Lineker v. BBC: Social Media Guidelines and why the fish rots from the head on impartiality row

Over a week ago a row broke out at the UK’s national broadcaster, the BBC, over a tweet by its senior football anchor and Match of the Day presenter, Gary Lineker. The one-time England record goal scorer is notable for never receiving a yellow card despite making over 650 appearances in his playing career. However, it was his performance on social media that saw him earn a red card from the top executives at the BBC and taken off air.

The controversy started on the back of a recent policy announcement by the current Conservative government in the UK. To tackle illegal migration into the country, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman have launched a new policy campaign ‘Stop The Boats’. This new bill will see anyone who arrives in the UK illegally, swiftly returned back to their country of origin or a safe third country, such as Rwanda.

On the back of this announcement, Gary Lineker – technically a freelance employee at the BBC – retweeted a video from the Home Secretary’s own Twitter account where she was announcing the new bill and said “Good heavens, this is beyond awful.” Responding to another Twitter user who criticised his tweet, Linkeker followed up by stating: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”

It was this comparison of the UK Government’s new bill to Nazi Germany that sparked a national debate around impartiality within the BBC. According to the BBC’s editorial guidelines, staff are subject to such guidelines on social media – even on personal accounts. Those editorial guidelines outline that “audiences must be able to trust the BBC and be confident our editorial decisions are not influenced by outside interests, including political or commercial pressures.”

However, long before Gary Lineker, behaviour on social media became a problem for the BBC. It has dealt with long-standing issues over impartiality claims resulting from personnel right at the top of the broadcaster. In February 2021, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed long-time friend and advisor, Richard Sharp, as Chairman of the BBC – an appointment that is widely regarded as political in nature. Subsequently, it has come to light that Mr. Sharp failed to declare at the time of his appointment that only a few weeks prior he acted as an intermediary that saw Boris Johnson in receipt of an £800,000 loan. At a cross-party committee of MPs, Sharp was told to “consider the impact his omissions will have” on public trust in the BBC. 

This is coupled with the appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb to the board of the BBC in April 2021. Gibb is a well-known Tory activist, having previously served as a Director of Communications under Theresa May during her time in 10 Downing Street. Former BBC Newsnight journalist, Emily Matlis, has criticised the current board of the BBC and role of Gibb within the organisation by stating, “Put this in the context of the BBC Board, where another active agent of the Conservative party – former Downing Street spin doctor, and former adviser to BBC rival GB News – now sits, acting as the arbiter of BBC impartiality.” 

Matlis described this as: “Tory cronyism at the heart of the BBC.”

The appointments of Sharp and Gibb to senior roles within the BBC strike right at the heart of the debate around BBC impartiality. The BBC cannot expect to be perceived as impartial when it is being run by individuals with clear direct links to a political party, nevermind the current Conservative government of the day. The continuance of such individuals in high ranking positions will only cause further debate and doubt over impartiality within the BBC. Would BBC executives have taken the same course of action if Lineker was tweeting his support of the UK Government’s illegal migration bill?

As for Lineker, he will return to his presenting duties this weekend to host live FA Cup action. His own position is stronger and BBC management’s weakened as they plan to launch an independent review of the organisation’s social media guidelines. Initial speculation has centred around less stringent rules for freelancers.

At Fuzion, we work with businesses and organisations on creating bespoke social media strategies where we detail how both the organisation and its employees should act on social media. This allows organisations to provide clear and concise advice to staff how they should behave when representing their employer online, especially on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Finding a balance between the employer and employee is crucial.

And in the event that does not work and the proverbial s*** hits the fan our Crisis Communications team can help!

Dylan

Dylan Morley is a PR account executive with Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing, PR and Graphic Design agency who operate from offices in Dublin and Cork

IWD23 – Embracing Equity in Female Political Participation

International Women’s Day 2023 – Embracing Equity in Female Political Participation ?

In marking International Women’s Day 2023, many of us might take some time to reflect on what it means to us, our colleagues, families and friends. 

The aim of the day this year is to get the world talking about ‘Why equal opportunities aren’t enough’ and to #EmbraceEquity. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging are said to require equitable action.

For women currently in or entering politics, this concept can ring true in many cases. While it is positive that there is increasing encouragement for young women to enter political roles and office, the criticism that some are faced with can have a negative impact on our desire to pursue ambitions in the area. In such a case, having an equal opportunity is not enough if there isn’t a feeling of inclusion and belonging. 

