Consultant Says City Winning Arena PR Battle By Wide Margin
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Sacramento city leaders and the Maloofs continue to point fingers and blame each other for the failed arena deal.
We've seen both sides going back and forth here and at times it's gotten ugly But one public relations consultant told CBS13 that these aren't off-the-cuff comments, but rather thought-out moves in what's become an epic PR battle.
While the Maloofs have tried their best to convince the public the failed arena deal was a bad deal for both sides, even bringing in an economist, the city and "Think Big" advisors have fired right back.
"If the city decided right now just to be quiet, it allows the Maloofs much more room in the sandbox to spread false information," said PR consultant Kassy Perry.
Perry says that even though the city is winning the PR battle by a wide margin, it needs to respond to each and every claim made by the Maloofs.
"If there are claims that are false that are put out by the other side, you have to answer them," she said. "You have to have a record, to make sure that those people on the fence, you can point to and say 'But look, they're not correct.'"
And as far as Chris Lehane from the "Think Big" initiative, the guy who now famously compared the Maloofs to the North Koreans, while that comparison may seem silly or below the belt, Perry called it -- believe it or not -- brilliant.
"It brings together a visual, a picture for the public, that otherwise this is all a debate about numbers, the size of the arena, how big is the loan," she said.
As far as the Maloofs' PR, Perry says they have some serious work to do but they can bounce back. She says they need to do two things: tell the truth and deliver the goods.
