To the untrained eye Amanda Holden, Katherine Jenkins, and Daniel Thomas share very little in common. Closer inspection tells another story though, one held together by use, exploitation and misjudgement of social media’s might.
To begin on a positive note, Smoking Gun PR staff have been working hard on the Kumho Tyres Cash for Causes campaign of late. £100,000 is up for grabs, with a public voting system deciding on which organisations will get a share in the spoils. Clearly online networking is playing a huge part in the distribution of wealth then, but it’s amazing just how significant a status update can be.
Cue British TV stalwart Amanda Holden, who summoned the force of her 1,218,404 Twitter followers to take the Bude Sea Pool in Cornwall to the top of the competition leaderboard. That’s not bad, considering the relative obscurity of said open air public swimming facility in the eyes of most Britons, and the nationwide scope of the campaign, evidencing the power of a strong influencer.
Of course the Katherine Jenkins mystery is a very different story, but one no less indicative of the way in which social media, in this instance Twitter, can be used to refocus the spotlight. The 32 year old opera singer took to the platform repeatedly in the hope of ‘clearing her name’ following rumours she and David Beckham had a little too much knowledge of one another. The weird thing being, nobody heard about the scandal before the accused adulteress decided to contest it.
From where I’m sitting there’s a small sceptic somewhere close by who, above the din of the gossip mill, can just be heard screaming something about an attention seeking PR push. Of course we’ll never know what the real catalyst for this bizarre denial was, but there’s no doubt more of the public will have heard her name now than had at the beginning of summer.
In contrast few could accuse Welsh footballer Daniel Thomas of being anything other than honest when he came unstuck following his own 140 character quips. As we reported on our blog recently, his comments regarding Olympic aquatic types Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield were branded as homophobic, and nearly landed the Premier League man in court, if not for the QC deciding the jibe wasn’t grossly offensive, just stupid, and really only meant for friends and family.
The case has led the Director of Public Prosecutions to set about drafting guidelines for acceptable use of online networks, a result of perpetual examples that could also have been used in this article. So we’ll all soon know what can and can’t be said, though it’s unlikely to affect the number of scandals. What’s important, though, is that despite ongoing speculation such technologies have peaked, social media remains a tool of enormous power that can be used for significant gains, just so long as you’re aware of all the potential consequences.
Despite the rain and cold we’ve been breaking sweat here on Quay Street this month, with a host of new clients and high profile campaigns taking up our time. Needless to say, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s our great pleasure to introduce a new member of the Smoking Gun fold, Gorilla Glue. This family run American firm is looking for major expansion in the UK, and as such has called upon our team to help with media relations, and social media marketing responsibilities, developing the brand on this side of the Atlantic.
We’re also currently looking after press duties for Victoria Plumb, the UK’s largest independent bathroom retailer ahead of the company’s inaugural TV advertisement campaign. A manufacturer of high quality, luxury products, there’s no denying the fixtures and fittings will look suitably opulent on screen, so we’re delighted to be involved, and can’t wait for the finished footage to be broadcast.
Elsewhere, one of our key sportswear clients, Mountain Hardwear, also had a major first recently. The firm opened a UK retail space in September, taking up residency inside Glasgow’s West End Retail Park; impressive news, not least given Britain’s continuing high street woes, and a sure fire mark of the growing demand for the acclaimed outdoor clothing.
Dairy lovers may have been aware of the recent Butler’s Cheese Craft A Cheese campaign, which came to an end in the last few weeks. With over 642,000 page impressions on the microsite, 3,000 competition entries, and almost 300 pieces of individual media coverage, we’ve been more than kept busy by what must be the country’s first ever crowd sourced cheese.
The winner, Far Pavilion, was unveiled at Cardiff Castle for British Cheese week, and offers a sumptuous combination of cow’s milk, coriander, and cumin, falling somewhere between Lancashire and more exotic locales. It’s certainly equal to the sum of its parts, as we can concur, and has just about kept the office fueled during what has been another big month in the news, at least so far as our client roster goes. Eyes down for another busy few weeks then, it will take more than the perpetually plummeting temperature to dampen our in-house spirits.
Social media- it’s loved and loathed in equal measures. Time consuming, and a constant distraction, not just for public relations agencies in Manchester like ourselves, despite these problems there’s no denying such online platforms provide a great soap box with which to have your opinions heard.
According to one of our trusted sources today (take a look at the story on The Drum here), we’re all set to be reminded of just how much we can have our say when none other than our nation’s leader David Cameron opens up his own Twitter account. Currently represented by his office (@Number10gov), jumping into full blown public tweeting from a personalised profile is a bold move, and will surprise anyone who remembers an interview back in 2009 wherein he complained about the network, stating he didn’t want to join individually for fear “too many twits might make a tw*t“.
