The phrase "no comment" is an ongoing joke in the PR world. I've never met a publicist who had nothing to say. I've met clients who use "no comment" as a way to rev up interest, but I have - to this day- never came across a media adviser who refused to talk about a subject either on or off the record.
I bring this up today because I overheard another peer with a problem. She was planning on using the "no comment" phrase to make the issue go away. First, the "no comment" statement will only drive the media nuts and make them insist on getting a reply. Second, using "no comment" as a publicist means you are not doing your job!
It is your job to communicate information accurately and on behalf of your client. The client can use the phrase because 1) he or she wants to drive further press attention and/or 2) he or she doesn't know how to handle the media directly and will wait for you to make a statement.
Any publicist who relies up on the phrase "no comment" is going to make a bad situation worse. Think about the recent Beyonce / Solange elevator incident. If Beyonce said "no comment"- there would be no problem. If her publicist said "no comment" then it would validate what everyone was thinking. The publicist had to give a statement, which she did. You can read it here:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/15/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/solange-jay-z-beyonce-statement/
My point today is this, don't rely on "no comment" to deal with hard situations that your client may have put him or herself into. Address things head on and they will go away quicker.
Until tomorrow,
Coco the CEO
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