25/08/2026
Currently Andy Burnham is quietly putting on one of the smartest communications masterclasses in British politics. Not because he's dominating newspaper front pages, in fact quite the opposite.
He's recognised something that many brands, businesses and politicians are still struggling to come to terms with; if you don't believe traditional media is going to tell your story the way you want it told, stop relying on it.
Build your own channels instead and it's a lesson every communications professional should be paying attention to.
For years, politicians have relied on the same communications playbook. Land a splash in the papers. Get on breakfast TV. Hope your message survives the edit. But that's becoming an increasingly difficult strategy if you feel large parts of the media aren't interested in amplifying your successes, or are more likely to frame your story through conflict than policy.
Whether that's a fair assessment or not isn't really the point. The point is that Burnham appears to have adapted. Instead of spending all his energy trying to win over newspapers that may never fully buy into his message, he's taking it directly to audiences through podcasts, social media and long-form interviews.
Check out Kally's full blog here: https://www.nobullagency.co.uk/post/the-pr-machine---andy-burnham-is-bypassing-the-gatekeepers-and-every-brand-should-be-paying-attention
