When press conferences go bad..
Ricky Hatton a publicists dream…
6",12" or 2"
A pizza chain in OZ has produced a YouTube video suggesting employees of a rival chain have small penises, in a bizarre war over the size of their tasty treats. I love this stunt which isn’t generating the ink it deserves. Eagle Boys Pizzas in Australia has attacked Domino’s Pizzas for secretly reducing the size…
Matthew Freud's Brother in Law
Matthew Freud’s power and influence of will be boosted into the stratosphere due to the promotion of his brother in law, James. I expect the bitchy PR world will continue to take swipes at Matthew, especially when the small minds of the major PR networks finally comprehend the significance of the new shape of the…
Product placement a new era.
Here is an interesting feature from Tuesday’s New York Times – thank you Spinwatch for highlighting it “Product placement is hardly a new phenomenon, and the morning [U.S. television] shows long ago mastered the quid pro quo of daily television: Actors give interviews timed to their latest projects; authors are recruited as experts just as…
Media Guardian Awards for Innovation
I spent most of the night studying the entries for the MediaGuardian Innovation awards, an idea cooked up by the MediaGuardian to celebrate innovations in the media industry. I’m judging the PR and Brand Identity sections and I have to admit I found the homework a depressing task. Hopefully, when the judges all gather to…
"A public conversation with my old mate Trevor Morris"
I had an enjoyable evening last night, pontificating to 300 PR souls at the Old Cinema at Westminster University. The event was in “a public conversation with my old mate Trevor Morris”, who prompted me to respond to issues that were pertinent to modern PR. The final half hour of the evening was taken over…
The U.S. Propaganda Blitz in Post-War Japan
Here is an interesting snippet from Spinwatch taken from The Japan Times, November 21, 2007 “A report written in 1959 by Mark May, a Yale University professor and expert on psychological warfare, detailed the extensive operations by the United States Information Service (USIS) in Japan after the end of World War II. The report was…
Campaign for Media Democracy stages the "Falsies Awards"
At the end of each year, the Campaign for Media Democracy stages the “Falsies Awards,” to recognize the people and players that take spin and propaganda to new lows. I have been told that 2007 is a vintage year and has some all time lows. Corrupt PR practice in the US plagues the media across…
Jungle rumble to Cerys comeback?
Out of the jungle and into the spotlight for Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews might have sung “It’s all over the front page” in trademark song Road Rage, but the same could not be said of her in recent years. Until three weeks ago, that is, when the former Catatonia singer joined the gaggle of famous…
The effect of sales promotion ..
When ever I walk across the Paddington Station concourse I marvel at the genius of sale promotion agencies that regularly use the space. The art of great sales promotions is to connect a brand with potential customers in a creative and engaging fashion. I was drawn to the current Brazil promo at the busy commuting…