Press

How ‘charmless’ Prince Harry is just like Dominic Cummings, says MARK BORKOWSKI

Express

It doesn’t take an expert to see that Number 10’s political strategist Dominic Cummings, and HRH Prince Harry have something in common. Both have fallen the wrong side of the headlines recently – and both seem to have forgotten the graceful and necessary art of charm and basic truth. Cummings, the arch spinmeister, is now described by the Twitter wags as the Dark Lord.

Read full article here: https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1175950/Prince-Harry-latest-royal-news-dominic-cummings-pr

PRWeek has compiled a list of the best PR campaigns of the past 50 years,

PRWeek

PRWeek has compiled a list of the best PR campaigns of the past 50 years, focusing on those that had the greatest impact, showed the most creativity and were the most influential on campaigning today. All had a prominent UK element; some were directly linked to an ad campaign, but had a strong earned-media component. Huge thanks to the industry experts we consulted – Jackie Elliot, Trevor Morris, Mark Borkowski, Dr Nicky Garsten and Peter Cunard.

Read full article here: https://www.prweek.com/article/1595278/clunk-click-bowie-monty-python-10-best-pr-campaigns-1970s

Strikes, IT failures, customer unrest: can BA pull out of this nosedive?

The Guardian
 
The carrier is trading on past glories with glitzy ads that fail to reflect years of cost-cutting. But the firm insists it is investing for change.
 
The recent TV advert celebrating British Airways’ 100th anniversary was framed as a love letter to Britain, narrated by national treasures such as artist Grayson Perry, astronaut Helen Sharman and a phalanx of sporting stars.“We love you, Britain,” gushes Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. ,The problem for BA is that neither Britain, nor the rest of the world, appears to love it back.
 
With strikes looming, and amid operational failures, high-profile rows and customer dissatisfaction, BA will have to hope that its multibillion-dollar investment in quality of service will soon start to pay off.
According to branding guru Mark Borkowski, glossy celebrity-fronted advertising campaigns won’t do the trick on their own. “If a brand is going to change, it has to change from the top, from people really wanting to do it, and most of the posturing BA has done about who and what it is just isn’t authentic.
 
“The advert initiatives don’t match the brand and what it delivers. They just make us realise what BA once was and no longer is. You can’t advertise yourself out of a bad reputation.”
 

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein: Why it’s a ‘troublesome time’ for the royals

CBC

“This story is going to run and run,” British PR expert Mark Borkowski said in an interview last week. “It’s one of those conspiracy-type stories that carry on for years and years and years.”

That potential to “run and run” lies in the many unknowns that surround the Epstein case and Andrew’s own character.

The recent statements from the palace were hardly the first on the matter. When international headlines in 2015 blasted allegations that Andrew had sex with an underage U.S. girl more than a decade previously, the palace was quick and vigorous in its rebuttals and denials.

Still, said Borkowski, “they never quite rinsed out the stain,” and he sees the palace struggling to deal with the story now.

“It’s a very difficult situation,” he said. Andrew “might not be implicated in any of the lurid stories about Epstein’s sex parties and whatever but … what the palace are inheriting at the moment is just his incredibly poor choice of company.”

Read full article here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/royal-fascinator-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-air-travel-1.5256611

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in PR disaster over private jets ‘doesn’t look good’

The Express

PR guru Mark Borkowski said last night: “It doesn’t look good. When things like this occur, it seems highly hypocritical.

“They should look to Greta Thunberg. She is clearly more astute about public image than this couple of A-listers seem to be.

“It just takes some common sense and their PR advisers should be sitting down with them right now to explain how bad this looks.”

Read full article here: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1167469/meghan-markle-prince-harry-news-private-jet-nice-ibiza-france-archie-royal-news

Meghan Markle just handed Vogue millions in free publicity – so why is NOTHING going to good causes?

”This is while PR expert Mark Borkowski also told MailOnline the Vogue editorship and the huge global response was ‘priceless’ in PR terms, but contrasted sharply with what the Royal Family has traditional represented.

He said: ‘It is very on-brand for what we are seeing, this is a change brand at the heart of the Royal Family. ‘She continues to virtue signal, but the question is what the hard-edged royal followers who have come to expect certain access will think of the lack of pictures of the royal baby and the business around Frogmore House.’

He said the move towards a message of change rather than tradition would chime better with younger people, but risked upsetting an older generation He added: ‘This is similar to Lady Diana, who was very different, at that time, to what the public were used to, and caused some disruption.

It is very different from what say Sophie Wessex or Kate Middleton have offered.”

Read full article here:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7302207/Proceeds-Meghans-Vogue-edition-NOT-charity.html

…Sponsorship opportunities

iNews

The England Men’s Cricket team could earn tens of millions of pounds from sponsorship, endorsements and corporate work.

PR expert, Mark Borkowski, said: “We are talking £10million, £20 million individually. This is a massive pay day for these guys. It is now down to the sharpest and wisest minds who are in the management of these people to maintain their success.”

