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Jul 13, 20171 min read
Telling unchanging stories
For a career that has become a profession, the political class perform surprisingly badly at the job. Here’s two lessons you can learn...
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Jul 10, 20171 min read
Sky TV caught offside with All Blacks fans
If you insist on making an unpopular decision then at least have the courage to stick by it. Sky TV broke into its coverage of the All...
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Jul 4, 20172 min read
Using human instinct to your advantage
When public safety is threatened people seek reassurance in the simple answers, even though they may be the wrong ones. Organisations...
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May 22, 20172 min read
Sevens Rugby organisers ‘collaborated’ with moral panic
A new analysis of the removal of Sevens Rugby from Wellington has blamed the organisers, including NZ Rugby, and the police for the...
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May 16, 20171 min read
When sponsorship sours
Companies sponsoring stuff would have whistled with relief that they weren’t BNZ when a prominent rugby player taped over their logo on...
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May 10, 20171 min read
PR will save you from stupid marketing
Many self-inflicted publicity wounds are the fault of your marketing department. We’ve seen some notable examples within a past few...
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Apr 24, 20172 min read
Tiresome platitudes
Some days, especially on LinkedIn, the sheer weight of corporate marketing about “doing good” is depressing. Heart-sleeves point-scoring...
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Apr 7, 20171 min read
Dress up to persuade
Which of the two photos above is the best one to help tell the story about their technology? The one of the three brothers dressed up as...
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Apr 3, 20171 min read
It won’t happen again
When a woman complained about being sent photos of her deceased son even though she had asked for the full file, the Ministry of Justice...
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Mar 15, 20171 min read
What it takes to communicate
A journalist commented on our Communicator of the Year award; “You’d expect them to be good communicators because it’s their job.” That...
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Mar 13, 20171 min read
Taking charge at the Oscars
The Oscars hired PwC to run a process that didn’t lead to errors in awarding gongs. They would have been better hiring a PR company to...
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Mar 8, 20172 min read
It’s not your cocaine
NZ Rugby was asked what the behaviour of Ali Williams and Dan Carter in France (allegedly cocaine and drink driving), did to the All...
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Feb 19, 20172 min read
Savvy advocate named NZ Communicator of the Year
Former Police Association President and Labour Party election candidate Greg O’Connor has been named winner of the Communicator of the...
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Feb 14, 20171 min read
The weakness of media policies
A strict “media policy” on who can speak to journalists only works if those who do speak are good at it, and free to use their skills....
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Feb 7, 20171 min read
Throttling the goose
The death throes of the Wellington Sevens illustrate one of our favourite business maxims: act in the interests of your audience, not...
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Nov 16, 20161 min read
Handling criticism: A PR lesson from Trump
Donald Trump has been elected US President despite months of intense, high-profile condemnation from the political and media...
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Nov 7, 20162 min read
Which headlines to ignore
A challenge of our social era is that it is hard to ignore headlines, but more necessary than ever before. The challenge of good PR...
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Nov 3, 20162 min read
The go-with-the-flow crisis strategy
A common factor in the unfolding public relations misfire of Ardent Leisure, owner of Dreamworld, is misjudged actions. Ardent executives...
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Oct 18, 20161 min read
When not to respond
The New Zealand Rugby Union did not need to enter the issue of a Wellington rugby player escaping conviction for street violence. The...
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Oct 17, 20161 min read
Let the audience fill in the gaps
24 hours after being vilified for firing a disabled worker who stole a colleague’s drink bottle, the chief executive of Bunnings went on...
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