This may be a classic example of when great PR and Marketing depends on a perfect set of circumstances and when confronted with a monkey wrench in the machine it all falls apart. Marketing is service, service is PR, when you are a service provider they are the holy trinity of your brand and company culture. The business culture of your company needs to back up the gloss and sweet talk with appropriate communication and attention to your most valuable asset- THE CUSTOMER. I am shocked and appalled that Eurostar could drop the ball so badly with this and I am pleased as punch to see that social media once again has put a massive company and its public relations machine on its heels when its service failed to live up to its marketing. I have stressed this so many times, service is where you knock it out of the park after marketing and PR tee it up for you. Eurostar needs to take a long hard look at what has happened here and seriously address the bumbling response it gave to the crisis, because their competitors are likely drooling like Hyenas right now.  The company has apparently withdrawn its existing marketing campaign and is reassessing how to move forward in 2010.  Best of luck Eurostar, while you might have withdrawn your marketing strategy but I would wager to say the problem lies in your communications and your service itself. Incorporating your service and your company culture into your marketing plans may serve you well moving forward.  It’s OK for machines to break down once in a while, people understand that, but a communications breakdown is much harder to forgive.

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