In recent months, we have witnessed female politicians across the world, such as Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon, speak about the mental toll that their jobs have had on them personally. This sentiment was surmounted during the week as Ireland’s Junior Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill noted publicly that politicians should remain contactable for voters but nobody should face vile abuse, as part of the Irish Sun’s Call This Out Campaign.

In recent days, Ceann Comhairle, Seán Ó Fearghaíl met female members of the Oireachtas and announced a taskforce to look at the physical, verbal and online threats that women politicians in particular receive. This builds on the Government’s Zero Tolerance strategy, which, led by Minister Helen McEntee, pinpoints 144 actions under four pillars — ­protection, prevention, persecution and policy coordination to tackle gender based violence.

Of course, criticism is not exclusive to female politicians – it can happen to anyone, but in a world where we encourage female representation, and as we reflect on #IWD23, it is important that we do our best to look out for each other and facilitate an environment that makes women feel empowered to pursue their ambitions. 

Chloé

Chloé Sullivan is part of the Public Affairs and PR team at Fuzion Communications who operate from offices in Dublin and Cork

Content Marketing – Does Your (company’s) Shoe Fit?

By Dylan Morley

In recent years, we have seen a shift away from traditional marketing and toward digital marketing. There are many new marketing techniques, with content marketing (CM) becoming one of the most important. CM is starting to replace traditional marketing, as customers become more and more aware of traditional advertising and expect new approaches from businesses to catch their attention and entice them to purchase.

According to the Content Marketing Institute: “CM is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” 

Within the context of digital marketing, CM refers to the creation of entertaining and/or informative content that does not explicitly advertise a company’s products or services. When we talk about CM, we can refer to anything from a simple video, blog or article to larger content such as webinars. With this type of content, educational value is also important to consider.

Given that it is free, this information service differs from traditional information institutions or settings. This is because it occurs online and online content consumers expect information to be free – this is the internet’s central allure for many. When you walk into a store and choose a product to buy, the only information often available to us is located on the product/packaging or, if we’re lucky, an employee who can provide us with further information. However, these specifics may only include information such as the price, technical specifications and so on. What content marketing allows companies to do, is to provide additional information like how to use the product, where to use it, etc.

One company that provides entertaining content marketing to its customers is Footaslyum. The UK high-street retailer specialises in sports trainers and apparel for men, women and children. However, their target audience is young people, especially men, between 18 and 25. Footasylum targeted this audience by creating content with social media influencers ‘Chunkz’ and ‘Young Filly’ who are hugely popular figures among their core demographic. 

The content marketing strategy was simple; a 10-15 min YouTube show starring Chunkz and Young Filly called ‘Does The Shoe Fit?’. The premise of the show is that the duo would go on a series of speed dates with attractive women that would often lead to humorous outcomes. However, while on these dates, the other show presenters can watch live and commentate on their co-hosts dating performance. Guests also formed a major part of the show as Chunkz and Young Filly would often be joined by other high profile influencers including former Love Island contestants. 

Footasylum’s content marketing strategy was a major success with some episodes of the show racking up over 7 million views on YouTube. The online show went on for five seasons and while it came to end in late 2021, funny snippets still appear across social media feeds especially on TikTok, giving the content even further marketing longevity. 

The success of ‘Does The Shoe Fit?’ is a lesson to brands and companies that audiences are tired of the hard sell. Nowadays, marketing should and can be about more than just your product or service. If content marketing is not currently part of your marketing strategy, then you are almost certainly missing out.

Dylan Morley is an Account Executive at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

YOU’VE BEEN LYNCHED

Cristiano Ronaldo. Kanye West. Andrew Tate.

If Piers Morgan was an undertaker, he’d be investigated for filling his own coffins such has been the fallout for these men following their appearance on his ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ show.

Since their chin wagging with the gobby gammon, all three men have experienced catastrophic professional collapses – even if Ronaldo is being soothed by $4m-a-week to play exhibition football in the Saudi Arabian league.

Professional cigar smoker and misogynist, Andrew Tate, was arrested by Romanian police in one of the most brilliant self-owns ever, while the idiot formerly known as Kanye West has self-immolated, in honour of his fellow entrepreneur and misunderstood artist… **check notes** Adolf Hitler.

Morgan’s Midas touch might be only a coincidence, of course, but if he had his way there’d be a fourth victim – one Mick Lynch, the head of Britain’s Rail, Marine and Transport workers’ union.

Alas, while Morgan enjoyed friendly fireside chats with Ronaldo, Tate & Ye, his attempt to take Lynch down at the knees went awry, with the presenter’s attempts to rattle his guest falling flat – inspiring no end of humiliation on social media.

