Mark My Words Blog
Welcome to ‘Mark My Words,’ the digital sanctuary where insight meets intrigue, and commentary sparks contemplation.
Delve into the dynamic world of PR maverick Mark Borkowski as he unravels the threads of media, culture, and communication. Mark’s blog is a treasure trove of industry wisdom, offering a backstage pass to the inner workings of publicity and the ever-evolving landscape of modern media.
An Open Letter to the Folk Behind The Archers
Dear producers, commissioners, writers and other masterminds behind ‘The Archers’. Your programme is a great institution. It keeps the cognoscenti from topping themselves over the state of British ‘continuing drama’ and it remains perhaps our finest regional accent safari outside of the RSC. I’ve been a committed advocate for years- I was even a founding member of the Eddie Grundy fan club, having been convinced by John Peel and his producer John Walters. This in mind, why oh why do you choose to deal in archetypes, clichés and flagrant misinformation? Why must your 5 million (million) listeners be poisoned with…
Greg Smith: I Could Be an Internet Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here…
Call me a cynic, but something rankles with me in this Greg Smith resignation furore. What’s unquestionable is that this man, formerly at the top of his profession (at least outwardly) has now rendered himself unemployable. The publication of his article and the resultant storm of comment combined in a perfect storm of PR disasters which led to the firm’s shares dropping by 3.4% yesterday. We must ask two questions about his actions. The first: did he know? Is it conceivable that he thought, by printing an article in the New York Times, he would be hailed as courageous, his…
Mark to Debut ‘Adventure Capitalism- a User’s Guide’ At Solo Theatre Festival
Mark will perform a brand new talk on the concept of adventure capitalism- from Kittenger to Ken Dodd, from Pony Express to Startup Billionaires- as part of London’s first festival of Solo Theatre. Joining an illustrious bill of star performers from stage and business alike, Mark will explain and elucidate how to preserve a sense of purpose and suppress the bullshit in the world of extreme entrepreneurialism.
Tuesday 22nd May: Mark to Lend Storytelling Expertise to Unilever
Mark is to speak at Unilever’s forthcoming event, ‘telling stories in a digital world’. Enlisted for his famous- and occasionally infamous- track record of creating stories which inflame public conversation, Mark will be advising and educating global marketing teams on how best to craft brand stories through digital platforms. In the new economy, information arises and alters at an incredible rate. Mark will demonstrate how to form, shape, deliver and respond to these digital stories. The event will take place on Tuesday 22nd May at 11:20
Thursday, June 14th, 2012: Mark to Sell in the Apocalypse with Marcus Brigstocke
As part of the Cheltenham Science Festival, Mark will be taking part in a panel discussion, titled ‘Marketing the Apocalypse’ and chaired by comedian and popular commentator Marcus Brigstocke, on the marketing methods of environmental movements. Alongside prominent environmentalist Tony Juniper and Climate Scientist Mark Maslin, Mark will lend his insights on the importance of creative communications strategies in the new economy to this uniquely pertinent and highly controversial debate. The event will take place On Thursday, June 14th, 2012 at 12:00
Of Harry, Usain and an Amazing PR Turnaround
Today’s prince Hazza/Usain Bolt story is remarkable in demonstrating just how far the royals- and prince Harry in particular- have come, PR wise, in an infinitesimally small space of time. The pair’s ‘race’ was gleefully picked up by scribblers across the tabloid and broadsheet press- all of whom absolutely fell into line with what must have been a palace PR agreed interpretation. Harry’s banter-fuelled premature start and Bolt’s quasi-ironic deference combined to create a feel-good, saccharine masterpiece of a stunt. What struck me as incredible was this total confirmation of Harry’s newfound status as palace PR vehicle. Not 5 minutes…
O2 takes Priority over BT
I was tipped off the other day to a scandalous instance of brand karaoke. As those readers involved with the marketing or events worlds, or anyone who simply likes going to gigs, may know, O2 are pioneers in the priority ticketing space. O2 Priority is a fantastically successful scheme (brainchild of the fantastic head of music sponsorship Jasmine Skee) which, when combined with highly impactful online material like Academy TV, is a recipe for inspirational ticket sales. The other day, BT decided, bizarrely, to attempt to take ownership of this much-beloved brand, with promoted tweets advertising advance tickets to LondonLive…
Chisora/Haye- newest casualties of the sports media machine
The Chisora-Haye post fight Brew-ha ha over the weekend was a stark reminder that the world of Boxing provides us with the clearest and noisiest examples of the many pitfalls open to the young sports star. The scuffle between the two men has seen papers of all stripes filled with talk of the ‘disgrace’ in which they’ve left the sport. Of course, if boxing can indeed be discredited by an out of ring scuffle, its name is already irredeemably muddied. The Guardian and the Mail both took the opportunity to run in one form or another gleeful summaries of past…
Wolf, Boob jobs and the Limits of Corporate Morality
On Tuesday I got involved in a good, old fashioned almighty Twitterstorm. Kicked off by the recent re-ignition of the age-old breast implant debate, it effectively centred around Newsnight, and the embattled Health Minister Anne Milton, besieged on all sides by parties with a variety of grievances. Star of the show, however, was Naomi Wolf, who waded in calmly and with considerable dignity to point out that the dangers of breast implants aren’t exactly a surprise. As she said with delicious poise, ‘I wrote a book about this, which was reported in every major news outlet’. She referred to ‘twenty…
The Future of Journalism is the Future of PR
I bumped into someone the other night who described themselves as a ‘media relations director’ for a PR firm. It got me thinking- in my agency’s previous incarnation I employed someone in a similar role, and was generally pretty pleased with the results. However, with the role of PR in relation to the media- and the media itself- changing at a frightening rate, the existence of such a role led me to think about the changes in modern journalism, and their meaning for the PR world. The death of print journalism in its current form is a fact- the industry…
