Aleksandra Hristov
Strategic Communication Consulting
Undermined reputation leads to monetary loss
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on January 23rd, 2022 under Articles | No Comments »
In her her column in a reputable Serbian daily newspaper Danas, Sunday addition, Ms. Aleksandra Hristov wrote the following article:
REPUTATION AS A FAITH IN OUR TIME
UNDERMINED REPUTATION LEADS TO MONETARY LOSS
Novak Djokovic has landed in Belgrade, Serbia after his deportation from Australia. He avoided the journalists as he decided not to speak publicly about this, for the time being. This is a good policy from his PR team, I would have given the same advice. Very noticeably, at the airport there was no official welcome from the Serbian state officials. We could assume that these have been already noticed from Novak about his planned public silence. The State welcome came down to the light show on the two tallest Belgrade buildings, the night before his arrival. In the situation of a wide Novak support from the Serbian public, this indicates the lackluster governmental response to this event.
It is hard to ignore the impression that at the latest SCDC (Serbian Center for Disease Control) press conference, its member Mr. Zoran Gojkovic has distanced himself from Novak. In response to Reuters and CNN questions about the Covid-19 certificate issued by the government institute for public health “Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut”, he answered that Mr. Djokovic had gotten the absolutely valid Covid-19 document with the positive result in the evening hours of December 16, 2021. And he added that any further inquiry should be directed to the recipient. Furthermore, he augmented his statement by saying that in Serbia there are no sanctions for those breaching the Covid-19 self-isolation rules (!?).
In addition to the convoluted decisions by the Australian government, and consequent wider harassment of Novak, the described “Coup de Grace” hitting Novak from the home turf is the biggest assault on his reputation. From Mr. Gojkovic statement we must conclude that Novak was Covid-19 positive, and he made public appearances while he most probably knew he is putting others in unnecessary danger. Mr. Djokovic apologized for his social mingling after he was infected, but only as consequence of his Covid-19 test leaking into public first. That means he reacted too late. To make matters worse, Novak is still not vaccinated, a very untenable stance for public figure in these times of fighting the dangerous virus.
All this is destined be more detrimental to his reputation than all the courts in any jurisdiction. Lacoste corporation, one of his largest sponsors with the 30 million dollars per year contract has just announced: “We would like to talk to Novak in the coming days to discuss the aftermath of his recent presence in Australia”. At the same time, France decided that all Roland Garros tennis tournament participants must be vaccinated. According to Australian press, as direct consequence of “Novak Djokovic” case, there is increase in number of spectators requesting the tournament tickets refund. It is estimated that these refunds may reach 25% mark. Therefore, both Australia and Novak are at loss. We are now waiting to see how these actors, Australia and Novak, navigate their damaged reputation management.
THE QUEEN ACTS PROMPTLY AND PREVENTS THE CRISIS. “BY RENOUNCING HER SON” SHE SAVES THE FAMILY, AND ENSURES THE CENTURIES OLD CONTINUTY OF THE GREAT BRITAIN MONARCHY
The “Firm” as the Brits colloquially call the royal family, masterfully manages the reputational risks and prevents the beginning of the reputational crisis. This is the current case of the Prince Andrew (61), the younger son of the British monarch.
The Queen Elizabeth II, for the sake of saving the monarchy “renounces” her own son. She decided to strip him of all the official public engagements duties, the royal and all the military titles, the state annual salary of 342,000 US dollars for the royal household working members. This is all in reference to civil law suit against him put in motion recently by the New York City judge that accuses HRH Andrew for involvement in sexual trafficking of Ms. Virginia Giuffre twenty years ago when she was a teenager. After this latest decision by the Queen, Mr. Andrew is going to have to defend himself as the common citizen.
The Royal biographers had already noticed that this son is commonly perceived as his mother’s favorite. However, the 95-year old monarch during her long reign has always insisted that the duty, office, honor, and preservation of monarchy are the highest priorities.
