Controversy PR: how brands cash in on the offence economy

The opposite of virtue is not Vice. It’s the Daily Mail. This week, Centre Parcs announced that it would be joining an increasing number of brands – Lego, Paperchase, the Southbank Centre – who have chosen to stop advertising in the newspaper. The catalyst this time was an article by Richard Littlejohn, in which he approached the subject of same-sex parenting with his typical pose of bemused middle Englander – all the more sharply defined from the vantage point of his Florida villa.

The piece – which tore into dads-to-be Tom Daley and his partner Dustin Lance Black – was criticised in some quarters as ‘homophobic’. Cue the PR of moral outrage. Rather than buying an advert in the Mail, Centre Parcs got acres of free coverage elsewhere – while reaffirming its commitment to modern ‘family values’ – thanks to its decision. Will this encourage Guardianistas to forgo their usual Tuscan getaways for a jumbo lodge in Sherwood Forest? Probably not.