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Queen approved Duke of York’s ‘disastrous’ interview about Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal

The Scotsman

Public relations and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski said about the interview: “I have never seen anything so disastrous. For any students of PR that is how not to do it.

“It was like watching a man in quick sand and unfortunately, I don’t think anyone would have thrown him a line to get him out.”

Read full article here: https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/queen-approved-duke-of-york-s-disastrous-interview-about-jeffrey-epstein-sex-scandal-1-5047692

Prince Andrew’s Epstein interview roundly panned: ‘nuclear explosion level bad’

Washington Post

Mark Borkowski, a public relations and crisis consultant, told The Washington Post that if asked, he would have advised the prince to “100 percent absolutely not” do the interview: “There was absolutely no reason for him to take such a leap of faith.”

Rather than snuff out the scandal, Borkowski said, the interview “pumped oxygen” into it. He said some of Andrew’s language was “unforgivable,” as was the lack of empathy for Epstein’s victims.

He also said some of Andrew’s answers probably wouldn’t wash with the public.

“How do you spend four days in America killing a friendship?” Borkowski said. “Everybody has fallen out with a friend. Do they spend four days in a luxury flat?

“This is what you have to think about when you are preparing people for interviews: Does it pass the common-sense test? And it doesn’t.”

“This is what you have to think about when you are preparing people for interviews: Does it pass the common-sense test? And it doesn’t.”

Rad full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/prince-andrews-epstein-interview-roundly-panned-nuclear-explosion-level-bad/2019/11/17/62b28a02-094b-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html

The Prince Andrew interview is a masterclass in how not to do PR

The Telegraph 

These are the best of times, the worst of times. We have the potential to tell our truths and the capacity for folly. We can take a rushed headline now, or we can build a platform for a more sustainable and hard-hitting narrative. But the thing is, just words don’t make a story any more. 

Read full article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/17/prince-andrew-interview-masterclass-not-do-pr/

NO SWEAT. Ant and Dec mock Prince Andrew’s bizarre claim he ‘doesn’t sweat’ in cheeky I’m a Celebrity opener

The Sun

And public relations and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski said: “I have never seen anything so disastrous. For any students of PR that is how not to do it.

“It was like watching a man in quick sand and unfortunately, I don’t think anyone would have thrown him a line to get him out.”

Read full article here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/im-a-celebrity/10365740/ant-and-dec-mock-prince-andrews-sweat-im-a-celebrity/

Prince Andrew’s media advisor quit two weeks ago after warning him not to do interview

The Mirror

PR and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski said it was a lesson on “how not to do” public relations.

“I have never seen anything so disastrous. For any students of PR, that is how not to do it,” he said.

“It was like watching a man in quicksand and unfortunately, I don’t think anyone would have thrown him a line to get him out.”

Mr Borkowski said he would not have advised Andrew to do the interview, adding that his comments on the show will “haunt him” in the future.

“I feel sorry for a lot of charities that got on well him,” Mr Borkowski said. “He [Andrew] has done remarkable work for charity, but whether or not he can be an ambassador again after that…

“This really does park the bus across his ability to do the work many people have benefited from.”

Mr Borkowski said his advice to the duke would be to “keep a low profile”, switch off his phone and not look at the papers, adding: “It’s going to be a very ugly day tomorrow”.

Read full article here: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-andrews-media-advisor-quit-20899110

England players ‘will never be out of work again’ if they seal World Cup glory

The Guardian

It is the ultimate sporting sliding doors moment. But if England are able to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, Mark Borkowski, a PR expert who has represented Diego Maradona, Michael Jackson and brands such as Virgin and Cadbury, predicts that England players will easily treble any earnings from sponsorship and marketing opportunities in the short term – and insists they will never be out of work again.

