It must have seemed a good idea at the time. AJ Bell, the popular investment platform and lead sponsor of the Great North Run, gave out miniature bells to hundreds of spectators lining the last mile of last Sunday’s race. Doubtless the product of a marketing brainstorm, the idea was to have a visible and […]
The Nigel Farage Coutts banking battle has dominated headlines for the best part of a month and the former UKIP’s leader’s media-savvy approach has resulted in a full-blown crisis at the elite private bank. The closure of a single bank account has sparked debates in Westminster, government pressure, internal investigations, high-profile resignations and a public […]
The new crisis faced by the BBC is a particularly unusual one which has given rise to many questions. This is a fast-moving story and clearly many of the facts are unknown, but we know enough to identify the main areas of concern and to consider why the BBC has approached the matter in the […]
What is a crisis communications plan? A crisis communication plan is an important resource for any organisation. An Alder crisis communication plan is a bespoke manual which contains practical step-by-step guidance, media handling tips, valuable contact details and template communications that ensure organisations can deal with the communication demands of any crisis. At Alder we […]
This week, the House of Commons Privileges Committee published their 106-page Partygate report, finding that ex-PM Boris Johnson repeatedly misled the House. The Committee was forced to make some last-minute edits to their report, after Johnson broke the usual confidentialities and accused the committee of being a ‘kangaroo-court’ in opinion pieces just days before the […]
A proactive PR strategy can help set a school up for success. Getting good news out there helps catch the eye of prospective parents, attract talented teachers and staff, and build pride throughout the school community. Most importantly perhaps, it also helps build what we call ‘empathy capital’. This means that if something goes wrong […]
In the days since the death of Rolf Harris, there have been some eye-catching revelations about the disgraced entertainer’s attempts to manage his PR during his 2014 trial for a string of sex offences. Defendants in high-profile trials often employ a range of tactics in order to try to win public sympathy. The growing rise […]
Our Managing Director Tim Toulmin recently spoke to Ben Griffiths, our Specialist Partner for Media Relations, as they addressed the topic of ‘Understanding the Newsroom’ at our first Alder Intelligence webinar. The discussion drew on Ben’s two decades of experience working at the UK’s biggest news brands, with Ben shining a light on the inner […]
There are few more worrying prospects for a healthcare leader than a cyber attack, extreme weather or other sudden event disrupting or halting frontline operations. When such an incident strikes, internal and external communications are critical to maintaining order and safety, quashing misinformation, maintaining stakeholder trust, and more. It is thus welcome to see that […]