It seems a political lifetime since I met Peter Rous, Barack Obama's chief of staff, two years ago. How times change. Then, unless you were from the U.S, the name would have meant little to most people in the UK. The timing of his election, coinciding with two wars, financial meltdown and trade recession, presents a daily menu that would make any politician shudder. Here, Gordon Brown has chameleon-like morphed from Stalin to Mr Bean and now to international Superman.
The balancing act, that now exists for our politicians, between expectation, hope and inevitable reality will keep the opinion pollsters busy as their charts rise and fall like the FTSE.
In the communications world, the inevitable business reaction to recession means that advertising is down, companies are making no money and PR budgets and people are being axed across the board. Having weathered previous downturns, it is to be hoped that CEOs will remember that communications are as vital in bad times, as in good. Obama's first challenge is that everyone will now assume that his magic will bring about miraculous change as soon as he steps into the White House. Here, how will Gordon Brown manage to burnish his current image when thousands more lose their jobs, savings plummet and many find their homes re-possessed?
Effective communications will have to balance expectation with reality, otherwise the media will do the job for politicians and business alike. Massive budgets may now be gone, but well thought-out and delivered messages will be more vital than ever in ensuring that business is understood and that consumers and shareholders are not left in the dark. If communication is jettisoned, then the damage to corporate reputation when the good times return will require huge effort and investment. By all means, reduce the flow from the tap now, but don't turn it off.
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