He cited Freddie Flintoff who, following the Ashes win, has gone into broadcasting, has a clothing line and presents Top Gear…

https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/england-cricket-world-cup-ben-stokes-turnaround-once-bad-boy-of-cricket/

Nigel Farage: Ad industry has ‘no idea what’s going on in people’s lives’

Mark Borkowski, founder and head of PR agency Borkowski, is not a fan of Farage but thinks Brexit is a salutary reminder of how inward-looking advertising and marketing have become.

“All those people who were running around at Cannes recently, slapping themselves on the back and giving awards to campaigns that, as good as many of them are, play to hipsters in Shoreditch, Glasgow and Manchester, should give Farage a communications award,” he said.

Read full article here: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/nigel-farage-ad-industry-no-idea-whats-going-peoples-lives/1591206

After Another Nightmare Week For Meghan Markle, Now Kate Middleton Is Stepping In To Help

Grazia Daily

The Sussexes have also recently faced attacks for their decision not to reveal the names of Archie’s godparents and to keep his christening private – shortly after it was revealed that the renovation of their home, Frogmore Cottage, cost the taxpayer £2.4m. According to PR expert Mark Borkowski, last week’s trip to the polo was the start of an attempt to change the script.

Read full article here: https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/meghan-markle-kate-middleton-princess-privacy/

Battle royal: Sussexes under fire as Archie set for private baptism

Herald Scotland

“Public relations expert Mark Borkowski said their decision to maintain privacy echoes the public relations strategy of a Hollywood A-lister. This is what you would expect a Hollywood A-lister to do, purposefully be sort of antagonist to the traditional system and not engaging with media in any shape or form” he said.

Read full article here: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17753267.battle-royal-sussexes-fire-archie-set-private-baptism/

ACTING UP? Meghan and Harry are acting like ‘Hollywood A-listers’ by keeping baby Archie’s christening private, PR expert claims

The Sun

Borkowski, a public relations consultant, said the decision to keep the press and public out of the celebration was all part of their carefully planned media strategy.
Unlike the christenings of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s three children, Harry and Meghan are excluding the cameras, and will only release only a few select photographs.
And in another marked difference between the Sussexs and the Cambridges, the new parents have decided not to release the names of Archie’s godparents.
Mark told Independent Ireland: “This is what you’d expect a Hollywood A-lister to do, purposefully be sort of antagonist to the traditional system and not engaging with media in any shape or form.

Read full article here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9442440/meghan-markle-prince-harry-hollywood-alisters-christening-archie-private/

Meghan Markle’s royal advisers made ‘HUGE MISTAKE’ with family drama – ‘the Meghan show!’

The Express

MEGHAN MARKLE’S Palace insiders made a “huge mistake” in the way in which they handled the backlash from the Duchess of Sussex’s family, PR guru Mark Borkowski has said.

Meghan Markle’s father Thomas was due to attend the Royal Wedding in May last year but it was revealed just days before that he had been hit with a heart problem and was too ill to make the trip.

The announcement came as he admitted he was paid to stage paparazzi photos to sell to news outlets in an effort to improve his image.

The Royal Family has been criticised for not welcoming Meghan’s family to the UK sooner in preparation for the wedding.

Mr Borkowski criticised the Royal Family’s handling of the situation and told ITV’s ‘Harry and Meghan: A Royal Baby’ documentary: “When you are dealing with AA list celebrities, it is really tough. It is unforgiving.

“The royal household didn’t deal with her family and cut then off and separated them out and they became the embarrassing dad.
“That was a huge mistake.

“She is a Hollywood actress. She knows what it is to project. She understands the demands of the media. It’s the Meghan show.”

Read full article here: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1116159/Meghan-Markle-baby-news-Prince-Harry-pregnant-Thomas-Markle-wedding-latest-ITV

Here my thoughts on woke-washing; acting to appear more acceptable to socially conscious consumers. Outing cynical bullshit.

The Guardian

“Mark Borkowski, a branding expert, said: “There’s nothing wrong with having a purpose and a drive, but it has to run through every element of your brand.

“The younger generation are much more aware that they’re being marketed to. Every brand wants that immediate idea that’s going to lift them above the noise, but the messaging and authenticity – really making a change – isn’t easily achieved in the blink of an eye. We all end up even more cynical.”

Read full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jun/19/unilever-boss-says-brands-using-woke-washing-destroy-trust

Boris Johnson looks more like Katie Price than a statesman in ‘staged’ loved-up pictures

The Mirror

Wannabe Tory leader branded a hypocrite for showing private life while ducking debate.

It doesn’t take a PR expert to tell you that this won’t play well. The British public will judge and they are not easily fooled.

Whoever has done this has been influenced by less Alastair Campbell, more Katie Price , although it does feel like an episode of political satire The Thick of It.

I think it’s straight out of the school of gauche PR.

Whoever did this is setting him up as a reality star rather than as a statesman. Maybe that’s what you need to be in politics now. But it does smell.

These reconciliation photos are what every soap star, every reality star does six months before they split up.

They are hoping it will change the narrative. But people will think it looks like it’s been manufactured.

Maybe it’s not, but it’s far too convenient after all the ructions.

There’s been too much conversation about his relationship and not enough about him as a leader. It’s an own goal.

Read full article here: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-looks-more-like-17202949

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