Buzz n Shetty

The Daily Mirror has an interview with Shilpa Shetty which takes up practically a third of the paper.  I don’t think this will be the full stop on Shilpa’s story, but what is interesting for a media watcher is The Sun’s front page.  The cover has been created as a response to losing the interview to The Mirror, and The Sun has cleverly developed the race debate structuring it in a way that its readers will connect to.

Jade Goodey has provided us with a well orchestrated photo, driving into the Priory. She’s obviously going for the sympathy vote – the tried and tested showbiz get out clause; check yourself into the Priory, out of circulation and buy some time.  I suspect that there is a lot of plotting going on in the Goody camp at the moment, so expect a PR onslaught after the dust has settled.

Also, while looking at the press, I saw a feature in yesterday’s G2 of the Guardian, which was all about buzz marketing. I try not to be cynical, but a number of the ideas claimed to be thought up by modern guerrilla marketing companies have all been staged sometime before by more clever and creative operators.  What is crucial with a great buzz marketing idea is that it has to generate word of mouth.  The greatest impact is gained if the idea connects with the media.  You can often see the puppet master behind so many great ideas. A really good publicity stunt is where everyone is engaged and no one can define it as a medium built to generate buzz. With so many marketing communications companies trying to get at marketing budgets, and so many fooled by stunts, I predict a backlash soon.