Darling must continue to stand firm over NI

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7555818/Chancellor-Alistair-Darling-attacks-Conservatives-over-National-Insurance.html

The Chancellor has shown impressive resilience over the past 10 days as business leaders, trade unions, journalists and economists have attacked his plan to increase NI contributions for employers and employees alike.

The Government messaging over this period has been consistent; despite the pressure he (Darling) must be under to give the public a carrot to accompany this stick.

When any organisation decides to make a change which could have a negative effect on some of its audiences, it is of vital importance that decisions are made and stuck to. Only then can the conviction behind the messaging penetrate a hostile debate.

In politics, however, it is often all to easy to flip-flop and backtrack. The public are wary of New Labour especially for this - characterised in the genius first episode of The Thick of It.

So, as sceptical voters look for truth behind the spin can the Chancellor's resilience appeal more to voters searching for honest decisions on reducing deficits, than even respected businessmen like Sir Stuart Rose?

If I were the opposition parties I would carefully look at how voters react to the brickbats heading Mr Darling's way as the public are proving difficult to predict in this, the recession election - hence the ever changing polls, as reliable as a builder's free estimate.

Gordon Brown tries to win over women

The Prime Minister was the latest party leader on Woman's Hour today (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/), the latest in a series of attempt by the main parties to sway the female vote.

Swing seats can often hinge on the female vote and the narrowing of the polls is evidence that votes are there to be won.

The key figures have become 'Sam Cam' and Sarah Brown, who have been brought to the fore to soften the campaign and create (in the case of Samantha) a softer element to the party.

It's been a similar story digitally with Netmums given a political prominence it can (probably) scarcely believe.

So how is this phase of the election panning out? Not very well in my eyes. None of the politicans have shown any true connect with the audience and it comes across as rather tokenistic as a result.

Samantha and Sarah's roles are also the subject of hyperbole and although Sarah is a savvy PR operator and emerging digital presence, she has yet to prove that she is able to work her skills on her husband.

I think that this is an experimental phase of the campaign and predict we will see much more negative campaigning before too long as the Conservatives look to go on the offensive.

BBC cuts should not halt diversifcation of content

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/7352167/BBC-staff-revolt-after-spending-cuts-announced.html

Today's BBC cuts, ironically leaked last week in The Times, are remarkable only in that the Corporation has chosen some of its lowest audience but most diverse areas to close.

The Asian network, BBC Switch and 6 music all arguably dared to try something different. The lesson it seems, is that whilst the BBC may want to stop its expansion, it doesn't want to lose its audience share.

That is the dicotomy of a tax payer funded public service broadcaster in 2010 and that's why the licence fee can't survive forever.

It will, however, increase the pressure to restrict BBC online content further and thus open up the competition in the market. This can only be good for a pluralistic democracy but only if other media outlets can finally adapt to a new media age and offer the sort of online content people will be willing to pay for.

The BBC didn't force the rest of the media to fail so miserably at this and it didn't force them to give away their content for free.

Let's see if the BBC backing down (or at least starting to) will signal the beginning of a media resurgence starting with successful pay walls...

There are no PR winners in the Gordon Brown Bullying row

I thought I would share my thoughts on who is winning the media battle over the current Number 10 'bullying' row.

There are currently two sides to the argument.

One, Gordon Brown is a 'bully':

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/23/gordon-brown-bullying-andrew-rawnsley

Two, the Head of the National Bullying Helpline is a  'Tory pawn' and a 'prat':
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/23/gordon-brown-bullying-andrew-rawnsley

This whole ugly mess epitomises the very reason the public are fed up with spin, unfounded allegations and UK politics. The media are also to blame for leading on gossip, non-stories and hearsay; rather than facts and evidence.

From a PR perspective neither party wins as no one is improving their image with voters over this row. Constituents have jobs in which they see this sort of stress and intimidation every day, frankly there is little traction in the debate for either party.

Again, the coverage will leave yet another PR scapegoat in Christine Pratt - although appointing Max Clifford suggests this is more of a 'phone and tell' rather than 'good woman, done-bad' hard luck story:

http://www.prweek.com/news/rss/985842/National-Bullying-Helpline-chief-Christine-Pratt-approaches-Max-Clifford-help/

Again, making this news public is a PR disaster for the Charity which must surely now undergo crisis comms to avoid imploding.