Obviously in sharp contrast to the Balkans, where the family members of the politicians and public figures are habitually defended in spite of their involvement in the scandals while being adults, the British monarch, irrespective of anyone liking her or not, does everything in her power to ensure the smooth continuity of her society and state. This is one of the elements why the Great Britain has been one of the most respected and powerful countries in the world for centuries.
CONTRADICTORY MESSAGES BRING THE LOSS OF CREDIBILITY
Just a few days ago, after quite some time, the SCDC has re-emerged with its presumed own decisions about the pandemic. My well respected colleague is jocularly suggesting that we should start calling SCDC by the name of just “Desk” because of their loss of credibility and ability to influence the public opinion. The management of the pandemic crisis in Serbia became self-parody of what this process is supposed to be. We cannot even safely qualify this as the wrong communication in crisis, since there are intermittently semblances of some strategy attempts, however displaced. The problem is that it is finally clear that the “Desk” is lacking the true power, as it is micromanaged from elsewhere, similar to any other public and crisis communication, pertaining invariably to every governmental institution in Serbia.
The goal here is not to antagonize the majority of the voters, and of course, to gain the most votes in the coming general elections this Spring. The sincere communication and the honest approach to health issues are of secondary importance. This is going to come back for payment. In my opinion, for this kind of resolution we should not wait for long. It is likely that I would have a different prognosis if our Serbian government and the “Desk” went public, and like the Israel officials said: “Our aim is to allow mass infection of the entire society and therefore create the collective immunity”. That would be the correct approach towards own citizens. However, it did not go that way, the professional part of the “Desk” wants tougher measures, its political part is against this. In the meantime, the Serbian public is rapidly getting medically sicker by the day.
The days of my own isolation and healing from Corona-19 virus are going by, this is my second such infection since the pandemic beginning. My illness diagnosis was correctly guessed even before the test by my physician from the City Tuberculosis Hospital, one of the unsung female heroes of this global health calamity. She was able to estimate “Omicron” based just on my SMS list of symptoms. It was Omicron indeed, the quick-test done at the private laboratory finally confirmed. Although still feeling relatively feeble and recuperating, I nevertheless started seeking some answers to reasonably logical questions, the ones we were never able to get from the State and the “Desk”:
- Since I have tested at the private laboratory with the quick-test, is my positive result now part of the 13,693 number of officially infected on January 11, 2022? My colleague, the journalist who follows this subject says yes, I am not sure.
- Is my result now becoming part of the State count, necessary as the basis for renewing my green travel certificate? The same colleague says no!?
- Tomorrow, should I go to the state health field ambulance, wait there for couple of hours to be recorded by the official system, hoping both that I am still positive, and that I shall not infect anyone along the way?
This is evidently illogical and inhumane to the citizens of Serbia.
How is it possible that these private ambulances got the State accreditation, but that same State does not recognize them as relevant? Perhaps there is some higher interest, maybe charging of the tests kept in the closed circle between the manufacturers and the State?
What am I and my compatriots supposed to do?
After this, I cannot get for some time the third vaccine shot, and my green certificate shall expire soon so I shall inevitably enter the “grey zone” for traveling and moving around. This is also irresponsible from the State.
The physicians employed by the State are at the end of their line. They should be commended on their effort, courage, and patience, whereas as a private entrepreneur I do not mind paying them. Why the State does not recognize the results from the private sector that must be paid to obtain? For example, the necessary DDimer category of results is not offered by the State, those have to be obtained at the private establishments.
Concurrently, the chronically ill patients are unable to be serviced by the public health system. Most of their scheduled regular checkups are cancelled due to the overcrowding during the past two years. The patients with deeper pockets are going to private medical doctors. This leaves me, the member of the private business community, to regularly pay my obligatory health, pension expenses, and taxes in order to fill the public funds for all the citizens, and maintain the bloated government bureaucracy while forced to still pay the private medical checkups for my family. This is the classic case of senseless and inhumane treatment of the citizens.
Based on these examples, it is no wonder that we have every right to continue to refer to SCDC as the “Desk”. The management of the crisis situations by issuing the contradictory messages always produces the loss of integrity, reputation, and leads to diminishing of any meaningful influence.
