Richard III sends communications lessons from the grave

The UK ... and much of the rest of the world ... was gripped last week by the re-internment of King Richard III.  After more than 500 years of ignominy the tide has turned.  It seems we all got the story wrong.  The legendary villain was, in fact, a decent guy who probably got on the wrong side of one of the most effective PR machines in history.

There's nothing new about usurpers using communications to consolidate their new administrations, whether it's medieval kings or a board running a modern takeover.  What lessons in communications strategy can we learn from the Tudors' alleged blackwashing of their predecessor?

ONE. Take control of communications.  Maligned by critics as a boring paper pusher, Henry VII was smart enough to understand the importance of message control.  He made sure every channel was immediately on side with his story: the noble underdog here to rescue the country from horror with peace, stability and good management.  Anything that interfered with his narrative (like the claimed of one Perkin Warbeck to be one of the lost Princes in the Tower) was quickly and brutally controlled.  Henry's channels were aristocratic gossip, architecture and stately progresses.  These days we look at PR, internal communications and social media.  But the strategy is the same.  Try to gain control with a consistent story that shows positive change, as soon as possible.

TWO. Demonise the enemy.  In just three generations, Tudor messaging transformed Richard into a malformed beast who betrayed his brothers, murdered his nephews, was a sexual predator making moves on his niece and was hated by his supporters.  The past 70 years of scholarship has chipped away at that story, showing a decent and popular king.  But the Tudor's knew that support for one side is more passionate when the other side is a stark, frightening contrast.  In today's politically correct world of incestuous business relationships, where a company may be your partner and competitor at the same time and no individual can afford to burn a bridge, it's hard to create a bad guy to fight against.  But you needn't demonise a company or an individual.  Look to a situation.  Here's what success means, and here's what happens if we don't get it right.  Let the numbers and the consequences speak.  Demonise failure to prompt people to embrace success.

THREE.  Hire the best.  I'm not suggesting that some shadowy Elizabethan PR man gave Shakespeare a brief and paid him to glorify the Tudor regime.  I am, however, celebrating this early example of great content marketing.  Shakespeare did everything right on the storytelling front, giving us a rollicking piece of entertainment that also embedded key messages for generations.  Richard = bad.  Tudor dynasty = good.  Every piece of modern marketing content we create is trying to get key messages across.  Spend the time and get the right people to create things that tell a great story, captivate the audience and entertain.  Yes, entertain.  Your messages might not last for 500 years, but they'll at least stand out from today's crowd.

Unique venues can provide the "something special" that gets execs out of their offices

I discovered a stunning, little-known London event venue last week.  Two Temple Place was William
Waldorf Astor's London headquarters, built with no expenses spared in that lush pastiche of historical architecture the Victorians so adored.  It's located on Victoria Embankment, has views from its main rooms of the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges, and ... aside from a brief period each year when it opens its doors for an art exhibit ... it's available only to those associated with the charity that owns it, and those who book it for events.  (For more on the building and the current exhibit, read my alter ego's blog entry here.)

Temple Place reminded me of the wealth of distinctive event venues available in London, and how important they are in getting a corporate executive out of the office.  Let's assume you've taken care of the "table stakes".  You have a fascinating agenda, efficient organisation and flawless event delivery.  Even with all that, it takes something special to get people to commit to you.  Especially the kind of senior people who get a score of invitations a week, and have demanding diaries that make every minute precious.

Unique venues can make a difference, especially when it comes to tempting the palates of people jaded by regular corporate hospitality.  Here are three factors to consider when you want the venue to be part of the draw.  I've written with London in mind, but the key points work anywhere.

ONE.  Play the culture card.  This seems obvious, especially in London.  Yet you'd be surprised at how rare it is, as people still default to sports and dinners at obvious venues.  I've regularly heard attendees express their appreciation for "something different".  A little known but historically significant spot like Two Temple Place is a great example.  I once attended a profitable breakfast meeting on the dramatic gallery hanging between the V&A's plaster cast halls before a pre-opening tour of an exhibit that had sold out to the general public.  The great hall of the Royal Courts of Justice got me to an event I wasn't much interested in, to see a building I had little chance of getting in otherwise. Just about every cultural organisation is supplementing tight budgets with hiring out their venues for special events. Figure out what appeals to your target market, and start asking around.

TWO.  Rooms with a view.  London is an unusually low-rise city for a global capital.  And though that's changing fast, it still means that there are only a handful of places to get a perspective from on high.  For years I was blessed with the BT Tower as a venue; a powerful draw as it's closed to the general public and is the only high spot in that part of town.  (Though access is controlled by BT, if you're a partner business or charity it's worth exploring possibilities.  You'd be surprised by the range of events that take place there.)  The Shard is all the rage now, but I'd put my corporate appeal money on the new Sky Gardens at 20 Fenchurch Street.  And don't forget the endless fascination of the River.  Tate Modern, the Oxo Tower and The Swan Restaurant next to the Globe are all dependable venues that encompass one of the world's great views.

THREE.  Exclusive access.  Any time you can offer people entry to something they'd have little chance of experiencing on their own, you're on to a winner.  If you're going to sponsor sport, don't just do the event.  Include, for example, a behind-the-scenes tour and a meeting with a driver before a race.  Some of the hottest, most impossible-to-book restaurants have private dining or chef's tables ... often easier to book than a regular table.  These are compelling draws for foodies and provide excellent venues for serious conversations.  Most popular art exhibitions organise private viewings for corporate events, giving attendees a chance to contemplate at leisure, with a clear line of sight, what they'd be battling crowds to see as members of the general public.

Combine the three, of course, for a real winner.  One of the best events I ever produced took place in the penthouse at The Dorchester.  With outrageously opulent interiors by famous stage designer Oliver Messel, it's a one-of-a-kind historic setting.  Its balcony gives a rare perspective on Hyde Park, and on a summer's day is like having drinks in the treetops.  And, unless you have the vast wealth of a Russian oligarch or a Saudi prince, your only ticket in here is a corporate event.

Of course, we were also launching a new white paper with some fascinating, fresh research, and had a couple of household names from the London business community to chair our conversation.  No matter how grand, events do not flourish on venue alone.