Oct
30
The Guardian today reports how Virgin Money’s latest attempt at creating a viral ad campaign (if I had a dollar for every time that concept was floated in commsland these days..) has been pulled after starting a PR disaster.
I recently suggested how PR counsel needs to be involved in the evolution of every new Ad campaign, and this pretty much proves my point. Push the boundaries new media Ad guys, but speak to your PR pals b4 going live.
Oct
26
PR disasters-a-plenty
Filed Under Public Speaking | Leave a Comment
I recently warned of the PR perils of speaking in public.
Now, following Pope Benedict’s public speaking furore, Australian Islamic cleric Sheikh Hilali has created a PR storm over his Ramadan sermon, metaphorically - and, come on, a tad insensitively - comparing women to uncovered meat and implying they were largely the catalysts for rape. How, I wonder, when you’re writing a speech or sermon, might you imagine that these kind of comments will be profiled by the media, and interpreted by any audience in a world that feasts on any public pronouncement or utterance?
Oct
23
Urban Myths and PR
Filed Under Celebrity | Leave a Comment
‘Can Keith Urban come back from this reputational disaster?’, the Daily Telegraph asked me yesterday.
Sheez; thought I was more eloquent when I did the telecon interview, and also emphasised the point (omitted) that reputation is a double-edged sword - it’s the currency that helps anyone ‘do business’ and its also the rod for their backs if they fall below their own excellent standards (which, in turn, becomes the expectations of their stakeholders or, in Keef’s case, his fans).
Best wishes to Mr Urban (would love to play guitar like him for just one night!) and Nicole for a successful recovery.
Oct
20
Public Relations Disasters To Reprint
Filed Under Public Relations | 1 Comment
Great news from my agent in Paris; my PR reputation management book ‘Public Relations Disasters‘ continues to shift and my London publisher has confirmed an imminent reprint. Seems there’s a lot of interest from PR firms and corporates in finding out how to avoid PR gaffes and PR job-threatening scenarios.
On that topic, am likely presenting in Middle East in December at a seminar along with a dozen of the UK journalism scene; watch out for details soon (and maybe a few sparks flying!!)
Oct
17
PR disaster just don’t compute
Filed Under Business | Leave a Comment
Embattled Hewlett Packard Chairman Patty Dunn - now facing possible criminal indictment over the computer company’s snooping scandal - has begun her own PR offensive. And that’s quite a fitting term for her synthetic appeal to the media before the case has fully run its course. (Incidentally, her lawyers are fighting her PR corner, we hear; cue PR disaster, anyone?).Trying hard (in complementary, soft focus shots) to convince 60 Minutes that she’s the victim of circumstances, and neither the perpetrator or authority behind the unethical surveillance tactic of ‘pretexting’, Patty shamelessly proclaimed, “I am innocent”. Read more
Oct
2
PR vs Profit
Filed Under Business | Leave a Comment
The Sydney Daily Telegraph’s Viva Goldner has done a piece on the PR fallout that may follow Qantas’ decision to offshore 300 IT jobs.
Asked for my opinion as to the reputational side of things, I pointed out that there’s prob been a calculated trade off in this case (short term PR vs profit). The quest for business profitablity is more pressing that being a full time people pleaser (answering to the shareholder ‘public’ sees to that). For me, while the airline may cop some short term flak for giving (just 300 for now) jobs to non-Aussies, the bulk of consumers will simply get over it. In a national duopoly, it’s not like consumers are motivated enough to boycott a company that they depend on for transport and mobility.