The Rest Is PR

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss the recent developments in the situations involving both Amanda Abbington and Phillip Schofield, with a particular focus on the decisions they and their comms teams have made, and whether they have helped or hindered their respective reputations. Amanda Abbington recently received and apology from the BBC regarding the complaints she made about her Strictly Come Dancing professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice. However, whilst some of her claims were upheld, many of the allegations were thrown out by an independent investigation conducted by the BBC, leaving both sides feeling both vindicated and frustrated in equal measure. Abbington has since conducted more interviews explaining her situation and the experience she had on the hugely popular BBC programme, with Pernice using an entirely different tactic by remaining silent for much of the investigative process. Jacki discusses her belief that it is in fact Pernice who has conducted the better comms strategy by remaining largely out of the picture while the investigation was ongoing. She goes on to say Abbington has not come across well at all in any of her interview appearances, most notably in her interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the immediate aftermath of these allegations coming to light. Lyle agrees with Jacki for the most part, with the pair analysing whether this was in fact the fault of the PR team around Abbington who should have advised her better when it came to these appearances. Conversation then turns to Schofield, with Jacki having had the chance to consume the second and third episodes of his Cast Away programme and Channel 5. The 'mic drop' at the end of the final episode did not impress Jacki and Lyle at all, with Lyle even going as far as to claim very few people will have paid too much attention to a gesture Schofield likely hoped would spark debate! Jacki again laments the decision-making of those around Schofield who, she believes, should have known better than to choose this particular programme for his return to our TV screens. There's time for many a 'first-person' statement from the pair in what is a particularly fiery episode!

Artwork & music by Lyle Fulton

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This week, there really is only one place to start. Jacki and Lyle are discussing the election (or, indeed, re-election) of Donald Trump, who earlier this month became the 47th President of the United States. Trump had, of course, also been elected the 45th President of the United States before losing the next election to Joe Biden, a man who he in essence defeated along the way to his latest election victory. But it was Kamala Harris, who assumed the Democratic candidacy after a desperate performance from Biden in a televised debate, that Trump ultimately defeated in the election on the 5th November this year. And it is Trump who will be inaugurated in January next year, becoming President for the second time, in a comeback many have described as similar to the likes of Tiger Woods, who won The Masters out of nowhere in 2019. Jacki and Lyle discuss the differences between the communications strategies of Trump and Harris. Harris is said to have conducted an almost perfect campaign, and was praised for doing so, but both Jacki and Lyle agree that it was missing something when it came to competing with the timing and single-issue messaging of Trump's at times chaotic strategy. Issues that appeared to be dominating the nation's discussion in the run-up to the election were the economy, abortion rights and immigration, but Harris and her team at times ran a multi-issue strategy that ultimately failed to resonate with voters. Trump, meanwhile, maintained a steadfast commitment to these single issues and, as Jacki points out, was also able to turn apparent criticism from all sides into campaign-worthy moments that captured the attention of the electorate. Lyle outlines from the outset that he is very much NOT a Trump supporter, with Jacki agreeing, but both also agree that his garbage truck stunt as a response to Biden's assertion that 'the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters' was strategically very astute, before Jacki also outlines the imagery that circulated after the assassination attempt on Trump's life earlier this year. Lyle takes us through some political trends that this most recent US election appears to have followed, such as Tony Blair's 'New Labour' win in 1997, Boris Johnson's 'Get Brexit Done' in 2019, and Ed Davey's success as Lib Dem leader throughout the most recent UK election. The Tony Hinchcliffe Puerto Rico incident is also mentioned, and Jacki raves about the podcast 'The Coming Storm' which had some fantastic coverage in the build up to the election itself. There is, as ever, time for a sporting analogy from Lyle, with this one being a pertinent one - Harris may have conducted a fine campaign, but that won't be being talked about in 6 months time. What will be, however, is that Donald J. Trump will be the next President of the United States, with Lyle asserting that history remembers those who win far longer than those who lose.

