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.
Circus of Horror
The world renowned venue at Olympia in London saw the Bertram Mills Circus grace its doors in 1919. Members of the Mills circus agreed to a publicity stunt which involved catering for the whole Bertram Mills Circus. As it was nearly Christmas, the team put on a lavish Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. The team included amongst others, the world’s smallest man as the waiter, and the world’s tallest man as a between course entertainer. The chef, the resident sword swallower, knew absolutely nothing about cooking. He left the Turkey out to “hang” thinking it should be treated like…
The Big Question: Is Glastonbury Too Big, and is it still Europe's most important music festival?
By Ian Burrell 20th June 2007 Just how big is Glastonbury? Glastonbury 2007, which begins on Friday, is expected to have an attendance of 177,500, making it the biggest since the festival started in 1970. Organisers sold 137,500 tickets in one hour and 45 minutes on 1 April. The first festival, the brain child of Michael Eavis, cost £1, offset by the offer of a drink of milk, and drew a crowd of 1,500. Security this year will be a lot more water-tight than most of the tents, with many festival-goers required to bring proof of their identity and tickets…
The Late Bernard Manning
Bernard Manning is dead. And somewhere in London there is a full size wax effigy of Mr Manning that I commissioned in 1992. Jonathan Margolis’ obituary in today’s Independent was staggering. I particularly liked his comment that “Bernard Manning was in a sense the last “legitimate” racist in Britain. Legitimate because the gags which caused him to be so widely reviled in recent years were fossilised relics of the working class comedy of the late 1950’s.” I staged a publicity stunt to mark the opening of Jongleurs Comedy Club and the death of traditional stand up back in 1992. The…
"Green" Stories
I note that my blog about the recycling of stories and stunts got some response;one in particular caught my eye, from a Heather Yaxley. Her comments go to prove my point that nothing is original anymore, because somewhere way back in time, someone else had the idea. It’s all been done before. I wasn’t suggesting that Borkowski had come up with the totally original idea to commission a survey about bad foot wear for driving. What I was saying, was that the idea had been recycled pretty quickly. I wasn’t trying to rain on Ms Yaxley’s parade, in that it…
Horses for Courses
These days it’s almost impossible to promote anything to kids, alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate, burgers, chips are all no go areas, but not so in the 1920’s. Jim Moran was hired to promote a now defunct brand of beer. In true Moran style, he took a pantomime horse into numerous bars across California as a guerrilla marketing stunt to promote the beer. The children loved the horse, but unfortunately the adults didn’t get it and Moran’s stunt failed, but this horse became the precursor to brand emblems – the superheroes and mascots that are still in wide use today as marketing…
It's what the fans want – what they really, really want.
Fergus Sheppard, The Scotsman. The Spice Girls, the five-member act which crusaded to pop superstardom on the theme of “girl power” in the 1990s, spawning a host of copycats along the way, was last night set for a reunion. Rumours have been sweeping the showbiz world for weeks, fuelled by snaps of band members meeting at various up-market London restaurants. http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=942652007
Sir Alan Sugar – you're fired
In boardroom terms it was a hostile takeover. Katie Hopkins, the poison-tongued “alpha female” contestant on The Apprentice, fired Sir Alan Sugar last night and walked out on the £100,000 job. After months of acidic put-downs, Ms Hopkins, a 31-year-old brands consultant, had manoeuvred her way past 14 rivals to reach the grand final of the BBC One business search. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
Who’s bringing back the love?
I was sent a note about this blog today http://bringtheloveback.com/about/ The author seems to have made the film and makes the following statement. “I would like to know which advertisers are already bringing back the love? What I am looking for are examples of campaigns, strategies, maybe even brands or products that show that the advertiser is listening to the consumer and acting accordingly. ”
The Stunts Come Round Again
When I originally compiled the book “Improperganda: Art of the Publicity Stunt”, my research astounded me as I realized that a lot of what I had done over the past years in PR wasn’t original. Similar things had been done before in some way, shape or form. It was a case of innocent misunderstanding because of course, back then there wasn’t an internet, so you couldn’t readily find information like you can today. So it made me smile when I read an article today in the Daily Mail which caught my attention. It was about women drivers wearing high heels…
Shock Apprentice Winner
Son of a multi-millionaire beats the bookies to become the next £100,000 Apprentice by Fergus Sheppard. He may be from a privileged background a million miles away from former street trader Sir Alan Sugar – but public schoolboy Simon Ambrose yesterday became the surprise winner of BBC1’s business reality show The Apprentice. Ambrose, 27, triumphed over rival Kristina Grimes, 36, in a finale expected to have attracted more than six million viewers. http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=928672007
The Fear Of Missing Out Means The Press Is Like a Feral Beast.
