Hey all! I hope you’re enjoying the glorious weather we’re experiencing right now (sorry if you’re not so fortunate). Andy isn’t around this week, so I’m filling in - hope I don’t disappoint on this week’s good and bad PR…

Good PR

Why OnTheMarketCom v Rightmove v Zoopla is going to be THE PR battle to watch over the next year

First up for good PR, we’re giving a shout out to property portal OnTheMarket. It has just announced a partnership with Aylesworth Fleming, that boasts decades of experience managing clients in the property industry. OnTheMarket is hoping to take on the ‘Big Two’ (aka Rightmove and Zoopla) and make a real name for itself, something some may consider (if you read the comments on its blog) ‘a dangerous game’. You’ve got to give it a hand for trying, and hiring a worldwide agency to help it on the way.

If you follow Andy on Twitter (@10Yetis) you’ll know that he’s going to be avidly watching the PR battle over the coming months between OnTheMarket, Rightmove and Zoopla.

Trojan Shield

We’re also giving a big pat on the back to Trojan Shield - a division within the FBI who created a brilliant app call ANOM. Many organised crime gangs believed ANOM to be an encrypted messaging app for burner phones. These phones were passed around the black market, unable to make calls and texts, forcing the users to solely use the ANOM app for messaging. TL:DR - the app wasn’t encrypted and more than 25 MILLION MESSAGES were being read by the very people they were trying to hide from. LOLS.

More than 800 people have been arrested worldwide!

Criminals are usually quite good (or so we’re led to believe) at using “cryptic” messages in place of outright spilling their plans. It just goes to show how much trust people put into so-called encrypted apps.

Good and Bad PR

Jeff Bezos

We’re throwing a mix of both good and bad PR nods Bezos’ way today; initially bad PR, because he and Elon Musk have been found to have not paid their income tax; Bezos between 2007 and 2011 and Musk during 2018.

These are some of the richest men in the world and whatever they had to pay in income tax would’ve been like a drop in the ocean for their bank accounts. Not something us mere regular folk like to hear when we’re taxed a decent wedge each month.

That being said, we’re also giving a small high five to Bezos today because he has announced that he will go into space on the first crewed flight of the New Shepard rocket. This shows a serious amount of trust in his own product, being founder of Blue Origin, as well as the team and will no doubt instil trust with anyone else interested (along with his brother, there is one more spot up for auction - currently priced at a cool £2m)

Questionable PR

Colin in the pub

Now, this next one’s a bit blurry, but Andy believes it to be good/funny PR, while I am most definitely on the fence.

A judge has ruled that if you’re off work sick, you cannot be sacked for then going to the pub. While I don’t agree you should be sacked - that’s totally extreme (unless you’re known to take the mick) - I don’t think you should be in the pub when calling in sick. If you aren’t well enough to go to work, I don’t think you’re well enough to sit down the boozer with your mates.

It does get good PR however because there was nothing in Colin’s contract (the man who claimed to have been in bed all day sick, but was spotted in the pub the very same day) to prevent or discourage this. The company technically didn’t have grounds to sack him for ‘dishonesty and breaching company rules’.

I’ve not had a sick day for years, and I must admit I get cabin fever when I do and am forced to stay at home, so next time I have tonsillitis, come say hi at the pub… mine’s a vodka 😉

Bad PR

JML

Lastly, JML is getting a spot of bad PR here, especially with me being a woman, for its gender stereotypes, showing only women clean around the home in a TV ad from March this year for the JML Hurricane Spin Scrubber. Apparently, the ad has been around since 2017, but it’s only in recent months that it’s kicked up a stir.

I mean... yes, I’m largely the only one in my household that cleans - but that’s not the point!

Written Samantha Summers, head of PR at 10 Yetis Digital. Seen any good or bad PR lately? Abuse and contradictory points welcomed over on The Twitter @10Yetis or andy@10Yetis.co.uk on email