Nice bit of domestic PR this week by the President of Argentina. Whilst the rest of the G20 were grappling with the lofty concerns of how to manage the world economy, Ms Fernandez spotted an opportunity that was too good to miss.
Keen to improve her reputation with her audience at home, what better way than to try and hijack the British Prime Minister with a letter outlining her country’s claim to the Falkland Islands. Nothing to do with the agenda of the G20 but a few minutes of stage managed PR means she has guaranteed herself a warm home coming on her return.
She knew that this was an issue that would spark a response from the British: there is no way the PM could ignore such a sensitive issue for the voters back in the UK and it is particularly sensitive as it's the 30th anniversary since the start of the conflict. Some may say it was a cheap shot but it worked and she got the publicity she wanted. Targeting your audience with the right message through the myriad of media channels is a highly effective way of raising your organisation’s profile.
The media don’t want detailed analysis of where your company is in terms of output and turnover with a bundle of stats to prove it. They want a clear simple message about how this is going to affect their readers. This is what Ms Fernandez spotted.
Knowing that the Juan Publicos back in Argentina are very unlikely to be that interested in her attending a very highbrow summit in a very posh hotel resort, she had to bring it back to what they could connect with and so she decided to change the agenda.
Carpe diem!