Interviewing James Dyson for a business magazine, his assistant sat next to me and scribbled furiously throughout the hour-long meeting. I think she took more notes than I did and perhaps that’s a sensible policy for a man well used to legal wrangles.
The article was a good one as far as I was concerned, covering the facts, uncovering details and including comments from a wide range of people who knew him. But I never heard from anyone at Dyson so couldn’t tell you what the man himself thought of it.
Years later I saw a journalist friend of mine who then wrote for an in-flight magazine. She had just interviewed James Dyson and to my amazement received a brand new vacuum cleaner. What to conclude? Maybe her article was much nicer to and about Mr Dyson than mine. Maybe he sussed I’m not a great one for cleaning.
Several journalists I know write for technology magazines and their homes are crammed full of new technology, all of it donated to them by companies seeking – or having received – favourable reviews. Whether it always works as a PR strategy depends on the product and on the journalist. But one thing is true, for a start-up with a product – be it knickers, chocolate, smoothies or hair products – dishing out freebies will certainly improve your chances of getting noticed. Sorry IT software developers, but that’s life.
Jamie Oliver writes about entrepreneurs for The Daily Telegraph. He also runs media training events for business owners. See
www.gmtevents.co.uk