Politics takes the lead
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on October 3rd, 2021 under Articles | No Comments »
Foto – Zoran Mrdja
BELGRADE, October 1, 2021 (FoNet news agency) – The current Pandemics is often misused for the political purposes, the consultant for the strategic communication Ms. Aleksandra Hristov says for FoNet series Destination, adding that in the crisis it is always forbidden to attempt to score the political points or otherwise attempt to profit, whereas it is essential to continuously communicate with the population. The following are Ms. Hristov’s main thoughts on this matter.
On the subject of the consequences of the corona pandemic for the society in general it has to be highlighted that sending the uneven and contradictory messages remains one of the main problems in the communication of the Center for Disease Control in Serbia (CDCS) towards the citizens (in Serbia).
The general public has noticed that the political part (and not the professional) of the CDCS always prevails, and consequently the trust in their measures is eroded.
This has a very detrimental effect to what is to be achieved, namely the protection of the population against the transmissible disease as the practice of CDCS of criticizing the citizens behavior must be condemned.
In the past several days the vast majority of medical doctors have again warned about the dramatic increase of newly infected with the corona virus while for the past three weeks the CDCS pompously announces the introduction of the Covid-19 certificates, whereas at the same time one of its own board members says that this particular measure is not necessary.
Serbia currently does not have the strong anti vaccination movement but the population nevertheless does not trust anyone anymore as it is one of the results of the wrong way of public communicating.
When promised, it is imperative that all the rules are put forward and implemented together with the defined sanctions for those who fail to comply, otherwise the citizens continue to behave as they find appropriate.
In principle every action is loaded with the responsibility, and CDCS evidently does not feel the moral obligation to resign because their recommendations are either not implemented or produce the low numbers of vaccinated individuals.
Almost all the individuals are capable of understanding practically any situation but they need to be communicated to properly with including the education effort and detailed explanations, without the key information being concealed, scoring points and contradictory messaging.
The strong impression is that the CDCS uses only one channel of communication (official state news outlets), and always talking to one particular part of the public and not to the entire population.
In the past the CDCS news media conferences used to be organized, and that has now ceased, whereas the social media networks followed by the younger generation have always been uniformly neglected.
Today you can say that everyone follows a different news venue option, consequently it is necessary to cover all the target groups, no discriminatory news companies selection for announcements is advisable, including the selective appearances of officials in just a few particular outlets.
Thanks to such selective approach the CDCS looks as if always talking to the same targeted group of people, showing that its own board members have not thought through how to communicate with the citizens.
The CDCS could improve its public communication effect by using all the channels available towards all the target groups.
Business Magazine article “The uncertainty is still enormous”
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on May 5th, 2021 under Articles | No Comments »
In the Business Magazine latest edition, at the section about the challenges for the communication and marketing professions in 2021 and the priorities in the second year of the pandemic crisis, Aleksandra Hristov the director and owner of the Hristov consulting d.o.o. in her article has focused on the great uncertainty in the economy, and the imperative of redefining of the existing business and consequently communication strategies.
THE ABILITY TO ADAPT AND THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE SURVIVAL
“Never let a good crisis go to waste”, Winston Churchill said during the World War II, and he won in the end. It is always necessary to be brave, think outside the box, to find opportunity, and adapt to the new times.
We are almost in the middle of 2021., and the economies around the world are still trying to find the answer to several key questions – how long is this pandemic going to last, what is the depth of the economic crisis after the pandemic going to be, and at the very least how is that crisis going to effect the operations and survival of the specific industries and sectors. All these are undoubtedly the challenges for the corporations and their consultants that handle the strategic communications.
It is already a well known belief the Internet brought the changes that surpass those brought by the industrial revolution. Such abrupt advancements in history had always created socio-economic change that disrupted the functioning of the economies, society and the entire countries. The current pandemic only accelerated such environment that ensured internet presence, social networks and the new media shall increase as the preeminent channels of communication in the future.