So with the Government, Opposition and a major charity all failing to secure positive coverage, who are the winners from this row?

The answer is nobody, bar Andrew Lawnsley who will no doubt sell some more copies of is book...nice work, Andrew!

I just wish politicians would wake up and realise that politics needs high quality debate right now and this whole story is a nonsense, "The Thick of It" style mess which adds no credence to any party.

P.S. Could it just be a coincedence that this story is keeping the Falklands row out of the main headlines? Perhaps it isn't as silly as it seems...

Microsoft and Yahoo search merger approved

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/microsoft/7266252/Microsoft-and-Yahoo-search-deal-given-green-light.html

The European Commission has approved the merger of Microsoft and Yahoo's search engines, with Bing now set to power Yahoo search.

Although this is a step in the right direction for Microsoft, they aren't the ones Google is concerned with anymore - that is Facebook.

With Google Buzz and Wave now launched and last year's Facebook acquisiton of FriendFeed (http://blog.friendfeed.com/2009/08/friendfeed-accepts-facebook-friend.html) these two giants are set for a titanic battle in 2010 as they fight for dominence over the updatesphere.

(Twitter of course continues to grow but they are arguably more likely to be acquired than join the arms race in the way the other two have).

In terms of where this leaves Microsoft, they need to ensure their investment in Bing doesn't fail and they need to address the impact mobile technology has on the once untouchable Windows.

Saying that, I'm not a tech expert so I'd love to hear from those in the know on who you think is set to triumph...

Toyota uses Digg to save its reputation

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/commerce/100205/toyota-recall-public-relations-digg

Toyota is attempting to salvage its reputation with customers by using the social media site Digg to discuss the faulty accelerator crisis directly with customers.

This is a last throw of the dice for a company which has seen the news agenda intensify and a feeding frenzy of bad press take huge chunks out of their long standing reputation for consumer confidence.

Some may point out that opening up to social media could expose the company to even more horror stories and negative questioning but what it gives the company is the chance to be transparent - and that speaks volumes.

There's a reason why business leaders like Andy Bond of Asda are obessed with transparency. It says 'we have nothing to hide' and it allows organisations the opportunity to open a direct conversations with their publics.

Social media offers this opportunity in abudence and will allow Toyota to ensure their positive messages move up the google rankings - crucial when worried consumers turn to the internet with their worries.

Time will tell if Toyota can Digg its way out of the biggest crisis in its history but as a strategy 'going social' is the correct move.

How to improve the inconvenient PR truth campaign

Real Wire have reacted to the intense recent debate over PR spam by setting up their own campaign to give journalists a 'bill of rights' when dealing with PRs:

http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/980491/PR-industry-backs-new-campaign-aimed-cutting-PR-spam/

In terms of being an effective tool for focusing the debate and looking for a conclusion, I think the campaign is a powerful one. I do not, however, believe it gets to the root of the problem - the lack of personal training for junior PROs and the use of crude evaluation processes like AVE which force desperate PRs to mass mail journalists in the hope of getting their figures up.

Here's my three-step theory on how to help solve the situation:

1) As I said on Charles Arthur's blog recently (http://www.charlesarthur.com/blog/?comments_popup=1123), the CIPR and/or PRCA need to talk to the NUJ and agree on a code of practice which can be integrated into official CIPR and PRCA training courses. This can help reach grassroots PROs and will lead directly to the agencies responsible for the 'spamming' in the first place.

2) PROs need to be stronger with their clients. AVEs, number of cuttings - this leads to a shoot from the hip, rushed approach to comms and leaves no time to build quality campaigns and relationships with the media. Change needs to come from the top, and this will filter down and mean the poor junior execs won't have to sweat about achieving x amount of 'hits' for a stagnant press release.

3) Gorkana and the other media databases need to provide more detailed information and links to journalists' own websites, to help time poor PRs by pointing them in the direction of proper research rather than a rushed 'easy win'. Note I said point them in the direction of research, not do it for them. They could even remove the mail merge feature and there should be a note before the 'send' button is pressed - ARE YOU SURE THE CONTACTS ON THIS LIST ARE RELEVANT?

