It’s hard to tell if such praise from his arch-enemies at Fox vindicates or repudiates Moore’s strategy of “marketing via controversy,” as described last week in this WSJ article by Merissa Marr. As Marr writes, “Picking a fight with the opposition is a key component of Mr. Moore’s typical marketing plan.” Sparks create buzz, and indeed, the film’s producer, Harvey Weinstein “acknowledges that a shrill response from the film’s targets would play right into their [his and Moore's] hands.”

Of course, Fox’s response is not that surprising given Weinstein’s own view that the movie would “appeal to both ends of the political spectrum.” What is surprising is the way that the media landscape has changed since the release of Moore’s last blockbuster, Fahrenheit 9/11, and the way that these changes may actually benefit Moore’s “targets.” It’s unclear, for example, whether the “controversy” surrounding a trip to Cuba that features in SiCKO is as much of a boon for Michael Moore as it has been for stealth presidential candidate, Fred Thompson.
As you will recall, Thompson attacked Moore for his Cuban excursion in an op-ed piece in the National Review. Moore responded with an open letter to Thompson that he posted to his own website, but which was also posted on the Drudge Report. Thompson “fired back,” as they say, with this YouTube video. (Thompson is prominently smoking a cigar since Moore criticized his recently publicized predilection for Cuban stogies).
In the wake of this video, one commentator for the National Review quotes a “web campaign professional” who calls Thompson, “The most new media savvy candidate in or out of the race for President.” And Blake Dvorak, writing on Time’s “Real Clear Politics” blog saw the video as a warning to other presidential candidates that Thompson “plays hard.”
PR professionals, marketers, and politicians alike have something to learn from all this. The small lesson would be, if your marketing involves instigating a public debate, as Moore’s often does, you should realize that your PR opportunity is also an opportunity for your opponents, or, to put it in business terms, competitors.
The big lesson is the irrelevancy of the old media. It’s fascinating that Fred Thompson moved so quickly from the “old world” of “op-eds,” (in the National Review of all places – though, to be fair, it was the “on-line” edition), to the new world of YouTube (apparently putting his spot together in less than two-hours and in one take). He even makes Moore, who responded to Thompson through a quote in the New York Daily News, look old-fashioned. Ultimately, who needs contacts at newspapers or television stations for PR when the web presents you with channels that allow you to “broadcast yourself”? If you’re Fred Thompson (or any of us, frankly), the answer is, “Not me.”