The Rest is PR

This week, Jacki and Lyle are doing something they have never done before on The Rest Is PR. That's right - they are responding to some comments that you, the audience, have left on many of the most recent episodes! Jacki and Lyle discuss a comment recently left on the recent episode regarding Mark Davies, Head of Communications for the Post Office, and the evidence he gave at the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal inquiry, with one listener asking what the role of PR actually is and whether it is simply a case of defending those you work for. Jacki agrees with this particular audience member that more needs to be done to move away from the 'spin' element of PR, and that Davies himself should certainly have asked more questions and not defended Paula Vennells as much as he did, with Jacki later bemoaning the fact that Vennells was described as less of a CEO and 'more of a PR person', much to Lyle's dismay as well! Lyle responds to a particularly forthright comment on the episode involving the brilliant Amelia and Lydia Miller from Ivee regarding the gender pay gap, with this listener asking why more isn't being made of an apparent spending gap as well! Finally, Jacki and Lyle analyse the number of comments from apparent Reform UK voters that have been left on the recent episode on the UK General Election and the importance of visual PR, with one viewer mentioning that people could learn a thing or two about PR from Nigel Farage! A first-of-its-kind episode for the podcast, and one that will no doubt be repeated - keep those comments coming!Artwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss the subject everyone in the UK, and beyond, is talking about at the moment. No, not the European Championships in Germany (although that's certainly got Lyle excited!) It is, in fact, the general election taking place in the United Kingdom on July 4th. Current UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced the election in bizarre fashion in May, seemingly not anticipating the inclement weather and persevering with his announcement outside Number 10 Downing Street without any protection from an intense rainstorm. This is where Jacki and Lyle begin this episode which also touches on the importance of visuals when it comes to pursuing a successful election campaign. Jacki discusses how the image of Sunak walking back into 10 Downing Street soaked through has become the image of the Conservative Party's campaign so far, with Lyle emphasising that things haven't got much better when it comes to the visuals of the Tory campaign. The Labour Party, meanwhile, have elected for a very simple message which is coming across a lot clearer thus far in the form of their campaign slogan 'Change'. Jacki and Lyle analyse Ed Davey's approach to the Lib Dem campaign, which has centred on some very strong visual representations of certain policies within their manifesto, before the conversation inevitably turns to Nigel Farage and his snap announcement as leader of the breakaway Reform UK party, a right-wing offshoot of the Conservative Party. Farage recently had a milkshake thrown over him whilst leaving a pub in Clacton where he is running as an MP, with many theorising the party may well have set the whole thing up! Jacki discusses similarities between the way Farage delivers his message and the strategies employed by someone Farage himself admires a great deal - Donald Trump! With just a few weeks to go until the election itself, this episode covers all of this and more!Artwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss how high profile individuals in the public eye interpret the news, with a particular focus on Donald Trump and how he has managed the fallout of being found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial. Stormy Daniels alleges that she and Trump had sex in 2006, and that she was paid money to stay quiet about the relationship in the build up to the 2016 election, which Mr Trump ultimately won. In an at time chaotic episode, Jacki and Lyle discuss Trump's ability to spin pretty much every piece of news into a positive for himself, at least from his perspective, and how he appears to be unflappable when it comes to consistently delivering his messages to his followers and the American people as a whole. Jacki outlines that there are certain facets of Trump's confidence and message delivery that other leaders could take something from, although she does emphasise that there is also a huge amount of evidence of what not to do as well! Lyle finishes the episode by saying that, in actuality, the American public have a very difficult decision to make later this year as neither candidate fills him with confidence! He also discusses the importance of having self-belief when it comes to assuming a leadership position, as that belief will then resonate strongly with your employees and other professionals you work with. Richard Branson, David Attenborough and even an idol of Lyle's, Sir Alex Ferguson, are all given honourable mentions, as is a particularly infamous policy involving a wall!Artwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss the recent evidence presented by the Post Office's former Head of Public Relations, Mark Davies, to the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal inquiry. The most widely report comment made by Davies was that, in hindsight, a series of emails denying problems with Horizon 'look ridiculous'. Jacki and Lyle discuss Mark Davies' part in the scandal, considered to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history, and whether he could have asked more pertinent questions of those higher up in the organisation in order to better understand the situation as it was unfolding. Lyle and Jacki address the more 'jokey' emails Davies sent to his colleagues throughout the affair and whether these are an accurate indicator about his thoughts on the situation as it stands now, and Jacki asks what more Davies could have done considering the likes of Paula Vennells, who has herself recently given very controversial evidence to the inquiry, had already made their feelings clear on what action to take. Lyle then asks the incredibly tricky question - would Jacki work with mark Davies in a PR environment knowing what she knows now? The disagreements of the previous episodes are a thing of the past as Lyle and Jacki agree that Davies' only real mistake is continuing to defend those within the Post Office who must be considered indefensible when it comes to the impact they have had on innocent people's lives.For more on Davies' evidence to the inquiry, head to: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/crgyyedx4lztArtwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle are delighted to welcome the absolutely brilliant Beatka Wójciak. Beatka is the Founder & CEO of Chaos Cookie, an Art & Games studio which has recently produced the phenomenal game Squarelets! Chaos Cookie also focuses on