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.
ITV under pressure after 'I'ma Celebrity' contestant is hurt
From the Independent – … But a PR consultant, Mark Borkowski, warned: “Until things go wrong, producers think they have got everything covered and when it does go wrong, the questions … http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article329994.ece
Price of fame
TV execs need to think about what would happen if a contestant were to suffer serious psychiatric damage, die or to commit suicide. When will the torture ever end? It’s a question we should all be asking ourselves now that I’m a Celebrity is back on the telly. And I’m not talking about the bushtucker trials. Already one of the contestants, ex-EastEnder Elaine Lordan, has left the show after a health scare. She follows in the footsteps of Johnny Rotten, Brian Harvey, Natalie Appleton and Daniella Westbrook, who all cracked under the strain of demonstrating evidence of a personality while…
Simon vs Simon
From The Independent 24th November 2006 They were the showbiz giants who created ‘Pop Idol’. Now they’re going to war in the High Court. What went wrong? Ed Caesar reports on the battle of the £100m egos Fuller saw Cowell’s potential to be Mr Nasty in Pop Idol, which he was developing, and the high-waisted Torquemada was brought in. What role each played in developing the show, which first aired in October 2001, is the subject of the case now before the courts, but celebrity PR Mark Borkowski thinks determining intellectual property will be nigh-on impossible. http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article329072.ece
The Rules of Love According to Paris Hilton
Pretty as a picture, blunt as a spoon, Offer her silver, she’ll ask for the moon. You can’t cheat on Paris, she’s got too much class. There’s no hitting on her friends in an underpass.
OUT OF FASHION
“It’s a sin to be tired.” Kate Moss Kate, oh Kate, you’ve lost your gloss. Cocaine’s gain is fashion’s loss. Though cameras keep rolling, they gather no Moss – just a sad-eyed woman looking tired and cross.
NINE LINES ON THE RUMOURED WEDDING OF TOM CRUISE AND KATIE HOLMES
Can shotgun wedding socialites auction off their photo rights to the chequebook with the best head for heights? And though all is to be silent at the baby’s birth will shutters not snap for all they’re worth to get a glimpse of Katie’s decreasing girth? And will Tom (silently) cavort and prance like a crippled spider with the urge to dance? If the coverage is right, there’s a damned good chance.
Madonna: Who's that girl?
Madonna: Who’s that girl? From the Independent – 15th November 2005 … Mark Borkowski, public relations expert: She was a very sweet New York disco diva who appeared to come out of nowhere. … Mark Borkowski: Sex sells. … http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article327138.ece
God, Iraq and the power of the President's PR
From The Observer Mark Borkowski on the worrying rise and rise of Karen Hughes, George W Bush’s ‘Ambassador for Public Diplomacy’ and the woman behind the White House throne Profound unpopularity, as tyrants, bullies and senior spin doctors know to their advantage, can be a powerful weapon in warfare. In any army the hardest things to instill in a new recruit are not how to drive a tank, fire a gun or march in step, but how to summon the mental strength to kill. Engendering hatred through indoctrination is a necessary part of getting wars up and running: hatred gives…
Tom Cruise drops sister from PR role after year of disasters made
From the Independent … The public relations expert Mark Borkowski said the appointment of Mr Bloch, who also represents John Travolta, Bruce Willis and David and Victoria Beckham … http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article325739.ece
Cruise control
Cruise control Tom Cruise has been proactive in his drive for publicity over the years. It will be interesting to see if Paul Bloch, the star’s new PR adviser, can change his image while keeping the media sweet . Popular culture junkies and fans of gossip rags have gorged on the glamorous and public life of Tom Cruise over the past decade. This A-lister is a publicity phenomenon, who has used the global canvas of magazines and newspaper to mould his image. A humble publicist might describe this ineradicable and inherent ability to generate ink as “the stuff”. http://media.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,7550,1637121,00.html
Leading question