Sam Coates, Political Correspondent The Times. Tony Blair yesterday revealed his despair of the British media, which he believes has corroded the relationship between politicians and voters and which regularly demolishes the reputations of public figures for commercial advantage. In his last major speech as Prime Minister, 14 days before he leaves office, he said that the 24-hour news agenda could “literally overwhelm” the occupant of No 10, while the modern media prioritised sensationalism at the expense of accuracy. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1923781.ece
The Wad Couple
GERRY has told Laura he thinks she could make at least £10,000 through book and magazine deals when she leaves BB. We asked publicist Mark Borkowski for his views. He reckons Ziggy and Chanelle can rake in the loot, but he warns: “It’s still quite hard to tell as this year’s bunch seem a little quiet so far. I’m not sure if it’s got the wow factor yet – but we’ll see.” So who’ll be quids in and who’ll be borrowing a fiver when the show ends? http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news_detail.html?sku=1848
Carters Fair
“Carter’s”, a beautiful original Victorian steam fair, seems to have solved the problem of the ubiquitous fair ground hoodie. The fair opened at the weekend in Hayes, Essex to be graced by gangs of up to twenty hoodies who generally unnerved the middle agers and their kids. To combat this loitering with or without intent, Carter’s decided to play Cliff Richard tracks back to back on all fair ground rides and amazingly, the gangs of hoodies dissipated. There has been much speculation about my involvement in this story as I have in my time, represented both Carter’s Steam Fair and…
Amy Keeps Marriage Vows Mortal and Simple
Cape Times Tonight by Ed Caesar. June 8, 2007 London – Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes it most certainly is not. When the singer Amy Winehouse, 23, and the “music video assistant” Blake Fielder-Civil, 25, exchanged vows in Miami, in the company of a few friends, the event was that rarest of things in the celebrity universe – spontaneous. http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3873510&fSectionId=354&fSetId=251
Racist In The House
For all of you who didn’t know why Emily was removed from the Big Brother house early this morning, here is a transcript of the offending conversation. It’s interesting how quickly Channel 4 is reacting to try to manage the fire storm. In the light of what happened to Shilpa Shetty, I’m sure Channel 4 has learnt lessons from Celebrity Big Brother, or, after being schooled by a team of consultants, has learnt about news management. In the house, the kids knew exactly how to react to inflame the comment even more, to try to generate fame and further their…
Channel 4 Rides Another PR Storm
Channel 4’s decision to air images of Princess Diana’s fatal crash is just the latest in a long history of courting controversy by Mark Borkowski It has been bubbling for weeks like a witches’ brew, intoxicating the media and public alike: “Princess Diana – not another bloody documentary.” The storm finally breaks tonight with the broadcast of Diana: The Witnesses in the Tunnel. http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/comment/0,,2096880,00.html
Thousands Sign Up as Organ Donors
Over 50,000 people have downloaded an organ donor registration form since Friday night’s hoax tv broadcast in which three people competed for a dying woman’s kidney. Some 1.2 million people watched the broadcast on public channel BNN, which had been condemned by politicians, doctors and commentators around the globe. The woman was revealed at the end of the show to be an actress and the patients were all in on the plot. Newspapers and websites on Monday were largely positive about the hoax, designed to promote organ donation. http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/06/thousands_of_donors_after_tv_h.php
A Modern Love Story: When Amy wed Blake
Fairy-tale romances used to involve blushing brides and charming princes. Today’s ideal is messier but, as Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil have shown, still potent The Independent. 02 June 2007 Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes it most certainly is not. When the singer Amy Winehouse, 23, and the “music video assistant” Blake Fielder-Civil, 25, exchanged vows in Miami, in the company of a few friends, the event was that rarest of things in the celebrity universe – spontaneous. There was no publicity campaign, no deal with Hello! Just a £60 ceremony, a wedding breakfast of burger and chips and a…
TV kidney Donor Show revealed as hoax to provoke debate on organ shortages.
Programme’s terminally ill patient was an actor. Dutch stunt praised by media commentators . The Guardian Saturday June 2, 2007 It was decried as the show that would break the reality TV format’s back. The makers of the Dutch De Grote Donorshow (The Big Donor Show) promised a one-off programme in which a terminally ill woman would chose which of three contestants would receive her kidneys when she died. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2093871,00.html