One reason we love Google Analytics is that you can quickly identify who is seeking out what services on your website and blog. My recent Max Mosley post attracted visitors intrigued to learn more about orgies (one even examining several pages - now that’s total dedication to a cause!)
The recent crisis communications post continues to draw visitors’ attention through search engines. One in particular asked the question ‘Can you say ‘no comment’ in a crisis?’ - which prompted me to compile this post.
As our tips on crisis communications highlighted saying ‘no comment’ in a crisis is the worst possible solution. Although the reader didn’t stay on the blog long, they hopefully picked up on our tips.
This person would undoubtedly benefit from media training facilitated by seasoned practitioners and former journalists which enables interviewees to handle the toughest of interviews.
Another intriguing search term was ‘good public relations for drugs’ - I’ll leave you to ruminate on how you would deliver that PR campaign!
So, Max Mosley has been awarded £60,000 in compensatory damages from the NOTW – plus they get to pay his estimated £450,000 in legal fees.
But was it worth it and what does this mean for the future of investigative journalism? Assessing it from a purely PR standpoint I question his motive. He has stated that the public shaming his family went through had been “totally devastating” and “humiliating” yet he chose to prolong it. The story itself was hugely salacious – and the associated video gave it added public interest and sauciness – the court case has simply retained the story in the public arena.
The furore - and shambles - surrounding the fiasco around the late publication of this year’s school SATs exams starkly highlights how to not to handle a crisis. So, if the boss of ETS, the company in charge of the marking, is reading then here are Quest PR’s top tips for keeping your reputation as intact as possible during a crisis:
In the spirit of sharing best practice I’m picking up on a popular blog story analysing the latest list of books, this time compiled by the US organisation National Endowment for the Arts which runs a reading programme called The Big Read. Its purpose is to “restore reading to the center of American culture.” They estimate that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed. I’ve copied my personal list in below along with instructions on how to pick up where I’ve left off.
I took up the mantle from Sally Whittle, who herself took if from a post by Wordsmith - and to get a wider perspective I did a quick straw poll around the office (or at least the six of us who were around at the time).
Wow, what a month! The Quest team has completed an unprecedented 20 award submissions and board applications for clients and ourselves this month. Based on what we already know we are running at a fifty per cent success rate - one which we hope will increase once all 20 are in.
The benefits to clients are clear. One - EnviroVent - has already been acknowledged as a Barclays Green Leader thanks to our powerful writing in bringing together their business success with the needs and key messages the award judges will be seeking. Clearly it’s a gamble - you’re not guaranteed to be shortlisted - but winning the award brings its own PR opportunities as well as the positive feel-good factor from staff and stakeholders who know they’re working with/for the best.
She swears like a trooper, has sufficient energy, fire and passion to light up the whole of the UK - and shamelessly told Bill Clinton to his face - and in front of her husband - that she was jealous of Monica Lewinsky.
Michelle Mone’s hunger to be a breadwinner when her father lost the use of his legs and her mother got sacked from work for depression - is truly inspirational. Her hard work ethos and entrepreneurial flair meant she had 17 teenagers working for her at the tender age of 11. Having launched her own business at 24, her sheet grit and dogged determination to success has elevated her to the top of a global empire worth £75m with offices and driven teams in China, Hong Kong, Glasgow and London.
