October 2007

CREATIVE SUPPORT NEEDED TO ENCOURAGE ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS, SAYS LEADING PUBLICIST MARK BORKOWSKI

CREATIVE SUPPORT NEEDED TO ENCOURAGE ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS, SAYS LEADING PUBLICIST MARK BORKOWSKI

Encouraging entrepreneurs in the creative sector is vital to help safeguard and develop London as a key global hub for knowledge-based businesses, according to high profile celebrity and brand publicist Mark Borkowski.

Speaking at an event to mark the expansion of the gateway2investment (g2i) programme into new business sectors including the creative industries, he welcomed the investment-readiness support now being made available to London’s key innovators and entrepreneurs.

Mr Borkowski, founder and head of the eponymous celebrity and brand PR consultancy, said the Capital’s economy is highly dependent on its successful creative sector but could not afford to be complacent.

“It is important to provide support to entrepreneurs at a time when many of those coming into the workforce seem more risk averse, especially graduates leaving university with huge overdrafts and wondering how they will ever get on the housing ladder.

“Entrepreneurs have to have a maverick streak but can still benefit from support and guidance, especially in the creative sector which is so fragmented and competitive. It is important that the public sector responds and that schemes should be inclusive so that even those people who might naturally shy away are drawn in and take advantage of the resources on offer.

The creative sector – encompassing a wide range of businesses including the media, communications, arts and fashion industries – has been identified by the LDA as a priority sector for London because of its contribution to London’s economy. About four in every 10 creative jobs in the UK are based in London and it continues to be one of the fastest growing areas of the economy.

“London needs a creative environment which benefits from the cross fertilisation of ideas. Places such as Salford are showing that it is possible and London needs to respond by nurturing its young businesses to give them the best opportunity for success,” said Mr Borkowski.

Since its launch in September 2005, g2i has helped leverage more than £15 million of private sector investment into young companies showing high growth potential and has led to the development of a vibrant network of innovators and entrepreneurs. Backed by the London Development Agency (LDA), the programme focuses on supporting early stage businesses to overcome the difficulty of raising investments in the £50,000 to £3 million range.

It draws on the expertise and contacts of private sector companies that form the g2i consortium, led by Grant Thornton UK LLP, to help entrepreneurs and young companies build robust business propositions and gain access to the investment community.

Chris Mackman, the LDA’s Head of SME Finance and Premises, said: “The public sector impact on early stage financing is quite significant because many of the funds operating in this area are backed by public money. g2i fulfils a very important role in preparing businesses to get to the stage where they can attract investors with their ideas.”

The event to mark the £1.7 million expansion of the g2i programme was held at the Dali Universe at the County Hall Gallery on the South Bank, attracting an audience including private sector investment professionals, business advisers and funding experts.

“Young companies need to do everything they can to stand out as high quality investment propositions,” said Grant Thornton’s Ian Shields, manager of the g2i programme. “g2i not only helps companies prepare themselves for external scrutiny but also opens the door to the decision-makers who can provide the funding needed for them to go on to commercial success.

“It makes sense to broaden the remit to new areas because the g2i formula that has worked so well in the technology sector is equally as applicable in a range of businesses operating in diverse industries.”

More information about the g2i programme is available at www.g2i.org

CREATIVE SECTORS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED, SAYS BORKOWSKI

Creative sectors should be encouraged, says Borkowski
Businesses within creative industries need more encouragement to grow, it has been claimed.

According to brand publicist Mark Borkowski these types of companies should be encouraged to grow so that London can continue developing as a centre for knowledge-based businesses.

Currently, four out of ten creative jobs in the UK are based in London, and the city is continuing to be one of the fastest growing areas of the economy. The creative sector – a key target for the gateway2investment (g2i) programme – includes areas such as the media, communications, arts and fashion.

http://www.startups.co.uk/6678842911676294816/creative-sectors-should-be-encouraged-says-borkowski.html

The g2i programme, backed by the London Development Agency (LDA), has received £1.7m extra funding to extend its services, which will aim to help companies in creative and other key sectors secure investment.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, Borkowski said: “London’s a fantastic place to do business but faces the continual challenge of how best to encourage its entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and achieve commercial success.

“Without risk-takers, job creation and wealth generation grind to a halt,” he added. “The g2i programme is a key method of shifting the odds back in favour of the entrepreneurs.”

