IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK: The good, the bad and the questionable… how the world responded to the death of Prince Philip.
This week the world watched as the events following on from the death of Prince Philip on 9 April unfolded. From news reporters dressing in black as a mark of respect to TV channels altering their programme scheduling to broadcast the royal’s impressive achievements throughout his life, there was no shortage of coverage on the prince… not to mention, the media watching in anticipation to see how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would react following their tell all Oprah interview.
What started off as good intentions for many led to agitated viewers and a spot of bad PR. UK network BBC took the largest hit after receiving a record breaking 100,000 complaints for scrapping their Friday night schedule including the postponement of the Masterchef final… yup we think that is DEFINITELY grounds for a complaint!!
The straw that broke the camels back however came from National Rail, the nations leading rail service. British rail passengers were left confused as they navigated their way through the services greyscaled website with most deeming it “difficult for those with visual impairment” to make sense of timetables. By this stage it was clear the UK may have just “lost the plot”.
Although the UK and other countries of the Commonwealth felt obliged to partake in tributes, consumer satisfaction seemed to be forgotten. With the fall out of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tell all interview plastered across newspapers and online news platforms over the last month, it’s easy to see how the Royals are being interjected to most peoples lives whether they’re for it or not.
As a Sydney PR agency, we understand the importance of customer satisfaction to maintain the credibility of any brand or service. In this instance, although good intentions were set out, customer needs and wants should have been at the forefront. This is a PR mishap that networks and services will most likely bounce back from but a lesson learnt none the less for future royal.
By Sarah Meenan – PR and Influencer Executive at InsideOut PR and #AsSeenON
