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.
Bill Gates gaffe
Bloody hell, why hasn’t this been picked up? Talk about PR gaffes, listen to this soundbite from Bill Gates. I hear that the uber uber fromage, Bill Gates unintentionally made an uproarious comment at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital conference. On the first night’s show-opening discussion, Billy boy declared – wait for it : “Guys like us avoid monopolies. We like to compete.” Come on, get a grip on the reality of your corporate dick.
Editorial Intelligence
I received my old friend Julia Hobsbawn’s Editorial Intelligence report called The Power of The Commentariat. It features research which involved a self selecting small group of individuals from business, media, politics, public life, academia and a group set up by Editorial Intelligence on Facebook called Keep Up With The Commentariat to say who they think are the most influential commentators. What I found interesting was the top ten leader columns whose influence on shaping government was huge. 1. The Daily Mail 2. The Sun 3. The Times 4. Mail on Sunday 5. Sunday Times 6. FT 7. Guardian 8….
Old British frats myopic whinge at Eurovision defeats ..
I can’t believe the furore over the Eurovision song contest results and the ensuing curmudgeonly comments from the British public and Terry Wogan himself. I have not seen such myopia, xenophobia and dare I say racism emanating from an event that should advocate friendly global relations. To say that the Eastern block states all voted for themselves in a narrow minded “neighbours” way seems foolish since the Russian states actually loathe each other. The reason the votes fell as they did is because those countries have their own heroes and their own chart topping stars who are taking the contest…
Hello and the Royal Wedding buy up.
Mark Phillips and Autumn Kelly’s decision to sell their story and wedding exclusive to Hello! magazine has caused such a level of furore that nearly every paper has had something to say on the matter. The wedding exclusive agreement with Hello! was on the understanding that no senior member of the Royal Family would be photographed, but in the 100 pages that covered the wedding, every one of the Royal Family in attedance appeared, including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Countess of Wessex to name a few, naturally sending courtiers into a spin. Obviously Hello! did…
The Great Maynard Nottage
One of Maynard Nottage’s early clients was the Indian snake charmer and dancer, Arimand Banu. With her erotic and exotic dancing partnered by a cobra, audiences naturally took offence. Everywhere she went she exposed her breasts and let everyone see that she was not wearing any underwear. She proved too hot, even for Nottage to handle. Today we see the various “celebrity sex tapes” as being extraordinary but it’s really rather old hat as Arimand Banu was showing her wears and being dropped her publicist way back in 1925A German woodcarver managed to get Nottage’s attention in the early…
Yet another Britney publicity scam..
A new Britney Spears sex tape is set to be released. Obviously she needs the coverage! I find it hard to beleive she is she so desperate to allow it to be released. The footage allegedly features Britney, 26, stripping off naked apart from a pink wig, and romping with ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. The paparazzi photographer is reportedly trying to sell the full two-hour version, which is said to contain twenty minutes of full sex after a long session of foreplay, to the highest bidder. A source said: “The video starts with Britney undressing. She was wearing some cheap clothes….
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…
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…
ITV plays a PR blinder over phone scandal fine
The textbook definition of good public relations is the managing of internal and external communication to create and maintain a positive image. So it is no surprise that the able and excellent corporate PR team at ITV used every trick in the book yesterday to downplay news of the record £5.675m Ofcom fine for its phone in scandal. And the sacrificial cow was the British Comedy Awards. When ITV issued its press release responding to the Ofcom fine, tucked away at the bottom was the findings of the Olswang inquiry into irregularities in the people’s choice award vote for the…
Sarcastic .. me .. never
Its seems that a lot of people missed the point of my blog on Media Guardian.. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/organgrinder/2008/05/the_textbook_definition_of_goo.html
Hello! magazine celebrates its 20th birthday
My ramblings about Hello found their way into today’s Independent feature about the magazine http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/hello-magazine-celebrates-its-20th-birthday-824252.html
Brain food and Derren Brown
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. Come on people,…
Shafta's 2008
Had great fun last night at the SHAFTAs http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/07/dailystar.dailystarsunday?gusrc=rss&feed=media . What a night!
Artist to sell £14,040 of drugs in Glasgow Gallery
I have just been sent this release about a solo show by artist activists the “Vacuum Cleaner”. The group plans to sell £14,040 of Coke, Heroin and Hash as part of a gallery show. What a wonderful idea. Contemporary art is reaching new heights, mixing a PR stunt with art. Is it a wind up? I really don’t care, but I know where I’d like to be on Friday evening. . Get Ta Suck A solo show by artist activist’s the vacuum cleaner. Preview 09.05.08 7-9.30 pm Exhibition runs 10.05.08 – 18.05.08 Weds-Sun 12-6pm +44 141 SWG3 100 Eastvale Place…
Hilary Clinton's PR team land a killer blow.
On the eve of the crucial primaries this weekend in North Carolina and Indiana, Hilary Clinton’s PR team landed a killer blow. Hillary appeared via satellite on the late Show with David Letterman where he showed her funny funky side. The comic hook was that she read the shows infamous top ten list. The list being a sickly Top Ten Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Loves America – pure genius! After a faltering start in the PR stakes, it looks as if Hillary Clinton is closing the gap since her campaign-saving victory in Pennsylvania last week. Aided also by the controversies…
Smoke Screen
The resourcefulness of the tobacco giants in the 1900’s and their alacrity to find new audiences is sometimes astounding. In order to influence women in the pleasures of the tobacco leaf, way back at the turn of the 20th century, the large tobacco companies actually targeted the suffragette movement, encouraging them to smoke in public, a pursuit which was a social taboo at the time. Soon after that, women were again a main focus and cigarettes were advertised as slimming aids, helping women to stave off those hunger pangs and stay beautiful and slim. In the 1920’s when smoking in…
Early PR and the King Tut Exhibition
These days it’s common place to see wags in provocative clothing, short skirts and low cut tops. They are just various no names who try to attract attention by means of their dress, and whose ends are usually as an MTV reality TV host. In 1922, an English publicist St. John Morton was involved in one of the earliest attempts at getting the media of the day to pay attention to a woman because of her dress. Dolores Denis Denison arrived at the prestigious private view of the King Tut Exhibition, desperate to gain entry, dressed as an Egyptian mummy….
Avram needs a little help
Chelsea’s heroic win to get through to The Champions League final was fantastic to watch last night. The usual post match PR obligation however, proved yet again that Avram Grant fails to deliver to the media. His lack of charisma and inability to project his personality or provide incisive sound bites will create further speculation from the media that no matter how successful he is, the sword of Damacles is hanging over his head. The intensity of media coverage of the sport is higher than it ever has been and the media needs interesting characters who can communicate. I suspect…
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…
Trinny and Susannah get naked.
Good old Trinny and Susannah kick off a new TV series with a great old fashioned publicity stunt. Having spent years telling everyone else to strip off, now the two fashionistas have put their money where their mouth is and gone naked in the Sussex countryside. They persuaded hundreds of people to go with them for a massive strip to create two giant naked sculptures on the Sussex downs. The stunt earned them acres of coverage and will no doubt bring viewers to their new show, The Great British Body, in droves.