I WANT TO BELIEVE... DO YOU?
While my fellow colleagues and I begin to discuss the power of PR many different examples are mentioned: Max Clifford, Edward Bernays, Nestle and so forth are all among the top contestants to speak on behalf of the power of public relations. While these are all good subjects and lend themselves well to PR, I find myself hypothesizing about a small incident known as the Roswell Crash of 1947. As a proud New Mexican, I grew up hearing of the alien crash in the tiny town of Roswell and have actually visited the sites and festivals many times. The whole premise of this incident is simple. On a warm July night in 1947, something fell out of the sky. The next day a PRESS RELEASE was issued, saying a flying saucer was recovered from the crash and even after that a PRESS CONFERENCE was called to speak out that the crashed item was a weather balloon.
Now normally this is where some people stop listening to the story, they accept the second story and move on. But what if this is actually not about aliens at all? What if this started out as a PR stunt for the failing economy of Roswell, New Mexico? A ploy to raise tourism and to boost the economy? Both the original Press Release and Conference were set up by a Public information officer, only adding to the speculation that this could really just be a made of incident to enhance the appeal of Roswell. Since the alledged crash of 1947, Roswell's tourism is on the rise every year, believers and non -believers alike flock to this small New Mexican Town to see the museums and crash sites for themselves. A "must see" of the Southwest United States? or the Biggest PR stunt ever pulled off? At this time these questions have remained unanswered, but I am working diligently on it!
Posts
