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.
Ken Campbell: a tribute
Genius is an attribute thrown around like confetti in this very modern media age. Few individuals adhere to that particular molecular wonder, but the late Ken Campbell had genius burnt into his DNA. If ever I daydream about who would make up my ultimate fantasy dinner party or who be a great companion for a very long train journey, Ken would be at the top of the list. He was one of the most interesting human beings I had ever met. When I first arrived in London bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I was invited to a furtive gathering of philosophers, academics…
Ken Campbell RIP
I have just had a bad news phone call that has rocked my weekend. The comic genius Ken Campbell has died. Its seems unreal, the theatre and entertainment world has lost an extraordinary man. Ken was a dear friend and he had helped me launch of the Fame Formula at the Riverside three weeks ago. We had so much fun that night that we were in discussions to create a show inspired by madness of Jim Moran and Harry Reichenbach. I will post my thoughts on Ken tomorrow.
The Fame Formula
I’ve just been told by my publishers that The Fame Formula is currently the lead feature on the Yahoo home page. http://uk.yahoo.com/
Saving Britney
I noted a wire story this morning that suggested that Britney Spears is “highly unstable” – the singer is “sensitive” and “insecure” and is in the last chance salon (AGAIN!). Flip back to the wire reports that were circulating about Barbara La Marr back in the 1920’s, and a story I mention in The Fame Formula. In unchecked surroundings, cosseted by the film company, La Marr let her habits spiral out of control to the point that, in late 1924, Howard Strickling, MGM’s PR supremo, had her committed to a sanitarium after she was found unconscious in her house. It…
Further emissions from the Fame Formula juggernaut!
Reviews of The Fame Formula are still rolling in – here are a couple of good ones from the net. Fame corrupts and corrodes, giving people a license to behave badly, writes Geordie Grieg in the Big Book review of The Fame Formula at The First Post website, “Andy Warhol got it spot-on when he talked about everybody’s 15 minutes of fame. Not only about the desire for fame but its extreme brevity: on the whole fame fades frighteningly fast. “Which makes fame, as seen through a provocative celebrity merchant’s tale about Hollywood’s manipulation of image and publicity, deliciously bittersweet….
The Artless selling of the iPhone
News has come in that Apple are attempting to sell iPhones in Poland by paying actors to queue outside the stores to whoop up interest in the all-singing, all-dancing phone which is released there on Friday. According to Reuters, a spokesman has said: “We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone.” It’s a great step back for the company, which “sold about one million of the new iPhone models in the United States around the July launch weekend”. It shows that, though they may have the design side…
Olympians v "Z list" reality show throwaways
I scribbled an opinion feature for the Sunday Times on the Olympic hoo-ha, which fell by the wayside. I think it addressed the issues that had been missed as euphoric rapture asphyxiated the nation and completely overshadowed the Olympic scale of the Chinese Olympics propaganda. In the rush to enjoy Team GB’s Olympic success, let’s not forget that the Beijing Olympics was a huge triumph for the Chinese regime. Many of the issues that left a lot of people feeling a little uneasy prior to the sporting orgy of the last few weeks were steamrollered as the Chinese PR juggernaut…
Olympic propaganda
As the news broke that parts of the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony had been faked, the friendly face of China was looking increasingly like a prefabricated PR mask. It was certainly unfortunate that little Lin Miaoke, who won so many hearts with her stirring rendition of “Ode to the Motherland” as the Chinese flag entered the stadium – turned out to be a fake. The real songbird, whose crooked smile fell short of the image of perfection that the Chinese had wished to present, had been locked away out of sight while the other girl performed an elaborate mime. Then…
WiFi access and other frustrations at the Edinburgh Festival
John Pinette is one of the funniest stand ups I have seen in years. This oversized routine is dominated by frustrations about food cafeteria lines and the modern day morons. After 24 hours in Edinburgh, I’m beginning to turn into him! Pinette talks about someone in a restaurant queue saying “how big is your small?” and by coincidence I’ve just heard someone say exactly the same thing in a café off Castle Street. Edinburgh boasts a fantastic festival, but also a mean spirit epitomised but trying to find free WiFi access. Finding hen’s teeth is easier. In the age of…
Ready, steady, go – the race to turn gold into millions
