PR Disaster: A Masterclass In How Not To Handle A Comms Crisis
How media scrutiny turned a penguin story into a national campaign
To you, dear reader, I may be known as the creator of Off the Record but in some quarters of the world I am known as “penguin lady”. I’m sure in others you can add “crazy” to the start of that. How did this happen? Well, it all begins with a press release...
A little over a year ago, I was sitting at my desk in the Houses of Parliament when a pitch landed in my inbox from the charity Freedom for Animals. It highlighted the plight of 15 penguins trapped in a basement enclosure at London Aquarium without fresh air or daylight. The quotes in the article referred to the tiny habitat, just across Westminster Bridge, as a “dungeon” and demanded the gentoos be freed. In the eventual news story I wrote, the animals were referred to as “captive”. That last bit becomes key. The piece was published online and appeared in the Daily Express newspaper. And this, folks, is where it gets interesting.
The next day, the paper was threatened with legal action if it did not remove the word “captive” from the online article. For the avoidance of doubt, I am very happy to confirm that the 15 animals are captive in every sense of the word. So, I did what any self-respecting journalist would do...I wrote a piece about the legal threat. I wrote another after that. And another after that. And another after that. You get the picture.
Dozens of stories later and the fight to “free the 15” is a fully fledged national newspaper campaign with the backing of TV presenter Chris Packham, former Undertones star Feargal Sharkey and green energy boss Dale Vince. More than 24 cross-party MPs have signed a parliamentary early day motion demanding the penguins get moved to a more suitable habitat. Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock has spoken out against the enclosure and there have been several protests outside the London attraction. Their plight has also featured in publications like The Telegraph, The Times, the BBC and the Financial Times. The animal welfare minister has also raised concerns about the habitat with the aquarium’s owners Merlin Entertainments. The issue also has the backing of more than a dozen animal welfare organisations, including the Born Free Foundation who have joined as lead campaigners. More than 12,700 people have also signed a petition.
The legal challenge over the word “captive” is a good example of the Streisand effect. Trying to get the factually accurate term removed only deepened scrutiny and sparked a wider conversation...and more headlines.
The aquarium said the penguins are regularly inspected by independent vets, third-party experts and local and national authority officials. It said the habitat was designed with advice from specialist vets and offers a consistent and appropriate temperature and lighting that stimulates the birds’ annual moulting, nesting and breeding patterns.
But what started as a standard press release turned into one of the most unexpectedly meaningful campaigns of my career. In my opinion, it’s a masterclass in how not to handle media scrutiny. What came of the legal threat you may wonder? Absolutely nothing. The threat was as empty as I hope their penguin enclosure will be one day.
The fight to “free the 15” continues. Being released into the wild will never be an option for them but anything has got to be better than the basement they are in now.
A Sea Life London Aquarium (SLLA) spokeswoman said: “The welfare of all the animals in our care is of paramount importance to us at Sea Life and we are committed to delivering the highest levels of care through our team of dedicated welfare experts, both internal and external. Sea Life conforms to all requirements under the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice by providing the relevant zoo licensing authorities with access to its animal records. This is in addition to regular visits including zoo licence inspections by these local authorities, alongside additional external inspectors and independent vets, who monitor animal welfare and data on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so. SLLA also carries out its own regular health checks on all the animals in its care, while an independent specialist vet also visits every two months for routine assessments, and can also be contacted daily with any other concerns. The Gentoo penguin habitat at SLLA was designed with help and advice from specialist vets. It provides an excellent balance of water and land for the penguins which enables them to express their normal behaviours and there is space for them to ensure they have sufficient privacy. As part of its overall mission, SLLA provides an opportunity to share the wonders of the natural world in an accessible manner. With the opportunity to educate more than a million people who visit SLLA from all around the globe each year to care for the world’s oceans and the marine life within it, we believe this is a hugely positive thing.”
Remember folks, keep this just between us! We’re off the record.
I’m now offering media masterclasses for brands looking to sharpen their storytelling, improve their relationships with journalists and boost their media coverage. If you’re interested, please contact me at stephspyro1@gmail.com