“Is that the level your journalism is at these days?” Lynch asked, when Morgan attempted a ‘gotcha’ by taking aim at Lynch’s obviously humorous Facebook profile photo – a bald puppet from cult 60s TV show Thunderbirds that bore a passing resemblance to Lynch.

“You’re about to wreak havoc on the country, and [The Hood – a fictional terrorist puppet] that’s a man who wreaked havoc on the world!” Morgan continued, unwilling to stop digging, before being put back in his place by Lynch; “Is that the level we’re at, don’t you want to talk about the issues, instead of a little vinyl puppet from when I was a kid?”

“You seem very irritated” Morgan argued, to an utterly nonplussed Lynch. “Well, I’m not”, he responded, as Morgan’s face became ever more crimson.

It was just one of a number of tete-a-tetes in which Lynch won by unanimous decision, going from an unknown trade unionist to a much respected national figure in a matter of months.

As we head into 2023, with public anger growing in many countries due to spiralling costs, inflationary pressures and a general disillusionment with elected leaders’ unable and/or unwilling to make a positive impact – Lynch has become a beacon of common sense and sensibility, in no small part due to those straight talking media appearances.

Morgan has been buried, with Kay Burley, Richard Madeley and others suffering similar fates. I have yet to see anyone ruffle Lynch’s feathers, and that applies to politicians who have endured the same fate as interviewers. He’s given the gotcha kings and queens on GB News a wide berth, however, insisting ‘They’re a bunch of right wing bigots from what I can see”.

Straight talking like that can get you in trouble, but only if you’re not concrete in your views and certain you’ve done your homework. Lynch nails both.

The 61 year-old, born in London to Irish parents from Cork and Armagh, cites James Connolly as his inspiration and has enjoyed quite the rise from a 16 year-old school leaver to a man holding the British government – packed with Eton and Oxbridge graduates – to account. He has gained support on the left, as one might expect – but a quick social media search will prove he’s earned respect from outwith the expected groups.

“If (he) had to do what my members do, getting up at all hours of the morning, working shifts in arduous working circumstances, putting up with all sorts of conditions…he wouldn’t survive a minute, and he wouldn’t have a future in the real world, where they’ve never done a hand’s turn – as my mother used to say.”

This comment, referencing Piers Morgan’s ‘bile and hate speech’, as Lynch called it, showed why and how he’s become so popular. In any media training, we speak about knowing your message and your audience, and being able to weave both into a conversation in an authentic way.

Lynch stands up for his key audience, speaks with a calm authority, and knows his topic inside out. Not a single interviewer or politician has been able to outdo him when it came to facts and figures (Brexit vote aside).

“As my mother used to say” is a classic soft touch to add to a quote – aligning him with his members; the average man and woman in the street.

He’s taken advantage of big ticket appearances on the likes of Piers Morgan’s show, Good Morning Britain, Sky News and the BBC – but he doesn’t over do it. A burst of media appearances ensures that each time he shares his message it’s fresh and we’re not tired of seeing and hearing him.

He’s also shown an eagerness to embrace social media and online channels that may reach a younger audience, an audience recent studies show are trending more to the left than previous generations, and staying there even as they age.

“The new media outlets and social media give us more opportunities,” Lynch said recently. “More and more people don’t trust the mainstream media for various reasons. The main thing is we have to convince our people, trade unionists, to take the action, and that spreads to other people in the community – whether it’s in your pub, your mosque, your church or temple, people have those discussions about what’s going on.”

Once more, Lynch gets his message across in a calm, concise tone, and effortlessly touches on multiple audiences by going beyond just ‘the pub’ when referring to communities where he’d like his message heard.

You may not be planning on becoming a national icon in 2023, but if you end up in front of cameras and microphones, then watching and listening to Mick Lynch will be time well spent.

It’ll be more entertaining, at least, than watching Piers discuss the Saudi Arabian league.

The power of colour

Colour has a unique language, and the ability to change its meaning when associated with other colours.

When choosing colours to incorporate into your design, you will have to consider a few issues: contrast and harmony, which affect legibility, but you can also set the mood of a design by using the psychology of colours.

You must be sure your selected colours convey the right message.

Colours have a symbolic association in all societies, depending on the context, and different cultures assign different meanings.

For example, did you know that Green was associated with poison in the 19th century through its link with arsenic, while today it is seen as the colour of spring and sustainability?

