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.
Smoke off
For all those PRs who spend their time peddling cigarettes………. Yes I know! Their job is to warn people of the dangers of smoking….. but unfortunately cigarettes still hold a huge amount of cool. This morning’s papers were littered with cool personalities, all with cigarettes in hand – Robbie Williams, Simon Cowell, John Lydon and even Jonathan Ross was snapped with a Havana Cigar in his new sports car. No matter how passive the promotion of cigarettes has become, the power of celebrity will always maintain a cutting edge for tobacco.
Gordon Brown and his PR pixies
Lance Price nails the problems at the “Team Brown” in today’s Media Guardian . “As the government lurches from one crisis to another, the string-pullers and spin doctors are noticeable by their absence” The issue is that Gordy lacks charisma and the bunch of heavywieht advisors around him, do not have the collective ability to achieve a charisma implant. I am sure that the inner sanctum would like Gordon Brown to represent a new era, but that is a forlorn hope…
The truth about bloggers
Great quote from a well-known FT scribbler, his identity is anonymous to save his blushes. “Whenever some PR geek says, “Oh, I must write a blog about…” I feel it is the same as someone saying pop round sometime to see my holiday snaps “
Why John McCain is a public relations liability
The John McCain spin machine is going to have its work cut out in the race for the White House. This clip suggests that the Republican will provide some wonderful soundbites. I would love to know who has been awarded the media training gig for the run.
Dinosaurs are us
I smiled when I read the comment Stephen Glover made in The Mail today: “If the apprentice is a true reflection of British business, God help us!” I absolutely agree. The winner, Lee McQueen – dubbed the ‘rough diamond’ – is more famous for his backwards pterodactyl impersonation and for lying about being at University than any business prowess he might have. It’s not really about the contestants; with over 9 million viewers, it’s far more beneficial for Alan Sugar and the BBC.
White House spin doctors tactics uncovered
I am fascinated by the White House press secretary Ari Fleischer jumping to the defense of members of the White House press corps.
Naked Wii girl causes fuss with clever PR stunt
News today of a girl become a YouTube sensation by gyrating in her underwear to Nintendo’s Wii Fit game is slightly suspect I fear. Apparently Lauren Bernat’s boyfriend filmed her and then put the video on YouTube without her knowing and now she’s been watched by nearly two million people. Amazing if it’s true, but I think this one smells of a clever viral stunt.
Pig in boots
Every paper has featured the story about the picky piglet who doesn’t like walking in mud. It’s a great stunt which I believe was originally set up to promote a sausage making business. Someone has given the story to a news agency which has sold it in to the papers but sadly, with no reference to why the pig is really in boots. What a shame.
Not watching Big Brother?
The latest figures for Big Brother suggest that audiences for this year’s show, Big Brother 9, are down. I’m sure that the channel and broadcaster will argue about the statistics, but the point is, no one is talking about Big Brother this year, not in the office, on the tube or in the street. It’s failing to connect with an audience and if it doesn’t provide any story lines that people can tap into, then the characters are doomed to fail.
Death of a showman..
The obit pages have a habit of breaking bad news. This morning’s obit pages recounts the colourful life of Evan Steadman. He was one of my all-time favourite clients, who actually got what I do and loved the process of great promotional publicity In 1993 Steadman employed me to publicize his stage concept “Maxwell: The Musical Review”. He thought up the idea before Maxwell’s death, but it became a much bigger idea after the millionaire died. I believe great theatrical publicity requires risk, adventure and a sense of fun and Steadman allowed my creative juices to go into overdrive. Deep…
PR stunt in a D cup
Thousands of bras hang in the Old Port of Montreal. A local radio station collected 67,000 bras to raise awareness and funds for the Quebec Breast Cancer Society.
Big Brother time – PT Barnum v Channel 4
I was at a meeting the other day where some people were discussing Channel 4 and its rationalisation of Big Brother’s success. Channel 4 has explained that the show originally started off as an experiment, watching a group of strangers interact with each other in close proximity for a number of weeks without any outside contact. In the process people are exposed, at close quarters, to the peccadilloes of society, including issues on race, religion, sexuality and disability. I think we could all say that the first two Big Brother programmes were very interesting, but the show has descended into…
Who does Perez Hilton think he is?
If you wondered what makes Perez Hilton tick then read this nib in Blender
Death of a Showman
The obit pages have a habit of breakoing bad news. This morning obit pages recounts the colourful life of Evan Steadman. He was one of my all time favourite clients who actually got what I do and loved the process of great promotional publicity In 1993 Steadman employed ne to publize his stage concept “Maxwell: The Musical Review”. He thought up the idea before Maxwell’s death, but it became a much bigger idea after the millionaire died. I believe great theatrical publicity requires risk, adventure and a sense of fun and Steadman allowed my creative juices to go into overdrive. …
This is Spin
I am often asked to explain how a spin doctor operates. I think this tale illustrates the craft. Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton’s great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription: “Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.” Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton for comments. Hillary’s staff…
Buried in a Pringles crisp can
I have often considered my final PR scam. Today there is news of an absolute blinder from the creative mind of the design genius Fredric J Baur. The news on the wires suggests that the man who designed the Pringles crisp packaging was so proud of his accomplishment that he decided that a portion of his ashes are to be buried in the iconic canister. Baur was an organic chemist and food storage technician who specialised in research and development and quality control. Way to go Fred; what a stunt! Procter & Gamble must be proud.
Seth Rogen weed smoking scam
Another tired yet effective MTV publicity stunt appeared at the tired and lifeless MTV awards. Shock, horror! The hip Canadian actor, comedian and writer Seth Rogen was supposedly smoking a joint live on TV. But who watches the MTV Awards anymore, so who cares? It was an ambiguous moment but enough for the hapless channel, so desperate for PR, that it might get seriously scolded from watchdog groups for promoting marijuana use on national television. Whether it was hash or not didn’t really matter, MTV was trying its best to leverage outrage to get PR. At least they were on…
Evolta publicity stunt
Good on the PR company that staged this Robot stunt to promote the virtues of the new Evolta battery. Evidently the EVOLTA-powered robot climbed a 1,500-ft. Grand Canyon cliff last Saturday. The 4.5-ounce, 6.7-inch robot climber was scaling the cliff as a publicity stunt/demonstration for the Panasonic EVOLTA battery, which according to the Guinness Book of World Records is the longest-lasting of its kind. The robot was powered by a pair of EVOLTA batteries, and used a tiny rope to ascend the canyon’s walls. After 6 hours and 45 minutes, the robot climber finally reached the top. I love the…
Death of a Showman
The obit pages have a habit of breakoing bad news. This morning obit pages recounts the colourful life of Evan Steadman. He was one of my all time favourite clients who actually got what I do and loved the process of great promotional publicity In 1993 Steadman employed ne to publize his stage concept “Maxwell: The Musical Review”. He thought up the idea before Maxwell’s death, but it became a much bigger idea after the millionaire died. I believe great theatrical publicity requires risk, adventure and a sense of fun and Steadman allowed my creative juices to go into overdrive. …
Sharon Stone's bad karma
Sharon Stone the star of Basic Instinct and Casino was forced into a humiliating public apology after she suggested that China’s “bad karma” over unrest in Tibet was linked to the disaster When celebrities’ words blow up in their faces, the key to defusing a row is “speed of reaction, in as few words as possible,” http://tinyurl.com/5ptbbj