#Negative PR is a Positive? Yes. No. Maybe.

There’s no such thing as bad publicity — better that people are talking about your brand than not, period..

An old cliche, for sure. And, its topic that's inspired great spirited debate (often over late afternoon spirits) for generations of Madmen. Its even one that this blogger subscribes to most days of the week.

A must read article on the age-old question “Can negative publicity actually have a positive effect?” can be found by Rob Walker in this past Sunday's NYT Magazine section.

Walker's article--which references a recent scientific study on the topic, strikes to the heart when reflecting on a recent GAP Inc. PR episode; one in which the icon clothier took steps to make a dramatic change to their corporate logo, and encountered big blow back from fans. Taking two steps back, GAP then announced they would not in fact change the logo (despite having spent only how much cash on a brand re-burnishing initiative.

Walker posits:  "What’s the real impact of such a P.R. misstep? Marketing and business experts constantly warn about the dangers of ending up on the wrong side of public opinion, particularly in the age of social media, when gripes and mockery seem to explode overnight.."

You don't have to be Lloyd Blankfein to click on the title link to read the full article..(Hats off to Rob Walker!