News of The World and the mishandling of a brand crisis

Since the News Of The World crisis broke, Brand Strategy Guru founder Simon Middleton has given numerous interviews to national and international media about the story from a brand perspective.

Middleton correctly predicted the closure of the newspaper, as well as the negative impact of the story on the wider News International brand. He also suggested that Rupert Murdoch’s bid to secure the BSkyB deal would be compromised and probably thwarted by the story, despite scepticism about this view from media analysts.

The story is far from over, but Middleton describes it as “a catastrophic misjudgement of the emotional aspect of branding, the huge danger of disregarding public opinion, and the cold truth that even the most powerful of brands can be toppled by their own hubris and mismanagement.”

You can read some of Simon Middleton’s comments in various interviews below, and you can also hear his views in a BBC Radio 5 Live “Wake Up To Money” interview.

Article in The Independent, Saturday July 9, 2011.

Article on CNN International website, Thursday July 7, 2011.

Article on Reuters website, Sunday July 10, 2011.

Interview on BBC Radio 5 Live “Wake Up To Money”, Monday July 11, 2011, from 18.30mins.

Date posted: Monday 11th July 2011Back to news home page >