We’ve all seen recently how quickly a rumour of a shortage (a false one, in fact) can become a full-scale panic. It seemed that one day everything was calm, then 24 hours later huge queues started to form at the petrol stations and before you could say ‘pump number four and a packet of Polo mints, please’ we were in the midst of a civil catastrophe. There was a time when the biggest dispute in a petrol garage involved who wanted the last Mars bar, but now things seem a great deal more serious.
It should be pointed out, however, that there will never be a shortage of high quality B2B PR, even if all of our clients start to panic buy on an industrial scale. Here at Rose Media Group, we’ll always be producing press releases, we’ll always be orchestrating media campaigns and we’ll always be increasing the brand awareness levels of our clients. The more they demand of us, the greater the output we’ll produce.
Having said that, it’s difficult to imagine our clients forming lengthy queues outside Rosy Towers. They’re far too busy for that. If they did, however, we’d be out there serving up coffee and biscuits as they wait, and maybe handing out those plastic ponchos they give you at Disneyland when it starts to rain. After all, nothing in the world shouts more clearly “I’m a well-respected business professional” than a transparent PVC tablecloth with a picture of Mickey Mouse on it.
On a more serious note, it’s surprising how quickly the so-called fuel shortage escalated. In the space of just a few hours, we in the UK went from complete calm to complete chaos, as more and more previously unruffled motorists joined in the melee for a pint or two of petrol or a dram or two of diesel. Suddenly those roads that had a filling station in them resembled the streets of East Berlin when the wall finally came down. The only difference was more Vauxhall Corsas and fewer Trabants.
No reason to panic, so let’s panic anyway
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this very sudden and very unexpected situation lies in the power of the written word and how we as a society interpret it. A number of reasons – Covid, a shortage of HGV drivers, Brexit, etc. – contributed to the current situation, but it’s said that the actual catalyst for it all was a series of media reports about the leaking of a government briefing, that highlighted in particular the driver shortage.
One thing led to another, Peter whispered to Paul, Paul whispered to Pamela and pretty soon the whole country had heard about it. And then the government and the relevant industry bodies told everyone not to panic, so of course everyone DID panic. Hopefully now things have started to get back to normal, but we’re left with the distinct impression that the power of the written word is just as impressive as it has always been.
In the commercial world, we’ve never lost sight of the need to communicate with a strong voice and an even stronger sense of conviction. If your B2B PR agency isn’t doing all it should, perhaps now is the time to have a chat with the team at Rose Media Group. We look forward to hearing from you, and we promise, from the bottom of our biscuit tin, that there won’t be any need to queue up.