To strengthen his public image, the Prime Minister appointed Stephen Carter, the former chief executive of top PR Agency London - Brunswick, to handle public relation affairs. His main responsibility was to sort of ‘advertise’ Mr. Brown, as well as to be his political adviser, telling him how to do and say things right to receive good media or public image.

Although Mr. Carter has a vast experience in the field of public relations, he has never journeyed into politics. Consequently, Prime Minister Brown’s PR Agency in London ended up experiencing some setbacks.

Mr. Carter was being accused of damaging the position of Spencer Livermore due to loose talk on Labour MPs. Though it was primarily blamed on naïveté, Mr. Livermore became upset thus, hastening his resignation. In August, there was also a major territorial issue in between Secretary Jeremy Heywood and Mr. Carter as to who will take charge in the Prime Minister’s office. Mr. Carter’s appointment brought about tension to old and new advisers alike. This ultimately led to his departure.

Today, Mr. Brown’s PR people are Michael Dugher and John Woodcock, both having extensive hands-on experience handling PR of political figures. They take care of strategic planning, press releases and lobby briefings for the Prime Minister’s affairs. They are doing well and are in fact quite busy this month due to the G20 summit.

As a brief back ground on G20, otherwise known as the Group of Twenty
Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, it is comprised of 19 countries including: Argentina, Germany, Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, France, Russia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, United States and United Kingdom plus the European Union, IMF and the World Bank. They work together to discuss the global financial processes, conditions and issues. In an effort to improve banking systems and to perhaps save his reputation, Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be hosting the G20 summit in the next few weeks. He hopes to be able to encourage G20 to eliminate unnecessary bank bonuses and excessive salaries of bank executives. This is among the biggest projects Mr. Brown has in his political career. Naturally, he and his PR group are working really hard to ensure a successful outcome.

The whole PR fiasco in Mr. Brown’s office should serve as an important lesson to everyone. Hiring a PR person can be costly and risky, if choices are made without thoroughly thinking about the pros and cons associated with making such a decision. There are many PR Agencies in London but each has their own niche. It is necessary to find one that fits the kind of business or service you have, and not just hire them because of popularity or hearsays.

Finding the right PR Agency in London requires one to do a lot of research work. Study what they do and what they specialize on. Know if they have what it takes to help you, in terms of background, skill and experience. Remember that good PR can be crucial to make or break a person, business or endeavor.