Last week the IPR awarded its President’s medal to the BBC TV journalist
Martin Bell
Gary Double
Gary Double PR
‘Nick Hancock, the host of BBC 1’s show They Think It’s All Over is a
top player whose stock is set to rise even higher in 1997. He has more
natural talent than his TV colleague Gary Lineker and appeals to as wide
an audience. Put his image - bright, witty, direct and personable - to
the right product or campaign and you’re onto a winner. Also, anyone who
can take the ‘michael’ out of a national icon (the aforementioned
Lineker) and get away with it, is good enough for me. The only negative
is his unadulterated passion for Stoke City Football Club.’
Chris Casburn
Bulletin International
‘Lily Savage because public relations is all about effecting change and
she is the doyenne of this art. She delivers hard hitting messages,
delivers what her audience wants and gives them great value for money.’
Paul Carroll
Communique PR
‘Dani Behr, Ruud Gullit or Jeremy Paxman could all be the PR face of
1997 for me: intelligent, credible, attractive - they all have presence.
But after further thought my nomination goes to someone who is normally
noted for his absence - Salman Rushdie. With a reversal of his current
policy, just think of the media interest, and the attention of friends
and enemies alike, Salman could command by doing a Richard Branson in
1997.’
Esther Kaposi
Mercury Communications
‘I think that I would choose Jonathan Porritt because he is an
incredibly good communicator. He espouses a particular cause in a
sensible, positive way that everyone can understand. He doesn’t whinge
on about people behaving badly but tries to encourage best practice and
explain the benefits of looking after the environment.’
Julia Simpson
Camden Council
‘Clare Short, for bringing humanity back to politics with the story of
how she lost and found her adopted son. It was a moral fairy tale of our
era. It was beautifully handled and dealt with the real sacrifices that
women are still making today to achieve a level playing field in the
world of work. It must have broken a painful silence for many women.
Clare has got guts and she’s honest - which are still the best PR
assets.’
