Christmas Lunch

I had a delightful lunch with three PRs last Friday, during which we reflected on the mad year we’ve just endured.

Each of them had such good insights into the challenges we have all faced, in every facet of the media. From putting forward clients as spokespeople for truly dismal news about food and restaurants to managing crises about personalities and situations which do their very best to unravel all your hard work.

We managed to laugh at some of our collective and personal experiences and – over a few glasses of wine – focus on the positives. A big plus point is how the companies best placed to get through the seemingly endless difficulties are those which put the wellbeing of their staff high up.

One PR had just taken delivery of the keys to a shiny new office but was instructing her staff to work from home, again. She was sanguine about it – knowing from last time around that her young team were diligent and creative enough to work well separately – and didn’t want any of them to be at risk. I feel the same way: if you can empower and protect your team/colleagues, they will almost overwhelmingly repay you with good work. It’s the same with journalists, incidentally.

This lunch was the day after dinner with a writer who told me that in his eyes, the era of the PR was over. He felt it was almost always quicker and easier to go direct to the person he wanted to speak to. That is all well and good in the days of Insta and Twitter DMs and if you have built up a big contacts book, but for anyone who is just working on those end-of-year round-ups, PRs will get you the headshots, the quotes, the price info and much more with a sense of urgency. And for that, as we say goodbye to 2021, I am immensely grateful.

I hope you have a peaceful, safe Christmas and New Year!