Once again Max Clifford has made the news in his own right, through
his involvement in the headline stories of Jeffrey Archer’s fall from
grace and the announcement of Cherie Blair’s pregnancy
PETER HEHIR PORTER NOVELLI INTERNATIONAL
’Although he operates in an area I know little about, he seems to be
remarkably good at it. The industry scored a massive own goal five years
ago when it engaged in an argument with Max: not only did it bring him
into the fold by implication, it also lost the argument and provoked him
into describing himself as a ’public relations consultant’ for the first
time, just to teach his tormentors a lesson! Perhaps the PRCA should use
a little of its marketing budget to persuade Max to return to the phrase
’publicist’. I would gladly act as go-between.’
QUENTIN BELL QBO
’Max and I respect each other, but we are at different ends of the PR
spectrum. I represent the mainstream consultancy business worth some
pounds 600 million. He represents himself - speaking up, often, on
controversial issues. The media increasingly view Max as ’Mr PR’. He
isn’t. Allegedly selling stories directly to the newspapers isn’t what
we do; and even though he claims this to be just 20 per cent of his
work, it is still 100 per cent of his public image. He has a right to
make his point and make a living. But to that extent he is still an
inappropriate ambassador. I tried to redress the image balance as PRCA
chairman. It’s a pity the industry has been lacklustre on this point
since.’
BILL JONES LEXIS PR
’We should give Max a medal for saving us from the possibility, however
remote, of Jeffrey Archer becoming London’s mayor. Some of his clients
might find it difficult to get representation elsewhere and some of the
stories he’s been involved in have been a bit dodgy, but people are
inclined to remember the dodgy ones and forget the good ones. The
Jeffrey Archer story, for example, was in the public interest. How many
of us can claim to have been involved in so many stories that have been
in the public interest, rather than just commercial interests?’
MAX CLIFFORD MAX CLIFFORD ASSOCIATES
’I’ve had very little contact with the PR industry over the years
However, having had daily contact with the press, TV and radio
journalists since I started in the business in 1962, the impression I
get is that the PR industry has great difficulty in handling almost
anything. If this is the case, maybe the best thing to do is simply to
ignore the Max factor entirely. As, at 56, I eat far too much, play
squash and tennis flat out, have an incredibly demanding sex life and
regularly upset the rich and powerful, surely the Max factor can’t last
much longer anyway. Happy Christmas!’
