Crisis communications

PR disaster: what we can learn from Bell Pottinger’s crisis

If you work in PR then you may remember where you were when you heard communications agency Bell Pottinger had been expelled from its own industry body – the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA). Together with ad giant Saatchi, the agency, founded by the still-living Tim (Lord) Bell, was the comms...


Brands and banter on Twitter: recipe for disaster?

I'm sure over the summer holidays with all the family at home (or even worse in a hot car) there has been the occasional flare up. One such example of online bickering that the Daily Mirror thoughtfully summarised in this article, was an eye-catching Twitter row between the accounts of...


How not to spin out of control like Scaramucci

Even as we started to learn about him, and guess what on earth his appointment meant for the world, Donald Trump's potty-mouthed communications director Anthony Scaramucci had been fired. It's widely reported that he was "10 days into the job" - in fact his official start date would have been...


The PR power of “I’m sorry”

Last week I flew to Miami to speak about the power of brands at an IE Law School conference. My flight with American Airlines was uneventful but given what I was due to speak about, it got me thinking about what's been happening recently with another American airline. Let's play a...


Kendall Jenner + Pepsi = Worst. Ad. Ever

Picture the scene: one of the most famous Millennial faces in the world, hot topics of protest and togetherness, a hippy moment and some seriously cool double denim. Doesn’t that sound like a recipe for advertising success to you? Well, while the recent Pepsi ad staring Kendall Jenner - as a...


If Jay Rayner voms on your reputation

I'm taking a break for Easter and in doing so finding more time to read reviews and other lighter bits of news. Whilst cracking open the Campari I took a sharp intake of breath to observe the PR disaster for a famous hotel that is restaurant critic Jay Rayner's latest...


How to humanise a corporate crisis – PwC at the Oscars

Ah the Oscars 2017. Emma Stone in fringed Givenchy, Jimmy Kimmel ribbing Matt Damon and – finally – an awards year that represents a real show of diversity. The Academy must feel so proud of everything that the 2017 awards will be remembered for… right? Well, unless you've had your head...


Phil Shiner’s fall from grace

Few lawyers would want to be in lawyer Phil Shiner's shoes right now. This paragraph from the Daily Telegraph is one of the more measured written about him since the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal struck him off the roll last week. 'Far from advancing his own ends, he implied, he was serving...


Protecting your firm’s reputation after a high-profile exit

If you take an interest in law and politics, then the first week back at work was a treat – Law Society chief executive Catherine Dixon resigned in a letter to Chancery Lane’s 100-strong governing council. The next day, Sir Roger Ivans, UK ambassador to the EU, resigned. The human interest...


Reputation matters – just ask the Law Society

What do you love about being a solicitor? Email us! Maybe add a picture of yourself running a marathon or learning to fly. These are some of the new year exhortations from the Law Society, as Chancery Lane sets about helping members make...