Also speaking at the launch was Simon Littlewood, manager of the g2i programme.

“Young companies need to do everything they can to stand out as high quality investment propositions,” he said.

“g2i not only helps companies prepare themselves for external scrutiny but also opens the door to the decision makers who can provide the funding needed for them to go on to commercial success.”

WHEN PHOTOS GO WRONG!

Hampshire Hampshire police thought it would be a good idea to advertise on the back of buses. Their planning didn’t take into account the position of the exhaust pipe….

MARK TALKS ABOUT THE SPICE GIRLS SPONSORSHIP DEAL

Mark talks about the Spice Girls sponsorship deal on MacAulay and Co on Radio Scotland Thu 18 Oct

Click here to listen

PR WEEK FEATURE ON ‘HOW WE USE FACEBOOK’

Like it or loath it, Facebook is hard to ignore. Hannah Marriott spoke to four consultants about their relationship with the social networking phenomenon

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PR 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 and the name of the company didn't get a check. The hook, or should I say the more compelling narrative, was that one of the pop totty had covered up her pins. Shameful that the phone PR company that was employed did not control the story.

The deal is simple; a picture plugs a brand message and that is why the client has sunk his cash on the girls holding the phones. The PR failure is that the clients commercial needs weren't looked after. It underlines a poor relationship with the art of media relations.

Whilst I know the name of the product, I don't see why this blog should name it and therefore right the wrong. Christ it's a hard job, but looking afer the finest detal of the job in hand with savvy professionals is essential for meaningful ROI.

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

It is not often I get to spend the evening drinking blood, smoking opium, helping with an abortion, witnessing open heart surgery, being seduced by a prostitute, accosted by a heroin addict and having my mind read but I should expect little else of a night out with Punchdrunk. Kill to get a Masque of the Red Death ticket or beseige the BAC box office

CREATIVE TRUTH

PR companies will do anything to drum up business and sometimes it involves being creative with the truth. This afternoon I was delivering my thoughts on the power of word of mouth at a Marketing Week gig in leafy Kensington. My attention was drawn to the promotional flyer of a young hungry PR hot shop that excitably blathered about its portfolio of guerrilla work.

The creds included a stunt they had instigated for a well-known mobile phone operator. I was surprised to learn that the event they hijacked was the launch of the Vodafone live event that we staged – very successfully. The true facts surrounding the stunt is that the gobo projected on the building was revolving and spiraling in all its glory whilst everyone was inside listening to Jonathon Ross stand up. When the security threatened to smash up the projector, the lily livered team headed for the hills.

They did indeed return with branded taxis for a second action as hopeless as the first. The branded cabs failed to pick up a single guest as they were positioned at the wrong exit and by the time the clueless PR had realized the error, the assembled hordes had left. Fantastic ROI and cut through. More sorry tales of PR incompetence tomorrow.

THE ORGINAL HYPSTER - ROCKEFELLER OR BRANSON

1900’s - John D. Rockefeller regularly gave away silver dimes in front of reporters. It instantly caught the imagination of anyone who saw the image in the mass media, turning an alien faceless money-monger into a friendly old man giving a child a dime. Image is everything…

2007 - “The billionaire entrepreneur and serial self-publicist had decided to descend 407ft from the top of the Palms Casino Hotel, Las Vegas, to promote Virgin America, a new airline offering domestic flights in the U.S. It all started so well. Strapped in a harness and attached to a cable, the 57-year-old tycoon beamed confidently before taking a running jump from the roof. As he descended rapidly, he pulled airline tickets out of his pocket and scattered them to the ground as part of the bungee-cum-abseiling stunt.”
At least Rockefeller kept his coat on…

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 and achieved its goals. There was a half hearted attempt to do it again ten years later, but that’s another story.
Brand events can’t simply be a stunt, they must have resonance. The shining modern example of this is the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards. I went to my 8th Pride of Britain Awards this year, the baby of Peter Willis, the associate editor of the Daily Mirror who has created a fantastic publicity vehicle for the Mirror. All newspapers, whether they’re red tops or broadsheets all need to increase readership in an age where less and less people read papers.

