The DrumAs one of the industry’s best-known PRs, Mark Borkowski has earned a reputation for telling a good tale. But his powers of persuasion will be tested to the limit by his next task: pulling off a one-man-show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Why put yourself through it? The publicist-turned-stand-up tells all…The Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the height of its powers is a fantastical breeding ground for maverick creativity.Convincing an audience that yours is the best of three-thousand options when they might cheerfully pick ‘none of the above’ takes a master of the craft.And some of these masters have inspired my…

The ExpressThese days many of us are slaves to tech. We wake up, we check the news, we are recommended another article based on the one we’ve just read. We scroll social media, running a gauntlet of adverts specially selected for us. We react with Pavlovian regularity to message, email and diary notifications throughout the day, and whenever we experience something “real”, our digital selves boast about it later on.Our entire lives have been commodified by big tech, scavenging our data and cobbling it together to create a Frankenstein image of us at which content, adverts, and even dangerous lies…

Daily ExpressAs the war in Ukraine drags into its sixth month, Russia is still largely isolated from the Western world politically, culturally and in terms of corporate boycotts. Many international brands are boycotting the country and airlines are still imposing flight bans as well as ongoing sanctions from the EU, UK and USA.However, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi have announced their route to Moscow will restart with tickets on sale for flights from October 3.Founded in December 2019, the subsidiary is 49 percent owned by Wizz Air with the majority 51 percent owned by state-owned ADQ.Wizz Air has another subsidiary Wizz…

The GuardianThe Lionesses are poised to increase their sponsorship value tenfold after their win on Sunday, PR experts have predicted, with individual players likely to secure lucrative brand deals and endorsements worth millions of pounds.But there were calls on Monday to ensure that the inevitable spike in interest, and funding, also cascades down to grassroots level, including making sure that women’s teams don’t continue to be lumped with unsociable pitch hours or remote places with poor access to public transport.A record-breaking 17 million viewers watched England’s 2-1 victory over Germany, making it the most-watched women’s football game in UK television…

Daily MailThey have shot to prominence after spending the summer in the Love Island villa.And Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu and Gemma Owen’s stars are only set to soar according to an expert, estimating that they will both receive £1 million paydays after the show.The two Islanders will be the ‘real winners’ of the show, with an insider predicting that they will profit from fashion endorsements and club appearances.A source predicted that brands will be lining up to work with them thanks to Ekin’s ‘captivating’ personality and Gemma’s famous surname and ‘wise’ headAn insider told the Mirror: ‘Ekin-Su and Gemma have been the…

The GuardianThe “Wagatha Christie” trial saw the profiles of Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney rocket, with both able to capitalise going forward – although in very different ways and for markedly different reasons, reputation experts have claimed.Vardy’s spectacular own goal in suing Rooney may have seen her openly mocked, her reputation trashed and facing a potential £3m legal bill – but she will never be in more demand and could bounce back against the odds, they said.Reality TV shows will be knocking at her door, said Jonathan Hartley, a media consultant specialising in crisis management. “I’m a Celebrity … Get…

BBC NewsThey are two very different characters, with two very different campaigning styles.”Everything about Sunak’s approach is slick,” says PR expert Mark Borkowski.”It is overly professional in some points. I am not sure whether that is a good or a bad thing. There seems to be a lot of strategy and thinking behind it.”The Truss campaign on the other hand “feels a little bit more homespun”, he adds.Sunak’s social media strategy is masterminded by Cass Horowitz, son of best-selling novelist Anthony Horowitz. As a special adviser to Sunak when he was chancellor, Horowitz used fancy graphics and clever tag lines…

The IndependentFive Conservative Party leadership hopefuls are jostling to make into the final two in the race to be the next prime minister, having made their appeal to MPs for support.Rishi Sunak launched his campaign with a video about his upbringing, Penny Mordaunt raised eyebrows with some bombastic flag-waving, and Liz Truss played it safe by setting out her stall as the “trust” candidate.Mark Borkowski, one of Britain’s top PR experts, said some of the remaining contenders had launched impressively “slick” campaigns – but still had a long way to go in connecting with the country the way Boris Johnson…

Page Six As the handsome, blue-eyed hero of movies like “The Hangover” and “American Sniper,” Bradley Cooper could likely have his pick of starlets, models and influencers to romance. So it’s no wonder there was intrigue in Hollywood when Page Six first revealed that he is quietly dating Huma Abedin: Hillary Clinton’s forever faithful chief of staff and the long-suffering former wife of disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner. On the face of it, they might seem like an odd couple. The outgoing LA-based actor is now in the midst of directing and filming the high-minded Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” while enigmatic New…

Daily MailBoris Johnson will make so much money from US TV networks, books and big businesses when he leaves Downing Street he ‘might not even bother with the UK’, experts told MailOnline today.His tenure in No 10 will soon be over and the outgoing Prime Minister is tipped to make £100million – especially if he stays married to Carrie.Mrs Johnson’s passion for net zero has rubbed off on her husband and softened his image, as well as helping him ‘bond’ with Joe Biden and his First Lady Jill – a new link that will supercharge his potential earnings.Nigel Farage told…

