The Year in PR: What We’ve Learned, from Ozempic to Elon Musk
2024 has been quite a year for PR. I know we say that every year, but this time it might just be true.
In the UK, we’ve seen the first Labour government for over a decade and a big tax, big investment budget which has been met with mixed reviews. Globally it’s been even more tumultuous, from the death of Twitter/X to the rebirth of Donald J Trump.
This year has provided plenty of lessons for anyone trying to position or publicise themselves. Here are some of the biggest successes, failures, and the lessons we can take from them.
Sir Keir Starmer: Set your Own Narrative
Change. Labour’s winning election slogan couldn’t have been clearer if it tried. But it was more than just a slogan.
After 14 years of Conservative government, there was a supporting narrative which resonated widely with people of all political persuasions and allowed them to connect with Starmer and Labour in historic proportions. The Conservative party, by contrast, put up a divided front and was not able to present a strong case for why they should stay in government. The stronger narrative won out.
However, once he’d entered government Starmer had his own problems caused by a weak narrative. By holding the Budget months after entering office, Starmer created a news void which he failed to fill. This made what should have been a serious but secondary story of ‘freebee-gate’, the scandal over free gifts of clothes and glasses from donors, into a major crisis.
Elon Musk: Proximity is Power
Elon Musk might be the most talked about man of 2024, and with good reason. The world’s richest man has, for now, burrowed his way into the inner circle of the world’s most powerful man, Donald Trump, and shown us all that proximity is power.
Following months of publicly backing Trump and millions of dollars of campaign donations, Elon has been appointed co-head of the new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ and has barely left the President-elect’s side, giving him influence over cabinet appointments.
Not only is he now a trusted presidential advisor, but on Trump’s election, Musk’s wealth rocketed by $70 billion. A healthy payday by anybody’s standards.
While not all of us have Musk’s resources or profile, the fact that his arrangement with Trump exists at all shows us the importance of using PR to gain proximity to power.
Bluesky: The Media is Fragmenting
Musk may have had a good year, but his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has been less than prosperous. The app lost a record number of users in 2024 thanks to a persistent failure to deal with trolls and misinformation, combined with Musk’s association with Trump.
This has opened a gap for a range of new platforms, the most prominent of which is BlueSky. The app is Twitter in all but name, with an extremely similar look, feel and functionality. It has become increasingly popular in Britain, but almost singularly with people on the political left.
BlueSky is indicative of a wider trend: the media is becoming more fragmented, often down political lines.
While new platforms come and go all the time (remember Threads?), there’s no doubt that all businesses will have to adapt to new sites, new ways of storytelling and new divisions. 2025 may be the year where firms finally accept this and embrace a multi-platform approach.
Ozempic: Being Innovative is the Best Form of PR
2024 was the year Ozempic came of age. The weight loss drug is now widely used worldwide, has become an engine of the Danish economy, and is even being trialled for widespread NHS use.
The drug’s global popularity is not because of an overly creative marketing stunt, or huge amounts of money being thrown at a self-promoting founder. Simply, the product solves a common problem and is effective at what it does. This has given it a broad appeal and made promoting the drug easier.
If your product walks the walk, it’s much easier to talk the talk, as people are willing to listen to what you have to say.