Posts Tagged ‘phil hall’

Ever heard of the beer Bavaria? Me neither, until FIFA made sure that absolutely everyone got to hear about it after Bavaria sent a team of pretty young female ambush marketeers to Holland’s opening match of the World Cup using tickets bought in the name of (now ex-) ITV pundit Robbie Earle.

One sacking, several arrests (ambush marketing being illegal in South Africa) and a barrel-full of free publicity for Bavaria later and the only clear winner is the beer company, although the attractive young ladies – already described as ‘blonde bombshells’ in tabloids and blogs – will probably enjoy their day in court. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people in the country are worrying about the leadership of the country under the new coalition, and their concerns for the nation run to a number of issues, from what will happen with capital gains tax, what will happen with inheritance tax, will there or won’t there be cuts in public services, will the economy survive and will we have a stable government?

Not me. I have perceived a new threat. I am wondering nervously what the reaction will be when the nation wakes up and realises that they have, in David Cameron, an ex-PR man as Prime Minister. An ex-PR man, moreover, of whom Jeff Randall – quoted in the Mirror – said: “In my experience, he never gave a straight answer when dissemblance was a plausible alternative.” Read the rest of this entry »

Most people in the country are worrying about the leadership of the country under the new coalition, and their concerns for the nation run to a number of issues, from what will happen with capital gains tax, what will happen with inheritance tax, will there or won’t there be cuts in public services, will the economy survive and will we have a stable government?

Not me. I have perceived a new threat. I am wondering nervously what the reaction will be when the nation wakes up and realises that they have, in David Cameron, an ex-PR man as Prime Minister. Read the rest of this entry »

I was asked my opinion on the John Terry affair by the Independent a few days ago, alongside Phil Hall, who has been drafted in to look after Terry. We found ourselves in agreement on the way footballers deal with problems and the people they surround themselves with. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“The publicist Mark Borkowski, a Chelsea supporter, said the Terry case would send a ’shiver’ through football. He said he would have advised Terry to hand the armband back before being stripped of it and said advisers should have been aware of the dubious PR value of the footballer accepting a ‘Dad of the Year’ award from Daddies Sauce last summer. Read the rest of this entry »

I was on the Today programme at 8.40 this morning, with Phil Hall from PHA Media, discussing Simon Lewis’s new role as director of communications for Gordon Brown and how he might turn Brown’s premiership around. A challenging role, as Phil and I agreed, especially given that he has to follow in the footsteps of Tony Blair’s cabal of effortless communicators.

Gordon Brown, we suggested, needs Simon Lewis to create a compelling narrative, pushing Brown into a position of leadership rather than the reactive PM we’ve seen in the press. He needs to communicate key policies.

The same needs to happen with Fred Goodwin. Throughout the saga, Sir Fred has been right legally. However, his biggest error has been failure to accept that his legal rights were, in the eyes of the world, wrong. While the banks were rolling in clover, the cash seemed justified, but when it went wrong he should have made some concessions to the public mood.

Other bankers comprehend that remorse requires addressing the issue head on. Andy Hornby, former chief executive of HBOS, waived his rights to severance pay and to a massive pension. As such, he is being given a second chance at Alliance Boots.

Phil Hall knows about challenging clients – he has Fred ‘The Shred’ Goodwin on his books. Phil wryly acknowledged on the show that rehabilitating Fred Goodwin is “certainly a challenge”. But it’s one he seems to be rising to, if you look at recent news on Goodwin.

By agreeing to the £200,000 a year reduction in his pension payments, Sir Fred is perhaps showing that something like a change in his thinking is coming. Goodwin certainly seems to taking control of the situation at last and not letting the media dictate the agenda. Perhaps it’s all too little too late, but it certainly seems that Phil is brewing up a compelling narrative for Fred Goodwin at a time when there are bigger financial scandals consuming the public’s attention. If so, Phil deserves a slap on the back for his canny sense of timing.

All that remains to be seen is whether Simon Lewis can begin to do the same for Gordon Brown.

To listen again to the broadcast, click here and scroll down to 8.40 a.m.