Cue the music! Blue Monday. How does it feel? If the answer is “fine, actually,” congratulations, you’ve just survived a completely made-up concept invented by a PR agency in 2004 and politely humoured by the media ever since. Yes, really. Blue Monday wasn’t discovered by scientists. It wasn’t unearthed by psychologists. It was created, named, …
Brooklyn Beckham just did what most PR consultants spend their careers preventing. He bypassed his parents’ three-decade PR machine and told his 16 million Instagram followers that David and Victoria have “controlled narratives in the press” about their family for years. He accused them of prioritising Brand Beckham over genuine relationships – and of trying …
You Can’t Bend The Truth Like Beckham: Why Silence Is The Real Crisis Read More »
Every January, the same thing happens. The decorations come down. The wheelie bins overflow. And Christmas trees appear on pavements like a nationwide cry for help. And every year I think the same thing: Why is no one turning this into PR? Because right now, thousands of people are quietly Googling: “What do I do …
Needles To Say, These PR Opportunities Died With The Christmas Tree Read More »
I can usually spot AI-generated content within three seconds. It’s too polished. Too clean. Too safe. It sounds like something no one would ever actually say if they cared about the point they were making. As a former business journalist turned PR consultant, I’ve watched this creep in fast. By late 2024, over half of …
https://youtu.be/AYnVWq6yt08?si=lMXtssn4Avmad839 ’Twas two nights before Christmas, no warning, no flashesWhen a press release burst into life from the ashes.“It must go out now!” cried a voice full of fear,“For once it’s been sent, well, it’s not sitting here!” The keyboard went clatter! The mulled wine went cold!As “news” was stretched thinner and panic took hold.Some …
’Twas Two Nights Before Christmas (The Panic Edition) Read More »
Our Christmas tree arrived this week – all 10ft of it – and although I’m 6ft 5, I still looked like Clark W. Griswold’s understudy in Christmas Vacation. (Which is, by the way, the greatest Christmas film of all time. Happy to debate.) As I stood next to this towering beast for a photo, my …
Tall Stories, 10ft Trees… And The PR Opportunities To Branch Out On Read More »
I can spot disguised marketing from a mile off. Call it a superpower – though admittedly less flashy than flying or reading minds. Seventeen years running my PR firm (plus a good decade before that in agency life and journalism) has put me in front of thousands of “thought leadership” pieces that were, in reality, …
When Your “Thought Leadership” Sounds More Sales Pitch Than Sage Advice Read More »
SPOILER: It Should Have Been “Slop” Cambridge Dictionary has announced its Word of the Year for 2025: parasocial. My reaction? Boring. Celebrity-obsessed. Get a grip. While Cambridge’s clever clogs were analysing our “one-sided emotional relationships with public figures,” anyone running a business in 2025 has been dealing with something far more urgent: Slop. Yes, slop …
Why Cambridge Dictionary Chose The Wrong Word Of The Year Read More »
Stephen Crean got stabbed seven times stopping a knife attacker on a train.Saved multiple lives. Then couldn’t make his Ryanair flight to Austria because… he was in hospital recovering from being stabbed seven times. Asked for a refund.Ryanair said no.Policy. Nottingham Forest FC heard what happened.Gave him £10,000 for treatment.Free season ticket for next year.Invite …
I’ve cleaned up more glossy-backlash messes than I care to admit – and one thing always holds true: campaigns that show the humans, the process, and the stakes ride out storms. Coca-Cola just gave us a timely case study. Their 2025 “Holidays Are Coming” ad went full GenAI. Red trucks, polar bears, festive animals – …