resignation.  W

PR and the Fine Art of Not Being Crazy
Here’s the origin of the Lois Whitman spam incident from CrunchGear.

PR, Email, Social Media Fail
While a PR agency failed miserably in a PR email pitch, Ad Age‘s Ken Wheaton rightly asks why 30+ reporters replied to All in expressing their anger and compounding the spam.

PR Fail – A Collection of Bad Things
PR Fail uses Twitter and Del.icio.us to track bad PR examples.

PR Fail: ‘Cooks Source’ Stirs Up Crisis PR Broth
Plus 22 ways to manage an online #PR crisis.

PR Firm Reverb Slapped by FTC for Fake Online Reviews
Fake iTunes reviews get PR firm in hot water and fined.

PR Gone Bad: How to Anger Bloggers and Hose Your Client
Another terrible blogging pitch by a PR “pro” highlighted by Jonathan Fields. Will make you shake your head.   W

PR Lessons from Northern Ireland Water Crisis
Another PR Fail and useful crisis PR lessons from Northern Ireland water crisis.

PR People Suck
Gini Dietrich’s rant is justified.

PR Pitches to Blogs: The Good, the Bad and the WTF
Maki Itoh highlights her blog pitch experiences; mostly fatal.

PR Professionals — Clean Up Your Industry
Analyst Josh Bernoff points to PR practices. What’s not to get about these PR Fails?  W

PR Pros Gone Wild! 5 Examples Not to Follow
PR people failures and let them be a lesson to you.

Pedestrian Avoidance Test Fails Spectacularly
Over at Volvo, somebody took their foot off the reputation gas.

Playing At Public Relations: Rolls-Royce Asks Will It Pass?
Rolls-Royce ducks from Qantas crisis and hopes the media will go away. PR fail.

Press One to See if You’ve Got a Job
Unbelievable PR Fail and reputation hit for Sanofi-Aventis for sloppy handling of layoffs.  W

Press Release, Spam, What’s the Difference?
Not so much says Techdirt. Don’t send either of them.

Pro PR Tips
Journalist Rafe Needleman blogs practical PR tips that PR and media relations people should take to heart.

Public Relations Fail: A Lesson and a Rant
Jennifer Leggio flags a PR mass email that was just stupid, plain and simple.

Publicist Announces Imperial Stars’ Arraignment; Leaves Us Scratching Our Heads
What’s with this PRFail? And dumb and dumber too. W

Questioning #PR: Bruce Bushel at Southfork Kitchen
More thoughts on NYT story of PR Fails from Rich Becker.  W

Rachel Maddow Calls Out Another PR Firm
This time, MSNBC News’ Maddow outs DC-based DCI Group for creating the astroturf organization Coalition to Protect Patient’s Rights. Featured on PR Newser.

Rachel Maddow Confronts Notorious Corporate Lobbyist Rick Berman
In what’s becoming a regular anti-PR gig, MSNBC’s Maddow targets “King of Astroturf” Berman for astroturfing public interest groups. The Huffington Post credits Berman for debating with Maddow. It’s an interview worth watching.   W

Read and Learn: Supremely Bad PR
A terrible news release from Republic Media leads to blogger derision.

Restraining Orders for the PR Profession
Alison Kenney has a rundown on recent PR Fails and lessons.

Ronn [sic] Torossian Is ‘Completely Unaware What Would Make You Speak Poorly of My Firm’
PR agency CEO tirade compounds media relations problem.

Royal Wedding: PR Companies Take Advantage
Why does public relations lack credibility? Aaargh! PR Fail.

Self-inflicted PR Damage
TransOcean’s insensititive “safety” bonuses after oil rig tragedy are baffling and a PR failure.  W

Seriously, Timothy Johnson, Your Idea of How to Do PR for Clients Is a Joke
So many PR fails are bad pitches, but this behavior defines bad PR…bad.

Six Worst PR Mistakes Business Make
These PR mistakes are easily avoided.

Sneaky PR People Discover Blogs
Techdirt hates to get press releases. Mike Masnick regrets that PR people won’t read how to pitch the blog properly.

Sorry PR People You’re Blocked
Wired’s Chris Anderson blows his top at PR spammers, publishing more than 300 offender emails and it’s deserved.   W

Social Media Fails
Good example of what happens online when Maytag customer/mom blogger didn’t get a response

Some Stunts Should Never See the Light of Day
Stupid stunt shows terrible judgment. Bad PR…Bad.

Speak Media Blog
Jennifer Jones’ blog is worth following for her wide ranging insight as well as coverage of PR Blunders.   W

Stick a Fork in It: Five Dead Public Relations Tactics
Which five are dead? Davina Brewer says press releases, press kits, faxes, press conferences and trade shows. Read why.   W

Stupid PR Tricks, Part 4
TechDirt continues with PR stupidity.

