Hill+Knowlton Strategies

So…. a la Martha Stewart, Kenneth Lay, ex-CEO of Enron, has created a website by which to…. well, do what exactly?

From a communications perspective, I can’t imagine how this site will help his cause. And while some marketing experts being quoted by the Houston Chronicle are saying it’s a smart move – particularly his use of Google adwords and pay-per-click advertising, I’m not so sure. Others would seem to agree…

It appears to be a classic “He said / She said” exercise that will do little to counter or change current public opinion, regardless of how spotless Lay’s professional record prior to Enron’s ignomious collapse. In any instance where clients have been faced with accusations of unethical behaviour, the cardinal rule has been to defer to a ‘higher authority’ — an independent review or investigation from a credible third-party that will, hopefully, validate your claim of innocence — versus attempting to fight back based on the strength of your own convictions. To simply say “no, I didn’t” in response to a chorus of “yes, you did’s” achieves little, particularly when you’re the face of the big bad corporation accused of bilking billions from the savings of investors and employees.

Should Lay be found guilty, his attempts to publicly defer or denounce responsibility will be even more harshly criticized. If found innocent, his capacity to walk away a free man will be based not on a website lauding his character, but on the determination of that “higher authority” that he is – in fact – innocent of any wrongdoing.