Tuesday 26 April 2011

When the unthinkable happens...

The morning after a Bank Holiday weekend and news of at least two theme park tragedies are making headlines.

Of course it has to be a visitor attraction’s worst possible nightmare. There’s no going back and nothing they can do to turn back the clock. The best they can hope for is that they had a plan in place to cope.

We hear a lot about business contingency planning – how you’ll manage if your IT system blows up etc – but PR is often overlooked. But what would you do if you suddenly found yourself the centre of unwanted media attention?

Shrug it off and say all PR’s good PR or take it seriously and work hard to come out with your reputation intact?

Regardless of whether you are a manufacturer or service provider you need a crisis management plan - much the same as you need insurance.  Sadly things do go wrong – so prepare for the worst and expect the best.

Monday 11 April 2011

Free Advertising in the Daily Mail

Blooming Cheek!

Hats off to Essex businessman Robert Blyth, whose daffodil display has led to some great PR and press coverage.


When local Town Hall officials caught sight of his 13,000 daffodil display - commissioned to promote his car boot fair business – they saw red. Even though the flowers were on his own land, Robert was accused of illegal advertising and ordered to dig up his display or face an escalating fine.

But days before the deadline the council backed down and Robert’s roadside daffodil display was granted a stay of execution.

So, while it might have looked as thought the stunt had backfired – the council helped Robert make it into the nationals – ensuring that millions of people now know about his car boot fairs.

I’d call that a great PR result!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375663/Blooming-cheek-Businessman-ordered-dig-13-000-daffodils-arranged-companys-deemed-illegal-advertising.html