The term ‘doyen’ is overused, but in the case of our guest today, it feels appropriate. For the last 25 years Danny Rogers has been a leading commentator and speaker on the comings and goings of the public relations industry. Now the editor-in-chief of PR Week, Danny started as a journalist with the FT’s Creative Business and the Guardian’s media section, and then he moved to Haymarket group as editor of PR Week magazine.  An author, his book, ‘The campaigns that shook the world’ shone a...

Much of the work done by the corporate communications function goes unnoticed. But there is one piece of activity you can be sure will grab people's attention… the set piece leader profile. Get a full page spread in a Sunday paper with a cracking photo and you can be sure everyone in the organisation, and beyond, will read it. Get it right and you can have your CEO come across as a visionary, yet down to earth leader successfully delivering a great strategy. This can become a genuine moment...

The climate crisis 'is a communication problem', says academic and environmentalist Roc Sandford. Involved with Extinction Rebellion before it started, including a chaining or two, Roc’s thinking has featured in pretty much every major media outlet. From the UN to Davos and ministers and boards, Roc delivers an uncompromising message of emergency and the need for rapid climate and biodiversity repair. Roc is also the very essence of the change he wants to see living an almost hermit-like...

We are big fans of words, they have real, genuine power. But, in the form of a speech, in rhetoric, do they soar to their greatest heights? Are speeches our most powerful form of verbal communication? Do we put as much effort into them as we should, or did? And how can we write better speeches? When one blends masterful, rich language, with the oratorical techniques of rhythm repetition and silence, uttered by a sonorous, powerful voice you have the means to inspire, to unite, to resist and...

Sitting at the heart of their industry, trade associations are the ‘official voice’ looking to put forward the collective view and position of its members. Not only do they speak on behalf of their members to government, agencies, regulators, the media and other opinion formers, but they self-regulate and police, deliver training and development, conduct research and organise conferences and events.   With more than 1,250 to choose from, there’s a body out there for everyone. But are they...

An interview with Paul Drechsler, International Chamber of Commerce UK Chairman. For this episode we are joined by Paul Drechsler, the Renaissance man of business. Paul has been at the centre of the interface between business, politics and society for many years. To say he’s done a lot in his time would be a gross understatement: 24 years with ICI; Chair and Chief Executive of the family owned construction firm the Wates Group; Chair of the shipping and marine firm Bibby Line.  And then...

There’s no right or wrong way to define success - it looks different for everyone. What matters is that you're able to define it for yourself. So, what does it take to get on and succeed in corporate affairs? What should you look to define and focus on, and what (and who) should you avoid? Do professional qualifications help or is it all about learning at the knee of a master?  When we started thinking about this episode I had the words of Baz Lurman ringing in my ears - that offering...

The joys of the annual financial reporting season are upon us. This is something that most of us in Comms get involved with at some point – whether that’s setting up media calls, fretting over internal messages, or just working out which picture of the CFO to use. For many of us, financial reporting is the equivalent of the PR hamster wheel. You never really get off. Once the ink is dry on the analyst notes or the media commentators have passed judgement, you’re on to the next cycle. It’s...

Podcasts are arguably the stand out media phenomenon of the recent years, with the most popular pulling in millions of followers, outstripping mainstream broadcasters in terms of reach and impact.   But, how do you actually start something with no one there to listen? How do you avoid screaming into the void? What to talk about? Should you have guests? Can you really go 100% DIY or do you need some professional help? The things to ponder are endless. We’ve an admission to make here at...

New Year’s Resolutions are an exercise in hope, where aspiration meets reality. As Oscar Wilde said: ‘Resolutions are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account.’  In the interests of trying to make 2023 just a tiny bit better, The Little Questions Podcast decided that we would try to help all our friends in the industry, by coming up with some New Year’s resolutions for businesses, sectors and individuals. Basically free PR advice given out by disgruntled middle-aged...

Christmas and the New Year are nearly upon us and it's the season of TV repeats and compilations. Our chance to laugh again at the things we laughed at just a few months ago. We’re no different at Apella Advisors. With our world leading sustainability commitments, reuse and recycle is our mantra, so we’ve produced our very own Little Questions Podcast Xmas highlights. This is all our best bits from 2022. Our thoughts on everything from the merits of having activist investors on your books...

For every Atticus Finch and Han Solo, there’s a Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader. Who doesn’t love a great hero or a terrifying villain? They are the protagonists that sit at the heart of every great story, of how we demonstrate the values that matter, define our morals and learn valuable lessons. Arguably you can only become a great hero if you have a compelling villain against which you can strive: Without Voldemort, Harry Potter is just another young wizard; Without the Joker, Batman is...