Many of the great and the good from the world of entertainment, politics and sport gathered together to celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. JK Rowling and Gordon Brown blubbed their way through the evening as Carol Vorderman introduced the many acts of heroism, compassion and sacrifice. Each year this televised event pumps the name of the Daily Mirror to millions of ITV viewers. It’s the must go, must see event of the year. It embodies all the brand values of the Daily Mirror, and the content forges world relationships with other media, generates thousands of blogs and allows the Mirror executives and editorial teams to rub shoulders with anyone who is anyone. Many imitations try to karaoke the Pride of Britain’s success, but none has succeeded. I guess on this occasion imitation really is a form of flattery. Media organisations need to look to this event for its brand integrity. The Pride of Britain Awards has consigned the old fashioned values of the Mirror to the dustbin of history. Consumer brands should consider how they might match the Mirror’s success- an experiential event that truly connects with an audience.

BRITNEY SPEARS - 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 Kevin Federline. The resultant PR meltdown has given the global media a succulent celebrity carrion, but is it all coming to a sticky end? Predictions suggest that a new idea is spreading through the blogosphere and should soon surface off line that there is a growing fear that Britney might take her own life.

Ah.. the price of celebrity. Trust me, there is one whether it's Britney or some reality show throwaway who has enjoyed the fruits of their 15 minutes, but is left longing for the adoration that has now disappeared. Omens about Britney's struggles are a portent to doom. While writing my book on the art of the uber flacks - The Fame Formula - I discovered countless examples of discarded studio stars taking their lives after being spectacularly ignored by the studios. Perhaps one of the most public suicides was that of Peg Entwistle in 1933. A starlet who had become famous on Broadway, made her way to Hollywood to pursue a movie career. Suffering numerous knock backs and snubs from the studios, Entwistle's depression became aggravated until she finally took her own life at 24. She claimed to be going to a drugstore, but instead walked up to the foot of the giant Hollywoodland sign made up of 50 ft high white letters (the last four letters were removed in 1949). She climbed the maintenance ladder to the top of the letter H and jumped to her death.

It seems meaningful PR advice has deserted the sinking ship and the raft of stories indicate that there isn’t a flack defending what’s left of her image. Is Britney another Peg pushed and pulled by her drive for media adoration? I suggest the celebrity obsessed cycle has reached a point where it needs a martyr. I get a strong feeling that the countless blogs and supermarket titles are unwittingly pushing the troubled star to the edge. It seems there is no credible media advice on hand to throw her a life line. The pages and pages of conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Diana confirm that her value is still high and I suspect, apart from the families involved, the Fourth estate would prefer that the inquest leave the mystery intact to grow and grow as the decades pass. Diana's mythic-martyr status has reached an unprecedented level, and I think what Britney would be worth if she did the unthinkable.

The advance in technology is a reason for the growing trend in celebrity brands' image rights being exploited long after their death. If only Peg had jumped off the H sign in the 21st century.

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. Can the level that these Z listers have plummeted to get any lower? The doctor performing the op is willing to say exactly when it's going to happen - surely an open invitation to the paparazzi. The press release was sent on Monday - plenty of time to know ahead of the scheduled knife-ing.

BIANCA GASCOIGNE TRANSFORMS HER BOOBS

Transform Cosmetic Surgery Group is delighted to announce that Love Island
beauty, Bianca Gascoigne, will be having a breast re-augmentation at its Heath Hospital clinic in London on Tuesday 2 October 2007.

Bianca first went for a consultation at the Transform New Cavendish clinic
in London where she decided to increase her already enhanced C-cup to a DD cup.

Tomorrow, Dr Khan will perform the surgery by removing her current implants and replacing them with a larger size.

Transform is a favourite with many UK based celebrities including Jordan (Katie Price) and Gemma Atkinson (breast enlargements). On average, Transform undertakes 500 boob jobs per month!

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Transform
spokesperson, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with *********

SECRET MEMO....

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 people, and watching its stock price fall from over $45 to $20, Countrywide Financial has just hired Burson Marsteller. The cuddly lovable PR behemoth is a hefty and influential PR conglomerate that is adept at generating a positive image for businesses involved in unethical corporate practices and human rights misdemeanours. I suppose when you need help, you turn to someone with muscle. It is a bit of a poor start to highlight the strategy in a secret memo, and presume it will not be leaked to the press.

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