PR and reputation management

Gareth Southgate and the beautifully self-deprecating game

This might not be front of mind for most football fans, but for a communications expert the 2018 World Cup has stood out for more than England’s unfamiliar run of success in matches. By my reckoning, it’s the first time an...


The Royal Wedding that went suddenly very well

Many, many millions watched the marriage of 'Harry and Meghan' - judged such a success that I can think of the odd hardened republican who raised a glass wishing them well. But were you watching the coverage? Specifically, the very dramatic...


Gender pay gap reporting: what did we learn?

Many organisations missed the 4 April deadline for reporting their gender pay gap data, but the vast majority of law firms who had to report did. Journalists were waiting for these reports. There are serious issues around equality here, and for...


Thameslink’s first-class fail

Humour on social media can be a high-risk, high-stakes thing. This is nowhere clearer than in the now-famous Twitter spat between Thameslink and Poundland. Thameslink’s woes stem from the introduction of a new timetable. If you want to know how that’s...


Oxfam’s Haiti scandal: Crisis PR guided by a moral compass

My local Oxfam shop, which had always seemed busy, closed down permanently recently. There was no link between this and the allegations of sexual misconduct against senior field workers in Haiti, but as a symbol it's striking. The alleged conduct in...


Giving to charity won’t wash the moral taint off a sleazy event

It's been a tough week for men who attended the Presidents Club fundraising dinner 2018. One moment they were drinking champagne with their mates and perhaps allegedly trying to cop a feel of a ‘host’ who’s young enough to be...


How to avoid the networking naughty list this Christmas

In the run up to Christmas, one of the fun parts of working so hard throughout the year is getting invited to all the festive parties. From the annual bash at your own organisation, to client events and industry dos,...


Do your own PR and say hello once in a while

Sometimes we can all get a little caught up in our worlds. From the man that I let in front of me in the coffee queue who failed to acknowledge the gesture, to the lady on the tube who also...


Pro bono week: something to shout about

It’s National Pro Bono Week – a chance to celebrate the breadth and impact of pro bono work undertaken by the legal profession across the year. The debate around whether or not lawyers should publicise their pro bono work is...


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,...