File this one under (should be) obvious PR don'ts: Hitting “reply all” when making derogatory comments about a reporter or blogger.
That's exactly what a Brandlink Communications VP did last week after the author of TheBlogess.com sent one of his employees a snippy reply to an irrelevant pitch. After a few email volleys, Jose Martinez, Brandlink VP and media director, reportedly told her that his firm would do a better job of researching bloggers' interests, but also that “you should be flattered that you are even viewed relevant enough to be pitched at all instead of [alienating] PR firms and PR people – who are actually the livelihood of any journalist's business.” (As a journalist, I can tell you he's wrong about that, too, but I digress).
Brandlink, or its clients, can't be thrilled with the amount of negative attention the firm has received in the wake of the incident - 800 comments on The Blogess' post about the incident – or seeing Brandlink trending on Twitter. Brandlink CEO Carol Bell said the company is dealing with the matter internally.
