The Buffalo Blog

Great PR - well done Gordon

This blog has been criticised for covering PR disasters but failing to highlight successful PR. And I can't argue with PR Blogger's assertions. Well, after Gordon Brown’s coronation I can well and truly respond to these criticisms.

Now the British love an underdog, and especially one that fails repeatedly before finally succeeding (witness Jimmy White, but without the eventual success). For 13 years Gordon Brown was biting at Tony’s heals waiting for his opportunity to arise, and now he, and his PR team, have taken the opportunity with a flourish.

He has been portrayed as warm and sincere, caring and with policies to match – PR heaven for any politician. His PR team should be congratulated on their efforts…although they had more than enough time to get them ready!

Olympic logo furore - a communications disaster

In all this Olympics logo furore, where on earth were Wolff Olins, the company who created the logo? We’ve had Ken Livingstone saying that failure to get the proper health and safety checks from Ofcom was a disgrace. We have had public outcry on the fact that flashing imagery was triggering epileptic fits. We’ve had the quality of the logo denounced in an online petition which has been signed by almost 50,000 people. And finally, to top it off, we have had Michael Wolff, who no longer has any links to the company, declaring on BBC News last night that it was the client’s fault! WO may well be renowned for amazing brands – apart from this one – and may think that they are not lowering themselves by joining the fray. But this strategy only demonstrates a woeful ignorance of brand communication and reputation management. WO, the first rule of thumb in a crisis management situation like this, is to face the media, accept that people will have differing views of your work, accept liability (if that is the case) for failing to get the appropriate Ofcom checks and above all, apologise to people who have suffered epileptic fits from viewing your promotional video. Be naval gazers if you will and rest safe in the knowledge that you have come up with a piece of work that is beyond its years – but by doing this you come across as ignorant, arrogant and completely detached from your audience.