Charlotte's Sidekick Blog

  The rule in our house is that you can only talk about Christmas once Bonfire Night has passed, its my husband’s rule not mine, so I happily break it whenever possible! I have a Christmas planning meeting on Thursday and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s with a retail client who have been… Continue reading Breaking the rules and talking about Christmas before November 6!

  I can’t say that I’m delighted to be writing this blog because, frankly that would be lazy, as someone pointed out to me a few weeks ago. He informed me, with a smirk, that I was renowned for making people ‘delighted’ in my copy and that there must be better words to use and… Continue reading Delighted – feeling or showing great pleasure

  Last week was quite an adventure with a full day out of the office for a training course, a trip to the races with one of our lovely clients and then a lunch at the Lords (check me!). The CIPR had decided to open up their annual Fellows lunch to Chartered Public Relations Practitioners… Continue reading Trains, dead phones and Lords!

  I like people. But in the spirit of honesty and transparency, I have to say, I don’t like all people, no one does. However, I generally like people, yes that covers it better. It’s a good job that I feel this way as relationships and the ability to build them and maintain them are… Continue reading Relationships really matter

Having worked in the PR industry for 18 years I find it somewhat disappointing that we are still often asked the question, ‘what is PR?’, but I can understand why people are confused. Many in the industry fail to grasp what PR is and fall into the belief that it is simply communication or working… Continue reading What is PR?

Can’t you just, ‘do a photo with staff and pretend they are customers,’ ‘write a review that reads as though you were there,’ ‘photoshop the image and add so and so into it,’ ‘re do part of the video, no one will know it wasn’t done at the same time as the experiment,’ no, no,… Continue reading Ethics and credibility matter, they really do

  Here I am with blog number six, and already half way through the school summer holidays. It is hard to believe that only three weeks ago we had a glorious six weeks ahead of us and now half of it has gone, but don’t dismay we’ve not wasted it away, we approached the school… Continue reading Zorbing and why it is good to have a plan

  I started my PR life many moons ago when it was common for young executives to stand with a ruler and measure the column inches of a piece of coverage to provide clients with what has now become a dirty phrase – Advertising Value Equivalent, yes AVE! Here I must quickly add before you… Continue reading Step away from the ruler and start to measure what matters

This is not a real cry for help, just a realisation that since I got my first mobile a phone, a Nokia 2010, back in 1999 – bought in a twin pack no less, so that you had someone else to call, I’ve not felt able to switch my phone off. I’m sure that my… Continue reading Help! I’ve been on call since 1999 and I can’t switch off

This week (week three of my 52 weeks of blogging) I got to thinking about about preparedness and different approaches to communicating during a crisis. Every business has the potential to face a crisis situation. This can range from a physical event that threatens lives to a reputational crisis and everything in between. What stands… Continue reading Crisis? What crisis?