Doug Kanter wrote:

Nonsense. If the suits cared about these things, they'd hire people
who can
tell the difference between dandelions and zucchini. The best thing to
do is
keep the local franchise on edge with as much legal terror and bad
publicity
as possible. There is no other way. You're dealing with an industry
which
has no scruples.


If they have no scruples, then they probably also believe in the old
adage that there is no such thing as *bad* publicity.

"Bad" publicity puts your name in front of people who haven't heard it
before.
"Bad" publicity lets people know that someone does the service that they
do.
"Bad" publicity raises awareness of you in the market place.

The only way this "bad" publicity will hurt them is if existing
customers cancel their contracts (which they probably can't). The *bad*
publicity is likely to get them new customers. Why? Because not everyone
will be sympathetic with the protagonist in our story. There will be
people out there who'll say, "This guy was an idiot to plant his
vegetables so close to the property line. You know, I need help with my
lawn. I think I'll call them."

If you're going to take this into the court of public opinion, before
you give the company _any_ publicity, you need to raise awareness about
the harm their sprays do, and how the alternatives are less expensive,
easier, and more effective. You have to get the court of public opinion
to get on your side before you give the company publicity.

As long as there is a significant number of people out there who still
believe in better lawns through chemicals, the *bad* publicity you give
the company isn't going to hurt them, nor will it help you. It'll do
nothing for you, and help them become better known. Free advertising
thanks to you.

Before taking anything to the court of public opinion, you need to stop
and think about how other people think. There are plenty of people out
there who don't think logically. There are plenty of people who have
opinions other than you. There are plenty of people who'll get the wrong
message unless you know how to spin things right.

You can't just toss a couple of facts out there, and hope people will
come to the right conclusion. You must prep them to come to that
conclusion long before you reveal the facts of the situation. And in
this case, every time people go to the Home and Garden sections of
retailers, they see plenty of chemicals. The court of public opinion is
being swayed to believe that chemicals are normal. You have to change
that nearly completely before your complaint against ChemLawn will gain
enough favor in the court of public opinion to actually hurt ChemLawn. A
majority opinion isn't enough. Those with the minority opinion are still
potential customers for ChemLawn, and your case is not *bad* publicity.
It's advertising for them.

Talk to the neighbors. Talk to the company. Report the company to any
agency that will listen. But don't take it to the court of public
opinion, and don't use that as a threat when talking to the company.

Instead, if you really feel the need to address the court of public
opinion, start by showing the benefits of not using chemicals. In a few
years, public opinion may shift, and ChemLawn will loose customers.
Don't just jump out there and start giving them free advertising now.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Get Black and Decker Landscaping Tools He
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...ker/index.html