I was reading the Daily Mail – I was in a cafe and it was freely available, alright?!! – when I came across the story of Sacha Hall.

Sacha had, without permission, taken £215.16 of food, including 100 packs of ham, from Tesco according to the substantial write-up.

She was spotted by the store manager in her activities.  This is what happened next according to Sacha:

“They knocked on the door (at home) and said if I didn’t open up they would use a battering ram. They handcuffed me and treated me like I was a hardened criminal and when we left they raided my house.”

She later entered no plea in court and now faces a maximum 7 year prison term if convicted when the case comes before a Crown Court.

It seems like a criminal waste of police time, CPS resources and Legal Aid, and not only because it seems Dickensian in reaction.

But because – and this is the twist I have been over-egging – Sacha took the products from the bins of her local Tesco after they had been ruined after a power cut had interrupted refrigeration.

(Whether ruined means not fit for sale or consumption is a point that is not satisfactorily clarified although I tend to think it was the former).

I am in no position to argue the legal intricacies on whether Sacha was allowed to take the food- When does the food leave the possession of Tesco?  Who does it belong to if the bins are the council’s?

And I am not going to talk about the moral issues although I cannot see much wrong with freeganism.

What I can say is that surely taking such action only provides fodder for attacks on the Tesco brand.  One issue is the power of big brands and their treatment of those that do not have the resources to hold their own, financially and legally.  One only has to think of  the McLibel case.

Surely the Tesco PR department should have convinced senior managers and legal represntatives of the harm this case will do.  Sometimes you wonder how a basic PR blunder like this could happen.

I will leave the Tesco reaction to shake your heads at: ‘It’s not for us to comment on.  That’s a matter for the courts.’

Having booked many months in advance to spend their honeymoon in Didsbury at their favourite hotel, they find they have been gazumped at the last moment.

Didsbury House Hotel has decided that it makes more “buisness sense” to take a wedding party that wanted exclusive use of the hotel for the weekend of the booking.

Yet, it doesn’t take a lot of business or indeed common sense to see how this backfired in the way it was handled:

• The couple discovered their room had been given to someone else only when they called to make an amendment.
• In an apology – by e-mail, how personal – they were offered a room at another of the group’s hotels with free spa treatment and half a bottle of Champagne – surely a bottle was too much to offer.
• And when contacted by the press, a spokeman (another mistake – how personal and caring) says, “We don’t make any comments on internal matters.”

This is not earth shattering news I grant you.  But even if the “business sense ” move prevailed and you wanted to make amends to a couple that has used your hotel on five occassions, surely this situation can be handled better:

• Profusely apologise, acknowledge the error and promise to make amends.
• State a solution (as such as it can be remedied) that is generous and shows that this situation is of real concern.  Give the couple the best room in another hotel at no extra charge or even no charge.  Perhaps I am not generous, but a little more than half a bottle of bubbly.
• The manager or someone senior should be handling this, from dealing with the couple to the media – show that the situation is important.
• When it goes to the press it is rarely “an internal matter,” it is an external one.  Do not dodge the issue, face it and answer it frankly: state the problem and how you are setting about solving it.

I am not saying that the above situation can be resolved with complete satisfaction for Matthew and Rachel.  However, the way it has been approached has generated some very negative PR that could cost the hotel many more thousands than it made with this move.

Who can operate in business with a poor reputation?  This is why PR is important.

I think I am at a meeting at the hotel on Thursday morning – and I will not be shifted.

Marketing and PR is about visibility and there is no more important time than now to be visible. If you are not visible there is always the thought in some that you might not be trading.

I worked with a very successful digital marketing agency called CTI in Manchester – it is very much growing in staff, clients and reputation today. But the first piece of PR I worked with it on was the Dale Street Fire story (April 2007).

The fire affected two buildings, which housed many marketing and web agencies; some businesses I am sure did not survive.

The PR aimed to make sure that CTI’s clients and the market in general knew that not only had the agency survived, it was still doing well and able to offer its services to the level required. Indeed, the message was that it did not lose a single client even though such calamities usually lead to a curtailment of trading – a testament to CTI and one that I am sure enhanced its reputation.

Well, in these hard economic days a lack of visibility can be seen much the same way as a disaster affecting an enterprise.

Rumours abound in these days of cuts. So not having a clear message that is conveyed to the market effectively could be incredibly harmful to a business, if there is any doubt about the strength of your company.

Two North West organisations that are affected by the government cuts have done just that recently, setting out their positions and how they aim to go forward in key local business press – it is a wise move and one that I am sure will be helpful.

PR is not all about leads. Crisis PR is not all about natural and man-made tribulations such as fires. It can be as much about quashing doubt and fear and hearsay.

If you leave a void in communications, it can be filled with uncontrolled word of mouth messages very quickly. There is something you can do about it though.

We have had two years of battening down the hatches and the “sunlit uplands” should be beckoning us forward.

