The PR Psychology of Christmas

25 November 2025

Every year, as the festive season approaches, people naturally tune in to messages about warmth, community, and reflection. It is the one period where audiences slow down slightly, look up from their routines and become more aware of the stories unfolding around them. For PR and marketing teams, this creates a rare window, where communication isn’t just simply consumed, it’s felt too.

But Christmas PR only works when it matches the tone of the season, thoughtful, grounded and genuinely considerate. This is also where the idea of giving becomes important. At Christmas, generosity is encouraged, but empty gestures are quickly noticed. True generosity, on the other hand, becomes a powerful form of communication in its own right.

Are Christmas ads launching earlier each year?

07 November 2025

It certainly feels like Christmas advertising is appearing earlier and earlier each year, and 2025 seems to be no exception. Debenhams launched its “Debenhams Delivered” campaign at the end of October, starring Olivia Attwood, Peter Crouch and Judi Love. A few days later, on 4 November, John Lewis & Partners unveiled their Christmas advert, arriving almost ten days earlier than usual, while Asda launched its Grinch-themed campaign on 1 November. It isn’t just the major retail players either; Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s have also started their Christmas campaigns earlier than usual, signalling a clear shift in the timing of the UK festive season.

Crisis Comms in the age of ‘Cancel Culture’

17 October 2025

For businesses today, responding to challenging situations has become far more complex. Conversations about a brand can spread rapidly across social media, jump from platform to platform, circulate through private messages or forums like Reddit, and even reach traditional news outlets – the incredible, yet sometimes daunting, reach of the online world.

For companies navigating these situations, having a communication plan that’s both thoughtful and flexible is crucial because how a business responds often shapes its long-term reputation just as much as the issue itself.

Can you still trust the news? Why press releases might be the last line of credibility

26 September 2025

Any scroll through your social media feed and you’ll see it: AI-generated “news” stories, deepfake pictures and videos that look uncannily real, and a flood of generic, paid-for content jostling for your attention. Add to that the endless swirl of conspiracy theories and political spin, and we’re left wondering: in this post-truth era, who—and what—can we trust?

The answer might surprise you. Press releases, and the traditional media outlets that still publish them, could be the most credible option left.

The meme-ification of marketing: should your business join in?

08 September 2025

Once upon a time, memes were internet in-jokes - grainy images passed around in forums and WhatsApp groups, often making sense only if you were “in” on the joke. Fast forward a few years, and they’ve moved out of niche corners of the web and into the mainstream. Today, memes aren’t just entertainment; they’re part of how people talk to each other online.

And recently, something interesting has happened; memes have crept into places we didn’t expect, like LinkedIn. Nestled between leadership tips and company announcements, you’ll now find posts that make people laugh, nod in agreement, or hit “share” because they’ve seen themselves in the punchline.

Why Autumn is now big business for UK marketers

12 August 2025

Autumn was once a quiet season for UK marketers: it marked the end of summer holidays and a slow period before Christmas. But over the last decade, autumn has steadily transformed into a lively and lucrative marketing season.

This shift is largely thanks to the UK adopting and adapting American autumn traditions and marketing tactics. Events like Halloween and Black Friday as well as seasonal flavours such as pumpkin spice were well-established in the United States, driving significant consumer interest and spending each year. The UK embraced these trends but has carefully tailored them to fit local tastes, using social media and clever campaigns to create excitement that feels authentic to British consumers.

Has social media forgotten to be social?

04 August 2025

Social media has changed and not just in obvious ways. We still create content, schedule posts, monitor trends, and help businesses establish a presence - that part hasn’t changed. But over the past year or so, I’ve noticed something harder to pin down: a shift in how platforms feel, or rather, what they’re for.

Why people buy into people, not products

14 July 2025

We’ll be blunt: most people don’t care about your product. They care about themselves. Their lives. Their time. Their needs. Their values. And, most importantly, they care about people.

It doesn’t matter how many benefits, features, or sleek taglines you’ve got in your back pocket. If your content is missing the human part - the stuff that makes people nod along or laugh or feel something, it’s not doing its job.

Has influencer marketing killed good PR?

20 June 2025

There’s no denying that influencer marketing has become a big business. Huge, even. It is a powerful tool when used well. But there is something I have been wondering about more and more lately: are we starting to lose sight of what makes great PR in the first place?

Terminator or teammate? Some thoughts about AI in marketing

29 May 2025

There’s a lot of noise around AI, some of it revolutionary, some of it apocalyptic. The ethical concerns and long-term effects of AI are already being debated at the highest levels. Will it solve all the world’s problems? Will it destroy us in some sort of Terminator-style robot war? Possibly. But for now, let’s focus on the more immediate reality: AI is already having a massive impact – and it’s only just getting started.