The Bad Casual Pitch: What You “Never” Want to be Caught Doing
i can haz txt u pitch? Not. So don’t text your pitch says Bad Pitch Blog.

The Bad Pitch Body Slam
Three excellent PR Fail lessons from bad PR pitches.  W

The Five Dumbest Things PR Pros Do With Social Media
Avoiding these social media Fails can improve public relations results.

The Horrors of Bad PR – When is a Discount Not a Discount?
Online retailer Hamleys learns a lesson in coupon promotions and bad public relations compounds the problem.

The Kenneth Cole Post You Haven’t Read Yet
Useful PR Fail wrap by Shel Holtz.

The Perils of Some PR Firms Handling Your Social Media
Ouch! Bad PR Bad.

The Pro, the Schmoe and the Joe: Icons Behaving Badly
What do Serena Williams, Kanye West and Joe Wilson have in common? Bob Geller says bad behavior.

The Problem with Public Relations
Now this is a good [I mean bad] PR story about PR people not delivering results and getting profiled in a New York Times column for it.  W

The Tale of PR and the Blogger – How 10 Yetis See It
Sometimes PR people are clueless.

The Top Ten Lies of PR Companies
Matthew Stibbe picks ten lies PR people told him.

These Greenies Have the Worst Public Relations in the History of the Universe
A great example of social media gone wrong. They could have done much better for their cause.

Threatening Bloggers Via Text Message: Not Savvy PR
Gawker highlights bad blogging relations behavior, showing how fast trouble brews for the stupid, lazy or unaware.

Tiger Woods’ PR Campaign Off to Shaky Start
Harsh review of Tiger’s inadequate reputation effort.

Tony Hayward’s 2010 Blooper Reel: The Top 5 Gaffes
Crisis management reflections and a look at five PR failures to learn from.  W

Top 10 Online PR Fails
A number of brands have had social media train wrecks in 2009 writes Graham Charlton.

Top 10 Things You Should NEVER Say to the Media
The folks at Bad Pitch Blog offer up 10 media no-nos. Recognize yourself?

Transocean, We ‘May’ Have a Problem: Today’s Outrage
Safety bonuses after oil rig tragedy leads to big PR Fail.  W

Unfashionable Tweet
PR Fail by insensitive marketing twits at Kenneth Cole.

Videogame Maker Accused of Environmental Abuse
Sometimes, more thought needs to go into publicity stunts.

Walmart Fighting Hunger Campaign Is a PR Mess
Hello? What PR strategy?

Want Me to Write About Your Stuff? Don’t Lie in Your Pitch
Dave Fleet outs a bad pitch and shares a lesson in blogger relations. What are PR people thinking? Or not.

WH Smith and Tesco Slammed Over Josef Frizl Book
Recommending a book by a notorious criminal (who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years) for Father’s Day was gauche.

What GE Defended and Why It May Have Failed
Lots of PR lessons in GE’s inadequate response to tax issue.

What Is Wrong with PR?
Thoughtful post from Gini Dietrich: A lovely day for generalizations.

What It Means That So Many Journalists Think PR People Are Idiots
Doh! These bad publicists need to be sent back to school.

What Part of ‘Bad Publicity’ Don’t You Get?
The Marie Claire crisis is simply bad PR. Full stop.

What’s Happening with The Gap?
After the big logo PR Fail and marketing bumps, whazzup?

What’s the Buzz — More Examples From the Bad Pitch File
Susan Getgood highlights promotions by BUUUZ and Trident Gum that fail to make the grade.

When a Company Creates Its Own PR Problems
PRFail: Not getting employees on the same page.

When a Newspaper “rips off” Your Blog, Then Taunts You About It…
Plagiarists live at LongIslandPress.com according to Ian Dennis Miller. A simple attribution, even after the fact would have prevented the issue.  W

When PR Goes Bad
Sending something to media? Make sure it’s actually appealing says Wired.

When PR Has Its Head Up Its Ass
Great Danny Brown rant.

When SNL Nails You, You’ve Lost the PR Fight
What can you say? TSA was a perfect example of bad PR. Lots of fun when SNL parodies you. W

When the Marketing Reach of Social Media Backfires
Chrysler and Aflac learn PR lessons the hard way.

Why PR and Social Media Don’t Mix – Qantas Culture
Great example – Bad PR, bad by Qantas when it’s airline logo was shown on accident parts, they were still denying it.  W

Why the Backup Shotgun Rack Company Deserve All the Bad PR They Can Get
Using a tragic celebrity murder in a press release to promote your product? Unthinkable and disgusting. Danny Brown’s right!   W

Yahoo, You Flubbed News about Future of Delicious, Not Press
Yahoo’s poor communications devalued Delicious.

Photo credit: Aram Sinnreich