Comms Hits and Hiccups #1

A while ago, someone told me that September is the new new year. That may, or may not, be true but I do find myself pledging to cut back on the excesses of summer and get my life admin in order before the leaves start to fall and the chaos of Christmas sets in.

I also find myself wanting to write more. This may, or may not, last longer than a January diet. Who knows? Regardless, I’m introducing my new ‘column’, Comms hits and hiccups, full of good intentions.

Comms hits of the moment

After a summer spent making TikToks and cutting bus fares (Burnham) and reshuffling her cabinet (Badenoch), it was back to work this week for our Members of Parliament.

Fresh from installing a cardboard cutout of a cat at No.10 North, Burnham faced Kemi twice in one week and I, for one, couldn’t wait for the drama. So, PMQs now done – from an apolitical / comms-only stance, who won the battle of Westminster this week?

Neither and both in my opinion. A cop out, I know. Maybe I’m just relieved to no longer be listening to the nasal knight, but I think both will have struck a chord with their core voters. Burnham traded on honesty; Kemi played that right back to him: “So, will he be honest and tell us, is he preparing to raise taxes again? Yes or no?” Burnham played the nice guy card: “I do want to try and work with her across the floor where we can.” Badenoch was having none of it: “I think it’s delightful that he wants to make everyone happy. But a prime minister needs to be a leader, not a people pleaser.” And on it went.

Overall, it was a lesson in not just tailoring your messaging, but your message delivery too. Whether you went in Team Burnham or Team Badenoch, you had your views validated. Brands can learn from that. You don’t need to be all things to all people; you only need to be true to who you were created to be.

No one proves that adage more than Dolly Parton. The very definition of a comms hit, she showed us that reputations can’t be just a front. Like a business’s values, they need to be lived and breathed. She owned the art of relatability, never afraid to put herself at centre of the joke. She was a philanthropist but never described herself as such. She was a brand – a truly great one at that – and one every business, and businessperson, can learn from. The world needs more Dollys.

Comms hiccups of the moment

On hiccups, I have two. Firstly, the Daily Mail was forced to issue an article saying that the Halliwell-Horners and Sussexes hadn’t, in fact, met for tea. Unlike many others (who should arguably get out more) I didn’t care about the meet up; I was, however, left wondering, who was most embarrassed by this strange story. Was the Duchess horrified that she had been associated with a former flag-wearing Spice Girl, or is Brand Sussex seemingly so toxic that Christian Horner wanted to put a racing track between them and him? We may never know, but it reinforces the need to have a sensible objective behind your comms. News of the fabricated natter over a cuppa was soon forgotten; this development is infinitely more interesting.

I started on politics, and I’ll end on it too. Two-tier / never-here / free-gear Starmer, taken down by his U-turns, just had to end on one too. I can’t say I entirely blame him – he won by a landslide only to be shoved out by a machinating mayor (whose social media strategy is so good we have already forgotten all about that). I do, however, blame him for saying he was going to stay in the first place. How utterly unnecessary. Plus it breaks one of the golden rules of comms – that when you announce a plan, you create a promise. Break that promise and you destroy your credibility.

Ok, he’s a politician, they do this kind of thing all that time – but this one felt so entirely avoidable. He handed the Tories a gift on a plate, a gift seized by Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake: “Whilst we have disagreed with almost all of Sir Keir Starmer’s decisions, I wish him and his family well for the future.

“It is fitting that his final act as a Member of Parliament is yet another U-turn having pledged to stay on.

“The decision to stand down will mean a costly by-election for taxpayers at a time when Andy Burnham and John Healey are plotting tax rises on hardworking families across the country.”

He also took attention away from Burnham as he returned to Westminster after a 16-year break. Were we seeing final-jeer Kier? I hope not as that isn’t the best foundation on which to build a career in international diplomacy. Aldi and M&S can own ‘brand-ter’ (and they do it so well); for most corporations, their spokespeople, and certainly for ex-Cabinet ministers, dignity beats digs.

The author: Jane Ainsworth is managing director of WPR. She has over 25 years’ experience developing and delivering communications strategies for consumer brands including Dunelm, Tesco, Mothercare, Greene King, John Lewis, Bullring, Beaverbrooks and Westfield.