empowering women in STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), with a particular focus on the gaming industry. Beatka is a software engineer with a passion for creating elegant, user-centered designs, and she has previously worked for Google as a Senior Software Engineer before founding Chaos Cookie! She was also a volunteer for UEFA during Euro 2012, which Lyle was particularly interested in! She has been mentored by the one and only Jacki Vause since heading out on her own with Chaos Cookie! In an incredibly insightful episode, Beatka discusses her career so far, including what it was like to take the leap of faith that was setting up her own company and leaving Google. She discusses how she is someone who always has a plan for any situation, stating that she has a Plan A - Chaos Cookie - right down to a plan Y and Z already established in her mind! Beatka opens up on how she came to create Squarelets, stating that it was an idea she had at University that started to take shape as a prototype during a stint in hospital. Squarelets has been an absolute revelation in the industry, being named a Game Changer by Games London last year, winner at Patch Of Approval also last year, being named an official selection at the London Games Festival earlier this year! Jacki and Beatka discuss the importance of having a PR frame of mind when embarking on founding a startup, and Lyle is inspired by Beatka's analogy of constantly testing yourself on higher springboards, in the knowledge that there isn't really such a thing as failure if your committed to following your passion.For more information on the incredible work Beatka has been doing at Chaos Cookie, head to: https://www.chaoscookie.games/And for Squarelets specifically, head to: https://www.chaoscookie.games/squareletsArtwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss the recently recorded interview between Piers Morgan and the woman who has come to be known as the 'real Martha' from Richard Gadd's extraordinary Netflix series - Baby Reindeer. Fiona Harvey, who stalked Gadd for a prolonged period and Gadd later wrote his one man show, Baby Reindeer, based on his experiences during this time. After its release on Netflix, Gadd took to social media to urge viewers not to seek out the real people behind the characters from the show, but within days Harvey had been identified as the woman the character 'Martha' was based on. At the time of recording this episode, the interview on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' on TalkTV had not been aired, and as a result Lyle and Jacki were unable to comment on any of the specifics. However, in a wide-ranging chat, Lyle expresses his sympathy for Gadd, stating that as a creative you should feel safe to write based on lived experiences without the threat of the real peoples' identities being revealed. Jacki discusses Fiona Harvey's lack of PR representation, with Lyle asking whether it is necessary to provide the PR equivalent of legal aid in situations where individuals with mental health issues find themselves in these highly exposing TV situations. Jacki and Lyle both agree that the TalkTV interview is exploitative of Harvey, who has seemingly offered to tell her story without understanding the consequences of sanctioning such a move. Jacki finally discusses what an indictment this situation is on where we find ourselves as a country, with Jacki worrying that the lack of mental health care provision in the UK leads people like Harvey to seek outlets like this instead of looking for the appropriate help for her condition.Artwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle are joined by the fantastic Amelia and Lydia Miller. The two sisters are the co-founders of Ivee, a tech platform that helps women return to the workforce after a career break and connects companies with this qualified, yet completely untapped, talent pool. Amelia is a published Gender Psychologist from the University of Cambridge as well as being a Behavioural Economics and Gender Pay Gap Specialist, and Lydia is a Future of Work Specialist and Diversity in VC Expert who has previously worked as a Deloitte Ventures CVC Investor. In an absolutely fantastic episode, Amelia and Lydia discuss the inspiration behind creating Ivee, telling the story of their mother who took a career break earlier in her career having worked at a very high level as an accountant for a number of years, but upon her return to work was forced to take a job below her pay grade and one which she was significantly overqualified for. Amelia and Lydia say that, sadly, this experience is not unique to their mother, and that there are still a number of women who experience what is known as the 'Motherhood Penalty' when looking to return to work after a career break. They point to Claudia Goldin's Nobel Prize-winning research when it comes to how the issue of the gender pay gap can be addressed, and how companies they work with need to ensure they have effective flexibility policies in order to achieve the Ivee seal of approval! Jacki discusses the PR appeal of Amelia and Lydia's story, and offers her own advice on how they can move forward in this respect with Ivee, before Lyle asks the question he was dying to ask - what it's like to work together as sisters!For more information on the brilliant work Amelia and Lydia are doing, head to: https://ivee.jobs/Artwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR

This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss the ongoing issues with current PR professional resources, and the impact they are having on the art of pitching. Jacki in particular has become increasingly aware of certain PR resources, such as database and newswire platforms, lagging behind when it comes to their functionality and effectiveness in what is an ever-evolving industry. Moreover, Jacki points to how much these resources continue to cost without offering anything new in this fast-paced and competitive space. Lyle and Jacki delve into how the industry has evolved, and offer their thoughts on what new tools and resources would prove useful to professionals who are needing to be more and more inventive with their pitching strategies. On these strategies, Lyle and Jacki discuss the need for PR professionals to do more than simply source journalists email addresses and other contact details and send out an array of releases, with the industry increasingly rewarding professionals who go the extra mile and find a variety of ways to contact and build relationships with journalists and clients alike. Finally, Jacki issues a plea to anyone developing brand new tools and resources to get in touch with the podcast, with Lyle agreeing that there must be a desire by some within the industry to utilise these new technologies moving forward!Artwork by DimosoMusic by Lyle FultonGet in touch via lyle@dimoso.com or info@dimoso.comMore information at www.dimoso.com and www.therestispr.comFollow us on Twitter - @TheRestIsPR