WALK THE WALK IF YOUâRE GOING TO TALK THE TALK
When Pernod Ricard held the UK stage of its global 40th anniversary celebrations at Kensington Palace to commemorate the 1975 union of two historic French drinks businesses, Pernod and Ricard, it promised to be a convivial affair.
After all, the companyâs ethos is very much based around the values of passion, entrepreneurism and dynamism, as well as founding father Paul Ricardâs philosophy about the importance of making friends.
When Ricard started his business in France in 1932, he insisted that his team should get to know all the bars and cafĂ© owners that they were selling to. His message to his sales force was simple â "make a friend a day" by talking to people in cafĂ©s and bars to understand their motivation, and build their enthusiasm for Ricard by placing it at the centre of social activity.
Itâs an ethos that has served the new business well, and continued throughout its modern incarnation. Today Pernod Ricard is the global co-leader in sprits and counts a plethora of famous brands within its portfolio, including Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet, Havana Club, Jameson, Martell, Absolut and Malibu.
It is also a major player in wine, pioneering the branded market in the UK with the launch of Jacobâs Creek in 1979, and adding a line-up that is the envy of its competitors. Campo Viejo Tempranillo has just become the best-selling wine in grocery, Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc is the number one white wine, and Graffigna from Argentina is the fastest growing brand in wineâs fastest growing sub-category.
So there is plenty to talk about. But what makes Pernod Ricard so convivial is in the way that it does so.
When UK MD Denis OâFlynn stood up to address his 40th Anniversary guests â made up of colleagues, business leaders and decision makers from the worlds of retail and the licensed trade, as well as consumer, business and trade journalists â it was with a clear understanding that this wasnât the time for hammering the corporate message home, but to quickly delight in the achievements leading up to a milestone Ruby Anniversary, and impart a well-timed joke about his love for Jameson whiskey.
As one member of our trade press corps commented as Mr OâFlynn thanked his guests for coming to join in the celebrations: âItâs great not to be hearing the usual flannel from a corporate robot. These guys actually do have something to say and seem genuinely interested in having a relationship with us.â
It reminded me of a similar comment I made a decade ago when interviewed by PR Week for a feature about the values â or otherwise â of media training. At the time I was news editor of one of the UKâs leading trade magazines, and I didnât hesitate to tell my interviewer about my frustrations with over-media trained spokespeople whose training had clearly concentrated on equipping them with the tools to survive media interviews, but had not empowered them to make the most of every media opportunity that came their way - http://www.prweek.com/article/481014/media-training-no-media-robots
In the intervening years, my view has mellowed a little as a move to the dark arts of marketing and public relations has given me a more acute understanding of the stakes at play for spokespeople. However, as someone who has now been responsible for preparing hundreds of spokespeople for interview, I believe a philosophy of âempowerment, not survivalâ has served many clients well â and made life much more interesting for the journalists they speak to.
This philosophy was partly formed after having the privilege to interview a host of fascinating business leaders and some of the UKâs best business spokespeople.
Take former Tesco supremo Sir Terry Leahy, for example. You were clearly never going to get him to share a joke, but his controlled delivery, unshakeable (yet never arrogant) confidence, and clarity of thought, meant he always knew what âstoryâ he was imparting when stepping before the media for interviews, press briefings, or annual results presentations. He may never have laboured the fabled âshop floor to boardroomâ legend that made him such an intriguing figure, but his cleverly understated, yet very real, love and passion for his beloved Tesco was there in everything he said.
At the other extreme, you had someone like GĂŒ founder James Averdieck, who had left a successful career with a major manufacturer to pursue his dream of bringing quality chocolate puds to the masses. OK, you could argue that James had the easier job when it came to interviews. After all, on the face of it, he was just the quirky pudding lover with a big idea that was a bit of fun.
Not a bit of it. He was deadly serious about what he was doing and had to think about how to come across as credible to his interrogators, while at the same time ensuring that he was infusing interviews with the real passion that he had for his quest. He also had the advantage â like Paul Ricard, Terry Leahy and many other celebrated business men and women before him â of really believing in what he was doing.
In brand terms, Innocent and its founders were the archetypal example of leaders really thinking about their media positioning and practising what they preached. Indeed, to this day the latest brains behind the best-selling smoothie brand are still trying to instil the values first set out by founders Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright, even though it is now under the ownership of Coca-Cola.
When under its old ownership, one national newspaper decided to challenge the companyâs on-pack invitation for consumers to drop into its offices and say âhiâ, by sending in an undercover reporter to see what would happen. It found that the company really did have a friendly welcome for anyone who wanted to cross the threshold and talk about their favourite flavours. The resulting article â which had probably started out in a features editorâs imagination as a hatchet job on a bunch of over-successful recent graduates who needed taking down a peg or two - actually turned into one of the most remarkably supportive pieces of business writing that I have ever seen.
In short, there will never be a substitute for displaying a sincere passion for what you are talking about. But it doesnât half help if you really do believe it, too.
More than anything, make sure youâre always ready to seize the opportunity to blow your own trumpet about the great work youâre doing. After all, no oneâs going to do it for you.
Simon Mowbray
Associate Director
