Pride of The Mirror
In 2002, eight cheezy PRs, including myself, were gathered together by PR Week to decide on the top 20 consumer PR campaigns in the history of publicity campaigns. One publicity stunt that shone out was Live Aid, 1984 which was an iconic event to raise awareness and money for starving Africans. It united the world […]
McDeath
An extract from Bob Burton’s Inside Spin: The dark underbelly of the PR industry. Brian Page, a 42-year-old railway worker, had been busy before Easter 1992 buying furniture for a house he had just moved into at Mt Pritchard, a south-western Sydney suburb. On their way home, his daughter Melissa wanted to stop at McDonald’s […]
Steroids are an unstoppable force
Michael Tchong has written an interesting paper on his site Darwin on Steroids: his claim is that while 75% of Americans object to steroid use, Marion Jones is part of evolution SAN FRANCISCO — 08-Oct-07 — Marion Jones is capturing headlines with an alleged admittance that she used steroids. A Friday poll of Facebook members […]
Britney Spears the mythic martyr?
The media vultures are circling high above the rotting carcass that is Britney Spears’ much-vaunted “career”. Her public image has been mashed and trashed by a concurrent series of disasters that has resulted in the family courts ripping her children from her bosom and placing them in the care of her trailer trash ex mate […]
Election tennis – the PR soundbight game (contd) the rain stops play.
How boy David downed mighty Goliath Gordon. – Cameron accused Brown of indecision and weakness, saying he had put the Labour Party’s interests before those of voters. – Brown Falls Behind in Polls as He Rules Out Election Game to Cameron. Cameron leads one game to love in the first set. RAIN STOPS PLAY
Election tennis – the PR soundbight game (contd)
The Guardian puts Labour and the Tories on 38 per cent, an eight-point drop for Mr Brown’s party, and a six-point rise for Conservatives. The surge follows Mr Cameron’s unscripted conference speech at the annual party conference in Blackpool 40 – 15
A New Level of Low
A friendly journalist sent me this press release this afternoon which he received from a PR agent. Its content surely heralds a new phase of celebrity hell. The journalist commented that it was probably one of the most unpleasant press releases of all time, but that it contained some zen wisdom about our celebrity age. He is right. […]
Election tennis – the PR soundbight game (contd)
David Cameron has challenged Gordon Brown to call an immediate general election and “let the people decide”. 30 – 15
Countrywide Financial and the cuddly folks at Burston Marsteller
When you are up to your neck in crap and some one with a head cold spits at you what do you do – duck? Perhaps the worst but therefore the most lucrative account must be the Countrywide Financial (CFC). Mauled by the financial media for its questionable lending practices, announcing it will lay-off 12,000 […]
Election tennis – the PR soundbight game
Tories to lift inheritance tax threshold to £1m 15 – LOVE Gordon Brown announces that UK troops in Basra are to be cut by 1,000 by the end of the year 15 – ALL
Pricasso's promotional tool
I spotted this “promotional tool” in today’s Independent. It’s a piece about a rather bizarre artist who paints portraits with his penis. Pricasso (ahem), as he calls himself, has recently demonstrated his talents at the Sexpo exhibition in Johannesburg. But I’m afraid he has all the hallmarks of a publicity stunt – one of the […]
Phone Gaff
The creeping erosion of PR standards is highlighted again by some poor practice in a resultant picture caption in this morning’s Sun newspaper. Emblazeoned across the lovely Vicky Newton “bizarre” column is a promo snap of Girls Aloud all brandishing mobile phones. Clearly it was staged to promote the handset. The problem is the story […]
Anorexic Gamers
Looking at the press yesterday I saw two examples of attempts to garner publicity, one being positive and the other rather negative. The first was the launch of Halo 3 last night at the IMAX. It’s one of the most successful Microsoft games ever and its press department have obviously treated it as such and […]
White Striped porn video shock meets race rant
The internet is full of people putting two and two together to make twenty two, not four. I’m still getting emails about Meg White and the sex tape scandal, suggesting these slightly racy pictures are the real reason why White Stripes have cancelled their world tour. http://community.livejournal.com/ Frankly, this is an inventive pornster who has […]
More PR woe
Recently I commented on the work of what I thought was a minority of PRs – Veet Pain In The PR Neck Rogue PRs Disappointingly, it has provoked a steady stream of anecdotes from industry folk who seem obliged to tell me about other idiotic tales and poor professionalism in the business, all of which reflect […]
After seven magnificent years, is the Gordon Ramsay era over?
Chef must turn his back on TV and devote himself to restaurants again, critics say. Helen Pidd : Saturday September 15, 2007 :The Guardian For a long time he seemed as invincible as his muse, Action Man. Millions tuned in to see him lose his temper on TV, his restaurant conglomerate notched up 10 Michelin […]
Pukka Pies
An email sent this morning from a Bristol City fan in the Czech Republic put my scam radar on high alert. A pal pointed out an interesting post on the BBC 606 forum – a rather transparent attempt by a marketing or PR company to start a bit of a pie revolution in the lower […]
The McCan's hire new PR advisers
According to Brand Republic the McCann’s have decided to bring in more PR muscle. I suggested in my blog that they needed a PR heavyweight, I am not sure that this is the outfit for the job. Hanover – according to their website is a corporate communications and public affairs outfit with 27 consultants and 40 high profile […]
Now the McCanns face trial by dinner party
IN THE first days after Madeleine McCann vanished, well-wishers from across the country descended on Rothley carrying cuddly toys, written prayers and yellow ribbons to express their sympathy for the McCanns. But visible signs of support have ebbed away in the family’s home village. A single candle flickered below a yellow bouquet where there had […]
Facebook angst
Can anyone provide me with an answer to the rather puzzling predicament that I have found myself in? Sitting in my friends request box on my Facebook site, I have 33 requests from various individuals that I have never met ALL asking me to be their friends. This ragbag of humans has one thing in […]