Oct
29
Gerry McCusker delivers keynote at crisis conference
Filed Under Business, Campaigns, Internet Public Relations, Online, PR Disasters, Public Relations, Public Relations practice, Public Speaking | Leave a Comment
http://www.frocomm.com.au/cc2008/program.php
Wednesday next week, I’m delighted to be giving the opening keynote address at an Issues and Crisis Summit in Sydney. I’ve also be invited as a panelist for a highly-interactive Q&A session. The focus of my keynote will be the new rules of reputation management and exploring the impact of Web2.0 and Social Media on issues and crisis management. Glen Frost has put together another sterling program, and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing some of you up in Sydney.
Oct
27
Media adviser admits 100% plagiarism in Bishop’s essay
Filed Under Botched PR jobs, Government, PR Disasters, Politics, Public Relations, Services | Leave a Comment
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24556017-601,00.html
Much embarrassment for Aussie Liberal wing-woman Julie Bishop and publishers, Melbourne University Press, that her essay contribution for a book about the future of the Liberal Party was cribbed from a ten-year old speech by a New Zealand businessman Roger Kerr. A Libs senior Media Adviser Murray Hansen has fallen on his sword/pen admitting it was all his doing/fault. From The Australian Murray says…”he had written the essay and forgotten to send footnotes in time for publication…Asked how footnotes could have given credit for words that are not in quotation marks in Ms Bishop’s essay but blended through, he said: “I knocked it together very quickly. If I’d formatted it and put direct quotes, it would have alerted her much more quickly to the fact that I was taking large chunks out of someone else’s ideas and speech.” Author writes: A major published book; representing an MP; knocked together very quickly!!! In late September, Ms Bishop was accused of plagiarism for lifting material from The Wall Street Journal for a speech.
Oct
23
PR disaster: Labour minders threaten journos will be shot
Filed Under Botched PR jobs, Government, Media, PR Disasters, Politics, Public Relations practice | Leave a Comment
This unbelievable piece suggests that Scotland is a tough place to practice PR. The UK PM’s wife Sarah Brown (a former PR at Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications), was allegedly involved in a PR photo-op where govt PR minders seemed somewhat over-zealous in protecting their client interests. The messengers threatening scribes with a bullet; there’s a new twist on a theme.
Oct
21
Some good, if highly debatable, PR for my old home town. The travel guide Lonely Planet has confounded the sceptics who disparage the city for its hard-drinking, violent reputation by claiming it is one of the world’s top 10 cities for visitors - on a par with Chicago, Lisbon and Mexico City. http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/oct/15/glasgow-scotland
Nowadays I sorta agree; Glesca is good place to visit; but Melbourne is much better place to actually live.
Oct
17
James Hardie disaster; PR head says ‘I didnt do it”
Filed Under Botched PR jobs, Business, Corporates, PR Disasters, Public Relations, Services | Leave a Comment
Standing in court the other day, corporate PR Greg Baxter, ex PR Head at James Hardie says he didnt insert the words “fully funded” into a 2001 press release about the firm’s asbestos compensation trust; with an amnesia onset, he’s not sure who did, either. Surely tho, as the head of PR he would’ve been aware of the weight of this statement and the PR/reputational implications of it? Strangely, as Crikey reports, this story hasnt played strongly in News Ltd newspapers where Baxter is now Head of Corp Affairs…aaaahhh, dontcha just love media transparency and ethics?
http://www.watoday.com.au/national/hardies-minutes-fail-to-jog-memory-20081015-50xm.html
Oct
16
NAB (again) flamed over Social Media ineptitude
Filed Under Corporates, Marketing Public Relations, Online, Technology | 12 Comments
While I’ve been Interstate, web designer pal David McDonald sent me this case of suspicious Social Media marketing. Surely NAB (no strangers to social media flak) couldn’t have buggered up a fresh attempt to ‘engage’ online stakeholders? Maybe it was their expert social media agents, Loaded? I’ll investigate this in more detail later. hat tip, David. Go Cheryl Gledhill, savvy IP-sleuth-ess (read her comments!). If its a shill, this is further proof why Social Media ‘Marketing’ is a somewhat flawed premise even in spirit. http://www.moltn.com/blog/2008/10/09/nab-tries-to-pull-a-swifty/
Oct
10
Oct
10
PR disaster as Greg Bird’s PR moves draw scathing criticism
Filed Under Botched PR jobs, Celebrity, Media, PR Disasters, Public Relations, Sport | Leave a Comment
Following a long line of public figures who have deployed kids to try and win the sympathy vote in public opinion - think UK’s John ‘Mad Cow’ Gummer and Aussies Matt Brown, Andrew Bartlett and John Hewson - thugby player Greg Bird recently arrived at court dragging his little brother (maybe about 5yrs old?) through a media scrum. His sister also ported their other baby brother to try keeping media snappers at bay. Accused of ‘glassing’ his American girlfriend’s face with a wine glass, Bird’s media advisers (lawyers or PR people we wonder?) clearly felt he needed to soften his image as this sports PR disaster unfolds. Bird’s girlfriend suffered cuts and a fractured eye socket after allegedly being hit in the face with a glass wielded by Bird himself. He denies the assault and blamed a pro-golfer mate.
Ever fond of hoary old sayings this weather, I’ll bastardise another; “character isn’t revealed when things are going well, but how you behave when things are going badly”. Greg from an older PR pro; ditch the entourage and the media manipulation. Face these allegations directly, with integrity and, if appropriate, with contrition. That’s the only way to bring this unseemly PR disaster to a close, and rebuild your much tarnished reputation.