Here’s what the entire PR industry needs to do right now: start advising clients to take out lots of really expensive adverts in newspapers.
This is not entirely a self-interested strategy. It is merely 80% self-interested.
Because if newspapers go under, your clients will slash their PR budgets and you’ll be gone.
At the moment, I’m told ad revenue is holding up reasonably well, but it is early days.
For income, newspapers rely on the following: Broadcasters with sports events to promote (erm, there aren’t any). Festival and events organisers (same). Airlines and travel agents selling holidays (oh come on, give us a break) and supermarkets. Supermarkets are really important.
Unfortunately, they hardly need to advertise for trade just now. A supermarket ad for today might just say: “Please don’t ram raid us for toilet roll. We’ve run out anyway.”
Which wouldn’t do much for morale.
So there’s your PR plan: chuck loads of money my way.
If you don’t, then by my calculation, you all go under one week after I do.
I’m taking the positives.
