The Integrated Battlefield - PR Included

Regardless of who fired the first shot, who crossed over the line, or who hurled the first insult, the conflict between the Republic of Georgia and Russia shows that the 21st Century battlefield extends well beyond the trenches where the ground forces live and fight.

With the public’s thirst for 24 hour as it happens, and the media’s desire to feed the ratings an inside look at the latest and greatest news story [it is entertainment after all], they have created a platform where a savvy media group can help to define the line between the good guys and the bad guys like never before - often before all the facts are in.

This is something political leaders, and yes, the military now leverages as an integrated part of the wars they wage. Witness how Georgian president - Saakashvili – leveraged the media to support his ground troops, even though his own tactics were later found suspect.

With his public relations firm, Aspect Consulting, in place [a firm that also works with such companies as Exxon Mobil, Kellogg's and Procter and Gamble], Mr. Saakashvili, began an hourly barrage of media releases that followed the action on the ground, sometimes even leading it.

With carefully planned headlines, like "Russia continues to attack civilian populations," and stories describing how the capital Tblisi was “intensively bombed," or how a downed Russian plane was in fact "nuclear", Georgia quickly positioned itself in the hearts and minds of the world as the underdog. The press, in their efforts to take the lead and put out the story first, took a big bite and chewed away.

With the media quickly jumping on the bandwagon, releases were given greater credence than they should have been. Some implied greater threats to the world at large. Others implied threats to European energy supplies as "Russia dropped bombs near oil pipelines.” Even "humanitarian wheat shipments" were apparently blocked. The resulting terminology early in the conflict complained of "invading Russian forces" and "the occupation of Georgia." The best move, was when Saakashvili's government filed allegations of ethnic cleansing to The Hague, using keywords and terms designed to trigger media interest, such as civilian victims, nuclear arms, humanitarian disaster, occupation, and yes ethnic cleansing.

In the initial days of the battle, Mr. Saakashvili held international media phone conferences, got himself on TV news channels and even found time, within hours of war breaking out, to write for the Wall Street Journal. In contrasting style, Russia, allowed little access to South Ossetia – adding to the evil empire image the West enjoys painting it as.

With most reporters at the Olympics, television stations and newspapers lacked sufficient resources to find out what was actually occurring. Which is why the Public Relations efforts by President Saakashvili were accepted so readily. While journalists may have treated it with at least some skepticism, the media campaign had an effect; and while the ground war may have been a disaster, the information war gave Georgia a crushing success. At least initially. It wasn't until much later, that the media found balance, noting that they were unsure of exactly what has gone on behind the borders, even portraying Saakashvili as a leader who made a major strategic error and blundered into a war he was bound to lose.

Again, this is not a comment on who is right or wrong in this conflict, but an effort to look at who managed to direct the press and media coverage better and how that helped their cause. It is also an effort to show how war is no longer just about the directing troops, but directing an integrated campaign, that yes includes the world’s media.

For additional information, please see the following sources:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4518254.ece
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080810/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_south_ossetia
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/18/pressandpublishing.georgia
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Russia-Georgia-Conflict-Countries-Play-Out-Propaganda-Battle-Amidst-War/Article/200808215076440?lpos=World%2BNews_2&lid=ARTICLE_15076440_Russia%2BGeorgia%2BConflict%253A%2BCountries%2BPlay%2BOut%2BPropaganda%2BBattle%2BAmidst%2BWar