Stateside Barack Obama already has a long established handle on the social network in question (@BarackObama), with well over 20million followers monitoring whatever thoughts and news are published in this way. Whether or not the Tory leader will see such a healthy fan base develop is unclear, but it’s more than probable he will attract a fair amount of attention once the account goes live before the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on October 10th.
At the moment we can confirm neither @davidcameron (who is apparently “NOT the prime minister. I am a dude from America, who is more awesome than the prime minister“), nor @DavidCameronLeader will be occupied by the British No.1, though no details have been released as to what his online name will be. We can certainly think of a few, and not just @PMfortheprivileged. If you’ve got any suggestions please let us know, regardless of the potential profanities therein.
From working as an editor in the UK, to taking charge of a Hong Kong magazine, industry journalist Tony Murray has formed innumerable opinions. Interested to hear a few we invited him to share his thoughts via a regular guest blog. Use the comments form below if you have any feedback or written bile to spit as a result, and please remember; if you don’t like it, he doesn’t work for us…
When the great Roman Empire, the template for all future consumer societies, faced terminal decline, it had two distinct offerings designed to ward off widespread chaos. Bread. And circuses.
With a distinct lack of bread available, unless you work for a bank or can reliably kick a ball between two sticks most Saturdays, the emphasis in the Britain of 2012 has clearly been on circuses. Fortunately, we’ve been blessed with two huge pleb-enthralling spectacles in recent months – the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics.
Thanks to Cliff Richard being specially de-frosted to sing before the Monarch and the Thames briefly – and for the first time since the last Elizabethan age – being home to more boats than old cans of Fosters and used prophylactics, the summer started well. With the Old Spices precariously balanced on taxis and the UK gaining more gold in two-weeks than even a mid-level stockbroker, it ended quite impressively too.
What now though? With a summer of sport and sycophancy behind us, how is the populace to be distracted from nurse-less hospitals and teacher-less schools for the remainder of the year? Fortunately, the third-in-line to the throne selflessly came to the rescue.
It is believed that the decision to waggle the young royal’s personal crown jewels right across the internet came directly from Number 10. It proved so popular that Downing Street instantly decreed that Princess Kate should get her baps out on the internet and in Closer magazine (other Gallic opportunistic porn mags are available). This saved a lot of time. Diana, her predecessor as Princess of Hearts, should have followed the same policy, rather than seemingly setting out to expose her royal chestiness to every blue-veined male on an individual basis. Probably alphabetically.
Flushed with the success of these twin royal raunchy reveals, it is believed that the Con-Doms have a number of treats in store to while away the chillier months.
In October, government scientists will announce a breakthrough in cloning technology. This will see them able to replicate multiple Take Thats at will. Fortunately, due to government cut backs in science funding, these cloned musicians – branded Fake That by a wag at The Sun – are only three inches high. To keep things in scale, Jason Orange is only two inches tall. By November, Government plans will see a Fake That playing in every municipal park, entertaining everyone with 20/20 vision or a big magnifying glass.
In December, an assembled group of Fake Thats secure the coveted Xmas No 1 with a novelty cover version of It Only Takes a Minute Girl. The novelty being, of course, that “Minute” is pronounced “My-Newt”. Celebrations are spoilt by the news that the Robbie Williams of the Fake That based in Egerton Park has left the group. Sadly, his ambitions to launch a solo career are frustrated when he is eaten by a big dog.
Find all this a trifle incredible? Unlikely even? Nick Clegg is currently trying to convince his party that he didn’t mean to make them history when he signed up for his lovely, embossed “Deputy Prime Minister” business card and, come January, it’s bankers bonus season again. Now that really is fucking unbelievable.
Tony Murray is Managing Editor of Gafencu Men in Hong Kong. He was previously editor of Adline and group managing editor of the Carnyx Group, publishers of The Drum and former publishers of The Marketeer. You can contact him at tonymurray37ATgmailDOTcom
“”Profit without purpose is a recipe for disaster.” Elisabeth Murdoch discussing the business policies of her brother, James Murdoch, and News Corp.
Worth the paper it’s printed on?
Light news success stories in the papers this week included…
..Katherine Jenkins denying having an affair with David Beckham, according to 12 articles, whereas Northern Ireland may criminalise paying for sex but only 4 reports ran…
…Snooki, of Jersey Shore notoriety, giving birth, as features in 3 stories, the same amount that covered the Advertising Standards Agency rejecting A4e from labelling itself a ‘social purpose company’…
…and, finally, the ten funniest jokes told at 2012′s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which featured in 10 stories, in contrast the two German tourists killed in a plane crash in Kenya appeared in just 1.
How the mighty are falling, at least in terms of public perception. Amid the legal battle waging between Apple and Samsung, with the latter accused of breaching several iPatents, the world’s coolest computer firm don’t seem to realise half the world has begun poking fun at its aggressive protectionist tactics.
