This public relations war shows both the power of public pressure and the power of building and maintaining a strong fan base. Beer drinkers LOVE their product and let everyone know it. Even as they are progressively more banished from society, smokers continue to light up. And, for pot smokers, ‘puff puff pass’ has become pop culture cliché.
Each product has a simple but multifaceted PR message that is eagerly carried and distributed by ardent fans. An aspect of this PR plan includes creating a mystique, engendering brotherhood among users and connecting their products directly with good times and higher self-esteem. The message – from all three products is this: You will feel good and have friends if you do this.
That’s a powerful message that easily cuts through concerns about health, legality and social standing. People eagerly assume risks they are legally bound to notice because of the power and successful PR culture created by each of these products. Notice “culture” not “message”. When trying to create a movement or a fan base, simply selling a product or delivering a message is not enough. You have to establish and expand a culture.
Consumers will initially embrace that culture and then be swallowed by it, eagerly becoming part of something they see as a greater extension of who they are or who they want to be.
This public relations war shows both the power of public pressure and the power of building and maintaining a strong fan base. Beer drinkers LOVE their product and let everyone know it. Even as they are progressively more banished from society, smokers continue to light up. And, for pot smokers, ‘puff puff pass’ has become pop culture cliché.
Each product has a simple but multifaceted PR message that is eagerly carried and distributed by ardent fans. An aspect of this PR plan includes creating a mystique, engendering brotherhood among users and connecting their products directly with good times and higher self-esteem. The message – from all three products is this: You will feel good and have friends if you do this.
That’s a powerful message that easily cuts through concerns about health, legality and social standing. People eagerly assume risks they are legally bound to notice because of the power and successful PR culture created by each of these products. Notice “culture” not “message”. When trying to create a movement or a fan base, simply selling a product or delivering a message is not enough. You have to establish and expand a culture.
Consumers will initially embrace that culture and then be swallowed by it, eagerly becoming part of something they see as a greater extension of who they are or who they want to be.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
Other news
See all
EPR Editorial Team · 06/17/2026
ExxonMobil at 25: The 1999 Merger to the AI Citation Position
November 30, 1999: the $81B Exxon-Mobil merger closed. 25 years on — Lee Raymond, Tillerson, Woods, the 2020 DJIA removal, Engine No. 1, Pioneer, Hess arbitration, and the AI citation graph.
EPR Editorial Team · 06/17/2026
OpenAI Prez Gave Trump $25M — ChatGPT Users Revolt
OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife donated $25M to MAGA Inc. — the super PAC's largest donor by $5M — plus $25M to AI deregulation PAC Leading the Future. QuitGPT says 700,000 have pledged to cancel ChatGPT.
Ronn Torossian · 06/17/2026
Gwyneth Paltrow's 51 Park Israel Ad: Why the Backlash Doesn't Matter
Gwyneth Paltrow fronts 51 Park in Herzliya, Israel. The backlash arrived. The brand didn't pull. Paltrow didn't apologize. The campaign is still on Israeli TV. Why the celebrity-Israeli brand playbook just changed.
Most brands are invisible inside AI search. Is yours?
EPR publishes the data every week.
Free. Weekly. Unsubscribe anytime.