However, this does not pertain equally and in the same manner to all the industries and organizations. Therefore, in order to meaningfully follow the trends and recognize new opportunities it is necessary for them to engage the qualified business consultants who can help give the efficient and timely guidance in change management and communication strategy during these turbulent times. It is almost guaranteed that the change is going to be profound, and that such challenges shall affect Serbia sometime shortly after the rest of Europe.
In the context of such developments, it is imperative to immediately prepare and establish the structured and continuous individual client tailored following, analysis and opportunities recognition of the pertinent business areas and related main venues of communication. Based on that, the client’s strategies of communication have to be closely monitored and adjusted in relation to particular companies’ and organizations’ needs. It has been proven during any uncertain times, the thinking outside the established patterns and “boxes” is usually one of the best options to consider. Nevertheless, the things that are certain to survive as paramount are the established trust, good business ethics, and the organizational culture that is bent on serving clients while remaining committed to its own employees’ satisfaction.
The economic crisis of 2008., like every previous time of change, has shown that the science and art of the public strategic communication is absolutely crucial for the survival and future path to new found success of any serious business, organization and institution.
Aleksandra Hristov
CEO, Hristov consulting, member of the Association of Management Consultants of Serbia
Propaganda and the public: The enemy of the public interest that is hard to overcome
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on May 24th, 2020 under Articles | 1 Comment »
Fonet published opinion editorial about disinformation and propaganda
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on February 8th, 2020 under Articles | 1 Comment »
PR In the Service of Conflict
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on January 24th, 2020 under Articles | No Comments »
Propaganda as the enemy, communication as the ally of the media
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on September 21st, 2019 under Articles | 1 Comment »
This article was published on September 19, 2019, in Novi Magazin, Serbian weekly. Ms. Aleksandra Hristov, the director of Hristov Consulting, a certified consulting firm for communication strategy and education in that area has spoken about the illicit connection between various actors in the society and the media that exists for years and makes it difficult to be independent and work in the public interest. This same matter was also commented by Mr. Dragan Janjic, the chief editor of Beta media agency-
Following is the article in its integral version:
“Propaganda as the enemy, communication as the ally of the media”
The cooperation of the media and the public relations sector naturally influences the newspaper texts that are reaching the public on a daily basis. However, the ethical and the judicial boundaries that are meant to protect the public interest during that cooperation are overlooked all too often. The companies, organizations, institutions, political parties, and individuals that appear in public and are influencing truthful and objective informing instead of protecting the public, and they become themselves the tools of disseminating untrue data in creation of the distorted picture of the reality.
“The media and the Public Relations (PR) are two different jobs, with different priorities. The media, journalists and the chief editors, should emphasize their task of protecting the public interest, whereas PR offices want to promote the corporate or organization’s interests for which they are working. In any case, the public interest should be cared for, with the awareness that with some professions such as journalists and public agencies such interest should be the first priority. That is nothing unusual as this is done this way throughout the world. The problems arise when different roles, and the priority goals get mingled, and when the media agrees to put, instead of the public interest, the interest of the company or organization served by its PR, on the first place. That happens either by mistake, when the journalists and the chief editors do not recognize that the public and corporate, organizational interests diverge, or when they do it deliberately”, says Mr. Dragan Janjic, the chief editor of the media agency Beta.
According to his assessment, in the first case, when the mistake was accidental, things can be fixed relatively easily, however, in the second case we are witnessing a potentially dangerous collusion that can be detrimental to the society and damage the public interest. “The drastic example with the tragic consequences occurred recently, during the 1990-ies, when the propaganda machineries of the sides in the war conflict in the former Yugoslavia acted as the deliberate war mongering vehicles, and the majority of the media was transmitting whatever was served to them”, Mr. Janjic reminded us.
The task of the PR sector that is representing the companies, organizations, institutions, political parties, and individuals should be, above all, to communicate with the media that are free from the pressure related to their media business. In practice that means that the task of the PR is to enable the free communication between the media and PR clients, to provide them with the truthful information, while media has the obligation to check all the facts, ant to release to the public the information that is important to the public interest.
