PR in popular culture

10/19/22 • 20 min

Why are people in the world of comms so misrepresented in popular culture?

Why do the PRs in TV, movies and books come across as either evil manipulators of the truth or champagne guzzling airheads?

This really is a first world problem of a third order magnitude and yet, PR does have a PR problem doesn’t it? If for no other reason than we want to continue to attract smart, thoughtful and talented people to our industry, then perhaps we need to have a think about how we are portrayed by our friends in the media.

The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown.

We’d love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email [email protected]

Matt Young is an Apella founder partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.

Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.

This episode was produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

Why are people in the world of comms so misrepresented in popular culture?

Why do the PRs in TV, movies and books come across as either evil manipulators of the truth or champagne guzzling airheads?

The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown.

We’d love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email [email protected]

This episode was produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

Previous Episode

Brain Friendly Change

This week, we welcome Deborah Hulme from Minerva Engagement to the Little Questions Podcast to discuss organisational and cultural change in business.

Communicators are often asked to play a prominent role in supporting organisational change programmes but, as many of us know, they can be complex and fiendishly difficult to get right. Two thirds of transformation projects fail, taking longer and costing more than business leaders anticipate, and change done ‘to’ an organisation is rarely as effective as change done ‘with’ an organisation.

While communications is never solely responsible for the success or failure of transformation programmes, there are pitfalls to under-communicating a powerful vision for change, just as there are to over-communicating a poor one.

So what makes organisational and cultural change so difficult? And what could we in comms do to help the firms we work in and with do it better?

With us to answer these questions and more is our special guest this week, Deborah Hulme, the founder of Minerva Engagement & The Neuroleader Academy. Deborah has been instrumental in delivering change and transformation across a range of large multinational organisations. Combining the latest learnings from science with a deep understanding of the realities of effective practical application, Deborah works with businesses to access the potential that lies within every organisation, team and individual.

This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Apella Partner, Sam Bevans. Sam has almost 20 years’ experience in campaign strategy and delivery across a diverse range of clients, including AstraZeneca, Capita, Drax Power, Nationwide, UBS, and Volkswagen.

Sam is joined by Apella Partner Andrew Brown who is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years’ experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.

Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing [email protected]

This podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach.

Next Episode

The Shape of Corporate Affairs

On this episode of The Little Questions, we are talking about team structure and resources.

In previous editions we’ve spoken about starting out in a new role, and what needs to be your priority? More often than not, structure is right up there.

Getting it right early on will set up any leader for long-term success. But what is the right structure for the resource you have? Is there a ‘one size approach that fits all’?

After all the fun in the last episode, you have fair warning that during this one, we get technical and applied.

The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown.

We’d love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email [email protected].

If you'd like more information about Apella Advisors, visit apellaadvisors.com

This podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk