All news is good news for Max Clifford, but does his image reflect well on other public relations practitioners?

Max Clifford is more famous than many of his clients. He has worked in public relations for over 40 years, and during the last 20, his name has increasingly appeared alongside his clients on tabloid front pages. Mr Big in television entertainment right now, Simon Cowell, writes in a testimonial on Max Clifford Associates website: “He’s a godsend and the first person I phone after every TV show.”

Research supplied by Echo Sonar 

At the moment Clifford is in the news for representing Vanessa Perroncel over an alleged affair with England national football team captain John Terry. For instance, on 2 Feb, Independent.co.uk reported: “The French model at the centre of claims surrounding England captain John Terry's alleged affair was ‘upset’ by thoughts of how his wife might be feeling, publicist Max Clifford said today.”

This current tabloid story is not just profitable for Perroncel, who is at the centre of a media bidding war for her story, but is also good news for Clifford’s profile. PRmoment commissioned research looking at how often Clifford has been mentioned online in the last six months. This shows Clifford mentions have been lower in November and December compared to the months before, so the current scandal is succeeding in getting Clifford’s name back into the headlines.

 Research supplied by Echo Sonar

Being in the news is obviously good for Clifford’s business. But as the most famous PR person in the UK, is he a good ambassador for the PR profession? Broadcaster Kay Oliver has met and interviewed Clifford several times while working at Sky News. She believes he has a great reputation for helping people get out of a fix. She says: “There is no doubt that Mr Clifford is a smooth operator, the man that women in the spotlight seem to turn to in times of crisis. I’m not sure he is seen as the acceptable side of PR, but he is certainly a very rich one! He is the man that TV stations call up when they need a fast sound bite or live link on a scandal. The John Terry Affair is right up his street. Clifford is his own best PR and if ever I find myself in a spot of bother I shall certainly call him in.”

Charm can get you a long way and Pamela Lyddon, founder digital agency Bright Star Digital, is one person who is susceptible to Clifford’s particular brand: “I like Max Clifford because he is very charming, very clever and very good at media manipulation. Why else would one of the biggest stars in the world (Simon Cowell) have him as a PR adviser? He keeps people in the paper, out of the paper, makes deals with journalists and all in all created win-win situations for his clients and the media. It’s hard to make everyone happy in this media climate, so you can’t help but admire him.”

Others, are not such great fans. Ian Whiteling, editor in chief at web channel
www.meetingsreview.com, thinks that Clifford comes across as a rather loathsome figure and all that's dodgy about PR, although he concedes, “he clearly fills a need, and bizarrely is living proof of the power of PR.” Whiteling also admits that Clifford has found a clever niche in defending and making lots of money for people who've suddenly been placed in (or have sought) the public spotlight. However, Whiteling is not keen on the media that Clifford thrives in, adding: “it's difficult to believe that his niche would exist, but for the savage rise of UK tabloid culture.”