PR Response from Cheryl Cole

Now before you think I’m dwelling on Cheryl Cole by writing two blogs in as many days – this post is more to gain your thoughts and create a PR discussion as the situation unfolds.

Just now I’ve read in the news that Cheryl’s PR has tweeted a thank you to all fans for their support.

Now as I’ve said previously – I’m certainly no celebrity PR myself but surely the standard rules we all know apply? (respond without accepting liability, never say no comment, etc etc – you know the drill). A whole day and a half later, we get…a tweet?

When my clients are faced with a crisis situation I’m writing a statement as fast as my fingers can bounce around the MacBook keypad…

As a PR or Marketeer, I’m really interested to know what you think on the topic and perhaps your suggested approach.

This whole saga may well be unveiled as something that was just staged for more column inches but we can certainly criticise/deliberate in the meantime!

Happy bank holiday

Is a Publicist’s Role the Hardest in all PR Industries?

I’m no publicist but the news that Cheryl Cole has been dropped from the American X Factor must of hit fairly hard.

As with any PRs or agencies that part ways with projects or clients, it can feel massively disappointing and tough. Especially when you’ve put hundreds of hours of hard work into a strategy that has essentially been a success. Nearly all of client/agency separation I’ve been involved in has stemmed from new employees coming in to companies with new contacts and ways of working – unfortunately external points out of our control.

But, publicists correct me if I’m wrong; it seems so much more cutthroat in the ‘celebrity’ environment than any other. How on earth after signing a contract and beginning the auditions can Cheryl Cole just be give the boot? More over what must her publicist be doing right now to try and salvage her relationship with her client? From the BBC this morning:

‘Cheryl’s publicist has declined to comment on the story’.

We all followed the ‘will she, won’t she’ scenario – ‘will her accent be accepted’ or ‘how much will her contract be worth’. But let us here, spare a moment for her publicist working on this deal! No doubt this will all be forgotten now and the blame will follow.

Business between a consultant and their client can be nurtured and maintained through good press results and a strong strategy – in most cases (but not all), we PRs can maintain a fairly professional relationship and go about our own lives.

Surely in publicist’s case their role is twice as hard (just from what I’ve read recently on Beyonce’s father and the story from Geri Halliwell’s ex-publicist) – they become a friend/PA/manager and basically end up going crazy in the process!

So in drawing to a close I ask the question: is a publicist’s role the hardest in all PR industries?

I’ve working across B2B, finance, B2C, consumer, FMCG, big brands and small alike, coupled with some pretty scary clients and I have never experienced so much turbulence in a relationship. Don’t get me wrong, our jobs are difficult with lots of ups and downs but it doesn’t compare to a publicist’s level of life-dedication.

Please share your thoughts for the sake of Cheryl’s publicist!

PR and Marketing Graduates Listen Up

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while now for reasons I won’t disclose. But today, reading a great advisory article from David Wilson (Chairman of Bell Pottinger) and hearing on the news that employees who make colleagues tea go further in their careers – I’ve been pushed to pen my own views on what it takes to get into PR and Marketing. I don’t want to taint my own career longevity so I’ll leave the career track part to David and concentrate on the early phases!

So what does it really take to succeed in PR and Marketing?

My initial view and what I always felt when I first came into the industry was based around three elements:

1. Effort

2. Common Sense

3. Brains

It’s worth a note that now I believe in these three points more than ever after six years in the industry. I feel these have been the key to my successes in the work place and cannot be shied away from.

I have seen some scary failure stories and can honestly say it’s always due to the lack of one of the above three. Those who either couldn’t cut it on the effort part and always rushed out the door before the boss, felt too important to make tea or even demonstrated within a mere few weeks they weren’t prepared to listen and learn.

This behaviour is so mad it actually makes my toes curl on a daily basis. If you find yourself asking your manager how to do the simplest of tasks a second time…stop. now.

PR graduates reading this – a little bit of interview guidance:

- Interviewers can ask two questions on each topic so candidates can’t rely on learning the answer to ‘talk to me about a situation where you have shown initiative’. I think this technique (passed on from my Dad) works well especially well in graduates because it tries to steer them away from the standard ‘team uni work’ answer.

- Do something out of the ordinary.