The news of cuts – the media battle over this issue is a subject “entire of itself” and can be covered later – keeps our breadths held.

So what do you do?

Do you not spend anything other than on the business basics? Do you spend marketing budget and compete for the business that is out there?

I know that some companies are networking and marketing like crazy to get through and indeed prosper, others are withdrawing.

There are undoubtedly businesses that are succeeding. I know an independent traditional printer that is very busy and that is a sector where you might expect a company to fail in pressured times – not a bit of it.

It is succeeding through having a clear, targeted marketing strategy and through offering good service – nothing fancy you might say.

(I am making no value judgement on these that feel economic pain and those that don’t at all).

So back to my question and answer.

I think there is no choice as to whether you do marketing; there is a choice to how you do it.

This is a time for added awareness of your business, services or products, of building reputation. And more so about building trust than ever before – if companies are going to spend precious budgets, they will want to know that it is going to pay off and that means they will want to know you as well as what you offer.

“You would say that anyway” in terms of marketing and PR. Well yes, but if getting new business is as important as those other business essentials it would be hard to disagree.

The sharper amongst you will notice the quotes from Winston Churchill, John Donne and Mandy Rice-Davies (although the oft and misquoted version on this last one).

The event, on Wednesday, afternoon of May 19th, will focus on how to raise profiles in a highly effective way without needing a big budget.

I will cover how to approach traditional  media (including press releases) as well exploring blogs, Twitter, Facebook and others ways to build awareness.

Fellow speakers will include Lee Taylor editor of Flux Magazine and Chris Fogg of creative agency Fogg Associates.

The cost is a steal at £15 (£12 concessionary).  If you also book for the Planning your Portfolio event before May 14th there is an early bird discount.

Tickets can be booked on 0161 912 5616 or at Waterside box office.

And this month is the 4th anniversary of this blog delivering views, news and interviews.  I said on the 500 posts entry about what I had learnt and how I think I have improved as a writer and communicator (barring my desperate need of a sub-editor at times – no more job inquiries I was joking ( well half-joking!) (I do not need a sub-editor for my client work!)).

Well a few of the really early attempts to create material of interest that reflected my outlook and were possibly of interest to readers are not bad on reflection.

I thought this piece (from way back in April 2006) was worth a look: 10 PR Crimes.  This was based on a piece I got in Entrepreneur NW on 10 Networking Crimes for Mark Greenwood of Simply Networking.

Mark actually called me a month ago or so about another article I had written for him that he said read really well and was still fresh even though it has been written a few years ago.  Such praise is welcome.

Anyway here it is:

Rob Baker of Artisan follows on Mark Greenwood’s Networking Criminals article (that appears in the current issue of Entrepreneur North West) with 10 PR crimes that should be outlawed.

Writing poor English.

Anything that hampers the reader: long sentences; long paragraphs; over use of capital letters; jargon etc.

Disguising a press release as an advert – PR is about news, it is not free advertising. If it reads like an advert then you will not get in the paper, but you might get a call from the sales department inviting you to advertise.

Sending stories to papers that are of importance to you but are of no interest to anyone else.

Not recognising a great story when you have one to tell.

Not recognising all the titles and media channels that would be interested in your story or a contribution from you. It is alright getting in the Obscure Suburban Times
or the Unheard Of Village Enquirer but it is a rather limited outlook that will not yield the best results.

Telling the reader how delighted the managing director is that the company has won a one million pound account –would never have guessed that he or she would be pleased, but you can never tell. Quotes should be interesting and give a further insight into the story.

Dull photos. Use images to really enhance your story –it makes all the difference.

Not engaging with journalists. You should build up your relationship with journalists. Anonymous blankets e-mail shots with your story can have their place if you do not have much time. However, working with journalists, learning about their publications, their foibles and needs will really help you.

Writing poor English –it has to be said again.

This is one of the PR Tips article links on the front page of my blog, so it couldn’t have been so poor.  Check out Getting more out of your agency, Tips to improving your PR and Choosing your PR agency.

It is a hard thing to convey in words.

But I saw this fantastic image in The Guardian on Tuesday by photographer Michael Wolf.  Of course I don’t have this type of backdrop for my press images, but it is an arresting image that jumps off the page, grabs the eye.

Images are key, as one of my business journalist friends once said: “Images sell copy more than copy sells images.”

The aim of this post is to say images are not peripheral, but key.  Yes, this is not a business press release image, but it is arresting.

Have a look at Michael’s incredible images from China on the above link.

DebRA is a charity devoted to finding a cure for a terrible skin afflication called Epidermolysis Bullosa.  More about the condition.

Have a look at this film about sufferer Jonny Kennedy – a real inspiration.

This is a very rare inherited condition that results in blisters, internally and externally, at the slightest knock.  Many sufferer develop skin cancer early.  The pain and restrictions on normal living are tremendous: changing dressing can take many painful hours.

