Press release quotes: Apple, WWE and Bed Bath & Beyond

Press release quotes are vastly underestimated.

Because what you write will likely end up repeated word-for-word in articles around the world.

So it’s vital you get it right.

A poorly-worded sentence can send shockwaves to your stock price.

While a well-crafted quote can demonstrate your control in a crisis. 

We’ve seen three global companies come under fire in recent weeks for bad business practices.

Each one published a press release to defend themselves from the allegations.

Let’s explore what works and what’s making matters worse.

Read on.

1. Apple’s battery-draining court case

This one may have affected you already.

Apple, one of the top ten biggest companies in the world, are currently in a legal battle which could see them pay out £750 million.

It’s over claims that they intentionally slowed down older models of its iPhone.

Apple has previously admitted that a 2017 update did indeed ‘throttle’ the performance of some devices in order to avoid sudden shutdowns.

The claim comes from the tech firm’s failure to warn users or give them the option to disable the feature.

Campaigner Justin Guttman, who has taken the legal action, says that every Brit who owned one of these iPhones at the time is owed money.

Apple defended their decision in these press release quotes:

“We have never – and would never – do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.

“Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

These quotes can be split into two.

The second part is great. It’s focused on their attitude rather than an outcome, with lots of positive language throughout.

But the first part is the problem. It’s reinforcing the allegation that they intentionally sabotaged their own devices.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll notice it’s the two pink elephants in the first six words which are creating this crisis comms headache.

Simply put, they need to say instead what they did rather than what they would never do.

We’ll see how the case unfolds in the courts.

But this is the third time Apple have been sued over the issue, and they paid out on both previous occasions.

2. WWE’s hush money payments

It may surprise you, dear reader, to learn that I still watch professional wrestling.

(And before you say “wrestling’s fake”, it’s actually scripted.)

WWE, most famous for characters like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, is the biggest name in the industry.

In the last 20 years, they’ve pivoted towards PG-friendly television and away from the risque, more violent product of the late 90s.

One of the only constants through those decades is long-time CEO and chairman Vince McMahon.

But news broke in June that he’d allegedly paid more than $3m to an employee to keep their affair quiet.

Vince quickly and ‘voluntarily’ stepped down, but the damage was done.

Since the story became public, the company’s stock price has plummeted by $500 million.

In press release quotes following the news, WWE’s interim chairwoman Stephanie McMahon wrote:

“I have pledged my complete cooperation to the investigation by the Special Committee, and I will do everything possible to support the investigation.

“I love this company and am committed to working with the Independent Directors to strengthen our culture and our Company. It is extremely important to me that we have a safe and collaborative workplace.”

In terms of a well-written quote considering the circumstances, this is about as good as you can get.

It shows commitment, it’s free of unnecessary negatives, and it focuses on the moral authority of having a safe workplace.

It’ll be interesting to see if this tone is maintained as the investigation into Mr McMahon’s misconduct continues.

The flipside in all of this is that while the stock has dropped, WWE’s television ratings are up.

Turns out that people will tune in for real-life drama on a scripted show.

3. Turning up the heat at Bed Bath & Beyond

Here’s one I’m sure many of us can relate to right now.

With energy bills soaring and sales falling, US retailer Bed Bath & Beyond are looking to cut costs.

According to analysts from Bank of America, stores across the States have been turning off their air conditioning to save money.

This was flatly denied by the company in these press release quotes:

“We’ve been contacted about this report, and to be clear, no Bed Bath & Beyond stores were directed to adjust their air conditioning…

… and there have been no corporate policy changes in regard to utilities usage.”

Similarly to Apple’s statement, the pink elephants are wreaking havoc. 

As a cynical journalist, I could turn this quote into:

BED BATH & BEYOND DENIES ADJUSTING AIR CON TO SAVE CASH

It’s another great example of why it’s so important to only speak in positives.

Tell us what you have done rather than what hasn’t happened. 

This air con allegation is one of many issues plaguing the brand.

Their first quarter report came out this week, showing sales falling by over 25% in just 12 months.

The stock price has more than halved this year already.

And their CEO Mark Tritton is on his way out as a result.

Getting press release quotes right

Your press releases may be on a smaller scale compared to these business giants.

But it’s just as important to make sure you get your quotes right. 

It boils down to these key points:

• Removing the unnecessarily negative language which reinforces allegations
• Focusing on your attitude rather than promising an outcome
• Getting to the point in the opening line

That last bit’s worth noting.

If you write paragraphs of quotes to send to the media and are disappointed when only two lines appear in print, shorten it. 

And this is where we come in.

Our team is made up of former journalists and broadcasters.

And we’re here to help you deal with the media in all its forms: be that print, radio or TV.

Email us today to find out more about how we can help.

Colin Stone is Communications Lead (and the only Claudio Castagnoli fan) at Pink Elephant.

You can read more about him here.

Photos in Press release quotes blog by Joe Hernandez, Alexander Isreb and Pink Elephant Communications.
Press release quotes blog edited by Andrew McFarlan.