By Amol Rajan Tuesday, 19 August 2008 Britain’s Olympic heroes in Beijing are being circled by increasing numbers of sports agents, multi-nationals and image consultants desperate to cash in on their new-found fame. Behind the scenes in China’s capital, newly crowned champions, from the swimmer Rebecca Adlington to the cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy, are being approached by PR gurus and corporate messengers, all waving blank cheques in the hope of attaching their brands to British sporting success at London 2012. The rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), together with Olympic etiquette, censor the announcement of new deals…
Fame Formula radio appearances part 2
Here’s another selection of links to radio appearances talking about The Fame Formula. To listen to Mark speaking about The Fame Formula on On the Record with Eric Schwartzman, a regular podcast available on iTunes telling the story behind the story – mainstream journalists, influential bloggers and podcasters talking in depth about how technology is changing the news media business – click here. To listen to Mark speaking on Radio Heat, click here. To listen to Mark speaking on Radio Manx, click here. To listen to Mark speaking on BBC Radio Nottingham, click here. To listen to Mark speaking on…
Golden girl just wants a burger with chips
By Nick Harris in Beijing She won by miles, and shattered the world record. She took her second gold of the Games, to become the most successful British swimmer in a century. Fellow swimmers were calling her Dame Becky yesterday, as Team GB headed for its best-ever Olympic weekend. So how would Rebecca Adlington celebrate? Like teetotal teenagers do. “I’m going to go to McDonald’s,” she told The Independent on Sunday with a sheepish grin. “After all this hard work, and watching what I eat, I just fancy a burger and some chips.” http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news-and-features/golden-girl-just-wants-a-burger-with-chips-899766.html
More reviews for the Fame Formula
The Daily Mail ran a second review of The Fame Formula last Friday, reproduced below until it goes online and can be linked to, by Lydia Slater under the Critic’s Choice banner.
The Times Online Fame Formula interview
Times Online are running an audio interview with me on their arts and entertainments page in a prime position on the page, just below an exclusive extract from My Little Armalite. It’s running under the headline The Greatest Publicity Stunts Ever: PR wizard Mark Borkowski talks to Hardeep Singh Kohli about the geniuses of hype. You just need to click on the link to download the podcast interview. It was a pleasure talking to Hardeep again; his enthusiasm for the book was palpable. To get straight to the page in question, click here.
The Fame Formula on the Radio
The press coverage of The Fame Formula has been phenomenal; not least on the radio, as you’ll discover if you listen to a few of the files linked below. More files will be posted as they arrive. To hear Mark on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, discussing celebrity alongside author Christopher Brookmyre, click here. — To hear Mark on BBC Radio 5’s Simon Mayo show, presented by Colin Murray – whose opening statement proves he really gets the book – click here. — To listen to Mark discussing The Fame Formula on BBC Radio 2’s Jonathan Ross show, hosted by…
The promotion continues
In amongst the hoo-ha surrounding the publicity for The Fame Formula, including reviews in The Guardian, the Sunday Times and numerous other organs, plus a host of radio show appearances, I had let the Fame Formula competition nag at me a little because it is even more impossible to predict who or what may turn up to such an event than it is to know who will write a good review for a book. We’ve all seen the eclectic, to put it politely, selection of chancers and hopefuls they choose to film in the early weeks of the X Factor;…
Naked ambition Escala meets PT Barnum
What a weird weekend. There was no end to the promo cycle for the book. My heart was in my mouth as I was being interviewed by my old client Mark Lamarr who was standing in for Jonathon Ross with Jo Brand on Radio 2. Mark is not a fan of ephemeral hype nor the process of publicity – thank god he liked the book. From Radio 2 it was a full Sunday – non-stop at LBC on the Andrew Pierce show. Reading the News of the World beforehand in the LBC reception, I had a chuckle when I saw…
Good Guardian review for the Fame Formula.. not so good Times write up
Spinmeisters of the Universe Colin Byrne is dazzled by the cynical skills used to promote politicians and Hollywood stars alike Colin Byrne The Guardian, Saturday August 9 2008 Alpha Dogs: How Spin Became a Global Business by James Harding The Fame Formula: How Hollywood’s Fixers, Fakers and Star Makers Created the Celebrity Industry by Mark Borkowski In June 1997, some of us PR consultants who had volunteered to work on New Labour’s election campaign staggered out of the victory party at the South Bank centre and blinked in Tony Blair’s new dawn. We sniffed the excitement of change. We also…
The Fame Formula juggernaut rolls on
A cracking review by Colin Byrne in today’s Guardian, also covering Alpha Dogs: How Spin Became a Global Business by James Harding. “The Fame Formula is a terrific, witty romp through the – often dirty – undies of the Hollywood fame factory and draws some interesting conclusions about modern-day celebrity culture.” says Byrne. To read the full article, click here. Reproduced below is an interview from the London Paper on August 6th. More will be posted as it comes in.