Scott Morrison didn’t need adman Russel Howcroft, but a PR pro
Bringing in an adman to deal with problems created by an adman is a problem, Good Talent Media’s David Latham suggests. Prime Minister Scott Morrison didn’t need a Russel Howcroft marketing workshop before Christmas, but rather a PR practitioner’s advice.
Paul Keating once described former Liberal leader, Andrew Peacock, as “all feathers and no meat”, “a painted, perfumed gigolo”, and a gesture politician with no policy substance, floating conspicuously down the political river to nowhere land.
Scott Morrison – the Prime Minister who cut his teeth in the world of advertising – is in danger of projecting a similar image, and calling in prominent adman Russel Howcroft, as revealed last week, hasn’t helped his cause.
Morrison called upon the industry’s own Howcroft
Anyone who thinks the lines between PR / Advertising / Media / Social / brand are that well defined that you need a ‘pr strategist’ vs a ‘advertising strategist’ is both mistaken and decidedly old school. The lines have blurred – massively.
I think Howcroft would have advised as well as anyone in the country. However, you can only shine a turd (leader who doesnt have a clue what he’s doing) so much.
If you think what Russel and his team at PWC do is ‘ads’, you’re completely misinformed
Really?
If the PR pro’s job is to point out that you need policy strategy, then that’s the first 30 seconds of the meeting done.
PR people are even less strategic than Ad people in my experience. Even though they may be better at conveying complex information, there is generally even less evidence and insight in the strategic thinking of a PR campaign – just a feel for what’s sellable from the perspective of a media outlet, as framed by the issues of the day (or hour).
The key point here (as the author notes) is the absence of a coherent policy platform, with runs on the board to demonstrate its credibility.
If we persist with the marketing services framing of the situation, it’s failure at the ‘business strategy’ level which means there’s no foundation to build the ‘brand’ on, compounded with a lack of focus on what matters in the wider context.
Let’s work out what they stand for, why, and how they’re doing meaningful things about it.
Then let’s talk whether PR spinners or Ad people are the best salespeople for the message.
… and you don’t imagine Russel understands that simple truth?
Really?
To call Russ simply an adman is an appallingly naive description of his experience expertise and judgement.
Pretty sure he needs more policy, not more PR. Can’t talk your way out of a situation you behaved yourself into.
Russel is one of the smartest decisions they’ve made.
As much as I love Paul Keating I must say it was I who coined the phrase All feathers and no meat. Keating has never claimed it as his own. I wrote a Bulletin newspaper ad all these years ago and that was the headline. The Labor party printed off extra copies and used it as a campaign poster. I’m happy it is still mentioned and that Paul Keating thought it good enough to use.