The Bayern Munich Transfer Stunt: When Clever Becomes Smartarse
Yesterday’s failed Bayern Munich stunt was an ideal example of what happens when creative energy fails to connect with the reality of the media narrative. For those who didn’t hear, the German football team wrangled a piece of PR trickery which fuelled an horrific backlash. An announcement on their website that “a spectacular name” was to sign for the club invited fans to watch the name’s unveiling on the team’s Facebook page. Needless to say, an incredible amount of furore was generated and fans eagerly tuned in at the proposed time in their thousands. However, following a short video clip…
The 33 1/3 Factor: Growing Without Goals, Pitching Without Passion
Whilst flitting between a flurry of meetings lately, the issues of growing a company have been playing on my mind. Whether you’re selecting which new business pitch to opt for, attempting to prioritise a hectic diary or thinking about enlisting new staff, defining and sustaining a true corporate culture is as essential as it is difficult. Arthur Schopenhauer, that eminently quotable German, once said ‘We forfeit two thirds of ourselves in order to be like other people.’ In the past, I’ve occasionally prioritised the need to get the job over the passion for it. I’ve let myself and what I do…
Tweet Me Like You Do: Blue Monday, Jimmy Wales, and the Drive for Cultural Traction
Each year I am amazed by Blue Monday’s formidable penetration of the public conversation. Of course, it is total PR bollocks- Everyone who knows that all bathroom products are made of the same elixir, M&S food is food like any other regardless of the dulcet tones of Matthew Mcfadden and Jim Morrison isn’t really dead knows that. Yet at the same time, year on year, it trends on twitter (0.06% at its peak yesterday) and is splashed all over online and traditional outlets. Even Blue Monday’s creator, pseudoscience wizard Cliff Arnall (who concocted the theory on behalf of Sky Travel),…
Death of a Journalist- and a New Era for Her Profession
In an inquiry Room at the Royal Courts of justice, a tortuous inquisition plays out the last moves of a decades long confrontation. Sagacious commentators suggest we’re watching the inexorable death throes of a once proud profession. Journalism puts up a brave fight, but the lustreless altercations at the feet of Lord Leveson project an inevitable futility. As editors faced the muzak, a genuine tabloid legend’s coffin was making its way past a sea of solemn faces inside a dimly lit church in SW15. Mournful voices drowned out by the perpetual clang of a tolling bell heard moving tributes celebrating the life of ‘Smoking’ Sue…
Santa, Stories, and 'Elf and Bloody Safety
Here at Borkowski towers, we’ve just finished wrangling a media call to out a wonderful story. Once upon a time, Jeremy Paxton, owner of our client the Lower Mill Estate, received an earnest letter from the son of a prospective buyer. The letter, sent by six year old Leo Park, enquired politely as to whether the new house being designed for he and his mother, Jade, would have a chimney large enough to accommodate the weighty personage of a certain Santa Claus come holiday season. We persuaded Lower Mill that, as a self build service, it was their duty to…
Starting a business? Keep your eyes forward and your ears tuned to what's real
“The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them.” So writes .com marketing legend Seth Godin in his piece “The Secret of the Web”. He’s totally correct. As anyone who has ever striven to realise an original idea knows, not only the media but those with the power in business and in society are professional cynics working to a very small time scale. If you want to create something real, you’ll have to spend a lot of time ignoring those who take your lack of results as proof of failure almost as soon as you’ve…
Lobbying: Silent Threat or the Pinnacle of PR?
The whole Bell Pottinger lobbying scandal was fascinating to watch as it slowly consumed The Independent throughout the week. Clearly, there are certain pernicious forces at work here. It’s difficult not to feel a little uneasy when the British democracy is in such a state that individuals like ‘cantankerous’ Vince Cable require years of expert strategic experience and a big pile of cash to reach. Of course, it isn’t surprising- everybody knows on some level that this sort of business goes on. The striking thing is how rarely it’s reported on. I’ve written in the past on the great media…
Jay Bernstein: Still Stunting from Beyond the Grave
The unmatchable Hollywood publicist, agent and stuntmaker Jay Bernstein has shown us all once again how a true publicity superstar does things with a fitting final stunt. The sadly deceased genius has defied having his inimitable profile smothered even by death himself, and has managed to release his book onto an unsuspecting public from beyond the grave. Anyone who cares at all about the art of truly inspirational PR, from understanding clients to launching groundbreaking stunts, should buy it. Right now. Being a PR, I just can’t resist a quick plug: those looking to understand Bernstein’s remarkable talents could also…
Leveson and the Obscurity of the Media (following on from my thoughts on Radio 5)
Ah the double-edged sword of technology: yesterday I managed to spark a very interesting debate during a Skype interview for Radio 5’s ‘Double Take’ regarding the Leveson inquiry. However, just as things were getting interesting- and before I could voice some of my key points- the connection was cut and I was left stranded in my home office. The debate proceeded, the media machine turned, and I was powerless to change or influence it, or to explain my true point in any audible way. See any analogues? The problem that the hacking scandal and the Leveson inquiry have thrown up…
Flaws on Both Sides of the Leveson Inquiry
Reportage of the various heartfelt testimonies from the Leveson Inquiry this week have left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, not even the hard arsed heart of a wizened old PR man could fail to be moved by the tales told by those ordinary humans swept into the press maelstrom: the Mccanns, or particularly the Dowlers. These people are living testament to the sometimes frightening power of the story over the truth. It’s a power I’ve occasionally used to great advantage in the course of my work, but wielded without responsibility it can provoke violent disruption in the…