Axis Media Group scooped a major award at the prestigious CIPR “PRide” Scotland Awards ceremony in Edinburgh last night (20th November 2008). The category for Outstanding Small Consultancy is open to PR consultancies with five or fewer staff, and was one of the most strongly contested categories in a night which celebrated the achievements of the cream of Scotland’s PR industry.
Accepting the trophy as Silver Award winner Axis Media Group managing director Paul Murricane said: “Small consultancies usually punch above their weight, by providing clients with the direct individual service they value. The shortlist for this category contained some very impressive companies, and, as one of the newest consultancies on the Scottish scene, it is very encouraging to have our success recognised with this superb trophy”.
Said Carol Matthews, chair of the CIPR Scotland: “The PRide Awards showcase the excellent PR work being done in Scotland and the contribution this makes to business and society. Having faced a rigorous judging process, to come out on top is a tremendous achievement and I congratulate all of this year’s winners.”
It’s a story as old as time. Something horrific has happened – but nobody sees it until it is too late. It happened to Ratner, and now it’s happened to the BBC. Let’s not forget also the two shell-shocked presenters who have just joined the ranks of the idle rich.
Whatever one’s view of the sub-human behaviour of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, the startling fact is that nobody at the time saw the crisis looming. As witness Ross’s final comment at the end of what everyone involved apparently thought at the time was a hilarious item: “What’s that noise?…It sounds like a Sony Award”
The golden rule in dealing with a crisis is to recognise that there is a crisis as early as possible, and act swiftly. Both of which the BBC failed to do. And, as always, when a crisis is not handled swiftly, openly and honestly it is not necessarily those involved who pay the price. It is the senior management, the organisation and ultimately the shareholders who pay.
Manuel-Gate teaches us that large organisations find it extremely difficult to handle a crisis. But it can be done – our crisis training has involved some of the biggest names in the UK. The ones who know to acknowledge public concern, admit fault where due, be open with information, and act swiftly to deal with the failures that created the problem. They’re the organisations that are not facing the level of publicity the BBC is currently enduring.
So the American Presidential election is largely being influenced by the media. No change there, then, we hear you say. Well, yes – big change. The really influential media in this very twenty first century election are not so much the serious pundits on CNN or NBC – or maybe even FOX. No, the king pins come with much more powerful weapons: laughter and rapier wit. Does any media host wield more power today than Jon Stewart of The Daily Show – a Comedy Central production? Not according to Barack Obama or John McCain who have both made sure they appeared this week on his show. Has any media personality done more to destroy the political credibility of Sarah Palin than Tina Fey – apart perhaps from Sarah Palin herself? We don’t think so.
The terrifying power of the comedians lies in the difficulty that politicians have in handling the opportunity. Tony Blair famously looked as uncomfortable as a hamster facing a Cobra when Jon Stewart put to him that he and President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq was “sort of…great minds think alike”?. Barrack Obama was just under-prepared. A rehearsed anecdote about his daughter complaining that his half hour infomercial clashed with Disney TV fell flat – and it had been in all the papers anyway. He knew, though that he was among friends so it was okay. But Sarah Palin totally failed to spot that appearing on stage with Tina Fey was not cool at all – she was among enemies, a fact of which she was, and looked, oblivious. Just a heartbeat away….
Sarah Palin has certainly been a topical Vice Presidential candidate; if anything probably a little too topical.
Formerly Governor of Alaska, 44-year-old Palin has certainly enjoyed intense media coverage, and yet some might say she never seems to learn from her mistakes.
Palin’s latest botch up has been the alleged revelation that as part of the Republican presidential campaign spend, Palin has enjoyed $150,000 (£96,000) worth of new clothes.
Unsurprisingly, ethical campaigners in the US have been outraged by the shopping spree especially given the current state of America’s economic crisis. Oh dear.
Well done Paul Hayes, CEO of the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. He has achieved prominent coverage in the nation’s media with not only a peak-time interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (the programme that sets the news agenda), but also a half page article in today’s Times newspaper.
We were recently sent this via email and it makes for very interesting reading. Does America really need another maverick in the White House?
Now that the football season is well under way, that sector that keeps media training consultants busy is performing magnificently again – the language mangling football commentator. Here we welcome in the new season with the Top 10 classic sports howlers:
After the invigorating and heart string-tugging whirlwind that was the democratic convention the McCain cavalry faced a political front line that required a coercive public opinion defeat. So what more of a newsworthy story to capture back the attention of the electorate that the announcement of the Republican’s new number two; Sarah Palin. But wait. Unfortunately for the anti-abortion republicans it emerges that the new vice president prospective has a young daughter…who is pregnant…and not married. As this news tore through the media of the world Palin and her troops conjured up a speech to gratify the American people.
A fierce and bloodthirsty battle between two of the most driven democratic politicians in senate was predicted by some to depict divide and taint the democratic campaign however it seems that Barack Obama is currently flying from strength to strength in the run up to the presidential elections scheduled for November 4th, giving the opposing John McCain apparent concern.
According to the campaign coverage index conducted by Pew Research Centre there has been more coverage of Obama than McCain every month this year. Another major cloud which looms overhead for McCain is the pending draft agreement regarding US troops being withdrawn from Iraq fully within three years. This sees Bush siding towards Obama’s views and contradicting those of the pro Iraq invasion McCain who believes that ‘US forces should remain until Iraq is able to defend itself.’ If the agreement is finalised McCain will be forced to change his policy which will undoubtedly affect his public credibility.
Watching the contest of candidates attempting to win the hearts and votes of a country as big as the USA is a show of public relations at its best. No public figure is more closely monitored and ruthlessly scrutinised as is the person who is adamant that they can run the country better than any one else who dares to rise to the challenge.
Attempting to appeal to such a diverse range of people across all classes, races, background and political attitudes allows no room for mistakes so when Michelle Obama stated, in a clearly planned speech in February this year, that for the first time in her adult life she felt truly proud of her country, the media unsurprisingly portrayed this comment as bitter, anti-American and lacking in the patriotism that is imperative to any presidential campaign.
