I've worked in some really big organisations, and held responsibility for making sure that their reputations remain strong. Often through a large period of change and upheaval for the colleagues that work there.
One of my favourite quotes and a useful point of self reflection is from the American writer, Tom Robins:
‘The ugly may be beautiful, the pretty may never.’
This applies so well in all aspects of life but on the murky side of PR, I think of it when I read that Boris Johnson’s aide snatched a single use cup out of his hand to create the illusion that he cares for the environment.
My mother would call this, ‘fur coat and no knickers.’ You buy the fur coat, but underneath, we all know you’re not wearing any underwear. It’s always obvious when the actions that you take are for show only.
PR is often about helping individuals and businesses to manage their reputation. We’ve been asked on many occasions to help an organisation to look good through a period of change. The first thing we always point out is that it’s never about looking good. Being able to successfully manage reputation through change will come from a business having the ability to behave in the right way.
If you need to announce a large scale redundancy programme, you need to make sure that you manage this sensitively, with clear communication with and for all colleagues.
We can draft messaging to issue to the media to create a clear narrative around any action that the business will take, but they will need to take this action.
We can't help you to be better, but we can make sure you get noticed when you are.