Good news for plastics? Let’s pretend it didn’t happen

I’ve just had a very strange phone conversation. It went quite a bit like this…

Me: “Hello, I’m from PRW – I’ve seen in the local media that you’ve just won a big contract – can I speak to someone about the order?”

Company employee: “The owner doesn’t want to speak to you – he won’t come to the phone. He says he doesn’t want publicity. If you write about the order people will be calling up… people like suppliers.”

Me: “But it’s already in the media… I read about the order online.”

Company employee: “That’s as maybe but the boss won’t speak to you – he doesn’t want people to know about the order. Don’t write about us.”

Am I the only one who thinks this approach to business building is just straightforward bonkers? Or have I stumbled onto a hitherto unknown approach to growth and advancement – the ‘Keep in Secret’ method?

In all my years as a deferential denizen of Grub Street I have never had such a weird exchange. Why would a company that’s won some new business and then told the local media [at some length, I might add] say they don’t want publicity?

And we wonder why British businesses aren’t as competitive as they should be!

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