Here we go then, back at it after a slight false start last week, apologies for that. No time for small talk or wishing some Happy New whatever’s, let’s get to it. There is a lot to get through.

Hotel, Motel, no entry to Holiday Inn

A tough week for the Holiday Inn (IHG) comms team as a story has blown up from just having national media interest to now being subject to a potential parliamentary enquiry.

A Holiday Inn in Manchester refused entry to two homeless people, accompanied by a charity volunteer, whose charity had bought them a room for the evening. The person on the front desk was most likely not aware that he was being filmed refusing entry and (allegedly wrongly) citing IHG company policy.

The video quickly made the news, and an MP who chairs the Parliamentary Housing Committee has formally demanded answers. Of course, as anyone who works in crisis comms knows, IHG is under no obligation or legal requirement to answer the politician, but to not do so could trigger a formal Select Committee request, which they would have to reply to.

With two rough sleepers sadly passing away in Manchester in the last few weeks, this is a timely and topical story.

Bad PR for Holiday Inn.

Not mushroom for PR campaigns

A week is a long time in the world of the media. One day you can be on top of the world, and the next day you are brought back down to earth with a bang. One eagle-eyed reader spotted the fickle nature of the media and its relationship with mushrooms!

The first week of the new year saw “Functional Fungi” featured across several respected global media outlets. Mushroom-based drinks, coffees, cocktails and chocolate were being heralded as the new wellness food trend.

However, before Tesco’s buyers could stock up their shelves to cope with demand, the Daily Mail had parachuted a negative mushroom story into the mix and demand dropped off once again. Foragers in California accidentally ate some poisonous varieties and it caused three deaths and left dozens allegedly hospitalised.

It was a good try by the agencies retained by the grand mushroom overlords, but it didn’t work. Bad PR by kids most hated vegetable/fungus of them all. Thanks to Matthew “Pinny” Pinsent for the tip-off.

Sting does not have band mates Wrapped Around Your Finger

When I think of the lyrical master Sting, I think of his brand being very zen, chilled and peace and love oriented.

Oh dear.

His band mates from the group Police have taken him to court for non-payment of royalties. They are rumoured to have been Driven to Tears by the underpayments and instead of sending a Message in a Bottle, they opted for a legal letter via the courts.

None of the parties attended court and if they did, surely one of them would have said, Don’t Stand so Close to Me. Sting has acknowledged underpaying royalties and made an interim payment, but the courts are set to announce the full amount that he needs to pay.

Bad PR for Sting.

National Trust opens its books to the public

We have all been dragged round National Trust properties as kids, or whilst trying to appear cultured at the early part of a promising relationship. One of the most frustrating things about the properties is that the parts that look the most interesting are typically red-roped off to us muggles.

The National Trust has seen the error of its ways and is encouraging the owners of its homes to give the people what they want, and that is more access. It is starting with a few of its northern properties opening their libraries and even allowing people to sit down on the furniture!

Being completely honest, if I had a Gucci property that I was being forced to open up to the muggles to fund its survival, I would not trust them to look after things either. A few years ago, whilst visiting a former Pope’s bedroom on an Italian tourism tour, my son dropped his entire fizzy drink on the papal floor. 46 Hail Mary’s later, we got out and vowed to never put the kids through a tour like that again.

Well done to the National Trust for its bravery and the positive headlines that came with the move.

Red Arrows gets first female leader

The Red Arrows have had a tough few years in the media. There are only so many times you can unexpectedly fly over a wedding and expect to get media coverage. Add to this some serious allegations of a toxic culture across the flying squad, and you can start to understand that things need to change.

That positive change has begun, and it has come in the form of their appointing their first-ever female leader. Wing Commander Sasha Nash is now in the hot seat and hopes that it will inspire future generations to follow her own path.

Great PR for the Red Arrows comms team.

When you need to explain your apology, you know you have done it wrong

I asked my favourite AI tool if Peter Mandelson has the odd issue with telling the truth and its response was so good, it could have been written by the Prince of Darkness himself. In short, he is not a proven liar and I would never accuse him of being so, but it has apparently been subject to many a public debate.

This week, he demonstrated the use of the crisis comms playbook, which he probably helped to write back in the day. He had endured a period of silence after his latest alleged faux pas regarding his decision to maintain a friendship with Epstein. This is stage 1 in the recovery from a crisis comms playbook.

He then tested the waters of reengaging back into public life by doing a big-ticket, media interview on the BBC. Again, another crisis comms, page four, playbook piece of advice. So far, so good.

This is where the wheels fell off the comeback wagon. He tried to explain away his friendship but muddled the apology and explanation to the point where he had to do a follow-up statement to explain his comments.

Bad PR for Mandy.

Early in my own political PR career, I read his autobiography. To be fair, it was a great read. In it, he claimed to have once, literally, pulled the camera plug out of a socket to stop an interview that the MP he was looking after at the time was enduring and wasn’t going to plan.

Thanks to Alan S Morrison for his story spotting as ever, and remember, if you have an example to share, I am incredibly approachable and all ears.