Phil Taylor's papers
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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GLOBAL 'WAR' ON TERROR (GWOT) Years 1 and 2, ie 9/11-2003
NBC News transcript on PR offensive in WOT Charlotte Beers heading the public relations offensive in the war; David Gergen, former presidential adviser, discusses America's need to interact with Afghanis to win war on public relations Copyright 2001 National Broadcasting Co. Inc. NBC News Transcripts SHOW: Today (7:00 AM ET) - NBC November 8, 2001 Thursday LENGTH: 1414 words ANCHORS: DAVID BLOOM; KATIE COURIC REPORTERS: ANDREA MITCHELL DAVID BLOOM, co-host: The war on terror is not just being fought on the battlefield, there's also the public relations offensive. NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell has more on the woman the Bush administration has put in charge of spin control. Andrea, good morning. ANDREA MITCHELL reporting: Good morning, David. Well, up until now, Osama bin Laden has had a clear field in communicating his message of hate to the Arab and Islamic worlds. But now America is fighting back with a public relations campaign right out of Madison Avenue. The general in this campaign, one of America's most celebrated advertising executives, Charlotte Beers --a woman who was CEO of two of the country's biggest Madison Avenue agencies--branded some famous products and is not intimidated by the world's most wanted terrorist. Ms. CHARLOTTE BEERS (Undersecretary of State): You know, I'm not as awed by the bin Laden propaganda machine as the world is at this point. I think his rhetoric is becoming hollow sounding. And what's fascinating is now you hear, slowly but surely, emerging chorus of other voices. Mr. BOB JEFFREY (J. Walter Thompson North America): I think Charlotte's more than suited to go up against the propaganda machine of Osama bin Laden. MITCHELL: She comes from Beaumont, Texas--her grandfather a wildcatter, her father a cowboy. After college, she taught math to men in the oil fields before becoming an account executive at Uncle Ben's rice. She is tough. Here is Beers six years ago on her management style. Ms. BEERS: You have to quickly find someone who's out of sync with what you are trying to do and hang them publicly so people know you mean business. I thought this was a disgusting idea. As it turned out, I did it. So... MITCHELL: But now she's left Madison Avenue, going from selling Uncle Ben's to selling Uncle Sam. Mr. COLIN POWELL (Secretary of State): Well, guess what? She got me to buy Uncle Ben's rice, and so there's nothing wrong with getting somebody who knows how to sell something. MITCHELL: Her new mission, to reach the Islamic street with a coordinated response: In the air, with leaflets like these dropped over Afghanistan; and the airwaves, putting out a former ambassador quickly on Al Jazeera TV to counter bin Laden's latest video in fluent Arabic; and getting the secretary of state to defend the war on Egyptian television. Sec. POWELL: We will be sensitive to the fact that Ramadan is a--a very important religious period for Muslims throughout the world, but at the same time, we will not be able to stop our military campaign during that period. MITCHELL: How do you sell America to a sometimes hostile audience? Ms. BEERS: I dislike that phrase, "selling," because that's way too arrogant for where we are now. I think that the best we can do is open a dialogue of mutual respect and understanding. I'd actually be very satisfied with that. MITCHELL: The biggest challenge, explaining American values to a world that resents the USA and its policies. Mr. JEFFREY: What Charlotte will do is something that really connects with the hearts and minds of those people, because at the end of the day, that's what we're in a battle for, hearts and minds. Ms. BEERS: They are perhaps now the silent majority. But the thing that makes them, I think, vulnerable to this message, is not so much that we're going to preach to them about what our way of life is, but rather than they can see a way of life from which they might choose a new future. MITCHELL: Beers will roll out her new messages tomorrow to a potentially tough audience, foreign reporters here in Washington, many of them from Arab and Muslim countries. David: BLOOM: Andrea Mitchell, thank you. MITCHELL: Thank you. BLOOM: Someone who's been on the front lines of many public relations battles waged from the White House is former presidential adviser David Gergen. David, good morning. Mr. DAVID GERGEN (Former Presidential Adviser): Good morning, David. BLOOM: You just heard Charlotte Beers say she's not awed by bin Laden's propaganda machine--machine. Should she be? Mr. GERGEN: Well, I think that we should--re--regardless of daunting task to win the streets of the Arab countries, we, for the last 20 years, have been growing resentment against America. We haven't answered back. Fortunately, in Charlotte Beers, we have someone who's first rate, who's tough, and they're now mobilizing her and we'll--we'll