Business has always had an urge to share some of its largess with those less fortunate. With clear roots in the ancient mediterranean civilisations, a line runs through renaissance traders, victorian industrialists to today's billionaires racing to give away their fortunes.    Aside from the warm fuzzy feeling they hopefully get, there is a clear strategic outcome. When companies connect effectively with external stakeholders through community projects they trigger a virtuous circle as...

On this episode of The Little Questions, we are talking about team structure and resources. In previous editions we’ve spoken about starting out in a new role, and what needs to be your priority? More often than not, structure is right up there. Getting it right early on will set up any leader for long-term success. But what is the right structure for the resource you have? Is there a ‘one size approach that fits all’? After all the fun in the last episode, you have fair warning that...

Why are people in the world of comms so misrepresented in popular culture?  Why do the PRs in TV, movies and books come across as either evil manipulators of the truth or champagne guzzling airheads?  This really is a first world problem of a third order magnitude and yet, PR does have a PR problem doesn’t it? If for no other reason than we want to continue to attract smart, thoughtful and talented people to our industry, then perhaps we need to have a think about how we are portrayed by...

This week, we welcome Deborah Hulme from Minerva Engagement to the Little Questions Podcast to discuss organisational and cultural change in business. Communicators are often asked to play a prominent role in supporting organisational change programmes but, as many of us know, they can be complex and fiendishly difficult to get right. Two thirds of transformation projects fail, taking longer and costing more than business leaders anticipate, and change done ‘to’ an organisation is rarely as...

This week, we discuss the horrifying world of the cyber breach. Trust and loyalty are fragile at the best of times, but the risks of causing serious damage to your brand, reputation and business are massively heightened should you face a cyber-attack. There were 2.8 billion malware attacks in the first half of this year, so sadly it is often a question of when you will be hit, not if! A breach really threatens your reputation. It puts your customers at risk damaging confidence and loyalty...

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UK-based consultants were placed in the national spotlight for ties to Russian entities. The press focused on how consultants in the law and PR for example, had made millions, on the ‘Caviar Express’ through ties to Russian oligarchs. For many years the PR industry has been accused of having a grubbier side, looking to unduly profit by reputation washing those less than savoury characters with large wallets. An easy target now, but Bell Pottinger...

Today the Little Questions Podcast has an interview with Mark Kleinman, SKY News’ Business Editor. Mark is a well-known and respected business journalist, a columnist for CityAM and winner of the 2021 British Journalism Awards. He's also picked up the London Press Club Business Journalist of the Year award not once, but twice. We ask Mark about his role, his amazing ability to get exclusives and his frustrations with some in the PR world. You can find The Little Questions Podcast on our...

The relationships between a Corporate Affairs Director and the senior leadership of their organisation are arguably the most important they’ll manage during their time in the role.  Positioning the CEO or Chair in a positive light is more important today than perhaps ever before. Which means that CADs are responsible not only for keeping business leaders out of trouble, but also advising them on a range of issues that can be reputationally damaging, if handled poorly, from Executive pay and...

This week, join Apella Advisors' Jenny Scott and Andrew Brown for a fascinating discussion with Dr Kris De Meyer, director of the UCL Climate Action Unit and neuroscientist at King's College London. On the surface, this is a curious blend of disciplines, yet it is allowing Dr. Kris and his team to explore the whole domain of climate action and specifically how to enable people to change and act for the better. The central thesis of his work is that conventional wisdom of understanding,...

With the digital world growing and increasing its domination of our lives, some have for years been calling time on traditional media; Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once described it as “a dead man walking”.   In 2019 digital ad spending overtook traditional ad spending for the first time, and since then the gap has only widened. This matters because the majority of traditional media is funded by advertising revenue. No money... no media; And logically, no media, no media relations.   When...

If you get to the end of your career and you’ve never worked for a firm that has either acquired or been acquired you will very much be the exception.  This week, on the Little Questions Podcast we're talking mergers and acquisitions, or M&A as its often shortened to. M&A can be a great way to improve efficiencies, accelerate growth and create value. But when they fail to produce the desired result, a common factor is poor communication, including a lack of information during the...

There was a time, not very long ago, when communications was thought of as a nice, but not that necessary, soft skill. Thankfully times have changed. We now know that strong internal communication improves employee engagement which is critical to commercial success. Conversely, poor internal comms can seriously damage your business. It’s a cascading effect of annoying comms, poor morale, lower productivity, increased absenteeism leading to higher employee turnover, and finally, higher costs...

The company and agency relationship should be the perfect embodiment of symbiosis. Mutual productivity for the benefit of all. Happy days! For those working either side of the fence, that’s not always the case. The latest Little Questions Podcast considers all the ups and the downs of the relationship: from grumpy clients providing poorly written briefs to agency leaders who disappear after the first pitch. Apella partners James Acheson-Grey, Anthony Silverman and Matt Young chew the...