Evri's Battle with WhatsApp PR
Show notes
Group chats aren't known for holding back. Take a scroll through your own neighbourhood chat and the word 'Evri' probably features quite highly.
This week, David Yelland and Farzana Baduel look at the reputational problem facing the delivery giant. In terms of business, it's a great success story but it has a huge word-of-mouth issue, with people needing little encouragement to vent their fury. Now, the CEO is fighting back - saying because they have so many customers, it only takes a fraction of them to complain to make it feel like there's a problem.
He may be entirely right - but is this one of those times when people aren't interested in the facts? And is he really more interested in appealing to the retailers who use Evri, rather than the public?
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, a double whammy of reputational management - Tom Watson and Palantir. The former Labour deputy leader has joined the tech company - but can he do anything to change people's perception of this deeply unpopular company? Or is Palantir just laser-guided on landing lucrative contracts rather than public affection?
Also, just how long should you leave it before speaking ill of the dead? In Jeffrey Archer's case, it seemed the gloves came off almost immediately. But, as Farzana and David explain, there is a whole industry around what you could call Legacy PR - with people paying big money to make sure all the right things are said about them, long after they're gone.
Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4