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The Blagger’s Blog 18th May 2012

May 18th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

…Amanda Holden keeping her place as judge on Britain’s Got Talent, which 60 stories reported on, in contrast a suspected suicide bombing in Damascus killed 55, injured 40, but made it into just 22 articles…

…Rihanna wearing a leg-revealing dress, appearing in 73 stories as a result, whereas the gang of nine Rochdale men jailed for sexually exploiting young girls featured in 65…

…Ashleigh Butler and his dog, Pudsey, who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, and subsequently made 59 headlines, whilst Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, cancelled plans for an early election following the forming of a government with the Kadima party, and just 25 stories reported on the situation.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

Land Rovers are hard wearing and tough. Inspired by this the company’s UAE arm decided to send out survival packs to 5,000 existing customers, detailing all manner of animals, plants, and the topography of the Arabian Desert. The book came bound in reflective metal (which people can use to cook or attract attention), and when eaten has roughly the nutritional value of a cheeseburger. Genius.

Weekly low

Nike decided to promote Manchester United’s heritage to celebrate the club’s new kit launch. Unfortunately the athletic giant mistook a photograph of nearby Oldham town centre, and not the UK’s second city- giving more fuel to the argument that the Reds aren’t really a Manchester team at all (what with their international fan base and Trafford stadium). Oops.

Last week according to Twitter

From May 5th-11th the following trends were Twitter’s most popular…

I Believe I Can Fly

I Want You Back

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Happy Jonas Day

Maurice Sendak

May the Fourth

Beastie Boys

Mariano Rivera

5 PKK

Vidal Sassoon

A little like stepping back in time this week’s trends see two 90s number ones hit the first and second spot, though we’re not sure why. On top of that RIP legendary fallen Beastie Boy Adam Yauch who died recently, whilst Happy Cinco De Mayo and Happy May 5th prove that Mexicans really do love that particular day, reputedly their ‘drunkest holiday’.

From May 5th-11th the following brands were Twitter’s most popular…

Bankia

Good Vibrations

2K Games’ BioShock Infinite

Bethesda Softwork’s Wolfenstein 3D

Slideshare

From May 5th-11th the following Memes were Twitter’s most popular…

If I Had A Gun

I Need You Now

I Should’ve Kissed You

I Dnt Need A Lot

#What2ChainzWouldSay

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.ukor tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

New ABC newspaper figures reveal Saturday is the day

May 17th, 2012

The subject of daily print news, and the way in which sales figures therein are analysed, was featured in our last newsletter (read more on that here), but for those that missed out let’s provide a quick summary. Up until very recently the number of copies circulated was calculated based on Monday-Sunday numbers, but all this has now changed.

So the Audit Bureau of Circulation has begun separating weekdays and the two editions distributed at the weekend, giving advertisers a far more in depth breakdown as to when people read newspapers the most. And, surprise surprise, the statistics point to Saturday being the nation’s favourite day to catch up on current affairs.

It’s common knowledge that Sunday papers have reduced in size over the years as publishers worked out that most of us prefer to be inundated with information when we have 48 hours to consume the extensive supplements and addition entertainment guides. Which isn’t to say the final print run of the week is small, just less overbearing than it was.

As such it appears obvious those responsible for organising content have been aware of the difference between Monday and Saturday for some time, and so revealing this information to the advertising buyers is really only fair play. What’s interesting is the size of the differences between weekday pickups and their weekend counterparts, with many titles selling well over 100,000 more copies whilst most of the country isn’t at work (The Guardian, for example almost doubles its circulation). The impact of this remains to be seen, but in an era of struggling print media the announcement that figures gleaned from ‘the old system’ have been propped up by the bumper weekend editions could well spell trouble for overall revenues, which certainly won’t be very good news for anyone (other than The Daily Star, which actually shifts more during the week).

