A fast-moving cyber story became a major retained reactive broadcast PR moment for Check Point, with expert commentary secured across national TV, radio, bulletins and broadcaster-owned online coverage.
Reactive Overview
The ASOS hack story began moving quickly after customers reported receiving alarming app notifications suggesting the retailer had been compromised. At first, the issue was emerging through screenshots and social media posts, before national media reporting followed.
For Check Point, the story created a clear opportunity to explain what the incident meant for customers, businesses and the wider cyber security landscape. Be Broadcast moved quickly to shape an expert line that could work across TV, radio and broadcaster-owned online coverage, while avoiding speculation before the facts had been confirmed.
This was not a planned campaign. It was retained reactive broadcast PR in action: spotting a live story, shaping the client’s expert response and getting the right spokespeople into the conversation while the story was still developing.
How Be Broadcast Responded
- Spotted the ASOS hack story as it was emerging
- Helped shape a strong but careful holding comment
- Positioned Check Point around customer trust, cyber risk, reputation and business impact
- Matched the right spokespeople to the right broadcast opportunities
- Managed fast-moving TV and radio requests across the day
- Turned one breaking cyber story into repeated broadcast visibility
Broadcast Results in Context
- Secured BBC News Channel and BBC World TV coverage
- Delivered Sky News coverage as the story escalated
- Secured ITV News coverage, with clips also pushed across ITV’s social channels
- Delivered LBC coverage, including repeated use across the day
- Secured BBC Radio 5 Live coverage, later simulcast across BBC Local Radio in England
- Achieved Times Radio coverage with Check Point spokespeople
- Secured BBC Radio 4 use of Charlotte Wilson’s BBC interview clip
- Delivered BBC national and England regional bulletin coverage
- Secured Sky News Radio coverage across its commercial radio news network
- Generated further broadcaster interest beyond the UK, including 7News Sunrise Australia
The Expert Angle
The strongest line was simple: if confirmed, the attackers appeared to have turned ASOS’s own app into their ransom note.
That gave broadcasters a clear way into the story. It also allowed Check Point to explain the wider consequences without overclaiming: customers trust app notifications because they are supposed to come directly from the company, and when that trust is compromised, the impact can move quickly from cyber security to reputation, customer confidence and market value.
The consumer advice was also practical. Customers were warned to be cautious of follow-on scams, phishing emails, fake refund messages and password reset links connected to the ASOS incident.
The Challenge
- The story was moving quickly and needed expert comment while facts were still emerging
- The line had to be strong enough for broadcasters, but careful enough to avoid speculation
- Check Point needed to speak to both consumer risk and business impact
- The team had to manage multiple spokesperson opportunities across TV and radio
- The story needed to work for live TV, radio interviews, bulletins and broadcaster-owned online articles
Why It Shows Retained Value
This is the value of retained reactive broadcast PR. The story was not planned weeks in advance. It broke quickly, developed quickly and needed expert interpretation immediately.
Because Be Broadcast was already watching the agenda and already understood Check Point’s spokespeople, the team was able to move at the speed of the story. That meant Check Point did not just comment after the news had passed. It became part of the live broadcast conversation.
