The public perception of a company, institution or governmental body is fundamental to its ability to achieve its objectives. That's why reputation management is one of the most important functions of a Communications team. The hope is that with consistent, creative and clever content, Communications teams can wield some control over the organisation’s reputation. The … Continue reading Reputation Management: Establishing, maintaining and protecting reputation
Today, I want to share about a major crisis I managed the communications response for in Qatar last year, and how our Crisis Response Protocol helped our team to manage the incident. I was working for a big oil and gas shipping company at the time. We had a fleet of some of the biggest … Continue reading Crisis Communication: Does your organisation have a Crisis Response Protocol?
[convertkit form=4915559] Strategic Communications: The Science Behind the Art is a practical guide to creating integrated communications campaigns. It’s all about achieving optimum PR outcomes using the PESO model. Check it out. Today, a man who has never held public office became President of the United States of America. He has been declared bankrupt on a number … Continue reading Trump, Farage and post-truth Public Relations
As regular readers will know, I'm a huge fan of the PESO model, which advocates building a PR strategy around four pillars thatregularly overlap each other: Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media. Today, I want to talk about the last category, owned media, arguably the most misunderstood, underrated and therefore neglected aspect of the PESO model. First, let's … Continue reading Owning it: Why your corporate blog trumps your social channels every time
Recently, I wrote about mistakes that PR agencies make when they pitch to in-house Public Relations teams. But what steps should companies take to ensure that their tender process is a success? I’m delighted to say that after a lengthy tender process, I’m delighted with the choice we have made and definitely feel that we … Continue reading Running a successful tender: How to choose the right PR agency for you
[convertkit form=4915559] Backing the Barcelona Principles All the way back in 2010, Public Relations practitioners from more than 40 countries gathered in the capital Catalonia for a think-in on industry issues. Around 140 people attended the conference, hosted by the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC). AMEC is the world’s largest trade … Continue reading 7 deadly sins of Public Relations redeemed
5 reasons Skittles' response to Trump was perfect This week, Donald Trump Jr posted a callous image on Twitter comparing Syrian refugees to potentially poisoned Skittles. The message was clear - if you wouldn't risk eating Skittles in case a few of them might be poisoned, you shouldn't accept Syrian refugees in case a few of … Continue reading Crisis Communication: A masterclass in deflecting controversy by Skittles
The following is an extract from my upcoming book Strategic Communications: The Science Behind the Art. It's a practical guide to creating integrated communications campaigns and achieving optimum PR outcomes. The ideal time to start creating an annual Public Relations plan is September of the previous year. In many organisations, it’s left too late, meaning … Continue reading How to create a Public Relations calendar for 2020
[convertkit form=4915559] How to fail at pitching... The email pings into your inbox. You've been shortlisted. Over the last few months, you've been liaising with an in-house PR team about their needs, and they're finally ready to go ahead with the tender. Responding to a PR agency tender can be time consuming, and pitching it can … Continue reading 6 mistakes that murder your PR pitch
What is storytelling anyway? Neil Gaiman could tell you a thing or two about storytelling. I've just finished reading his book Anansi Boys, a book that's difficult to categorise neatly into a single genre, but falls somewhere in between fantasy, science-fiction and thriller. The book draws on both mythology and modern life. It has a main character and … Continue reading Storytelling: The latest buzzword in Public Relations