MAY 14, 2008

GET IT TOGETHER GORDON

Since the whole 10p tax band withdrawal and the local elections fall out, Labour truly is in the unenviable position that most parties at the end of their term find themselves in. Gordon Brown is a man ill at ease with the modern process of PR and engaging with the media cycle. He is not a man of sound bites, more of substance.  The media is picking away at his eyes like a rabid vulture and his response is to hit back with packages to bewitch the electorate. Today he has offered to help family finances as he outlined his legislative programme for next year. Beleaguered Brown pledged more help for first-time buyers, a savings scheme for eight million low earners and more flexible working rights for parents. But in truth, if Labour is going to use the next two years to try to regain their popularity, then they need to find a new leader to connect with the public.

Today's speech was overshadowed by headlines about Gordon Brown possibly a judge on an Apprentice style programme.  Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, unwittingly let it slip that producers have approached the PM to act as a judge on the proposed programme provisionally entitled “Junior PM”, claiming that Gordon Brown could become more popular than Alan Sugar.  Come on guys, make your mind up, are you going to play the role of straight dispatch box politician, passionately inspiring the nation, or represent cheap PR tricks that run against Brown's core values?

MAY 12, 2008

MEDIA APHRODISIACS

A huge and gloomy list outing PR spammers, http://prspammers.pbwiki.com/

I am told that this wake was put together by Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker.com, but somehow I don't think this will stem the flow. Trust me, idiots who take the corporate buck will always attempt to push their luck, sometimes with disastrous ends. Beware, as it can be a tearful reality.

A big thank you to my cuddly diarist pal Madame Arcati who has pointed out a Will Self rant on Tony Parsons - his claim that Parsons "focus-groups" his plots before he turns them into novels - a diatribe against targeting one's audience in the art process -
http://madamearcati.blogspot.com/2008/05/will-self-tony-parsons-focus-groups-his.html.

It proves how important a media aphrodisiac is to many scribblers, especially before they set out on the epic quest of writing a book. It's sad to report that without a hook, an author can be condemned to the frustrating reality of a mammoth amount of work counting for relatively nothing.
 

MAY 08, 2008

BRAIN FOOD

I smell an ambitious new brand, hungry for attention - step forward FpsBrain. A number of blogs have noticed with a mix of amusement and depression that this brand will do anything to get noticed. Great stunts should never be seen and the slight of hand is crucial when trying to use this form of publicity to leverage attention.

The wheezing PR campaign for FpsBrain rams it up the arse with claims that firstly, the drink can increase your mental powers for gaming performance, and now, that it's actually supporting Tibet by not being produced in China.

Posted by Mark Borkowski at 10:52 AM
send to a fiend

APRIL 30, 2008

ANTI SMOKING AD TOPS COMPLAINTS

Out of the 14.080 adverts which drew complaints last year, the official government anti smoking campaign, showing a woman with a fish hook through her cheek, provoked the most anger. Over the last few years there has been a growth in the amount of complaints that the Advertising Standards Authority has received, particularly for commercials which aim to deliver shock, horror and revulsion. In the good old days, all this outrage would have been articulated by the late great Mary Whitehouse. I have been talking about the reasons for this growth for some time now. In order for brands to get traction in every day life and the amount of money that’s demanded from them from advertising agencies, they need to do more than just sit on the terrestrial channels, they need to get into the mainstream. They need to bring these ads alive and right now, shock, outrage and horror are the only tricks left for advertising agencies to get ads into the mainstream and to charge the kind of money they charge to make them.

The government anti smoking ad has now been read about by probably more people than actually saw the ad in the first place. The real problem will come when people start saying “oh no, not another ad that’s going to get complaints”… but until then, we need a 21st Century funky Mary Whitehouse who can bring all these heinous and outrageous matters to our attention!

APRIL 23, 2008

ANOTHER PATHETIC MTV PR STUNT

Why oh why is MTV associating itself with zzzzz list celebrities once again. Stand by for another desperate attempt by MTV to try and sell its pitiful content. It’s as subtle as getting a tan with a blow torch. The latest scam is a mildly amusing viral campaign for the skanky UK Big Brother series 8, Chanelle Hayes. Remember, Chanelle once declared that she would rather have the money in the bank than a personality. Well thanks to the cuddly boys at MTV , suddenly she is slapping her ass in bed with a glove puppet and we are supposed to think that this tape is an ironic play on the illegal sex tape medium. Chanelle is desperately trying to be a pop star but she is just like fertilizer: stinks for a while, then you get used to it. I am bored with all the hapless ex Big Brother types. Why does anyone bother with them, especially MTV? They have had their moment, so move on. . It’s so sad that the once great MTV associates itself with dumb reality show jet trash. This whole exercise has the grace and elegance of a pregnant cow. But if you like seeing Chanelle rolling around in a bed pulling off her lingerie, by my guest and play this sad viral that is a disguised PR stunt. Personally, I would rather pick maggots out of road kill, fry them in hot grease and then eat them.