David Cameron is the Tories’ first truly media-savvy leadership candidate. But will the party have sense enough to support him? Last night Ken Clarke withdrew from the Tory leadership race to lick his wounds. However, I suspect the youngest of the candidates never had too much to worry about, and if the Conservative party ever wants to return to power, they’d better support him … not to the “hilt”, because a hilt is what you get on a dagger, but certainly “all the way”. Why? Because David Cameron is the first truly media-savvy candidate the party has ever fielded, and…
£22M LITTLE BRITISH EMPIRE
£22M LITTLE BRITISH EMPIRE Mirror.co.uk – UK … But it’s a magic that is usually short-lived. PR expert Mark Borkowski believes the pair are striking while the iron’s hot. “They … http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16298327&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=-pound-22m–little-british-empire–name_page.html
In Barnum's footsteps
VARIETY By MARK BORKOWSKI, Sun., Oct. 16, 2005, 12:00pm PT BIRD-BRAINED STUNT: To promote an upcoming movie based on Betty MacDonald’s book “The Egg and I,” publicist Jim Moran dressed in ostrich plumes and read excerpts to a sympathetic audience, in a ploy that typified the tone of the postwar times. http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Variety100&articleid=VR1117930880&content=jump&jump=army&category=1924&cs=1
HAS MADGE GONE TOO FARRAH THIS TIME? POP STAR'S NEW IMAGE
HAS MADGE GONE TOO FARRAH THIS TIME? POP STAR’S NEW IMAGE YOU could almost hear the cogs turning as the Madonna Machine cranked back into action yesterday. With a new single to plug, 47-year-old Madge did what she always does – get a new image. This time it’s the Farrah Fawcett look – flicked curls tumbling around her shoulders as she arrived for a party in New York. The new big hair joins a long line of chameleon-like changes for the American star. In the past we’ve had yoga Madonna, cowgirl Madonna, gothic Madonna, bling Ali-G style Madonna and even…
The end of a happy marriage
We should find time to applaud the Saatchis for a marriage that lasted nearly a quarter of a century and featured some of the most iconic ad campaigns of our time. The Saatchi & Saatchi creative genius Paul Arden writes in his excellent book, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, that “getting fired can be a positive career move”. Perhaps the execs at M&C Saatchi might take some solace from this thought after they lost the BA advertising account to BBH. Arden goes on to say that if you get fired the job…
McDonald's takes the rap
Before trying to get the hip-hop elite on board, McDonald’s should have realised that fast food isn’t cool http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/comment/0,7494,1584843,00.html
JUNGLE WATCH
Enter the wry and brilliant barrister who could be just what the Tory party’s spin doctor ordered. Boom! BOOM! BOOM! Remember that bit in Jurassic Park when the T.Rex makes its first appearance as a ripple in a glass of water? This time it’s another big beast who’s on the move, stamping out of the political wilderness in search of a juicy job and inspiring Tony Blair’s extraordinarily candid comment yesterday to ‘never underestimate the Tories.’ This giant lounge lizard has an astonishing CV, and, even today, more experience of government than anyone in the current cabinet, the Prime Minister…
TROUBLED Kate Moss finally said sorry
TROUBLED Kate Moss finally said sorry yesterday for her cocaine … Mirror.co.uk – UK … Fellow expert Mark Borkowski said Kate now needed to go much further than simply saying sorry. He said: “This apology is days and days too late. … http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16163033&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=kate-s-cocaine-apology–name_page.html
Heroes and villains
The engaging innocence of Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and his fellow Ashes heroes sets them apart from many other sports stars, but it also makes them ideal targets for tabloid journalists looking for scandalous scoops, says Mark Borkowski. http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/comment/0,7494,1569150,00.html
Domestic Goddess in saucy comeback
Domestic Goddess in saucy comeback Scotsman … Mark Borkowski, a PR expert, told The Scotsman that Nigella “was still the pin-up of middle Britain” and well connected in the media world. … http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=1934732005