Theo Paphitis, star of Dragon’s Den who has built up one of Britain’s most successful retail empires, gives PR the thumbs up on his latest TV show, Theo’s Adventure Capitalists.
Multi-millionaire Theo tells viewers that strong PR and marketing are essential tools when launching and growing a business.
The UK public relations industry has fared well in these tough economic times, with many PR sectors enjoying growth, as savvy businesses choose to invest more of their marketing spend in cost-effective public relations, rather than advertising.
Effective PR is the most economical way by far to reach mass audiences, it is also highly influential and of course credible, in fact studies show it has 7 times the credibility of advertising.
In his new BBC series, Theo follows the fortunes of brave and bold British companies trying to expand in three of the world’s most dynamic emerging but risky markets India, Brazil and Vietnam.
PR Disaster for BP
PR Week today reports that beleaguered BP is spending millions of dollars to minimise the PR damage caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which has been named the worst oil spill in US history.
With no end in sight to the ongoing saga, BP chief executive Tony Hayward has said: ‘I think this is clearly a major reputational issue for BP.’
As £12billion was wiped off the value of its shares earlier today, it seems that BP’s reputation – and its future - is at risk every bit as much as the Gulf ecosystem.
The results mean the company’s stock has fallen £42billion – more than a third of its value – since the fatal oilrig explosion six weeks ago.
Some analysts are predicting that BP may not survive.
Greenpeace, who are masters of effective PR, summed up the feelings of many around the world when they hung a large flag with their own design on BP’s West London HQ, rebranding the company “British Polluters.”
Tags: Bad PR, BP, Effective Uses of Public Relations, Ethical Reputation, Greenpeace, Oil Spill, PR, PR Disaster, PR Week, Public Relations, Reputation | Posted in PR Comment June 1st, 2010