Hacked off flack reckons Spring is in the air

And so it’s Spring already and there have already been a few minor changes:

PRmoment relaunches bigger and better, Hacked-off Flack starts this blog, b2b tech agencies are going consumer on our arses, blah blah blah ...

Of course, some things remain the same. In the “customer'“ corner we have clients demanding press releases announcing shiteous non-news like their attendence at some random trade event – expecting national coverage as if they're the f***ing queen. Over in the journo corner there's Charles Arthur having yet another unimaginative pop at PROs.

In our own area there's our account director busy doing... something. Oh hold on – activity in the air-conditioned office with the obligatory plant... oh it's okay, they just reached for their Starbucks caramel latte and hit send on an 'account issues' email where they ask the team to "pull coverage out of the bag before next weeks' PR meeting" with xx client.

God doesn't that sound bitter?! But then again, who cares – we all see it, we all feel it and we all rant about it... usually on a Friday with our colleagues when we talk too loudly before turning around to find ourselves staring into the eyes of the boss we've just wished would get swine flu.

That's a great moment isn't it? Of course no-one at your table tells you the person whose character you're assassinating is sat behind you, or sometimes even beside you, depending on how drunk you are.

There are two possible reasons why they keep schtum:

1) They could be as pissed as you or, and this is quite depressingly the most common,

or 2) They want you to be heard so they can arse-lick their way above you in the agency rankings.

The truth about most PROs is that we are incredibly ambitious and, in order to rise up the ranks quicker, we turn to the only talent we have: we PR ourselves. Sometimes we do this in an honourable fashion – we “subtly” forward coverage to our boss, we scream and shout about journo “relationships” to prove we are oh-so-bloody media-savvy. However, sometimes PROs resort to dirty tactics – such as the above pub-based situation.

The pub may feel like heaven on a Friday as you sink that tenth Magners. But look to the person “sticking to Diet Coke” and bear in mind that to them, this is their moment – the big stunt in their “PR Campaign of Me“. Rest assured they're remembering everything you're saying, ready for the company social where they can relay it all to the CEO. It is with this warning we leave you my PR cherubs... if you're going to bitch and whine... do it anonymously on Twitter!
 

Hacked of Flack also writes on Twitter you can follow them here http://twitter.com/PissedOffPR