Rubbish week for: The BBC's PR team
We look at the PR disaster in the wake of last week's University Challenge final
What happened
It started (for ten) as a really, really good week.
University Challenge hit the headlines. Gail Trimble, heading up
Oxford's Corpus Christi team, was universally declared to be the
most intelligent person to have ever been part of the quiz show -
the "human Google". She gained a national following as she
obliterated team after team, becoming a familiar face in the first
few pages of national newspapers.
And, resultantly, University Challenge got whole load of publicity,
culminating in the highest-ever viewing figures of more than 5.3m
for the final. Trimble and her team won.
One week later, it was revealed that one of the Trimble's team
mates wasn't actually a student any more, as the series ran through
and past his graduation.
Manchester, second-place winners, graciously declined a
rematch.
The blunder-prone BBC, however, stripped Corpus Christi of their
prize in the midst of an excessive red tape orgy. Leaving the
Trimble-loving nation disappointed.
Why
Rules are rules. A joint statement from the BBC and Granada
explained that, "Corpus Christi broke this important rule when
other universities and colleges taking part adhered to it. We
therefore find ourselves in the regrettable position of having no
choice but to disqualify Corpus Christi."
And no doubt everyone is super-cautious over at White City since
Sachsgate.
Were they to blame?
This is a simple and tragic case of poor executive
decision-making and a complete disregard of good PR.
If the second-placers Manchester were happy to let the issue slide,
so should the BBC have been.
Instead, tied down by its own bureaucracy, the BBC trashed all the
great publicity it had been getting from University Challenge, and
instead repainted itself as the pedantic and over-reactive
organisation that went over the top in suspending Jonathan Ross and
Russel Brand. An image which, no doubt, it had up until now been
trying to shake off.
A company at this level really should know how to spin things the
way it wants, rather than perpetuating a damaging image of
bureaucracy and pedantry.
How to avoid doing the same
Firstly, do your research. Sam Kay, the culprit (so to speak),
submitted his course dates to the Beeb. The show's team didn't
check them. Who's to blame there?
Secondly, when your public image is already suffering, it really is
best to give the people what they want, rather than adhering
strictly to the rules.
When you can see that there is a significant audience or consumer
loyalty and backing for one of two options in a sticky situation,
please your majority of consumers, even if that goes against
company regulations.
It's crucial to learn when the rules can be bent. If you have very
rigid procedures in place - as businesses increasingly do as they
expand - fine. But don't let that cloud your better
judgement.
Learn to judge when good publicity is more important than red
tape.
Smarta sympathy score
We appreciate that Aunty has been having publicity problems
recently, but it's spoiled the achievements of a bunch of
super-clever students as well as its own image.
It's not an awful mistake, but in the hope that the University
Challenge PR reps in the BBC's publicity department read this and
realise it's time to reassess their ideas, we're giving them
5/10