The Art of Making a Bad Situation Better

Issue #20

Spin doctoring is the art of “reframing” a story to shift public perception, often by emphasising specific facts while burying others. While the term was popularised in the 1980s, the practice has defined power dynamics over the last century. From coverups to image rehabilitation and marketing campaigns, it's a communication technique that’s hard to balance but can have a big impact.

We’ve examined five significant examples across politics, marketing, and personal branding. Some are more successful than others.

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Marketing

“Torches of Freedom” (1929)

In the 1920s, it was socially taboo for women to smoke in public. The American Tobacco Company hired Edward Bernays (known as the father of public relations) to expand their market.

• The spin: Bernays didn't try to market the taste or quality of cigarettes. Instead, he framed smoking as an act of feminist rebellion. He hired women to march in the New York Easter Day Parade and light up in front of reporters and photographers

• The result: He dubbed the cigarettes “Torches of Freedom.” By linking a product to a civil rights movement, he made smoking socially acceptable for women almost overnight

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Politics

The Dodgy Dossier (2003)

In the lead-up to the Iraq War, the UK Government under Tony Blair needed to convince a skeptical public that military intervention was necessary. Alastair Campbell, Blair’s Director of Communications, was the architect of this effort.

• The spin: The Government released a briefing document (later referred to as the September Dossier) claiming Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes. The language was carefully adjusted to sound more definitive than the underlying intelligence actually suggested

• The result: It successfully galvanised more support for the invasion, but when no WMDs were found, it became the textbook example of how political spin can lead to a long-term crisis of trust in politicians

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Personal Brand

The “New Steve Jobs” (2014)

Before her conviction for fraud, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was the darling of Silicon Valley. She didn't just sell a product; she sold a curated version of herself to investors.

• The spin: To distract from the fact that her blood-testing technology didn't work, Holmes adopted the so-called Steve Jobs uniform of black turtlenecks, lowered her vocal pitch to sound more authoritative, and framed her company as a humanitarian mission rather than a medical startup

  
  

• The result: This approach shielded her from technical scrutiny for years, allowing her to raise $900 million from investors who were won over by the narrative rather than the data

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Royal Protocol

The “Camilla Project” (1990s–Present)

In the 1990s, Camilla Parker Bowles was arguably the most vilified woman in the British press. Following the Camillagate tapes and the fallout of Prince Charles’s divorce from Princess Diana, her public approval was as low as it could be. The challenge of making her a viable candidate for consort to the future King is one of the most successful long-term PR pivots in history.

• The spin: Led by Mark Bolland, the strategy was one of incremental normalisation. Instead of a sudden media blitz, they used a slow-reveal technique. The first public photo of the couple, at the Ritz, was orchestrated in 1999. The overall narrative was carefully shifted from home-wrecker to loyal companion, framing her as a steadying, humanising influence on Charles.

  
  

• The result: By focusing on unglamorous causes like literacy and domestic violence, she built a shield of public service. The spin was so effective that by the 2023 Coronation, a transition that once seemed impossible was met with general public acceptance

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Corporate Image

Elon Musk and “Hardcore” Culture (2022)

Following his acquisition of Twitter (now X), Elon Musk faced massive backlash over mass layoffs and radical policy shifts.

• The spin: Musk reframed mass firings and chaotic management as a transition to Twitter 2.0, asking employees to commit to being, in his words, “extremely hardcore.” By framing a standard corporate downsizing as a high-stakes mission-to-Mars style crusade, he converted a PR nightmare into a test of loyalty

• The result: While still controversial, the spin allowed him to retain a die-hard fanbase and brand the platform's volatility as necessary disruption rather than instability

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Until next time,

Daniel

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