There you go, three steps which in my opinion will help more than giving journalists 'rights'.

Confused.com - Accident Avenue

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246509/Britains-accident-prone-street-safe--bubblewrap.html

Every now and again a PR campaign makes you sit back and applaud.

@CakeGroup have delivered such a campaign for Confused.com with 'Accident Avenue', Britian's most accident prone street covered in bubble wrap!

Not only is this a creative masterpiece from the Euro RSCG owned company but the follow up is a work of genius - the bubble wrap is being donated to Oxfam to help send aid to Haiti.

Congratulations to Cake and Kelly Davies the Confused PR Manager.

Bob Ainsworth leaks election date of 6 May

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7000510.ece

The Times, quite rightly, points out the latest Ministerial 'leak' of a May 6th date for the General Election is so clumsy it must be an attempt to throw the Conservatives off the trail.

Bob Ainsworth is now the third Minister to give us all an 'insight' into the mind of Gordo and it is quite clear this is an awkward attempt to try and get the Tories to blow some of their considerable bank balance on preparing for a false date.

To be honest, the date isn't crucial as there's only a small window of time when it's likely to be called. Of more concern was today's report in the same article that Gordon Brown wants a leaders' debate audience to be comprised of 2-1 in favour of Labour and that David Cameron wants no questions from the audience!

If these men want our votes then they should be prepared for anything and let the public have their say in a 'Question Time' style debate.

Surely they should relish this opportunity and not try and make life easy for themselves? As Alan Partridge said, "this country"!

Who will be the British Obama?

I've been inspired by Paul Armstrong's blog (http://community.prweek.com/blogs/firehose/archive/2010/01/14/5-tips-for-the-labour-party-and-conservatives.aspx) to keep a regular watch on which British political figures will take the 'Obama' crown for best digital election campaign.

Please feel free to share links and best practice. And I'll be looking for truly innovative campaigning so that rules out Web Cameron...

Here's a good article from The Guardian on the subject from a few weeks ago - well worth a read:http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/03/labour-tory-internet-campaigns

Alastair Campbell tweets during Iraq inquiry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCJr8rV0HSM

Today's appearance by @campbellclaret in front of the Iraq inquiry drew a predictable deluge of media coverage.

During the day Mr Campbell tweeted just 4 times - and only 3 of the Tweets were related to the Inquiry.

This was a master stroke, reflecting the sense that Campbell took the Inquiry serious enough to focus but allowing him to make a swift rebuttal to the media before the next day's print.

Contrast these two examples:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6984775.ece

http://twitter.com/campbellclaret/

The Times leads on the Blair letters to Bush, suggesting this is new information. Campbell is able to correct this with one Tweet, which ensures his message has been heard by thousands who would otherwise only read the media version of the story.

(Incidentally, if you look from page 600+ of 'the Blair years'  you will find that Alastair Campbell is correct in that the letters are not a new story).

This is a perfect example of how the story has moved on before the print versions of the papers have even arrived through the letterbox.

The second insight was the sheer number of vitriolic Tweets from journalists attempting to pour scorn on Campbell. It revealed the vendetta behind the headlines and acts as an ironic counter-weight to the 'spin' the journalists were so against.

I won't name names here, if you follow today's feed you will see it for yourself.

So thank you Twitter, again you have made the news more real and more immediate than even the live BBC news feed - after all, that was delayed by one minute.

New Sun poll suggests ditching Brown won't sway voters

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Ditching-Gordon-Brown-Might-Not-Help-Labours-General-Election-Changes-YouGov-The-Sun-Poll-Suggests/Article/201001115515872?lpos=Politics_First_Poilitics_Article_Teaser_Regi_2&lid=ARTICLE_15515872_Ditching_Gordon_Brown_Might_Not_Help_Labours_General_Election_Changes%2C_YouGovThe_Sun_Poll_Suggests

Sky News is one of many outlets running today's Sun sponsored poll in which 58% of respondents said a new Labour leader wouldn't affect their vote.

Polls are unreliable but I give this one credence as this close to an election, it is policy which should be important, not personality politics.

