The Dupe

This is so school boy, it feels wrong of me to impart it as knowledge. But some ruthless PRs will lie in order to get a journalist in front of a client. One PR called me with news that her client – perhaps the dullest of all the dull industry steering group organisations – had some news. I went across town to the PR HQ, I was sat down in front of a panel of telecoms engineers. The panel of engineers were almost as non-plussed as I as to why he I there. There was no news, this was to be a ‘catch up’. Not only was it a massive waste of time. It was also pretty embarrassing.

Sadly, the agency in question hasn’t learnt. A few weeks ago, another colleague of mine announced he was off to see the same organisation. Unfortunately, for said colleague he hadn’t been warned in time about my pointless cross town mission. He returned about three hours later with the same sorry tale.

There is about as much chance of me, the Bull, our colleague or anyone else we talk to meeting up with that organisation as there is of me, the Bull, our colleague or anyone else we talk to deciding that ‘yes, maybe a trip to South Wales on a Friday afternoon to see a phone recycling plant is a good idea’.