Having murdered King Duncan and snatched the throne from rightful heir Malcolm, Macbeth is mistrusted and disliked by his subjects. How should he reverse this negative perception and improve his public profile?

Hazel Butters, Prompt Communications

Start with a ‘Get to know Macbeth’ press tour with Scottish media to secure coverage of Our Brave Lads defending the country against Malcolm’s English invasion force. Tabloid editors sympathetic to Macbeth and his cause will refer to Macduff as ‘Madduff’ in headlines.

Next, reposition Lady Macbeth as the People’s Princess, with a string of PAs and photo ops culminating in her appearance as a guest judge on ‘Cawdor’s Got Talent’. Her increased profile will result in thousands of Twitter followers, enabling messaging to be communicated directly to the target audience.

As public opinion continues to improve, we will air a TV special, ‘Piers Macmorgan On...Macbeth’. This sympathetic portrait will contain an embedded call to action to join a Facebook group. Group members will be asked to sign an online petition demanding that Birnam Wood be declared an Area of Special Scientific Interest, making foliage removal illegal.

Lucy Broad, Talke PR

Clearly history is doomed to repeat itself. But this time, a thousand years on from the reign of Macbeth, we’ve been treated to a flawless how-to lesson in reputation management by another deeply unpopular Scottish leader.

Macbeth could have learnt a lot. Firstly, he should appear on YouTube to speak directly to his subjects. He should know that people respond well to smiling, so he should sprinkle his message with random (some might say disconcerting) grins and leers.

He should slyly suggest he’s about to let the public decide between him and Malcolm, but cunningly win favour by pretending this was never on the cards when it becomes clear he might lose. He should talk only in textbook terminology and refrain from slipping into vernacular, colloquialism or everyday parlance. This will make him seem technically adept and serious.

He should conduct awkward interviews with the media, wheeling out forced anecdotes about how he enjoys popular beat combos and recalling the way he proposed to Lady Macbeth.

Finally, he should conduct a public debate with Malcolm, clumsily repeating rehearsed one-liners and scripted put downs until he crushes Malc with sheer force of personality. People might criticise Gordon’s communications skills but they’ve not done him any harm – he’s still Prime Minister! What’s that..? Eh? Oh.

Neil Burns, Storm

Having recognised that his subjects are up in arms, Macbeth’s message should be contrite and proactive. As with any crisis communication, he should control the agenda, and get an apology out early. Yes, he should say, I have stabbed to death Duncan, Banquo, the wife and children of Macduff and a few assorted guards. It was a regrettable time and I’m working round the clock to keep future stabbings to an absolute minimum.

Having stolen any thunder from his detractors in this way, he can set about reinforcing the more positive side of his image. His military prowess, his ruthless determination, his easy way with women and children. As another recent Scottish leader has demonstrated, there’s no negative persona that can’t be turned into a positive. He just needs to be proactive.

Next month: The Hand of God In the 1986 World Cup Quarter Final, Diego Maradona scores the decisive goal with a clear hand ball. England are outraged. With video evidence irrefutable, what advice would you give to Diego to protect his brand, retain his commercial endorsements, and calm the diplomatic crisis? Email your response to neil.gibbons@communicatemagazine.co.uk