I always laugh when I read about criticism of PR in the porn business because normally everything I read that is bad are things that I have done. I am guilty of just about everything Mike wrote including quoting myself (often) but I stand before all of you and dare you to find consistently bigger selling adult movies than the ones we make right here at X-Play. Who the fuck really knows what works and what doesn’t when it comes to promotion but I can tell you that when Flight Attendants comes out in September it will outsell just about 98% of the movies that are released this year. Not the Cosbys XXX is already at a pace that is bigger than the first two Brady Bunch pornos and it has only been one week in release. The truth is that there is really not much ‘news’ when it comes to porn and you have to manufacture it in anyway you can including using the latest quotes from Will Ryder or some dipshit on YouTube calling for a boycott of Cosby porn. As far as I am concerned Will Ryder could be an idiot but he’s also a great sex-comedy director and he never fails at giving a great quote. In the end it’s all about the sales and we should enjoy them before they are completely over in two years. What do you say Mike?

My one point of note would be that if you want PR within our industry there’s nothing wrong with that per se but if you want PR outside our industry and into mainstream you better have a talent that you can use to get there. I agree that Mary Carey was a “gimmick” but the truth is it was a brilliant one with almost no downside and it was played perfectly. nothing wrong with that if you know what your plan is going into it.

but if all you do is suck cock and fuck on camera, don’t expect mainstream to have any interest in you. You ain’t that marketable.

Well done publicity is much more than publicity stunts, it has to do with a multitude of individual steps that keep your client out in the public eye AND that gives them credibility with the public when they are in that spotlight.

Too many times, a publicity stunt can backfire. One of the most important talents of a great publicist is being able to determine if the stunt will generate publicity that is giving their client a good reputation and credibility, or simply makes them look like an idiot. We have all seen the later, especially when dealing with mainstream news and an adult client.

Yet, there are ways to get clients into mainstream without resorting to publicity stunts of a great magnitude, such as running for public office. Sometimes an original campaign/product will make news on its own, (with the help of a capable publicist, of course.) Take some of the “Not the…” and “Ain’t the…” titles, as an example. Or the alternate reality game Jay and I created for a client’s upcoming release. Sometimes it is simply that the client is doing something on a day to day basis that is worthy of attention by the press, both mainstream and adult. This can be as simple as creating a truly remarkable product or a social responsibility that they engage in regularly, not just an engineered stunt.

While I certainly agree that any “PR” people that rely on press releases alone are missing the entire point, (and not doing their best for their clients), press releases are a viable tool to support a real publicity campaign. It’s a formal introduction to the press, and many times the public, about what your client is up to. It should not end there, however. Without going into lengthy details, a good publicist knows how to keep their client in the eyes of the press, and that does not EXCLUDE a well planned and carried out publicity stunt from time to time. However, basing an entire publicity campaign on a stunt, or even a series of stunts will also not guarantee your client sustainable publicity. It is a flash on the pop-culture radar, and it has to be followed up by regular, old fashioned press relations and image management.

theres an old southern saying….”Better the devil I know than the one I dont”

Take the case of Stormy, On the face of it the position of US Senator would be a salary cut for her, BUT it benefits her in so many ways that it would be a huge financial boost in the long run most likely. To my knowledge she hasn’t indicated that she would no longer dance or do porn if she got elected and knowing Stormy as I do I thinks it’s pretty safe to say she would not quit. Say what you like about Stormy but she isn’t a hypocrite.

Being in the public eye is marketing, intentional or not it adds value to you.

From all reports she is taking this very seriously, she has done a listening tour to see what the voters of Louisiana think is important.

I suspect that if Stormy does have a political weakness it will be that she won’t ride the fence on issues, she will determine her position and make a stand.

I whole heartedly agree about us needing more public servants, what we now have is a lot more like “A Parliament of Whores”.