PwC failed to mop up its bat skit crazy PR disaster
It will take more to repair PwC’s damage than a simple press release, writes Pure Public Relations founder Phoebe Netto.
Last week, PwC’s PR team went into overdrive in an attempt to clean up the mess from an offensive skit by none other than its very own HR department.
During a recent company trivia night, one executive dressed up as a ‘bat from Wuhan’ while another faked a Chinese accent. Staff were also asked to choose ‘which company represented communism’, with one answer being the Chinese tech company Huawei.
PwC’s response to this PR firestorm has been lacklustre at best. In an initial leaked email sent to staff after the trivia night, CEO Tom Seymour said the skit caused ‘discomfort and offence’, and whilst ‘unintentional’, was ‘thoughtless and harmful.’ The story was then leaked to The Australian Financial Review and The Australian via a disgruntled employee, where Seymour made almost exactly the same statement.