“There are two overriding factors in play,” he says. “First there’s social context of what we’re going through as a nation with Brexit, which makes people desperate for any form of relief,” he says. “People wake up to the B word. They go to sleep hearing the B word. The country is divided. In the middle of all this crap winning the Rugby World Cup would be a huge piece of good news and naturally magnify the attention on the team.

“Then there’s rugby union’s strong connection with the professions. Sponsors will want these intelligent young men to represent their brands. Broadcasters will snap them up once they retire. And there is also a lucrative career on the corporate and after-dinner circuit for any sporting hero with a story to tell. These players will never be out of work again.”

England’s 31-man squad have already earned £137,220 each for making the final and victory against South Africa would be worth another £41,298 a man. Yet those figures will pale into insignificance compared to the millions that will come their way in commercial spin-offs in the years ahead providing they are successful.

But winning is everything. As Borkowski points out, those England players who played only in the 2007 final defeat to the Springboks have nowhere near the commercial clout of the Clive Woodward side that lifted the World Cup in 2003.

Read full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/nov/01/england-players-rugby-world-cup-money

Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Whining Backfire?

CheatSheet

In an interview with The Guardian, PR expert Mark Borkowski said the couple broke the traditional royal rule of “never complain, never explain.” He shared: “You should just say, ‘that’s off limits.’ But [Harry] made a story,” calling the documentary a “complete and utter disaster.”

He noted: “The royal family are a publicly-funded heritage business, and as anybody that has entered in to [it] has discovered, the rules go out of the window. [Celebrities] don’t have the same responsibility, don’t have the love of the nation to deal with.”

Read full article here: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/will-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-whining-backfire.html/

Meghan Markle and Harry’s documentary was ‘utter disaster’ and will ’cause chaos’ for Royals

The Guardian
 
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s emotional documentary was an “utter disaster” for the Queen and the Royal Family, a PR expert has claimed…
 
Speaking to the Guardian , PR expert Mark Borkowski believes the hour-long ITV special was a “complete and utter disaster”.
 
He thinks it has split the nation, and while younger people are more attuned to it, some older fans won’t be so impressed…
 

Read full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/22/harry-and-meghan-documentary-an-utter-disaster-for-royals

Prince William And Kate Middleton vs. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Which Couple Was Praised for ‘Doing What They Do Best’?

CheatSheet

In the ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Prince Harry and Markle each gave an emotional interview about the toll that the media scrutiny takes on them, but some believed it tarnished the good press they had gotten from the trip.
 
PR expert Mark Borkowski told The Guardian that their documentary broke the royal rule of “never complain, never explain,” explaining, “You should just say, ‘that’s off limits’. But he made a story.” Borkowski called the documentary a “complete and utter disaster.”
 

 

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Caused ‘Chaos’ And ‘Disaster’ For Queen Elizabeth

International Business Times
 
PR expert Mark Borkowski told The Guardian that Prince Harry and Meghan’s decision to address the negative press created an “utter disaster” for Queen Elizabeth and the royal family.
 
“The population is split. I think younger people get it and are more attuned with it. But the rump of people who are monarchists still probably go out and buy the Daily Express. Those are the people he is not convincing,” he said.
Although the royals abide by the motto “never complain, never explain,” Borkowski claimed Harry believed he could change the public opinion by violating the tradition, but failed.
 
“You allow the intrusive lens into your life, and you are out of control. No matter how much editorial control they had with their mate, Tom Bradby, he’s caused chaos,” he said.
 
Borkowski suggested Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview appeared to be a Hollywood PR strategy. “The royal family are a publicly-funded heritage business, and as anybody that has entered in to [it] has discovered, the rules go out of the window,” he explained.
 
“[Celebrities] don’t have the same responsibility, don’t have the love of the nation to deal with.”
 

Royal experts question wisdom of Harry and Meghan documentary

The Guardian
 
As fallout over the extraordinary interviews continued, the PR expert Mark Borkowski said the couple’s participation in Sunday’s “heart-on-sleeve” programme had broken all the normal royal family rules of “never complain, never explain”.