You can listen to The Coming Storm here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001324r

Artwork & music by Lyle Fulton

Get in touch via [email protected]

More information at www.therestispr.com

Follow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

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This week, Jacki and Lyle betray the trust of last week's guest, Alis Wyn Davies Fulton, by discussing another of her favourite subjects - Taylor Swift! That's right, this week our hosts delve into the power of TayTay, who has been making the news this week for her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the ongoing Presidential race in the United States. Swift had previously made news when it came to the election for other reasons, notably when she refused to reveal who she would be voting for an instead insisted everyone should make the choice that is right for them. She also spoke out on the dangers of generative-AI after a fake photo of her seemingly endorsing former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump was used by his campaign on his website. Jacki analyses how Swift's authenticity and the sincerity with which she goes about her day to day life make her an incredibly powerful global megastar, capable of swaying whole swathes of the general public on particular issues. Lyle and Jacki both agree that there is little to go after Swift for, especially when you consider the toxicity she has been met with throughout her career, before Lyle and Jacki both discuss another story which has centred on Swift and her current partner, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, where and apparent 'fake contract' outlining a set date for their split was circulated around the media. Lyle finishes the episode by, as ever, extending an invitation to everyone mentioned in the pod, so watch out for Miss Americana appearing on an episode near you. Who knows? We may even make her new album!

Artwork & music by Lyle Fulton

Get in touch via [email protected]

More information at www.therestispr.com

Follow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss a topic that has resonance throughout not just the PR industry but every industry worldwide. Namely - the power of saying no. This, on the surface, might seem a little reductive, but to be more specific this week our hosts analyse the importance of choosing the right opportunities out of the number of offers you may receive from the media. In an incredibly interesting episode, Lyle asks Jacki to discuss what her own thought process is when saying yes to certain speaking opportunities, with Jacki herself not realising she does take into consideration whether her saying yes would be the best course of action for the client as well as herself! Jacki discusses the importance of making the right decisions at all levels of the business world, and indicates that lower-level businesses such as brand new startups could take a leaf out of the books of larger businesses when ensuring they make a decision that stands to engage best with their key stakeholders, rather than electing to jump on the proverbial bandwagon of larger scaler opportunities such an interview with the BBC, Channel 4 or the like, or expanding into a territory that doesn't fit with their mission, vision and values. That holy triumvirate occurs a number of times throughout an episode that also mentions the likes of Taylor Swift and her uncanny savviness when it comes to selecting opportunities, as well as considerations made around the situations of Amanda Abbington, Huw Edwards, Philip Schofield and more. Jacki urges patience after what she calls a number of 'gaffes' throughout the episode, and Lyle is consistently plagued by a pesky fly - it's not to be missed!

Artwork & music by Lyle Fulton

Get in touch via [email protected]

More information at www.therestispr.com

Follow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss a scandal that has had the UK talking this week, and one that has dominated the build-up to one of the nation's most-watched TV shows - the Strictly Come Dancing scandal. Jacki and Lyle analyse what has allegedly taken place in the rehearsal rooms of one of the UK's most beloved entertainment shows, with allegations levelled at Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice by reality TV star Zara McDermott and actress Amanda Abbington respectively. Di Prima is alleged to have kicked, hit, and spat at McDermott during training sessions for the show, which have been revealed to last up to 10 hours on certain days as pro dancers and their celebrity partners vie for the coveted Strictly trophy. Abbington, meanwhile, has publicly accused Pernice of 'sexual bullying', most recently in an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Channel 4 News. The allegations are now being investigated by the BBC, and Director General Tim Davie revealed recently that the broadcaster had taken steps to ensure situations like this would not happen again, including having Strictly producers present at every training session to observe and ensure the safety of the contestants. Jacki and Lyle discuss how exactly it came to this, as well as the importance of risk assessing projects like this ahead of time. Jacki praises the response of the BBC, and Lyle agrees whilst also insisting that the better situation would have been for the BBC to have acknowledged these concerns sooner and adopted a more proactive risk assessment strategy as opposed to a reactive one. Jacki offers her own opinion on the merit, or lack of, in Abbington's interview with Channel 4, before she puts Lyle on the spot in asking whether he would take up the Strictly invite if offered! Previous Strictly scandals, of an ironically very different kind, are discussed, before Lyle's relative dancing talents are brought to the fore!

Artwork & music by Lyle Fulton

Get in touch via [email protected] or [email protected]

More information at www.therestispr.com

Follow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.