Every major war effort involves a degree of media manipulation. The creation of powerful images has always been a way to motivate populations in moments of conflict and gain sympathy abroad. A photo recently went viral showing an old man cradling a cat after, the post suggested, his home had been obliterated by a Russian…
As the world tries to understand and learn from these horrific unfolding events, one aspect of Russia’s vicious attack that hasn’t been interrogated to the same extent is the battle of images and words that has been a constant sideshow to the geopolitical and military developments.Vladimir Putin is no communications mastermind and is (rightly) often…
Brewdog’s downfall has been a long time coming. And BBC’s Disclosure exposé ensured that, even if the business continues to go from strength to strength, the reputation of its founders as freewheeling punks with progressive hearts of gold is dead.The problem is that in self-defining as renegade rulebreakers while also peddling the mantra that ‘everything…
There’s a logic to the decision for Essex to rebrand and distance Itself from TOWIE; the county is inarguably so much more than fake tan, nouveau riche nightlife and relationship dramas. https://lnkd.in/exPc2H4iBut the decision-makers must be careful about throwing the baby out with the bath water. Firstly, they’ve tried it before and it clearly didn’t…
I have talked extensively about how the values of #genz and younger millennials are reshaping the concept of fame and creating new icons. Zennials such as Marcus Rashford, Greta Thunberg, Emma Raducanu and even cross-generational idols like Captain Sir Tom have built their reputations on authenticity, substance, consistency (lack of hypocrisy) and humility.As if to prove this…
The GuardianIt seems like only yesterday that we were all enjoying the memes and videos parodying the decline and fall of Matt Hancock. The incredible brevity of his time in exile seems to strain the laws of PR physics, and suggests that the fallen minister still enjoys support at the highest levels of government.A hasty…
The star power that Adele was able to bring together for her prime-time TV publicity juggernaut was truly something to see. In the US we saw Lizzo, Melissa McCarthy, Ellen Degeneres: the star-studded cast that went into the spectacle and its UK twin showcased the pulling power that Adele has to marshal old-school, highly engineered…
I have been pondering Peloton Interactive’s quick thinking Hail Mary. It’s rare for a major brand and public company to react to a communications issue with genuine dynamism, creativity and bravery, but huge credit to Peloton for their rapid response this week to what could potentially have been a reputational crisis. *’…And Just Like That’ SPOILERS* The high-end home…
Boris’s speech (or should I say standup routine?) trampled on convention, political correctness and expectation with reckless abandon at the Conservative Party conference this week. For most, cycling through a rolodex of staff party jokes would not be the immediate protocol for a major leadership convention. Boris, however, seems to take a page or two…
Trump is coming back. Will he still rule social media? It’s easy to imagine that a populist without a platform is like a bull without horns—an aggressive but impotent force in a political landscape as attention-addled as our present one. Thus, some may have concluded that Trump—who has been permanently suspended from Twitter and temporarily banned…