The meaning of colour can change over time and of course across different cultures. If you are speaking to an international target audience then you will need to be aware of such differences.

Despite these local differences, colours have universal characteristics. Our brand’s main colour is light blue, which is seen as cool with some notes of calmness, peace and safety.

This is to explain that colour is a powerful tool for us and for you as the eye picks up this difference very quickly.

When we design a website, we use colours to help people navigate through the structure of the website, and when it comes to brochures or catalogues the process is the same: for example, we use visual associations to delineate sections.

When it comes to printing we, as designers, use spot colours and when selecting colours for this, we use a universal matching system known as Pantone.

It is a mix from 15 pigments. Colour Institute forecasts global colour trends and advises companies on colour in brand identity and product development. Every year the Institute picks a colour. The Pantone colour of this year is PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta – In case you haven’t heard!

From Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute:“As virtual worlds become a more prominent part of our daily lives, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known. Rooted in the primordial, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta reconnects us to original matter. Invoking the forces of nature, it galvanizes our spirit, helping us to build our inner strength.”

So while many of the major paint companies selected a mix of soft neutrals, deep blue-greens and pretty pinks for their colours of the year, Pantone opted to go bold with a lively red.

The world we are living in is a critical context and for sure we all need to be stronger than ever, and Eiseman highlighted it to Time magazine saying: “As 2022 saw ongoing challenges like turbulent politics, the Covid-19 pandemic, and other issues facing our world, this year’s colour was based on an “unconventional time”“.

When thinking about your next challenge, whether it’s design-oriented or life oriented, remember that sometimes going bold is not always a bad thing!

#WinHappy!

Milena

Milena is a senior graphic designer with Fuzion Communications operating from offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has caused a reputation crisis for FIFA

“It’s the most controversial World Cup in recent history and a ball hasn’t even been kicked. Ever since FIFA chose Qatar back in 2010, the smallest nation to host football’s greatest competition has faced some big questions. 

From accusations of corruption in the bidding process to the treatment of migrant workers who’ve built the stadiums where many lost their lives. Homosexuality is illegal here and women’s rights are also in the spotlight. Also the decision to switch the tournament from summer to winter. 

Against that backdrop, there is a tournament to be played here that will be watched and enjoyed around the world. Stick to football, say FIFA, well we will – for a couple of minutes at least.” 

Those were the words of former England footballer turned BBC presenter Gary Lineker as he opened coverage of the world’s most illustrious football tournament. He made it clear to viewers that the World Cup being hosted in Qatar is surrounded by scandal and it is not just Qatar that should be under the spotlight but world football’s governing body FIFA. 

This is not just the view of Gary Lineker but many people in both the football world and outside of that. Roy Keane speaking live from Qatar told ITV viewers that, “It’s been mentioned about the corruption with FIFA, the way they treat migrant workers, gay people…it’s great that it’s been brought up. They shouldn’t have the World Cup here; you can’t treat people like that.” It is such comments from high-profile footballing names like Lineker and Keane that has helped to drive increased media spotlight on Qatar and FIFA. 

You might be asking now, ‘How the hell were they ever even selected to host the tournament?’. The US Department of Justice reportedly claims that bribes were taken by high-ranking officials during the selection of Russia and Qatar as the tournament hosts for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. These are accusations that are denied by both Russian and Qatari officials. Of course, the words of these regimes have proven so honourable in the past!

FIFA’s reputation amongst football fans has always been one of caution in recent years. In 2015, FIFA headquarters were raided by the FBI and Swiss authorities in connection with an investigation into corruption by officials within the organisation and other associates connected. This investigation led to the removal of Sepp Blatter as FIFA President and investigations into the bidding process for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as mentioned above. 

When former UEFA official, Gianni Infantino, was elected President of FIFA in February 2016. He was elected to bring in a new dawn of respected and responsible governance to world football. However, his reign as president has failed to do just that. Infantino has instead overseen an organisation that has been dogmented by its past, failing to usher in that new dawn in which all football fans across the world hoped for.

Infantino remained silent when people criticised the holding of the 2018 World Cup in Russia despite Putin’s annexation of Crimea at the time and his regime’s anti-LGBTQ stance. Criticism of the bidding process into the 2018 World Cup and Russia’s holding of the tournament has become increasingly controversial post the event. Most partly due to the rise of what we now know as ‘sportswashing’ and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

In fact, these two issues have also contributed to the increased media scrutiny on current World Cup host Qatar this time round. A nation in which Amnesty International says, “Despite government reforms, migrant workers continued to face labour abuses and struggled to change jobs freely. Curtailment of freedom of expression increased in the run-up to FIFA World Cup 2022. Women and LGBTI people continued to face discrimination in law and practice.”