- What real work experience have you got? University is very different from the work environment and if you can show you have already gone the extra mile and can fit in much quicker – you’ll be much more attractive to a company.

- Always follow up – be the first to contact the interviewer afterwards and emphasise why you are the right candidate.

- It should go without saying but please please please check spelling and grammar. When advertising a new role in the current climate, companies are receiving a crazy number of applicants and with typos…your CV won’t even make it out of the PAs inbox. Also, maintain this standard as I’ve seen all the boxes ticked in a CV and interview but quickly deteriorate once spell-check isn’t around.

I’d recommend you read David Wilson’s full article too.

Let me know how you get on won’t you!

Is There Currently Such a Thing as PR in the Property Market?

After moving around the rental market three times in the past two years and now contemplating stepping onto the property ladder I’ve wondered on more than a few occasions whether PR currently exists in residential property…

Firstly my (quite scary) experiences trying to rent a place in London brought me unhelpful agent after agent. Shop windows were never updated, letting agents were clueless and whats more they couldn’t even stick to a clear budget. I recall one particularly well-known mini-driving agent who sat me down and went through the nominal details:

Agent: So what area are you looking to rent in?

Me: N1 – not N5 and not higher than the fields

Agent: Do you know the area well?

Me: Yes, I’ve lived here for 18 months

Agent: I’ve only just moved here so you’ll have to show me on the map

Not exaggerating at all and to be quite frank it got worse! I won’t dwell as I finally found a lovely place to settle but it seems now I’m back to square one wondering if the sales agents might be even worse what with the higher commission levels.

It’s making it extremely difficult to get excited about as I’m dreading dealing with those ignorant, time-wasting lot again. (I do imagine it’s ten-times worse in London so apologies to all those hard-working, kind agents).

Taking the situation as I would if I were a consultant and they, my client – I think it would be tough stuff to run a successful PR campaign. Thinking about the strategic process I normally take with clients, I’m racking my brains and struggling to find anything that would stick with the public. Or is this truly only a hypothetical scenario…

The way I see method is: due to high demand and competition in the rental market, perspective tenants concentrate purely on the finding the right property and not the person who basically just opens the door for them and sometimes even treats them to a little alarm sound during the viewing!

We as consumers want to know about organic with food, sustainability with clothing and recommendation with travel. How did this market sidestep criteria and criticism? I mean how much carbon footprint does it take to run everyone around in miniature BMWs?

Can an industry in such turbulent times – affected so much by the economy – really be that straightforward that Joe Public just can’t afford to care about customer service?

I honestly didn’t think anything was as simple ‘supply and demand’ anymore…

Has Kate Moss Finally Overstepped the PR Mark?

Already on her last legs with publicity faux pars, Kate Moss has this week placed herself back into hot water with a pro-anorexia comment.

Kate claims one of her mottos is “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, resulting in a huge outcry from eating disorder charities.

This latest outcry has created a huge Twitter debate, Newspaper articles galore and yep, a whole lot of blogging!

Modeling agency Storm, who represent Moss, said: “…of course Kate’s words had been misinterpreted.

“This was part of a longer answer Kate gave during a wider-ranging interview, which has unfortunately been taken out of context and completely misrepresented,” the agency said in a statement. “For the record, Kate does not support this as a lifestyle choice.”

Not the first time Kate’s PR team has had to fight her battle, last year the cocaine drugs scandal story initially threatened to break her winning streak before being turned around and coming out on top. Even winning her new contracts with top fashion brands.

But this story seems bigger. High profile celebrities are turning against her – Denise Van Outen fumed: “Kate Moss is talking out of her Size Zero backside”. While ex-Ultimo Katie Green claimed: “There are 1.1million eating disorders in the UK alone. Kate Moss’s comments are likely to cause many more.”

With this years media coverage and heavy campaigning against the use of ultra-thin models, can it be certain Kate will survive yet another PR disaster?

Maybe this time, because public relations techniques are stronger than ever. With the integration of viral and online media to her already commendable campaign – it’s fairly certain she’ll survive in the fashion world purely on credibility. But continuing to act as a role model for youngsters and mothers is not such a secure path.

Could public relations recover the fashion queen through her next mistake?

As they say…three strikes and you’re out! So Miss Moss watch out.