Tags: ABC, buzz, circulation figures, news, newspapers, Print media
Posted in Media News, Seen this?, newspapers | No Comments »

Wednesday Infographic: Inception Explained

May 16th, 2012

This week’s infographic is a little different from normal as Inception Explained is a web based infographic designed by Matt Dempsey that aims to explain the plot of the 2010 film Inception.

We’ve included some screen grabs of the infographic below but to fully enjoy it, click on the above hyperlink.

Tags: design, Inception, infographic, Smoking Gun PR, web based infographic
Posted in infographic | No Comments »

The Blagger’s Blog 11th May 2012

May 11th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

…Britain’s Got Talent, which is approaching the end of its current series- the crux of 96 articles, in contrast David Cameron being called to the House of Commons to defend Jeremy Hunt only made it into 45…

…Tulisa being named FHM’s Sexiest Woman In The World, with 86 stories reporting, whilst clashes in Cairo killed eleven, wounding 160 more, and just 26 headlines appeared…

…Avengers Assemble, AKA The Avengers, Marvel’s latest big screen hit, opens in UK cinemas and breaks box office records, as was reported in 34 pieces, far more than the 11 that covered a suicide bomb in Nigeria that claimed eleven lives.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

OK, so this came to our attention a week ago, but given the fact it stuck in our minds we decided to finally give it some deserved attention. US food giant Kraft decided to do the only decent thing and personally thank those that Liked the brand’s Facebook page with this functional song- talk about personal service.

Weekly low

Claire Lomas became the first person to complete the London Marathon in a bionic suit. She’s paralysed, and finally finished the race one day after the other runners. We’d still say she should have received a medal though, a terrible PR move indeed.

Last week according to Twitter

From April 28th – May 4th the following trends were Twitter’s most popular…

21 Million Beliebers

I Am Legend

Can I Have This Dance

2 Chainz

I Love Louis

Liberty X

I Dont Like Remix

Titanic II

3 Months With BAP

32 Ligas

That man 2 Chainz is still in the top ten, and this week Philip K. Dick’s I Am Legend is too. Elsewhere Justin Bieber may have 21million screaming fans Beliebing in him worldwide, but the Titanic II trend is most interesting, what with the movie re-release, a real life ‘replica voyage’ having just set sail, and some godawful straight to DVD (unofficial) sequel inspiring conversation. Good luck with that then.

From April 28th- May 4th the following brands were Twitter’s most popular…

Google Drive

Bank Mandiri Debit Card

Microsoft Sky Drive

AOL On Network

British Gas

From April 19th-27th the following Memes were Twitter’s most popular…

I Cried When

I Dont Really Care

A Picture of Me When I Was

I Hate Mondays

I Know Who Killed Me

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.ukor tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

A return to Cosgrove Hall?

May 10th, 2012

Well, not likely. In 2009 Manchester’s most famous animation studios closed its doors for the last time, and then two years later Mark Hall, the co-founder and creator of its most famous export- Danger Mouse- died aged 74.

But don’t worry though, it’s not all old, bad news, because for the last few weeks there has been widespread talk about Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment (the company run by Hall’s son, Simon) looking for new office space in Manchester, and £2.3million of external investment, in order to fully re-launch after the firm was resurrected last year. Apparently they have a new show, which is the catalyst for this move- Pip!, which is aimed at pre-school kids.

50 new jobs could be created if all goes to plan, which is great news for the region’s creative industries. Obviously this also comes at a time when, thanks to the whole MediaCity project, there are plenty of options available to those looking for suitable professional accommodation in this line of work. With this in mind we’ve put together a few choice clips made at the award winning studio’s former Chorlton base, as those in charge start planning for future facilities.

Danger Mouse

Roald Dahl’s The BFG

Terry Pratchet’s Truckers

Fifi and the Flowertots

Tags: buzz, communication, digital media, Manchester, technology
Posted in Media News, Quirkies, weird and wonderful, Seen this? | No Comments »

Infographic: The Social Media Premier League

May 9th, 2012

With the Premiership title race set to be decided this weekend it seems only fitting that today’s infographic combines football with online networking. Digital marketing boffins at Freestyle Interactive have decided to look at the web based activity of each team, and rank them all appropriately, highlighting the most prolific and least active web players, the most talked about squads and fastest growing groups of followers- interesting stuff.

