An, erm, innovative approach to handling media queries last week from an outfit called Smart Energy.
In the face of perfectly reasonable questions from the *Daily Mail*, it decided to publish the answers so all could see them.
To say this irritated the journalists is a bit like saying that Stuart Pearce.
One of the kinder responses: “Is this one of those social media marketing gimmicks where they put a misogynist toddler in charge of Twitter for a day?”
Simon Read had it as “a very odd move and certain to annoy a journalist working on a story”.
I’d say it is worse than that. It’s a clear breach of protocol.
James Coney called it “the most unprofessional bit of PR I have ever seen”.
Doubtless Smart Energy had their reasons. Perhaps they genuinely felt they were being open. Perhaps they didn’t expect to get a fair hearing from the Mail.
The best thing to be said about this approach, I think, is that it is unlikely to be tried again.
