The perils of PR

SOME DECADESFTSEPRPRPRPRPRPR ago Bartleby was covering the results of a company that was then in the 100 index. He was ushered into the offices of the firm’s public-relations outfit, whereupon the smooth-talking man (still a titan of the industry today) launched into a ten-minute monologue about the company’s strategy. At that point a subordinate popped his head around the door and the man was called away. “Thank goodness he’s gone,” said the chief executive. “Now I can tell you what is really happening.”Any big business may need a team to handle its public image and to deal with the “reptiles” of the press, as Denis Thatcher dubbed them. (This extends to firms: this week reports of inappropriate behaviour forced the boss of a big one, Teneo, to resign.) But once you start employing people, it can be difficult to stop. In a variant of Parkinson’s law, “ expands to fill the budget available.” Companies can hire an in-house team while also choosing to use an external firm. And if bad news strikes, bosses often want to call in a firm that specialises in “crisis management”.