“You should just say, ‘that’s off limits’. But he made a story,” said Borkowski, who called the documentary a “complete and utter disaster”.

“The population is split. I think younger people get it and are more attuned with it. But the rump of people who are monarchists still probably go out and buy the Daily Express. Those are the people he is not convincing.
 
“You allow the intrusive lens into your life, and you are out of control. No matter how much editorial control they had with their mate, Tom Bradby, he’s caused chaos,” Borkowski said.

The decision by Harry and Meghan to speak out so openly about their struggles, he said, had a hint of the A-list celebrity Hollywood PR strategy. But the rules were “totally different for celebrities and royals”.

He said: “The royal family are a publicly-funded heritage business, and as anybody that has entered in to [it] has discovered, the rules go out of the window. [Celebrities] don’t have the same responsibility, don’t have the love of the nation to deal with.”

While celebrities could demand “approved quotes, approved pictures, playing hardball, controlling photo opportunities”, he said, “with the palace there is an uneasy relationship with the media and the public”.
 

The Progress 1000: London’s most influential people 2019 – Media: PRs

Standard

Founder of Borkowski PR
Starting as an in-house publicist at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, he founded Borkowski PR and went on to work with big names in consumer brands, celebrities and arts and entertainment — Graham Norton, Harrods, Led Zeppelin and many more.
 
Borkowski sold his celeb PR business years back, but now works behind the scenes on stories from Noel Edmonds vs Lloyds bank to Extinction Rebellion.

Meghan, Harry And Princess Diana: How Decades Of Press Scrutiny Sparked The Prince’s ‘War Cry’

Huffington Post
 
Now Harry’s latest move is being interpreted “open declaration of war” to the British press, according to PR consultant Mark Borkowski.
 
Borkowski told the PA news agency: “The royals normally keep the media at arm’s length but this is not an arm’s length move.
 
“Harry is determined not to play the media game. There is no charm left, this is an open declaration of war.
 

As part of ’50 years of PR’ special, PRWeek has picked the 10 best PR campaigns from the 2010s

PRWeek

PRWeek has compiled a list of the best PR campaigns of the past 50 years, focusing on those that had the greatest impact, showed the most creativity and were the most influential on campaigning today. All had a prominent UK element; some were directly linked to an ad campaign, but had a strong earned-media component. Huge thanks to the industry experts we consulted – Jackie Elliot, Trevor Morris, Mark Borkowski, Dr Nicky Garsten and Peter Cunard.

Read full article here:

https://www.prweek.com/article/1595321/iceland-twice-missing-type-likeagirl-kfcs-fck-10-best-pr-campaigns-2010s

PRWeek has compiled a list of the best PR campaigns of the past 50 years

PRWeek

PRWeek has compiled a list of the best PR campaigns of the past 50 years, focusing on those that had the greatest impact, showed the most creativity and were the most influential on campaigning today. All had a prominent UK element; some were directly linked to an ad campaign, but had a strong earned-media component. Huge thanks to the industry experts we consulted – Jackie Elliot, Trevor Morris, Mark Borkowski, Dr Nicky Garsten and Peter Cunard.

Read full article here: https://www.prweek.com/article/1595315/smoking-ban-dove-real-beauty-movember-joanna-lumley-ghurkas-10-best-pr-campaigns-2000s

How ‘charmless’ Prince Harry is just like Dominic Cummings, says MARK BORKOWSKI

Express

It doesn’t take an expert to see that Number 10’s political strategist Dominic Cummings, and HRH Prince Harry have something in common. Both have fallen the wrong side of the headlines recently – and both seem to have forgotten the graceful and necessary art of charm and basic truth. Cummings, the arch spinmeister, is now described by the Twitter wags as the Dark Lord.

Read full article here: https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1175950/Prince-Harry-latest-royal-news-dominic-cummings-pr

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