More on Jonathan Ross and the BBC scandal
A couple of news snippets on YouTube in which I comment on the ongoing crisis at the BBC.
Pulling the pluggers
In these difficult times, spare a thought for the unsung victims of the media song and dance surrounding Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand’s prank calls to Andrew Sachs; the pluggers. Now that Ross’s shows have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, the pluggers for any number of stars are without two of the most popular […]
Where next for Brand and Ross?
The suspension of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand by the BBC over their boorish and lewd phone call to Andrew Sachs is a definite case of the BBC finally sitting back and taking a look at their media stock after a week of keeping its collective head in the sand, Suspension is the equivalent to […]
The times they are a-changin'
The hoo-ha over Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand’s pre-recorded assault on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs has spilled over into a debate in today’s Times about whether presenters will earn as much money in the predicted straitened times post credit crunch and the global impact of such anarchic behaviour in a more tight-fisted entertainment world. […]
Zen and the art of Russell Brand
If you are surrounded by the press, being bombarded by difficult questions about something you’ve done, something that you may or may not be ashamed of, but are definitely unwilling to talk about, there is a new model of zen-like avoidance technique, thanks to the ever-inventive Russell Brand. Click here to see Brand say absolutely nothing about his involvement […]
Is all publicity good publicity?
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have sparked a lather of frothing outrage with their series of lewd messages on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs, who starred as Manuel in Fawlty Towers, detailing an alleged sexual liason between Brand and Sachs’ granddaughter Georgina Baille (click here to read the transcript). I feel some sympathy for Sachs and […]
With a Bang and a Wispa
Luckily, someone at the PR Week Awards was on hand with a camera to capture the Borkowski team’s exuberant stage invasion post the announcement of the team winning the Campaign of the Year Gold Award for the Cadbury’s Wispa campaign. The footage below proves beyond doubt that the only thing to go quietly to the […]
Winning with Wispa!
The last time we entered the PR Week Awards was fifteen years ago. Then, we won the award for Best Promotional Activity for a publicity stunt that involved a circus and a clown. It was a well-earned award, beating Freud’s Planet Hollywood campaign. For many reasons, however, we have not entered since then. This year, […]
How a bad picture can be a PR disaster
After John McCain’s monumental pratfall, Archie Bland explains how one picture can undo an entire political career His tongue is sticking out. He is doubled over like the hunchback of Notre Dame. And, from the photographer’s angle, John McCain appears to be reaching for his opponent’s Democratic ass. The picture, taken at the end of […]
Borkowski on Madge
Madonna v Guy: Mudslinging in Vogue as war begins By CLAIRE SMITH Scotsman WHEN their divorce was announced earlier this week, celebrity commentators queued up to tell us that Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s break-up would not follow the muck-raking Mills-McCartney model. Publicist and media analyst Mark Borkowski said it was common practice for stars to […]
Maynard Nottage: not so mysterious
It’s been a frenetic 48 hours, dealing with the Times’ article, printed today, which suggests that Maynard Nottage is a hoax. Well, he’s not. Or, as I was quoted in the Times, “Did I consider I was being hoaxed? Of course I did. But I don’t think so.” The reason for my belief is this: […]
Gordon Brown strikes back..
All the madness engendered by the slumping, declining, crashing money markets has thrown up some interesting residue. One of the most immediate changes is the way that Gordon Brown seems to have reverted to his ruffled, dishevelled old skool persona and has dumped the carefully spun version like so much laundry – and I think […]
Absolute fabulous radio.
Absolute Radio, the rebranded Virgin Radio has launched a multimillion-pound TV campaign,today . The station introduces the catchphrase “That’s good, that’s real good.” All a bit predictable, I remember the Dutch pirate station that ran an ad campaign with the tag “ We’re FUCKING GREEEAT. The series of ads touched the psyche and got straight […]
NEVER MIND THE BUTTER, HERE’S JOHNNY ROTTEN
I have been in a reflective state, bordering on shock, since I saw the Johnny Rotten Country Life butter advert. It really has been a long time since 1976, when the punk movement’s anarchy and infamy – and Lydon and the Sex Pistols in particular – caused popular outrage nationwide. Well, obviously the former punk […]
Credit Crunch Meltdown
In only a matter of weeks the political panacea that was Sarah Palin, the untried Governor from Alaska who seemed to be rejuvenating the fortunes of the republican cause, has morphed into a PR nightmare. Firstly, her unorthodox outburst about the mining initiative in Alaska left many feeling burned. Then came an enquiry into whether […]
Politician drowns in election publicity stunt
As the curtain is drawn on the Tory Party love fest this link popped into my inbox yesterday. It’s a cautionary tale for all aspiring would be political spin meisters. Take five minutes to read the article it does proves that all publicity is not necessarily good publicity news.yahoo.com
Search for a slogan
Search for a slogan. Oxfam is asking the public to write four memorable lines to be displayed on digital billboards around London. But how hard can it be to bash out a catchy, punchy, effective slogan? Ravi Somaiya: The Guardian, Monday September 29 2008 How difficult is it to write an advertising slogan? Oxfam will […]
Handbags at the Labour conference – spat between lobbyists
I’ve just read a piece on SpinWatch on the recent spat between lobbyists at Labour Party Conference: http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/5160/29/ . Its will worth a look.
BBC Radio or Comedy Farce?
I literally couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Les Ross of BBC Radio Midlands interviewing (if that’s what you could call it) the writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli. It was far more akin to an Alan Partridge sketch than a BBC radio interview. Les Ross began with an inane question about whether Hardeep […]
Girls and Corpses…
Thanks to http://www.radiobarking.com/ for turning me on to some rather good magazines Girls and Corpses? “Well, if you’re like me –explains the author, writer Robert Steven “Corpsy” Rhine– you like two things: beautiful girls and rotting corpses. So, I thought, why not bring these two great tastes together in one magazine?” Ahem!? http://www.oddee.com/item_96476.aspx