do a better job. But we shouldn't kid ourselves just how--how high a mountain we have to climb here. BLOOM: There are two fronts in this public relations offensive, David, at home and abroad. Let's talk first about President Bush's speech tonight. What does he need to say to the American people that hasn't already been said? Mr. GERGEN: I--he--it's very important for the president to do just what he's doing, that is to come back periodically. This is his third time to speak to the American people in prime time since September 11th. And tonight, what he has to do is what he has not done in the past is to address the domestic threat. And I think that's what his remarks will be aimed at. How serious is anthrax? What's being done on homeland security. There is more impatience on the part of the American people with regard to homeland security than there is with regard to the war overseas. He has rallied the country very well for the long haul. I think the American people will stick with him for a year or more, two years, three year on the--on the war overseas. But here at home, the government has stumbled several times, and he has to give reassurances now that we're in--that we're better organized, that Tom Ridge has control of this, and the government is prepared for whatever may come. Because if we have another wave, if we have a second attack here and the government appears incompetent, if the government doesn't seem to be ready, then public opinion could go over a cliff here inthis country and it really could--our--our war effort could collapse. So I think this is an important speech for the president tonight. BLOOM: OK, let's talk about the public relations war abroad. Why is it so important, David, that this not be seen as America's war against Osama bin Laden? Mr. GERGEN: Because we can't be isolated in the war. We have--we're--there are two fronts here overseas. One is among our allies, especially in Europe. And there, unlike America, there has been slippage in public support for the war. And we need--Con--there--there are those in Washington who believe Europe doesn't matter. They're wrong. Europe is vital to this effort. We need their help, not only on the military front, but in collecting intelligence and freezing financial assets and going after the terrorist cells in Europe and nearby countries. BLOOM: And you now see, in fact... Mr. GERGEN: And so we have... BLOOM: You now see, in fact, Germany, France, Italy coming aboard the military effort where previously the US had spurned their offers of help. Mr. GERGEN: Well, and that's right. And I think the--the gov--the administration--the US administration switched its policies in order to bolster support among the public's overseas. Tony Blair has been a wonderful stalwart ally in this fight. But if--if opinion in--in Britain goes hard south--it--it's dropped about 12 points here support for the war. It's still high. It's gone down from about 74 to 62, according to the polls. It's dropped in Germany. France has never been high. We need those countries to be with us, and I think the administration is--has recognized that and is working on it. But there are voices in Washington who think it doesn't matter, and I think they're wrong. BLOOM: OK, let's talk not about our European allies, but about the Middle East. It seems clear... Mr. GERGEN: Right. BLOOM: ...of course, that the United States is killing Afghan civilians unintentionally. The question is what are the numbers? And the Taliban claims of these large death tolls seem to be taken with credibility in places like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and really hurting our efforts there. Mr. GERGEN: Yeah, that's exactly right , David. And that's why this--the--the--what we're seeing now is--is--is some young men are leaving places like Saudi Arabia and going to help bin Laden. The--we--we--the president is winning the war here at home with--with information. He's slipping a little bit in Europe, but doing fine. But we're losing still on the Arab streets. And that's why this is so tough. For example, there is a pernicious lie out there that is widely believed in the Arab streets that this was a Jewish conspiracy on September 11th. We all know that to be a--a lie. But it's widely believed and we--to combat that, it's going to require not only information, it's going to require more efforts to--to show the Arab streets the evidence of the Taliban and of--and of Osama bin Laden being behind this so people will believe, you know, that we're doing the right thing. We're going--we're seeking justice here. This is not some far-fetched effort as so many Arabs believe who, you know, a Jewish conspiracy or to go after oil in Central A--Asia. This is--this is a just war on the part of Americans, and we need to mobilize to get that message out. I'm glad Charlotte Beers is on the job. BLOOM: David Gergen, great to see you. Thanks so much as always. Mr. GERGEN: Thank you. BLOOM: It's 7:18. And once again, here's Katie. KATIE COURIC, co-host: Thank you, David. |