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June 02, 2008
Prime minister calling. Please hold.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has taken to randomly telephoning UK citizens who have written letters to No. 10 Downing Street.
On the face of it, a prime minister -- or Fortune 500 CEO -- returning an everyday person's letter or call is mostly unheard of.
The protective bubble that tends to insulate powerful people, whether it's George W. Bush, Robert Nardelli or Marie Antoinette, often keeps them from learning the bad news their aides know but keep concealed. That Brown would want to poke the bubble appears refreshing.
The unfortunate part of the Gordon Brown story, though, is that his calls to "regular people" were apparently a calculated effort to generate word of mouth. After leaking through various British media, the plan backfired.
Real word of mouth is a byproduct of something authentic, not a strategy unto itself.
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To be honest I'd much rather our PM spent his time on sorting out our country. As you rightly point-out this was just more PR from a govenment that seems to be loosing control.