(Ironic isn't it that Labour Ministers have spent the past 2 years accusing Cameron of being personality before policy yet here we are months away from an election and it's Labour attempting a cosmetic makeover.)

So which policy areas will become the real election battleground when the dust settles? Here's five to look out for during the election cold war over the coming weeks:

1) Foreign policy: Will Dave or Gordo risk an attempt to bridge the icy divide to Obama?

2) Public sector spending: voters want to know which cuts they can expect but they also want assurances over frontline services - trust lies with neither party.

3) Education: How will the parties stop a generation of wasted school leavers ending up on the recession scrap heap? Parents will want to hear assurances.

4) Law and order: Dealing with the escalating anti-social behaviour and youth crime in our biggest cities - especially knife crime. So far Britian is failing and this is reflected in tragedy.

5) Immigration: the far right will play this card locally, yet Labour and Conservatives seem to underestimate the impact their lack of clarity on the issue can have in marginal seats.

Out of the five highlighted areas, I'd say the two main parties could each hope to make ground in each area, as neither has demonstrated a winning rhetorical hand. It will be interesting to see if Tory Spring conference brings any new commitments from 'Dave' whilst Brown will need to hope his 'business as usual' mantra actually brings him some results.

Hewitt and Hoon Coup

Let me be cruel, not unnatural;



I will speak daggers to her, but use none. (Hamlet, Act III, scene ii).

Today's attempt by Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt to force a secret ballot on the Labour Party leadership was not only unconstitutional within the Labour Party, it signified the tragic third act of the coup that never was.

Since the death of the Prince of Downing Street, Anthony Blair, Hamlet has procrastinated over taking vengeance on the King, Gordon Brown.

They've even had visions of John Hutton but alas inactivity still speaks loudest.

This whole wretched play will become political folklore but the question may always remain - who is Hamlet?

The answer lies in the above quote, I will speak daggers to her but use none.

Todays coup was nothing more than a play, an act by mechanicals to serve the whims of a Cabinet frozen by their collective failure.

Just like in the movie, Spartacus, each Cabinet member should rise and say: I am Hamlet.

For Milliband, Straw, Harman, Johnson and the other Cabinet would-be plotters know the old King cannot hold on to his throne but they have been unable to act.

The result is that for all their work over the past 12 years, they will be forever remembered as being the lame duck Cabinet that allowed the Tories to return to power and didn't have the guts to do what was neccessary.

As Shakespeare said,

The rest is silence.

A New Year message

Happy New Year!

2010 has the potential to start the new decade off in truly game changing style. The highlights for me will be:

- Will we see a much-feared 'double dip' recession?

- Can Gordon Brown make the most unlikely political comeback of all time?

- Will Barack Obama emerge as the great leader the world hopes?

- Is it possible for the Western allies to succeed in the Middle East?

- Who will win the World Cup?!

So, have a great 2010 and let's see how it unfolds!

Best,

Jonathan

Prince William sleeps rough for Centrepoint

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8426630.stm

Many charities have high profile patrons but fail to utilise their PR potential effectively.

Hats off then to the comms team at Centrepoint for their brilliantly executed story about how Prince William spent the night sleeping rough in London (apart from a few armed guards no doubt!)

The story was perfectly timed so close to Christmas and the quotes from the Prince and the Centrepoint Chief Exec Seyi Obakin ensured that the message behind the campaign wasn't overshadowed by its use of our probable future King.

This is a campaign that will help raise money and awareness for homeless people during this treacherous weather and it's a great piece of PR because of the messaging; not just because of the Prince.

Gordon Brown to call snap election

After months of being hammered in the polls there is evidence that the vote is returning to Labour with the latest poll showing a 9% Tory lead. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/dec/14/tory-lead-nine-points-guardian-icm-poll

This is no surprise as mid term voters are more likely to protest against the government, with polls in between notoriously unreliable as lead identifiers for elections.

The big problem facing the Conservatives is the low key response from George Osborne and David Cameron to the Pre Budget Report. It has left voters, many of whom are unhappy with the Government, unsure as to what the opposition stands for.

Here in my local constituency we have had 3 recent glossy Tory pamphlets, with non from any other party.

This is evidence that although the Tories are awash with money, they have in many ways been fighting a campaign alone for 12 months and this means voters can become bored, to put it simplistically.

