Certainly, Kysen's experience of running high-profile litigation PR campaigns shows it is critical that your communications strategies are in total alignment.
Over the years we have seen spectacular own goals by our opponents where the legal gameplay has come adrift from commercial and communications considerations, and it is shocking to see how quickly everything unravels from this point.
What last week's story really shows is how litigation PR tactics need to change to reflect the new media environment. The rise of social networking means news travels to mass audiences almost at the speed of light.
Moreover, secrets are harder to keep in the internet age. Facts can be tweeted from authoritative sources in a click, making it unwise to flannel audiences and fob them off with untruths. The business world is embracing 'transparency' and corporate social responsibility has become mainstream. Fashions are changing.
Traditional litigation PR and reputation management tactics need to be rethought. Today all organisations need an ongoing strategy to engage with new communications channels (and those yet to emerge) so that when they need to push out their side of a story quickly they already have the infrastructure in place and the audience is used to listening to them in this way.
Clare Rodway, managing director, Kysen PR.
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