I am often asked to explain how a spin doctor operates. I think this tale illustrates the craft. Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton’s great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the […]
I have often considered my final PR scam. Today there is news of an absolute blinder from the creative mind of the design genius Fredric J Baur. The news on the wires suggests that the man who designed the Pringles crisp packaging was so proud of his accomplishment that he decided that a portion of […]
Another tired yet effective MTV publicity stunt appeared at the tired and lifeless MTV awards. Shock, horror! The hip Canadian actor, comedian and writer Seth Rogen was supposedly smoking a joint live on TV. But who watches the MTV Awards anymore, so who cares? It was an ambiguous moment but enough for the hapless channel, […]
Good on the PR company that staged this Robot stunt to promote the virtues of the new Evolta battery. Evidently the EVOLTA-powered robot climbed a 1,500-ft. Grand Canyon cliff last Saturday. The 4.5-ounce, 6.7-inch robot climber was scaling the cliff as a publicity stunt/demonstration for the Panasonic EVOLTA battery, which according to the Guinness Book […]
The obit pages have a habit of breakoing bad news. This morning obit pages recounts the colourful life of Evan Steadman. He was one of my all time favourite clients who actually got what I do and loved the process of great promotional publicity In 1993 Steadman employed ne to publize his stage concept “Maxwell: […]
Sharon Stone the star of Basic Instinct and Casino was forced into a humiliating public apology after she suggested that China’s “bad karma” over unrest in Tibet was linked to the disaster When celebrities’ words blow up in their faces, the key to defusing a row is “speed of reaction, in as few words as […]
Bloody hell, why hasn’t this been picked up? Talk about PR gaffes, listen to this soundbite from Bill Gates. I hear that the uber uber fromage, Bill Gates unintentionally made an uproarious comment at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital conference. On the first night’s show-opening discussion, Billy boy declared – wait for it […]
I received my old friend Julia Hobsbawn’s Editorial Intelligence report called The Power of The Commentariat. It features research which involved a self selecting small group of individuals from business, media, politics, public life, academia and a group set up by Editorial Intelligence on Facebook called Keep Up With The Commentariat to say who they […]
I can’t believe the furore over the Eurovision song contest results and the ensuing curmudgeonly comments from the British public and Terry Wogan himself. I have not seen such myopia, xenophobia and dare I say racism emanating from an event that should advocate friendly global relations. To say that the Eastern block states all voted […]
Mark Phillips and Autumn Kelly’s decision to sell their story and wedding exclusive to Hello! magazine has caused such a level of furore that nearly every paper has had something to say on the matter. The wedding exclusive agreement with Hello! was on the understanding that no senior member of the Royal Family would be […]