The SunPRINCE Andrew’s accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre is working with Monica Lewinsky’s PR to craft her image after her $14million settlement with the Duke.Ms Giuffre, 38, is being represented by New York-based Dini von Mueffling, The Sun can reveal.PR experts said she could now follow the example of the former White House intern who had an affair with Bill Clinton and has rehabilitated her image.Giuffre could even do an interview with Oprah Winfrey like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – a potential nightmare for Andrew.After settling her case with the Duke, Giuffre was said to have been subject to a…

CBC NewsIt was described as a “family decision.”But there is a sense that it may have been more like an edict or decree, with some in the Royal Family — particularly Princes Charles and William — doing whatever they could to ensure someone else — Prince Andrew — stayed well out of public view.Andrew, who settled a civil sexual abuse lawsuit recently and had repeatedly denied the allegations at the heart of it, was at private events associated with the Order of the Garter, a high-profile annual royal occasion. But there was no sign of him in the public procession associated with…

The i Prince Charles risks “alienating” people who are already sceptical about the relevance of the Royal Family following allegations he accepted a suitcase containing a million euros in cash from a former Qatari prime minister, an expert has said. It emerged over the weekend that Prince Charles had accepted three charity cash donations amounting to €3m from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani between 2011 and 2015. Mark Borkowski, a leading PR consultant, said revelations about bags of money being passed between a former Qatari prime minister and the future king brought into question the Royal Family’s ability to modernise and…

The ExpressThey were two struggling, unknown British actors trying their luck in America, both auditioning for parts on the same new, low-budget TV crime series – and both struggling to convince the producers that they could convincingly play a murderous Baltimore gangster and a troubled police detective.Fast forward 20 years and that gangster, Idris Elba, and cop, Dominic West, are two of the most bankable stars in the business and the show that cast them, The Wire, has attained the status of legend, regularly cited as the best TV show ever made.Its reputation has steadily grown since it was first…

The GuardianKate Bush’s atop the charts, inflation is soaring, we face a cost-of-living crisis and a major impending rail strike. No wonder the internet and the papers are absorbed by a casual similarity to the economic crises of the 1970s.And that matters. When it comes to this week’s rail strikes, that comparison is a gift for a government PR machine that thrives on negativity and rarely needs a second invitation to sling (often slanderous) insults at its opposition.It pushes at an open door. Negativity and criticism are intellectually easier to digest and decidedly more media-friendly than equivocation, so the simple,…

Daily Mail Amber Heard is facing career and financial ruin after losing a blockbuster defamation case to ex-husband Johnny Depp – which left her with an $8.35 million damages bill.  Experts have suggested that there is ‘no way back for Heard in Hollywood’ adding that the dramatic six-week court battle has left the actress, 36, ‘too icky for a studio’, raising questions about her future earnings.  The actress said throughout the trial that her profile has been badly damaged by the case, revealing how Depp suing her kept her from fulfilling a pledge to donate $7million to the American Civil Liberties Union. Entertainment…

ScreenshotNo matter what verdict is announced regarding the Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard defamation trial, it’s undeniable that the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s film career was impacted by both the allegations from and the ongoing court battle with his ex-wife. That being said, when it comes to the world of luxury fragrance, it seems Depp he still as popular as ever, if not more, since it’s been revealed that Dior apparently sold a bottle of Sauvage—the perfume the actor is the face of—every three seconds in 2021.The claim was first shared by Twitter user John Pompliano who found the…

The iThe BBC has held high-level talks with the Royal Family to heal a fractured relationship ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.But the broadcaster has been encouraged to ask “tough questions” about the future of the monarchy as it prepares to screen extensive coverage of the celebrations.Top-level talks between the broadcaster and the Palace have helped smooth relations which hit a low last year after the extent of the Martin Bashir Diana Panorama scandal was exposed and the airing of a controversial documentary about William and Harry’s relationship with the media.There was talk of the Palace boycotting the BBC over the…

PRWeekIt started out as a movie-streaming pioneer, but Netflix is experiencing a sharp decline in account holders for the first time in its history. Its share price has also plunged from $373 per share at the start of April to $193 yesterday.It is blaming everything from the war in Ukraine to people sharing passwords for its 200,000 subscriber dip in the first quarter of 2022, but more alarmingly it sheepishly predicts a loss of two million more users by July, despite gaining over four times that amount in the final quarter of last year.Though multiple factors are at play, to…

The GuardianIt seems like simple advice for the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s Caribbean tour: avoid taking references from Netflix drama The Crown, ditch anything that smacks of 1950s colonialism and instead try to create a modern monarchy handbook to swerve the PR pitfalls that befell the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s recent controversial visit to the region.But with Grenada dropped from the itinerary with no explanation the day before the tour started on Friday, and an open letter on slave trade reparations awaiting them in Antigua and Barbuda, the spotlight is already on Edward and Sophie’s platinum jubilee tour…