jan 11, 1989 - 1989: Bell advises Chile's right ahead of vote
Description:
How was Bell Pottinger involved?
According to his book, Lord Tim Bell was approached after the plebiscite by the right-wing Democracy and Progress Party for help in the 1989 vote.
The right’s candidate, economist Hernan Buchi, had served in the treasury and later as finance minister under Pinochet.
Key messages
Bell exploited Buchi’s Clint Eastwood-esque appearance for a "Buchi is the man" campaign -- more than doubling his popularity overnight. It quickly dropped when Buchi began speaking in public.
"It goes to demonstrate one of the most important points of any kind in PR," said Bell in his book. "You can't pretend to be somebody that you're not."
On Pinochet, Bell said: "I only met him once, for about 5 minutes.... my view was a pragmatic one. He was a tyrant, but Chile was moving in the right direction."
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