A few feisty responses to the suggestion here that Britain in general, and corporate Britain more particularly has got a Brexit PR problem. Us talking about it like it’s a total disaster is hardly encouraging folk to visit or do business with us, I suggested.
Here’s the complaint from more than one under-appreciated flak, and it goes something like this:
Yes, we know that you idiot. In fact we’ve been saying that to our clients for months. Too many of them still think it’s the 1980s and call us in way too late and ask us to solve whichever mess they’ve got themselves into with “spin”.
If we ever could do that, it doesn’t really fly now.
We can clean up messes, sometimes, but we are far better at seeing them coming and avoiding them altogether. If the CEO had the sense to get us involved either right at the start, or have us just permanently in the room even when he thinks there is no PR angle to whatever he’s discussing, he’d do a lot better and so would we.
Hacks and clients get annoyed at us for not having immediate answers to issues that have been around for months. But that’s because we only just got involved when the foolish client finally figured he needed help.
We may not be able to write as well as hacks, but we can certainly predict how hacks will respond to events.
So that’s me told. Business and Britain has a got a PR problem. It may not be the fault of the actual PRs.
Can you take my picture off the office dart board now?