So the odds are Gordon Brown will go for a March election to try and capitalise on the small momentum Labour's core voters can create by returning to the fold.

This would greatly reduce the odds of a hung parliament and this narrative is one you can expect to see more of in the media over the coming weeks.

I will be speaking to my former employer's office in the red corner over the coming days, so hope to get a further insight then.

Scientists unveil formula for perfect parking...but Vauxhall Motors story was released by Esure just months earlier

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/6784428/Scientists-create-formula-for-perfect-parking.html

Textbook piece of Christmas PR from the Vauxhall motors PR team today. Their story about scientists finding a formula for perfect parking is a tried and tested recipe for coverage but, excuse the pun, there's clearly no need to re-invent the wheel with a story like this.

Third party scientific research? Check. Survey showing regional divides? Check. An issue most Sunday newspaper readers can identify with? Check. Add in bylined quotes from the brand and you have a great story, well executed.

But, however, I'm sure I've seen this exact story before? Oh, yes, I have:

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=101098

So as well executed as the story is I'm sure Esure won't be as complimentary of Vauxhall Motors as I've been. Well, let's face it, they probably nicked the idea off someone else too...it seems Flat Earth News really does travel!

Pre-Budget Report 09: Tories buy Pre-Budget Report Adwords

The interesting news to come out of the Pre-Budget report was that the Conservative digital team (according to Mesha Chhabra)  immediately purchased key Adwords on google, such as 'boiler scrappage' and 'PBR'.

The first thing to say is to hold your hands up and admit that they have gone on the front foot and gained a digital advantage.

I would, however, argue that political parties need tighter regulations over online ad spend and indeed strict rules about the content they can and can't pay for.

I'm all for digital campaigns and creative platforms, it's just the data sharing and paid for elements of online advertising that I'd like to see made fairer so come election time it doesn't become a free for all.

Not only can digital spend be harder to track, it can also be unfair. To have one party's ads come up when an ordinary voter looks to learn about the Pre-Budget Report means that, in my opinion, that party gains an unfair advantage. I think all parties should declare their digital spend in a transparent way and that they should not be allowed to pay to link themselves to topics or key words in such a manner.

I realise this sounds rather ridiculous given that it's hardly new but this particular examples re-enforces my uneasiness over how digital democracy can suffer if we don't have stricter online advertising rules.

The question is where do you draw the line between creativity and advertising - I think it's clearly on paid for links and Adwords.

Google unveils real time search results

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8400230.stm

Google's new real time search results and 'google goggles' will add further fuel to the 24 news hr cycle and increase pressure on public figures and comms professionals around the world...and I love it.

Real time news and search can often be a distraction if organisations don't have a strategy to deal with it but it can also be a force for democratic good - witness the MP's scandal and the waves of pressure unearthing truths in minutes that would have previously been buried.

The new real time searches will mean blogs and twitter will play an even greater role in forming opinions and reacting to stories, which should make for an intriguing backdrop to the mainstream media.

For PROs and comms teams the challenge will not just be on reacting but on monitoring and evaluation. Where do we have a genuine concern vs who is a lone voice?

It's these choices which will make or break an organisation's online reputation in the age of real time searches and the best thing PRs can do to prepare is to take a step back before reacting and ensure they know the key opinion formers for the relevant sector; rather than diving in ignorantly and adding fuel to a non-fire.

It's the difference between an unmissable opportunity and an irrelevant drop in the ocean yet the real time comms professional must be able to distinguish between both - it might not always be as obvious as it seems.

Exciting times ahead.

Harriet Harman condemns RBS board

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6942789.ece

Harriet Harman has attacked the RBS board in Parliament today for having 'no recognition of the public fury over bonuses'.

I'm sorry Harriet but politicians are mistaken if they think that they simply need to express their outrage over the action of bankers, whilst doing nothing about it.

All the parties are treading water on this issue until after the election as the truth is none of them truly want to alienate the city and both Labour and the Tories are aware that it would be stupid to handicap RBS in the face of aggressive market moves by Lloyds.

Admit this, tell us your policy for dealing with it and you can start winning our respect; but until then politicians should not patronise voters.