Revised Guardian editorial code - Shoehorned endorsements do nobody favours

Written by Richard Ellis, PRCA communications director. These are my views and not those of the PRCA.

PRs who are worried about the Guardian’s updated editorial code are missing the point. PR works best when you get a message in front of an audience which is interested. If you need to shoe-horn a product mention onto the back of a celebrity interview then the chances are you are not targeting the right channel to reach your audience in the first place.

From the PR’s perspective too, often this comes back to measurement… it’s column inches to show the boss/client. We should be measuring tangible outcomes like uplifts in sales, click through to websites etc. to demonstrate our value along with changes in perception. And these stats aren’t just relevant to the powers that hold the purse strings. The same statistics (commercial secrecy permitting) can persuade journalists that their readers want to read about your product.

For the media product placement is even more damaging. It too often comes across as incongruous leading the reader to question the independence of the editorial and therefore the value they get from the publication.

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