Ms. Aleksandra Hristov, CMC, internationally certified business consultant in the area of the public communication, believes that the practice of the illicit collusion between various actors in society and media exists for years, and must be stopped immediately. “It is truly important that the media and PR sector become aware that at any moment they have the obligation to work in accordance to law, ethical codes, and international standards. This is the only way to avoid the errors that can be dangerous to the public interest”, says Ms. Hristov.
According to her words, the PR sector has an obligation, moral and judicial, regardless of what it does for the client or the boss, to respect the facts, truthful data, therefore the public interest, as it is always meant to be the case with the media in general. “In that business, the media and the PR should be allies”, added Ms. Hristov.
The mainstream media domestically (in Serbia and the region) and in the world are going through the crisis, trying to adjust to the digital age and endless competition brought by the internet. That competition, no doubt, has not brought the quality yet. However, it brought the high dependence of the media on advertisers, and those want to send their propaganda messages not only through the classical advertisements but also through the informative content, albeit without the professional journalistic handling of the matter.
Answering the question whether the propaganda is the enemy of the enemy of the public interest, Mr. Dragan Janjic believes that it is not always the case, because the propaganda is the tool for dissemination of any particular ideas or messages . “When the ideas or the messages are those that are indeed in the public interest, propaganda is allowed even in the media. Therefore, PR can help the media and the public reach various information content with the positive effect to individuals and society, however, the contrary is also possible. The main transmitter of the information is the media, and they should be the filter and the guarantor that everything stays within the perimeter of public interest”, says Mr. Janjic.
With this theme he is in agreement with Ms. Aleksandra Hristov who points out that we are often confronted with the public campaigns that are surely in public interest. “There is no problem when the organizations and businesses want to promote their results and community service based on facts. Serbia has PR outlets that are perfectly equipped and creative to handle such campaigns. The media, very often has ear for such campaigns. The problem arises when the client does not realize that his particular narrow interest is not in public interest, and as a consequence, some PR sectors start propagating the falsehood. That is not an allowed behavior by the PR, and the media itself before anyone, must react and deny such propaganda the media space without fear such action can produce the financial harm on them”, adds Ms. Hristov.
In any case, much work remains to be done in defining both better and clearer rules for the PR and media relationship. Implementing the laws and professional codes of conduct pertaining to media and PR is the key that should bring the quality to this area. Mr. Janjic emphasizes it would be ideal to somehow separate these things, if PR activities could be centered on drawing the attention to the importance of some product, idea or decision, without the indirect or direct influence of the companies or organizations on media business policy.
One thing that should be excluded from this two way communication between the media and PR is the blackmail, that if the media filters the PR content, it loses the client who pays the advertizing space. Furthermore, it should become unacceptable that the media without any checking or sanctions releases the false information whereby misleading the public and hurting the wider interest. The step toward respecting the clear professional rules is needed on both sides. This is in every citizen’s and wider public interest.
The article is part of the project “Propaganda as the enemy, communication as the ally of the media”, that is going to include the analysis of the conditions in this area through the opinion articles from the PR experts, and journalists contributing their views and own case studies. Through this project weekly Novi Magazin wants to promote the awareness about the importance of the media laws and professional codes of conduct implementation, including the imperative of applying the international standards in the media and PR interactions regardless of their own relationships with the political parties and businesses. Novi Magazin project is financed by the Embassy of the United States of America in Belgrade, Serbia.
The media should be the protection against the fake news
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on February 7th, 2019 under Articles | No Comments »
“Key advice for better business” in Econometar
Posted by Aleksandra Hristov on August 15th, 2011 under Articles | No Comments »
In the article published in Econometar magazine (www.nirapress.com) I told the journalist who interviewed me about the Association of Management Consultants of Serbia (UPKS www.amcserbia.rs ), and the CMC certification program in Serbia which goal is to help local consultants become more competitive. CMC (Certified Management Consultant) is the sign of international standard of quality for individual business consultants and is implemented by ICMCI (The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes www.icmci.org) methodology. CMC is given to these management consultants who satisfy high standards of knowledge, experience, competence and professionalism and is recognized in 50 countries.