It's always nice to read positive things about PR. Marketing guru Chris Moerdyk, writing in this morning's Sunday Times, about Eddie Jones' successful PR tactics, he describes PR as "... one of marketing's most economical and powerful tools...". It feels good to have Moerdyk singing our discipline's praises, especially when he suggests that it is, and should be even more, used strategically to keep competitors' eyes off the ball.
Global Fluency CEO Donovan Neale-May said, at a Cape PR Consultants' Forum meeting, that in the US communications are used strategically to not only buff the image of the client, but also tarnish the image of the competitor. At first, this feels to me like PRs become CIA spooks, but on reflection, if my client's competitor, say, makes a publicity issue of the money they donate to the children's' hospital, and I know that the way they treat their staff is dodgy, if I can whisper that in the ear of a journalist, isn't that also part of my responsibility?
Aside from the cloak and daggers game that will emerge amongst communicators, the public will benefit from greater transparency and hopefully better practices.
Had a delightful breakfast this morning at Andiamo in the Cape Quarter. Aside from the portion of smoked-salmon scrambled eggs being too small, it is a delicious way to start the day. My friends Peter and Jean James-Smith, down from Johannesburg for a Nederberg tasting, remarked how pleasant the Quarter was. Even though it was a bright day, to me the Quarter seemed a shadow of its summer self.