Amid a fragmented, polarised world, cutting through chaos has never been harder. During 2025, crisis communications became the default for major institutions. This final 2025 Reputation Report roundup sees Tim Jotischky, EVP of Reputation, reflect on three of the year’s biggest communication disasters, and one PR save that turned scandal into a branding masterclass.
Rachel Reeves and the Omnishambles Budget
“Omnishambles” first appeared in the political satire The Thick of It and was later used by Ed Miliband to describe George Osborne’s 2012 Budget. The term returned in 2025, alongside “pitch rolling,” to describe Rachel Reeves’ painful attempts to prepare the public for the most dreaded Budget in recent memory.
It became the most leaked Budget in history, with Reeves accused of misleading markets.
Like the Grand Old Duke of York, she marched the electorate up the hill, and she marched them down again. One week, income tax was rising; the next, it wasn’t. One week, the OBR forecasts indicated a catastrophic black hole in the nation’s finances; the next, there was cash to burn.
The speculation went on for month after interminable month. It was a master class in how not to communicate. The entire Budget was accidentally released before Reeves even stood at the Dispatch Box, a perfect metaphor for the government’s wider failings.
It was an apt metaphor for the Government’s wider failings. Keir Starmer has failed to communicate a clear narrative or vision for Britain’s future, let alone persuade voters that he has ended the chaos of successive Conservative administrations.
Most political commentators expect a leadership contest in 2026. Wes Streeting is Labour’s best communicator, but leadership races rarely go as planned. Any new Prime Minister will need a compelling narrative to win back trust after a dismal 18 months. Even the skills of Malcolm Tucker would be tested.
The Defenestration of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor
The implosion of the private individual formerly known as the Duke of York has been a slow-motion car crash ever since his disastrous Newsnight interview six years ago. In 2025, it reached the point of no return.
Good communication requires empathy, but Andrew has never mastered this skill. Unapologetic to the last, he tried to present his decision to give up his royal titles as a final act of service to the nation. Unsurprisingly, the nation didn’t buy it.
If Andrew remained tone deaf, his brother did not. Having stripped him of his titles, the King evicted him from Royal Lodge in response to mounting public fury at his entitled lifestyle.
However, Buckingham Palace’s problems are far from over. The spotlight has turned on peppercorn rent arrangements enjoyed by other members of the Royal Family. Once the genie is out of the bottle, it can be hard to put it back in.
Talk of reconciliation with Prince Harry continues, but tensions remain high. His hacking case against Associated Newspapers in early 2026 could turn toxic.
“We must not let in daylight upon magic,” Walter Bagegot opined in the 19th century. But today, the Royal Family have no choice. They must play the PR game, yet doing so makes them look like any other legacy institution struggling to adapt.
The BBC’s Permacrisis
To lose your Director General may be regarded as a misfortune; simultaneously losing your Director General and Head of News looks like carelessness.
Panorama’s editing of President Trump’s Capitol Hill speech was highly questionable, but it should not have triggered an existential crisis. It was the length of time the BBC took to accept responsibility and acknowledge the failings that plunged it into crisis mode.
Delay creates a vacuum, and the BBC has plenty of enemies to fill it.
The trouble for Tim Davie was that this was just the latest in a succession of crises. Its coverage of the Gaza conflict and broadcasting Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set, the departures of Gregg Wallace and Huw Edwards in differing circumstances, and Gary Lieneker’s war on its impartiality guidelines are just a few to name.
Not all were handled badly, but critics argue the BBC is too bloated to respond decisively. It’s an oil tanker that can’t easily be turned round. The same perception now fuels calls to scrap the licence fee, a dangerous narrative for the broadcaster.
Astronomer Leans In for a Reputation Win
Our 2025 Reputation Report roundup isn’t all about failures, with Astronomer showing how a bold move can turn a scandal into a branding triumph. After CEO Andy Byron went viral for kissing the head of HR at a Coldplay concert, Astronomer might have been forgiven for doing anything to avoid further publicity.
Your boss has just been forced out, and the business is in turmoil. Classic comms advice would be to do nothing, say nothing and don’t give the story more oxygen. And often it would be right. But there’s always a balance between risk and reward.
Hiring Gwyneth Paltrow for a mock advert was a bold move. Website traffic surged 15,000%, and the post drew 36 million engagements. Whether it resonated with enterprise tech buyers is debatable, but it reframed the story from scandal to playful marketing.
A crisis became a branding triumph – a fitting end to our 2025 Reputation Report roundup.
More From Us:
Looking for more? Dive into our previous Reputation Reports to see how brands and institutions navigated their toughest moments:
- The Reputation Report: 20 Years of Crisis Communications
- The Reputation Report: SRA Failings, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, & Pre-Budget Corporate Moves
- The Reputation Report: Sarah Ferguson, Nestle’s Unsanctioned Romance, and Free Speech at Disney
Your reputation is your most valuable asset – don’t leave it to chance. Our team of specialists have helped clients navigate global controversies and high-profile partnerships, previously working with Sir Cliff Richard, Julian Assange, Crystal Palace Football Club, and many more.
Need expert advice fast? Start the conversation and get in touch at hello@thephagroup.com to see how we can help protect your brand.
About PHA
PHA is an award-winning earned-first integrated communications agency.
We believe communication can make the world a better place. It matters. But with constant disruption, fragmentation and growing complexity, earning attention and inspiring action is harder than ever. PHA is built to solve for this.
We nurture, grow and protect brands & reputations for a portfolio of consumer, corporate, technology, b2b and health clients in the UK and internationally. We bring clarity to a fast, chaotic, complex world, challenging convention and delivering fresh thinking. Our agile multi-disciplined teams create dynamic campaigns across earned, social, digital and paid media, engaging audiences wherever they are, always.
We lead with strategy and deliver a full suite of creative services and production capabilities, generating impact at every step of the audience journey from awareness through to conversion. Working as one to solve any client challenge, we bring the best of PHA to drive impact that multiplies. When unboxed minds meet unboxed ambition, communications don’t blend in – they break out.
We’re built to MAKE IT MATTER.