Tags: buzz, Celebrity, communication, digital media, Digital PR, Facebook, infographic, Social Media, technology, Twitter
Posted in Seen this?, Social Media & Digital, infographic | No Comments »

The Blagger’s Blog 4th May 2012

May 4th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

…Kim Kardashian’s evening with President Obama, a meeting of minds that found a way into 39 articles, whilst hostilities in Sudan escalated and the country drew closer to war, resulting in 26 reports…

…Katie Price’s third marriage, which 32 stories focused on, whereas the £475million pre-tax loss for Barclays in the first three months of 2012 only made it into 21…

…and finally, Gary Neville enjoying commentating on the Chelsea v Barcelona Champions League match, which made 31 headlines, in contrast the Legal Aid bill was finally submitted for royal assent after 14 defeats in the House of Lords and just 4 stories made it to print.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

How about this for a coffee break distraction? Take a rather average looking European square, add an American football team, gangsters, paramedics, and confused members of the public and you’re left with PR stunt gold.

Weekly low

In public relations we deal with top secret projects every day, and it’s really important that we don’t send these details out to national newspaper journalists. Looks like it’s time for someone to start applying for a new job then…

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/harry-potters-secret-is-out-after-pr-slip-gives-the-game-away-2301419.html

Last week according to Twitter

From April 19th-27th the following trends were Twitter’s most popular…

2chainz

25 de Abril

16 & Pregnant

Brian McKnight

TGIFPrize Michael Jackson

#TheVoiceUK

Happy St George’s Day

Happy Earth Day

ZX Spectrum

#ufc145

Great to see Sinclair’s classic console the ZX Spectrum making a posthumus appearance some thirty or so years after it launched. Elsewhere US rapper 2 Chainz might not be big in this country yet but he’s making waves online, whilst St George’s Day beats Earth Day in the popularity stakes, just.

From April 19th-27th the following brands were Twitter’s most popular…

Google Drive

Bank Mandiri Debit Card

Microsoft Sky Drive

AOL On Network

British Gas

From April 19th-27th the following Memes were Twitter’s most popular…

10 Must Follow Tumblrs

#RecomiendaUnLibro

#iadmit

#10factsaboutme

#textsthatgetyouscared

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.ukor tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

Infographic: How Green Is Your iPad?

May 3rd, 2012

By now Apple’s much loved tablet has secured a place in most of our hearts. Those of us that don’t own one would kind of quite like too, and those that do can’t stop playing with them.

But there’s a good and bad side to everything, which is a bit of a shame when the item in question is damn beautiful to look at (hence the near-hypnotic ‘tablet effect’). Other rival products will no doubt have similarly poor environmental credentials, but this week’s Infographic focuses on the iPad, and its impact on our planet. Don’t be too worried though, it’s not all such terrible news… Thanks to Sortable.com for putting it together.

Tags: Apple, infographic, ipad, Media News, technology
Posted in Seen this?, infographic, technology | No Comments »

Where from here for Murdoch?

May 1st, 2012

As you may, or may not know by now, the man behind the world’s most controversial media empire has been branded ‘unfit’ to run a major firm. By anyone’s judgement, that’s quite a statement.

So the select committee report into Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group, and the apparent widespread breaking of laws by staff therein, has come to its verdict, and it’s bad news for the TV and print mogul, not to mention all brands associated with him. A PR disaster no less, the impact on share prices and public perception in terms of everything from The Sun to BSkyB (to name just two household names) could be catastrophic unless action is taken quickly, and decisively.