For Infantino, this is not Russia 2018 and he can no longer ignore the questions being asked by fans, players, football associations, and governments across the world. His and FIFA’s response to those questions centred around the issues described by Amnesty International, above, have left him and the organisation facing even further scrutiny and reputational damage.

On the eve of the tournament kicking off, Infantino held a press conference where hit out at the critics of FIFA, Qatar, and the decision to hold the World Cup there. He remarked, “What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons.” This comment was followed up with a series of personal confessions by Infantino in which he strangely said, “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.” That was after Infantino told a packed press conference that he knew how it felt to be discriminated against because as a child he was teased for having red hair and freckles. 

This press conference by the FIFA President was met with much backlash, as many felt that he belittled the groups affected by the discriminations of the Qatari regime, especially members of the LBGTQ community and migrant workers. FIFA’s reputation took another hit only days later when it decided that it would book players who dared to wear the ‘OneLove’ armband onto the field of play during the course of the tournament. This came as many European nations had decided that the team captain would do this to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Qatar and across the world. 

On the back of this penalty, those countries who proposed to wear the armband decided not to do so. Subsequently, FIFA has remained relatively quiet on this decision but only to reinforce their ruling when asked to comment. It seems the approach of FIFA to negative publicity and public outcry over the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is to remain silent on the issues and when they do speak to defend their actions. Even if they are deemed to be extremely unpopular ones, especially in the West.

FIFA’s shaky reputation has taken a hammering in the last few weeks over the World Cup being held in Qatar. And it is clear that Gianni Infantino has not ushered in a new regime that many football fans would have hoped for when he became FIFA President in 2016. His actions of late are proven evidence of this.

Recently, the much disgraced former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, admitted that it was a mistake to award Qatar the World Cup. If FIFA wants to start to repair its reputation, then its current president could follow Blatter’s lead by doing the same.

Despite all of this, the football continues and while money and corruption brought (or bought!) the tournament to this inappropriate location there has been some refreshing “purity” to the actual matches, The best players from a country play the best players from another country, and unlike club football where the teams such as Manchester City and PSG can buy success we are refreshingly seeing the opposite, with many surprises and shock exits.

So while football is actually winning, it is a real pity that the teams and the players did not come together, wear their armbands or even refuse to play at all. They are the attraction, the ones who have built the fantastic reputation of the World Cup and despite the best efforts of FIFA it still continues to be the most fantastic, celebration festival of football in the world..

Dylan

Dylan Morley is an Account Executive at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

The Late Late Toy Show – Love it or Hate it?

Since it first hit our television screens in 1975, the Late Late Toy Show has become an Irish Christmas tradition.

The live two and a half hour programme hosted by RTÉ personality Ryan Tubridy, sees children from across the country play and talk about the toys that they currently love. For families, the Late Late Toy Show has always signified the official start of the Christmas season, with many rushing to have the tree up for the night.

This year more than 1.6 million viewers tuned in across the weekend to watch Tubridy’s portrayal of The Wizard of Oz’s Scarecrow, as well as Saoibh Lonergan, Lucy Hoban, Caillín Joe McDonald, Cuckoo’s Nest, Emmie O’Neill and Billy Brady and more make their Toy Show debut.

As it’s the most watched programme of the year, people tend to have strong opinions of the children’s show.

Starting with the man of the hour, love him or hate him, 2022 is Tubridy’s 14th successive year hosting the toy show. Over the past number of years, the toy show has seemed to reel away from live demonstrations of the toys, with the children almost accessories of the programme and Ryan being central to it. Not once this year was there a mention of how much the toys cost, where they could be purchased and who they would be perfect for – kind of taking away from the point of the programme.

There’s no question about the loyalty of the viewers with the Irish public raising over four million euro over the course of the weekend for the Toy Show charity appeal. Following its creation in 2020, the Toy Show appeal year on year raises huge sums of money for children’s charities around Ireland.

While the programme itself is undoubtedly entertaining, the live Twitter feed can’t be beaten. This year, even brands jumped on board with Ryanair and Aer Lingus competing for the likes as Aron Gibbons from Westport, Mayo gave a live flight demonstration on air. As you can see both brands took a very different approach, with Ryanair causing a few more laughs.

So, do you love it or hate it?

