Bad luck for a celebrity can be good news for your image

One of the side-effects of working with BUPA and Strategic Health Authorities is that our analysts get to read all about the treatment received by wounded celebrities. Following on from the recent press interest in Wayne Rooney’s broken metatarsal, for which he received treatment at BUPA’s Whalley Range hospital in Manchester, we’ve now seen both BUPA and the Yorkshire & Humber SHA come under the media spotlight as a result of Top Gear presenter Richard ‘Hamster’ Hammond’s crash in a jet-powered car at a Yorkshire airfield. Hammond was flown by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the Leeds General Infirmary where he received treatment for what was described as “a serious brain injury”. He has now been transferred to BUPA’s hospital in Bristol, near his Cheltenham home, where he will continue his recovery.

It will be interesting to compare the response of the respective PR teams and how Hammond’s misfortune will impact on the profiles of the two organisations, especially given that one is private and the other funded by the public. At first glance, the real ‘winners’ appear to be the Air Ambulance service and, provided Hammond continues to make good progress, one would imagine that publicity will be good, proving that while an injury might be bad news for a celebrity, it can be good news for those helping their recovery.

Tags: Richard Hammond, PR Evaluation, BUPA