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- capbyrne: Sat in chic cafe round corner from the Kremlin happily laptopping away. :)
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One-all draw or 2:1 to Brown?
Posted Colin Byrne on September 26th, 2008 | Filed under Current Affairs, Personal, Politics, Public Relations, The Media, Weber Shandwick
Pretty good day in communications terms for Gordon Brown in the wake of flying in to the the US for talks on the international economic crisis – “Brown’s dash to stop crash” is The Sun’s headline alongside a rather nice pic of him with Bill Gates talking about the UN development goals. Being photographed with the most admired and respected business leader in the world is a real positive for a political leader. The coverage of him jetting in to take an active role in talking tough with the Americans stirs memories of Mrs T hoping on a plane to tell Reagan to get his act together over the Gulf war.
Not a great day for David Cameron PR-wise. He is having to defend using his kids in his PR campaign after Brown’s double-header of having Sarah wow the public but vow not to use his own children for political gain. His trailed big interview with Sky has him rather desperately trying to suggest Brown’s “novice” quip in his party conference speech was aimed at David Miliband, not him. It took Sky’s Jon Craig to point out that the remark came within a 17 paragraph section of the speech attacking the Conservatives. Plus the media had done this one to death – not helped by more heavy handed briefing by No10 media flunkies against the admirable Mr Miliband I’m told – on the day of the speech.
His problems were further deepened by one of his shadow ministers telling the expolitix website that the credit cruch – for which read job losses, business failures, home owner and first time buyer misery, rising billls, worried pensioners etc – was “an incredibly good moment for us”. Jo Moore and “good day to bury bad news” anyone?
We know what he is thinking but the lesson is keep it to yourself, don’t blab it on the internet.
The pressure is now on David Cameron to deliver an even better speech than last year’s opinion poll turner – and let’s face it he is the best communicator in British politics at the moment – and to lay out the substance of his policies as well as the style. My guess is next week will go well for the Tories and the conference season will end up a draw.
Two analysis peices worth reading on this are Martin Kettle in The Guardian and Peter Riddell in The Times.
I hope you will join me in raisng a cup of coffee and making a donation to the MacMillan Nurses “world’s biggest coffee morning” appeal today. Much baking in the Byrne household yesterday for one the missus is having at home and the Weber Shandwick cafe in London is home to a big cake ‘n coffee sale today (includig one of my wife’s rather splendid dark chocolate and orange cakes). Any of us who have been touched by cancer and seen these nurses tending for dying loved ones will know this is an appeal well worth supporting.
To the launch of David Brain’s and Martin Thomas’ new book “Crowd Surfing” last night at the Groucho. I can strongly advocate the book. Well researched, highly readable and a timely contribution to the debate on the future of marketing. Coming on the back of Mark Borkowski’s and James Harding’s recent books on aspects of PR, it’s been a good summer for the PR section of the Byrne bookshelf. And David was able to down a few glasses to dull the pain of Man City’s reminder that there is more to football than just mega-bucks.
June 16th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
[...] Colin Byrne, CEO, Weber-Shandwick [...]
November 11th, 2009 at 8:43 am
[...] or brand to success. Hopefully last night was the beginning of our viral campaign. Thanks to Colin Byrne and James Cherkoff for being the first off the mark with their book [...]