Ronnie Simpson's Blog

The May issue of BusinessPlus asks a number of PR people which public relations they most admire (excluding their own clients). I am quoted as being a huge fan of Ryanair as they break a lot of the rules of PR but get away with it by religiously sticking on message. But I add, “I think they may need to reconsider their attitudes to new media and bloggers.” (See earlier blog on this issue).
 

It is interesting to see that PR Week reports that budget rival bmibaby is embracing online PR in a bid to stand apart from Ryanair and easyJet. It has hired its first online PR agency.
 

Ryanair’s PR Manager was recently quoted as saying: “It is Ryanair policy not to waste time and energy in corresponding with idiot bloggers.”  Bmibaby on the other hand is looking at blogger press trips!
 

Ryanair defies gravity (excuse the pun) in most senses but it will be interesting to see if they soften their tone on what are the new web realities of marketing and PR.
 

Rob Brown in a new book Public Relations and the Social Web points out, “Ultimately the choice for organisations is a simple one: they either take part in these conversations or they don’t. What they have to realise though is that if they don’t participate in these conversations they won’t simply go away. The dialogue will go on without them. There is no choice. Brands will have to participate in dialogue in order to survive.”
 

My website adviser Maryrose Lyons in Brightspark Consulting advised me to start blogging as she said I had strong opinions. (Or did she say I was opinionated?).  So my free (with no additional charges) PR advice to Ryanair is to start to embrace the new Social Media by getting Michael O’Leary blogging. He is witty, controversial and totally politically incorrect. I and thousands would follow him.  He’s a natural for blogging and tweeting.
 

See his infamous : “What’s the German for ‘blow job’” on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfIY24BErBE
 

Ronnie Simpson is founder of Simpson Financial & Technology PR
and may be contacted at: ronnie@simpsonftpr.ie or + 353 1 260 5300.
 

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