We’re usually engaged as a PR agency to provide volume, quality media coverage in order to raise brand awareness, increase credibility and to place the brand and the founders as sector experts. We achieve this with over 1000 pieces of coverage across print, digital and broadcast each month.
But, every now and again we are asked to help in a crisis. In fact, we’ve done so twice in recent weeks whereby clients have faced calls from journalists that probe issues and problems within their sector or even with the business itself. For a business owner, senior team or founders this can be harrowing as you see your hard work flash before you, potentially gone in an instant.
Crisis PR is an art in itself and requires resource, confidence, articulation and a specific type of expertise. Crisis PR agencies that deal with big brands and political parties charge monthly retainers in the tens of thousands of pounds for their ‘on call’ support, candour and strategy implementation, often required on the hoof.
And so we have been delighted to ‘go into bat’ for two separate clients recently that were somewhat exposed. Our immediate action and inspired resolution ensured that in both cases not only did each client side-step any ‘bad press’ but also came out of the situation positioned very much as the good guys.
When one of the fires that you go in to fight is with BBC One TV and the outcome is oh so positive – AND you dealt with it out of hours without charging any extra above your retainer, one feels rather smugly satisfied.
Will your PR representative throw themselves in front of oncoming bullets to save you at five minutes’ notice?