When It Hits the Fan

It may be the season to be jolly but there's not a lot of good cheer going around at the moment. With so much unrelentingly bleak news, how do you persuade anyone that not everything's as bad as it seems? This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the power of optimism. It's not just a useful PR tool, it's vital. When optimism is authentic, it can inspire and be incredibly infectious. The trouble is, it can also feel totally out of step with people's own experiences.That's why it's such a tricky PR balancing act. You want to take people with you but not make them think you're living in a dream world.When people are crying out for good news, David and Simon look at why the phrase 'positive spin' is almost always used in a derogatory way - even though the very last thing you want is a pessimistic PR team.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, who's on the list and who isn't? The PR minefield that is Christmas cards. David and Simon discuss whether the festive staple is still a good way of judging where you sit in the business and social firmament.Should you send cards to all your contacts, should they each get a personalised message - and if someone suddenly stops sending one to you, what are you supposed to think? And given the cost of postage - how do you decide who is really worth the price of a stamp?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William Miller Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It's panto season and panto villains don't come much bigger than Simon Cowell.The music mogul's made a career and fortune playing the Bad Guy on TV talent shows. But is there more to him - and crucially, is it good PR for him to show a different side?This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis wade through the blizzard of publicity created ahead of Simon Cowell's latest show - to piece together a PR jigsaw that hints at his attempts to stay relevant while also offering glimpses into his world that he may not have intended.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, what happens when a CEO goes missing in action? The good people of Tunbridge Wells are once again disgusted - following a drinking water crisis in the spa town. And their mood has not been helped by the boss of South Eastern Water, David Hinton, refusing to give any interviews. If the buck stops with you, do you have a duty to show your face in public - or can there be very good reasons for staying invisible when everything is going wrong?Also, what is going on at HSBC? There's a distinct whiff of chaos around the search for a new CEO. George Osborne had been heavily touted, only for the job to be given to a 76-year-old internal candidate who, by all accounts, might not be hanging around for long. Given it's one of the most prestigious roles in global finance, where is the succession planning? And what does all this confusion at the top mean for the bank's reputation?Producer: Duncan MIddleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve StreeterMusic by Eclectic Sounds. A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4.

It's not easy winning a PR fight when you're up against three octogenarian nuns whose story has become a global smash.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the case of Sister Bernadette, Sister Regina and Sister Rita. They ran away from the care home they'd been sent to and broke back into the Austrian convent where they'd lived for more than 60 years. In the process, they've gained huge support on social media.Now, they've been told they can stay at the convent - so long as they stop posting online. The nuns and their hundreds of thousands of followers aren't happy.David and Simon explain why harnessing authentic, joyful, grassroots support is the PR holy grail - and why it's almost impossible to counter. It almost doesn't matter what the Church authorities say or do. The facts are no longer important if people have already decided who is in the right and wrong. On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, there's the distinct whiff of crisis at Campbell's. Its CEO has had to go on the record to insist the chicken used in its soups is "not made with a 3D printer". This follows a secret recording of a senior member of staff, who seemingly said the opposite during a long rant about the company. The claim is clearly nonsense so David and Simon look at whether Campbell's reaction is proportionate - or whether we now live in a world where a company has to respond, no matter how ludicrous a claim seems.Keeping your customers happy is of course vital in any business. Which brings us to Turkish Airlines. It's facing accusations of poor treatment after the former BBC correspondent, Mark Mardell, was told he wasn't allowed to board a flight because of his Parkinson's. David and Simon examine the response - or lack of - from Turkish Airlines and explain why getting ahead of a PR problem is absolutely crucial.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Imagine being able to read the private emails sent between some of the most powerful people on the planet. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis do exactly that. The release of thousands of pages from the so-called Epstein files shows the ways in which the elite communicate with each other. The exchanges reveal what one New York Times columnist describes as the 'nomadic bat signals' the rich send the rich. Epstein's criminality and cruelty are already crystal clear - but the legacy of these emails tells us so much more about the times we're living in.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, a scandal threatening the reputation of a very British institution. The former CEO of Lloyd's of London, John Neal, has had his multi-million pound job offer with AIG rescinded - over claims of a workplace affair. Did Lloyd's do enough to investigate the matter - and does the case undo all the positive PR Lloyd's has received for trying to reform behaviour within the company?Also, insert your own joke about weird handshakes. The Freemasons are making a fresh attempt to become more transparent. The 600 meeting halls of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are throwing open their doors to public guided tours. It's all part of an effort to be more 'inclusive' and 'engaging'. But what if secrecy is part of your selling point? If you lose the mystique, what have you got left?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

When a top job becomes available, there very soon follows a list of potential 'runners and riders'. But how do you get your name on it? And how do you get your name off it?This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis reveal the PR secrets of The List. Whether it's the BBC, HSBC or Apple, there are suddenly lots of big names being touted around for some very serious jobs.But there are PR traps along the way. Being seen as the frontrunner doesn't always end well - and if you didn't put your name forward, who did and what are they playing at?And when it comes to these lists, there is sometimes great value in not appearing on them at all.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds - Penguin PR. David and Simon look at the campaign to get 15 Gentoo penguins released from London Aquarium. The owner, Merlin Entertainments, has pledged to listen to 'constructive ideas' about how best to care for the animals. But has the company already lost the argument?Also, when someone says AI will "evolve and transition certain jobs", what do they really mean? Especially when that someone is the head of Google's parent firm, Alphabet. Sundar Pichai sits at the top of company valued at more than $3tn - so when he says he's worried about the AI bubble bursting and the effect it'll have on every company, it's probably worth paying close attention to his choice of words.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4