In a way this is an irrelevant question because however you feel about the show it attracts a huge audience and people love talking about it. I think the most important aspect of it from a marketing point of view is the consistency, and this consistency leads to nostalgia and it suddenly becomes something we all end up marking our calendar by.

Getting anyone to change their habits is a difficult thing to achieve, but once you do that it can result in a customer for life.

Creating a special event that you can recreate year after year (month after month, week after week or even day after day) to allow people to form a habit with you and your business mightn’t be the worst idea ever!

1975, RTE – “How about we do a Toy Show instead of our normal chat show?“

I wonder who said yes, let’s do it!

Every nostalgic thing we do, had to have a first time...

Heather

Heather Lordan is Account Executive at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

Is Twitter a must (musk!) for your business?

We are part of an international network of independent PR agencies that handle Crisis PR communications for clients across Europe, called the CCNE, or the Crisis Communications Network Europe.

This week a query came from one of the European clients of the group about Twitter, about the relevance of the platform and if we felt with all of the Elon Musk shenanigans that clients should consider moving away from it and onto something else.

While it was my favourite social media platform for such a long time it does break my heart a little (or a lot) to see how toxic it has become, but at the same time a very interesting question had been asked.

The client query had some very specific questions, which I will get to in a moment, but I did feel there were some broader questions that should be asked first, which we should all think about in business:

Is your target audience(s) using the platform?

If you go fishing you go where the fish are, after all!

If you believe that your audience is using the platform then that should be a big yes, but also consider how they are using it, why and when.

What about the relevant media?

What we find is that the media are normally very proactive on social media. It is a lively platform and one of the main reasons why journalists are active on Twitter is because of the powerful search function.

If there is a breaking story they can very quickly see what is being said and by who.

Everyone in business should identify the relevant journalists and publications/media outlets for their industry, follow them, understand them, observe their posts and hopefully connect and get to know them.

How many followers do you have?

It is so difficult to build up a following on any platform these days without significant advertising budget. If you do have a good following then clearly people using the platform find that you are relevant to them and it would be foolish not to take advantage of this.

Have you developed a strategy for Twitter as part of your overall social media strategy?

Each of the social media platforms can do quite a different job for you, so it is important to understand your overall objectives, the nature of your target audiences and then be clear about the role of Twitter as part of this.

For example, if you have a business or organisation that is mainly consumer facing then Facebook and Instagram would be your priority social media platforms. However, you may decide that Twitter could be very useful for interacting with industry stakeholders and media.

Could Twitter be part of the way you deliver Customer Service?

This week we were providing Twitter training to a government agency that deals with the general public. I was very surprised to learn about how many queries they would receive from the general public via their Twitter account.

They said that people were very surprised to get responses to queries so quickly – what a great way to improve the public image of your business/organisation!

Are you using Twitter for Posting, Interacting, Search and Competitor Tracking purposes?

While a business may use Twitter predominantly to push out messages there could be a huge role for:

• Interacting with customers/clients
• Jumping into conversations when the subject matter is relevant
• Using the powerful search function to track industry topics and relevant trends
• Tracking competitor activity

Could you interact strategically with Partners, Customers, Prospects and Stakeholders?

By carefully following other Twitter users in the above categories you can interact with their posts, mention them in yours and use the platform to strategically build the right relationships.

Is there a cause you are championing?

There are times when you need to put a spotlight on an issue, get people’s attention and yes, call out organisations or individuals when it is needed.

Whether you are lobbying about an issue or using the platform to get the right attention, Twitter can be an incredibly powerful tool.

Being honest, there are times when it can be the only way to really get the right attention for an issue!

So while considering the relevance of Twitter with the backdrop of Elon Musk and all of the potential changes the above questions should be answered first.

If there is a case for using Twitter because of that, then go for it and we will see in time how it evolves.

As I mentioned there were some specific questions and how I responded to them:

How is Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter received in your respective countries?

In Ireland we are very unhappy mainly because of his treatment of employees and we are also very wary of him allowing crazy, nasty content (even more than now!!) back on the increasingly toxic platform.

Have you already had similar requests?

I would say people have been pulling away from Twitter because of the increasing toxic content on there generally as well as a general nervousness about posting anything on there.

Any recommendations that you are making to clients?

We are not making strong recommendations, but we are talking about its diminished influence and pushing people back to LinkedIn for B2B scenarios and Facebook/Instagram for B2C.

However, it does quite a different job that the others cannot do.

Are you in fundamental exchange with customers about alternative platforms (eg. Mastodon) and do you already have insights?

