Despite Actions, Gazprom Yearns for Western Approval

putin_saint.jpg From the FT:

Selling Saintliness The market for haloes is expanding fast. Gazprom’s talks with public relations companies about a three-year campaign to burnish its image is the latest evidence of the growing number of organisations and individuals in search of saintliness. London is uniquely placed to benefit from the quest for respectability. But the City needs to take care that success does not come at the expense of its own reputation. … Above all, reputation must reflect reality. A company of bullies and braggarts cannot sensibly be portrayed as everyone’s best friend. An organisation or individual seeking to escape a shady past can do so convincingly only if they have genuinely made the break. Advisers who encourage clients to believe that bad behaviour can be airbrushed out of the picture are risking not only the clients’ reputations but also their own.

Complete editorial here, coverage of $11 million Gazprom PR budget here.