I am giving some of my time to helping promote a dinner that deBRA is having in a month’s time.

The dinner has Michale Portillo speaking.  The event is now half full, but the organisers want to be sure of filling the remaining seats.  (I believe it is £450 per table of 10). The charity has some notable household names in addition to Michael.

The brief

The event should fill, but Tony one of the organisers is extra keen to put this to rest.  If the night is a success it will act as a platform for more – it will give the charity a real impetus.  So he is looking for ideas.

But more than that, the work of DebRA is not well-known.  The brief is flexible if it can get DebRA a higher profile.

All creative ideas welcome – something more than a charity run or jumping out of a plane – let your imagination run wild.

And you don’t have to be a PR to help – I also want to show how online interaction can work

Please leave ideas in the comment box!!!!

I had to do this, if only to use the image.

(Unfortunately I do not have the skills to airbrush myself – never mind).

The election will be almost upon us and as sure as summer used to herald the thwack of willow on hippy or crusty, the election will have that most weary of images: senior politicians pointing up at unconvincing posters, surrounded by photographers clicking away as though the public could not wait to read about it next day in the papers.

There are exceptions.  Saatchi and Saatchi’s Labour Isn’t Working had a touch of genius and was devastatingly effective.

But even I hoped this specimen might have dampened enthusiasm for the thrusting billboard campaign, I am disappointed:

I prefer:

Back to the serious point after these cheap jibes.  The conversations online are affecting the effectiveness of the traditional billboard.  This can be seen no more clearly than with my www.davidcameron.com

Within the time it takes to make a spoof, a campaign in “the real world” can be derided and scuppered, indeed work against the party in question.

Suddenly communications are more integrated and multi-channel than some imagined.

I expect when a political commentator asks will the election be fought online the answer from the “expert” should be it will be fought everywhere, and especially online.

George Dearsley, of Avante, has a 20 year track record providing media training for businesses such as Shell, Kodak, KPMG, Bupa and HBoS.

So he has been fascinated, when once again, brilliant marketers and business people continue to cause incalculable damage to their organisations when a crisis hits.  George compares how BAE Systems got it right and Toyota are still getting it wrong, and it need not be that way:

BAE Systems called me about a year ago and asked me to present to its main board on how the company was perceived by the media.

I was both flattered and intrigued. Why me?  I am not a defence specialist, but looking back maybe that’s exactly why I was invited.

I talked to a dozen national media friends beforehand: the first words spoken were “bribes, corruption, brown envelopes.”   There was little or nothing about full order books, cutting edge technology or good employee relations.

In a recent BBC commissioned poll of viewers voting on “What Makes Lancashire Great?” BAE Systems had come 140^th.

Slide two told them that in the same poll black pudding was 1st and the late Fred Dibnah was….26^th.  After the wry smiles we moved inevitably to bribery.  It clearly hurt.

But I told them (as I’m sure a PR person would) that the issue would not go away until there was a significant resolution to the whole affair.

I was reminded of that meeting when I saw a wonderful television performance last week by BAE Chairman Dick Olver.  The company, he announced, had agreed to pay fines of £286m in a deal with US and UK authorities to settle criminal investigations into its actions in Saudi Arabia and Tanzania.  He said in the interview the move would allow the company to “put a really hard line separating the past from the future.”

His key messages were all in place and delivered with great gravity and credibility.  It was a majestic performance.

Compare Mr. Olver’s effort with the shambolic PR exercised by Toyota in handling what began as a minor software glitch involving the braking system in one model.

The opening shot was a Japanese executive who faced television cameras wearing a surgical mask, quite commonly worn during Japan’s cold season.  This soon became a metaphor for a company that wasn’t being totally open with its customers.  The brand loyalty, which took years and millions of yen to build, was beginning to melt away.

The safety defects were initially portrayed as an American problem.  But this was not true and the dithering led to new questions about Toyota’s famous quality control.

In Europe and the US there were crucial delays between Toyota’s confirming a planned recall millions of cars and communicating this to the public.

Journalists, keen to keep the tale hot, were delighted when customers called in with complaints about other Toyota models. The dreaded “bandwagon effect” was about to take effect.

Throughout, Akio Toyoda, the company’s president, was invisible.  After weeks of silence he finally faced the media and was thoroughly unconvincing.

He forgot the golden rules:

• Act quickly and decisively
• Apologise
• Thank customers for their patience
• Explain what’s being done to put the problems right
• Carry out the remediation as soon as possible, whatever the cost

Toyota is now one of the stories of the day – day after day.  The cars have become the butt of pub jokes and programmes such as Mock The Week are getting great mileage out of the situation.  Toyota is now the Skoda of 2010.

The initial $2 billion recall and the loss of 17% of share value is likely to prove small change when the final bill is totted up.

In Japan there is a proverb: “If it stinks, put a lid on it.”

Sadly, it is the very opposite of good crisis news management strategy.