There is some very quiet talk about Mastodon but this is really just with avid social media users and we are not seeing the relevance of it.

We have opened accounts on it just to see how it works and will keep an eye on it as it develops.

So, to summarise I would say even though it is far from the enjoyable and supportive platform that it once was, it still has many uses and these can be very powerful.

As for the toxicity, I would advise staying away from this as much as possible. The trolls are there in abundance and be careful not to get drawn in by them.

From a business point of view it is so important that you operate any of your social media accounts professionally, From a personal point of view, try to be positive, upbeat and nice!

As I write that last statement I need to look at my own use of Twitter and yes, it does get very nasty and yes I do join in – shame on you Greg!!

Happy tweeting folks and lets hope Elon learns quickly, that if he wants to protect his investment and keep users and advertisers, he needs to keep it clean.

Greg

Greg is a partner at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland that offers social media training and consultancy to clients.

Rishi Sunak: The Making of a Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak’s road to the 10 Downing Street may have taken him longer than he would have liked but it is no accident. Over recent years, Sunak has been preparing and positioning himself for the time in which he would become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In the 2015 General Election, he was first elected to parliament as MP for the constituency of Richmond in North Yorkshire. His first big policy decision or dilemma in politics came early-on through the Brexit referendum. Sunak chose to campaign for the successful Vote Leave campaign. However, he is publicly portrayed as a somewhat sensible Brexiteer. Understanding that compromise must be and should be sought with the European Union on issues such as the Northern Ireland Protocall. 

Over the next couple of years after the referendum, Sunak would remain a relatively unknown character on the periphery of British politics. That would change in late 2019, when Sunak represented the Conservative Party on both the BBC and ITV’s leaders debate for the 2019 General Election. These high-profile appearances by Sunak highlight that he has been pinpointed by party colleagues for his communication and debating skills long before holding a cabinet position. Shortly after that successful election for the Tories, the resignation of Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer in February 2022 would open the door for his department underling, Sunak, to be promoted to the man who controls the UK’s pursestrings. 

Over the next two years, Sunak would be faced with the challenge of keeping the UK’s economy stable and alive during the COVID-19 Pandemic. During this time, Sunak’s party leader and Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, would be embroiled in scandal due to his attendance at parties in Downing Street while the UK was in lockdown. Johnson’s failure to quash what is known as Partygate left much to be desired for his Chancellor Sunak, who’s resignation from government in July 2022 would be the catalyst for many to follow and see Johnson ousted from his premiership. 

A Tory leadership contest ensued, with Sunak named as a frontrunner and a favourite amongst the bookies from the start. This contest would ultimately end in defeat for Sunak after getting to the final two candidates where party membership decided to opt for Liz Truss instead (that worked out well!). 

Rishi Sunak’s campaign to be Tory leader during the summer was unsuccessful as he could not win over a majority of the party membership, who favoured Truss and her policies of lower taxes and free-market economics. Sunak is also no stranger to typical conservative ideals on the issues of taxation and the free-market economy. However, he warned that Truss’ plan was too bold given the current economic climate of high inflation. He would be proven right.

Sunak’s campaign to be leader originally ended in defeat because he relied too heavily on convincing Tory MPs of his credentials rather than the party membership. This failure to win over the regular Tory voting membership can be seen as a failure to communicate effectively with his party’s own base, which will be sure to play on the minds of Sunak and his political advisors in time to come. His campaign slogan was ‘Ready for Rishi’. It was only last month, Tory MPs and members were not. 

Unfortunately for Sunak, his campaign to be leader this summer was also marred by his relationship with wealth. Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, are believed to have an estimated net worth of £730 million. The problem with Sunak’s wealth was that it made people and the media question whether he could truly relate to people on low incomes that are suffering through the current cost of living crisis. While Sunak repeatedly tried to bat away those claims, it remained a hot topic throughout the leadership contest with Truss. 

This was not helped by the surfacing of a video, while on the campaign trail, of him speaking at a plush Tory garden party where he remarked about “undoing” measures that provided funding to “deprived urban areas” as Chancellor. This video was also used as an attack point by Labour Leader Keir Starmer, during Sunak’s first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). This shows that the opposition plan to use this video as a way of convincing the British public that Sunak does not care for those in low socio-economic urban areas. 

So, why are Tories now willing to accept Rishi Sunak, when only in early September they elected Liz Truss as leader and Prime Minister over him.?

The answer is simple -Truss lost their trust.

