PR in Pole Position at the Media Business Course
Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to be asked to present at the Media Business Course in Brighton for the fourth year running- the only PR, I’m told, who has ever had the invitation extended. Usually, it’s a day of great value to me: being pushed up in front of the surprisingly intimidating face of […]
Frankie Cocozza’s Meltdown is an Unrestrained, Uncontrolled Toxic Mess- It’ll do Wonders for the X Factor, though Little for M&S
The X Factor’s token Rock n Roll hairbrush Frankie Cocozza was splashed in lurid glory all over the red tops this morning: you can’t beat a good old fashioned tabloid coke scandal. Especially when it comes courtesy of Frankie, the boy who wanted to be a mashup of Richards, Moon and Shelley. The question, however, […]
Update: Like the Protestors, the Story Surrounding St Paul’s is Going Nowhere
Since I last penned a brief note on the St Pauls occupy London shenanigans, it seems there’s been some new story almost daily. The resignation of two senior church officials, the alleged 48 hour deadline, the declaration that the protestors are here to stay, the threat of legal action by the city, comments from both […]
Alex Hall: Unfortunate, Out of Her Depth and Beyond Salvation
The performance of Alex Hall, Jeremy Clarkson’s now-infamous-once-gagged ex, on ‘That Sunday Night Show’ last week was a classic example of the dark underbelly of the kiss and tell process. Your publicist finds an op, you do it no matter what, and you end making a quick facial omelette. It’s like Faust’s pact with the […]
St Paul's Needs to Tread a Path Between Cringe and Whinge
In a publicity battle between a bunch of kids protesting against the most up to date bugbears around and the Church of England, the playing field isn’t exactly level. Watching St Paul’s trying to do PR is a bit like watching your Aunt Enid dance at a wedding: it’s somehow anachronistic, disjointed, just plain wrong. […]
Stripping For Votes Could Work, Just Nobody Tell Theresa May
The video of Polish politician Katarzyna Lenart stripping for votes has generated the kind of online buzz that other party political broadcasts (and I use the term in its loosest sense) could only dream of. Shot on what appears to be a pretty low grade camera and featuring a swivel chair that wouldn’t look out […]
The Blackberry Debacle Was a Wake-up Call for Opaque Businesses
So, everyone, panic over. Our liftime’s answer to the Irish Potato Famine or the sacking of Rome is at an end. I refer, of course, to the great blackberry blackout. At the time of writing, my emails are now fully functional once again after a mere 3 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes. Given that […]
Mike Tindall and the Folly of the Front Pages
Somewhere in the heart of New Zealand, the England team will be shaking off hangovers, disengaging themselves from the arms of dwarves and former family friends, and getting psyched up for training prior to their all-important clash with France. While Mike Tindall’s injury excludes him from the final team, his presence will be felt nonetheless. […]
The Pride Of Britain Awards Show How A Good Tabloid Can Still Connect
I went along to the Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards (airing tonight on ITV at 8) the other night, and in addition to having a bloody great night it got me thinking about how a good tabloid can get things exactly right. The Mirror’s repeated airing of what is a classic piece of event TV […]
Dave Trott: Hot on Advertising, Not on PR?
I respect Dave Trott. He is an Ad man and Guru of considerable stature I read and liked his book Creative Mischief. Usually, Dave provides clear thinking and words of wisdom. I’ve been preoccupied; I missed his recent CampaignLive blog Stuntvertising. I read the post, my heart sank. This got my goat; “Normally I’m not […]
Rory Weal and the Brand Narrative Quandry
(You can also read this post in the Huffington Post, here) The excitable and ubiquitous coverage of ‘labour boy’ Rory Weal following his appearance at the Labour Party Conference on Monday said a lot about the power of narrative. From Melanie Philips’s enraged dismissal of his ‘mantra of hate’ in the mail to the Guardian’s […]
Arch West: The Final Chip off a Very Old Block?
It’s a great story for anyone who’s obsessed by the showmanship of selling: Arch West, the great Frito-Lay marketing exec and inventor of Doritos, has been covered with his beloved chips in his final resting place. West came from a long line of great retail mavericks who had the fire and the guts to tap […]
The Ceri Rees Story: Validating Chinese Government Policy?
The tale about Ceri Rees- an upbeat but apparently mentally challenged woman allegedly repeatedly invited to appear on the X Factor for the sole purpose of ratings-grabbing rejection- has really captured the tabloid imagination yesterday. This has the shape of something that could seriously run and run. The latest Mail piece by Richard Price, which […]
Lib Dem Conference: A Leaky PR Ship With No-one Manning the Hull
In his Today programme interview with Justin Webb yesterday, Nick Clegg’s intended, unflappable nice guy image was showing the kind of serious wear and tear that can only result from a shortage of publicity muscle and back room support. By turns repetitive and needlessly confrontational (over the question of Italy, for instance, he veered back […]
ThaR(WC) She Blows: A PR Iceberg Drifts Onto the Horizon for the England Boys
The Mail’s coverage of a particularly wild night out for England’s Rugby World Cup lads today- in which Chris Ashton wrestled dwarves and Mike Tindall took a ride on a motorboat (if you catch my drift)- should set alarm bells ringing in any media-savvy mind. Other than raising an eyebrow at Tindall’s quasi-infidelity, the paper […]
The Saatchi & Saatchi Fuck Up Shows Why Storytelling is Best Left to PRs
For those who’ve not heard, a Saatchi & Saatchi campaign for client Toyota has led to a $10m suit being filed against the ad firm and the car company, as well as various individuals connected with the campaign. The campaign, which allowed people to sign up their friends to be ‘pranked’ with a serious of […]
Whether it's Roald Dahl's or Mine, Let's Call a Shed a Shed
Sophie Dahl had the commentariat in a flap yesterday following her request on the Today programme for half a million quid to refurbish and move her much beloved Grandad’s near-collapsing old writing shed to a new home. Seems a lot for one old prefab, especially since mine was only valued at about £100. Clearly some […]
Freedom of Information: The Changing Function of the Comms Industry
There was a great post by Kevin Bakhurst on the BBC editors’ blog the other day explaining the changes to the nature of the newsroom in the post-social media age. Bakhurst gives a pretty considered rundown of the challenges posed by social media, not least the fact it almost always has someone else be first […]
Red or Black: a [Bad] Publicity Factory Closed Down Too Soon?
As Simon Cowell’s ‘Red or Black?’ approaches its end, the viewing figures tell an interesting story. The nosedive from its inaugural 6.4m audience to 4.47m on Sunday was splashed gleefully all over the press and the show was proclaimed to be Cowell’s first failure (certainly not true: remember Rock Rivals? Battle of The Stars? Of […]
Absolutely Fatuous: The Ravages of Misdirected Satire
It’s pretty ironic that the proposed return of Absolutely Fabulous this Christmas has been getting so much attention. With the stars splashed all over the culture media and some big news stories, anyone familiar with the industry can spot the tell-tale signs of a hardworking publicist beavering away. Yet this presumably highly professional and efficient […]