As the guy at the top of a phone-hacking, bribe paying culture we could well label immoral journalism obviously the already common calls for his resignation will be amplified exponentially, and it’s likely the man in charge will step down of his own accord before being ousted proper. As such today will clearly be remembered as a rather momentous moment in journalism.

Apparently there was a strong division within the select committee, seemingly drawn on party lines. The Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs on the panel voted to include criticisms of James Murdoch (described as exhibiting a ‘lack of curiosity … wilful ignorance even’ towards the actions of his staff), and strengthen the comments aimed at his father, Rupert, in their report. In contrast the Conservatives felt less enthusiastic about doing the same thing (though were outnumbered), whilst all those involved in the judgement were unanimous in their condemnation of lower level employees who actively broke the law for a good story.

Figuring out why this would be the case doesn’t take too long, after all the Tories have closer ties with the other two political camps, meaning they have the most to lose from the top dogs being fingered as responsible for this criminality. The only remaining question then is where from here for Murdoch and Murdoch (et al), News International and News Corp?

The once all-powerful boss, and his band of right hand men and women, will leave with their sickly culture of misdemeanours, and allow the organisations tarnished to try repairing reputations. But when this happens it will also mark the departure of a known newspaper lover and traditionalist from the UK’s largest group of print dailies in an age wherein many rivals are already re-focusing business models to favour online, and because it isn’t so much a case of cutting off the head as surgically removing all the apparently rotten areas the repercussions of this, both editorially and in terms of staff, could be huge.

Tags: Media News, newspapers, online news, Print media, public relations
Posted in Media News, Seen this?, newspapers | No Comments »

The Blagger’s Blog 27th April 2012

April 27th, 2012

A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…

…Simon Cowell’s personal life, and The Voice winning the ratings war with Britain’s Got Talent, which repeatedly hit headlines and resulted in 192 stories, whereas George Osborne’s pledge to give £10million to the IMF only led to 40…

…Tulisa’s regrets about that sex tape, which gave rise to 44 articles, in contrast India’s successful test of a long range missile only made it into 29…

…and finally, Tupac’s holographic tour hit 34 headlines, whilst President Obama’s plea for peace following an escalation of fighting at the Sudan border only made it into 23.

(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

Non alcoholic beer- it tastes pretty bad and doesn’t do us any more favours than the real stuff. A marketing nightmare you may say… until watching this, the first intelligent on-screen appearance from Charlie Sheen in years.

Weekly low

People are becoming increasingly wary of large brands, as such for Walmart to be exposed for paying millions of dollars in bribes to advance the company in the Mexican marketplace would be damaging. As such if a representative from said firm then tried to defend such actions by simply saying ‘it was six years ago’, it would surely note bode well for the firm’s public appearance.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs UK

Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 26/4/2012)

#mufc #mcfc

#thevoiceuk #manchester

#cfc #thevoice

#awaydaymemories #towie

#wordsyourillneverhearmesay #together

A healthy dose of positivity is inherent in Manchester this week, what with the city name trending alone, and #together cropping up. Good times ahead then, maybe.

Top London #tags (seven days to 26/4/2012)

#thevoiceuk #cfc

#londonmarathon #leveson

#f1 #thevoice

#mufc #wordsyourillneverhearmesay

In contrast to up North those in the capital have been focusing on current affairs this week- so that’s the #londonmarathon and the #leveson enquiry, to name but two.

Top UK #tags (seven days to 26/4/2012)

#ff #thevoiceuk

#cfc #londonmarathon

#mufc #f1

#leveson #towie

#wordsyouwillneverhearmesay

This week the rest of the UK has been following a similar pattern to its two largest cities, a la #leveson. On top of that a load of people are talking about the #londonmarathon outside the capital, which is pretty good too.

That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.

If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email hello@smokinggunpr.co.ukor tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!

PR Blog

New ABC newspaper figures reveal Saturday is the day

Wednesday Infographic: Inception Explained

A return to Cosgrove Hall?

Infographic: How Green Is Your iPad?

Where from here for Murdoch?

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