Her bold approach to instigate growth in the economy in her mini budget, alongside her then Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, saw the financial markets lose trust in the UK economy. This led to soaring interest rates for borrowing and the value of the British pound slump as a result. Over the next six weeks, Truss’ government would be in turmoil and it would see her sack her own newly appointed Chancellor and her Home Secretary resign due to a security breach. 

Truss lost support amongst her cabinet, Tory backbenchers, and the general public. When she signalled her intention to resign as Prime Minister only six weeks after taking office. The overwhelming majority of Tory MPs saw only one person capable of steadying the ship. On to the stage enters Rishi Sunak.

The man who has quickly built himself a formidable political career and reputation through marketing himself as a serious politician and now leader, holds the highest office you can in British politics. Even a late run from Boris Johnson could not deter Sunak this time.

So six weeks on, it seems the Tories are now finally ‘Ready for Rishi’!

Dylan

Dylan Morley is part of the Fuzion PR team who operate from offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

21 Questions with… Deirdre Waldron

Welcome to the 13th (lucky for some!) of our Fuzion Friday series, where we put 21 devilishly difficult questions to a team member, giving you an insight that Freud would be proud of.

Next up is a fan of Tuscany and Sex and the City… it’s Deirdre!

Fuzion Communications Picture: Miki Barlok

1. Tell us something about you that nobody else in the team might know?

My first job, apart from working for my family’s business, was selling seagrass to pubs – I lasted half a day. On my worst day now, I tell myself ‘I could be selling seagrass!!!’

2. What film have you watched more than five times?

Sex & the City – and yes, both of them – sorry, not sorry!!!

3. What work are you most proud of in the past year?

Bringing the number of our team up to 20 this year.

4. Dream job?

What I’m doing now, but working from West Cork.

5. Favourite brand?

Everyone who knows me knows the answer to this – James Whelan Butchers. I love the way they take a product that is considered by many a commodity, and really celebrate it and make it so special – this shines through in everything they do and also those who know me will know I’m not just saying this cos the CEO is a client and a good friend.

6. Favourite Holiday Destination?

Tuscany.

7. Best lesson from your career

It’s not about the best idea or the biggest budget, it’s about having the tenacity to follow things through.

8. Eurovision or World Cup?

World Cup.

9. Who is the joker on the team?

Ciarán – Master Copywriter, which makes him first for the wittiest comment or observation.

10. Recommend a podcast?

Suppose I can’t recommend Greg’s #WinHappy Podcast? If not, just listened to Coupledom with Idris & Sabrina Elba – some of the episodes are really light; in one of the episodes they had a great chat with Ben & Jerry about their partnership and how throughout growing the business they remained through to their values – even now that they are no longer part of the business, their values have remained the same. I’d wish for the same for Fuzion.

11. Reality shows – Love or Hate?

Indifferent mainly – although I sneak the odd episode of The Kardashians when Greg isn’t looking!!!!

12. Dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who do you invite?

My brother Liam (I miss him), the iconic and original “Mad Woman” Jane Maas (I miss her), and Billy Joel to entertain us.

13. If you could be anywhere in the world – where would you be & what would you do?

Walking on a beach in West Cork with Greg and the dogs and as it’s a fantasy, the dogs would be so well behaved I could let them off the lead and run wild – oh and Greg too lol!

14. Who is your role model?

I have three, my mum, who was a tenacious business woman years before her time, Jane Mass, one of the first female copywriters/ad executives on Madison Avenue in the 1950s,  and the founder of the Rose of Tralee, Margaret Dwyer.

15. What was your first job?

Working in my parent’s restaurant “The Central Grill” in Tralee. Washing dishes and serving tables, when I was tall enough.

16. Death Row meal?

Dry Aged Burger with Truffle Fries…….lots of truffles……

17. Favourite book?

At the moment “Wounds” by Fergal Keane as he gives a shout out to my rebel of a grandfather Willie McCabe and the part he played in the War of Independence.

18. Your a grammar nazi oar not?

More a spelling nazi than grammar nazi. It’s a definite ‘no’ from me if someone applies for a job with Fuzion and they can’t get the name of the organisation right!!!

19. First album you bought or downloaded?

Does it count if Santa bought it to me? If yes, then it was ‘Arrival’ by Abba, in 1976 when I was 10 – must have still believed in him….

20. Work from home – or office?

Office …….. what’s that?

21. Most memorable ad slogans – why?

“I 💗 New York” – this was pivotal in getting people to look differently at the city – it worked back in the 1970s and is still relevant and used globally in so many ways.

Deirdre Waldron is a Partner at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.