Weekly low
Olympic Bronze Medallist Sam Oldham was no doubt rather satisfied with his achievements, and happy his Grandma placed a 200/1 bet he would reach the podium. Shame Betfred are refusing to honour the wager, claiming his success was a team, not individual event.
Three things that may happen next week…
The final albums eligible for Britain’s feted Mercury Music Prize will arrive in shops to buy, despite calls for to depose Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, loyalist Liberal Democrats could well rally in favour of the party chief, and the new leader of the Green Party will be unveiled after ballots closed today.
Dates for your diary
Monday 3rd September- Manchester; CING September Meetup @ Gorilla- a chance for creatives to network and discuss projects and ideas with food and drinks at one of Spinningfields’ trendiest hangouts.
Tuesday 5th September- Leeds; Leeds Digital Lunch @ The Adelphi- Ahead of the Leeds Digital Festival in October interested professionals are invited to meet, greet, and discuss the industry.
Thursday 6th September 2012- Liverpool; Social Media Cafe @ 23 Roscoe Lane- informal event open to anyone interested in social media, designed to help educate and innovate.
If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email helloATsmokinggun.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!
“It is not about privacy. It is about money, money, money.” Lord Prescott on The Sun’s decision to print pictures of Prince Harry, naked with girls in Las Vegas.
Worth the paper it’s printed on?
Light news success stories in the papers this week included…
…posh guy Benedict Cumberbatch complaining about people ‘posh bashing’, with 18 articles giving him a podium, far more than the two which ran on the Independent Police Complaints Commission launching an external review into the death of Sean Rigg…
… Miley Cyrus cutting her hair, a world event covered in 7 headlines, in contrast a former News Of The World Scotland editor was charged with perjury and appeared in 4…
…and, finally, Radio 1′s decision to do away with sung jingles during its breakfast broadcasts, as covered in 4 stories, whereas Argentina’s former President began his corruption trial and was only features in 1.
Big TV news Stateside as satellite provider Dish Network drops AMC, along with its flagship shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. In response the channel made this add, and set up this website to raise awareness of its plight.
Weekly low
Bad news for Tesco and ASDA, as both supermarkets are accused of selling tap water- valued at 1/3 of a penny per litre, as bottled water- sold at 17p per litre. There’s no case for false advertising, just plenty of unhappy customers that won’t forgive so easily.
Three things that may happen next week…
An Indian court could rule in favour of removing commercial tourism from areas containing tiger reserves in order to protect the endangered animals. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il may receive an invitation for ‘ice-breaker’ talks with China, his first state visit anywhere since assuming power in December. Seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will face a furore Stateside after failing to mount a defence against renewed doping allegations.
Dates for your diary
Wednesday 29th August-Sunday 2nd September- Manchester; Abandon Normal Devices @ Various venues- four days of new cinema, digital culture and art will take over the city, including a drive in movie theatre filled with scrap cars.
Thursday 30th August 2012- Manchester; Northern Soho @ TBC- everyone from web designers to marketers are invited to discuss creativity in the region and how to make the industry stronger. Preceded by a mentoring session for new businesses, click here for more details.
If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email helloATsmokinggun.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!
“The current design has a real problem. It uses a lot of water, requires a very expensive system to bring in very clean water, then you make that water dirty.” Bill Gates on his plans to re-invent the toilet.
Worth the paper it’s printed on?
Light news success stories in the paper this week include… Lindsay Lohan having an argument with Clint Eastwood’s daughter, which appeared in 2 articles, only slightly less than Jared Loughner, the Gabrielle Giffords shooter, who was found guilty of the crime and made it into 4…
……Lady Gaga’s new album title and appearances at numerous events, as covered by 39 papers, far more than the 5 that looked into News Corporation’s $1.6billion loss…
…and, finally, Suri Cruise, Tom and Katie’s daughter, managed to steal 4 headlines for doing very little, in contrast a Chechnya bombing that killed Russian soldiers was only featured in 2.
They’re all over the Tube in London, and have even been appearing on TV. Total Recall, the remake, arrives in cinemas next Wednesday, and in true movie-hype generating style the marketing team have developed this ad campaign to promote the idea of implanting memories in people’s brains. Shame the film itself is supposed to be so poor.
Weekly low
Wow. Not satisfied with putting on the ‘Greatest Olympic Opening Ceremony Ever’, London 2012 went one step further by putting on a spectacle of British pop music to round off the Games last Sunday. The only problem is most of it was dreadful, with George Michael’s attempt to resurrect his carcass of a career via the Godawful Europop single White Light topping the list of mistakes. Shocking, and embarrassing.
Three things that may happen next week…
Police could enter Ecuador’s London embassy under the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who is currently evading UK authorities inside the address, further protests are likely to be seen in major British train stations following the announcement of a 6% price hike on tickets, and a Chinese court will probably deliver its verdict over the killing of British businessman Neil Heywood, with the wife of a leading member of the Communist Party accused of his murder.
Dates for your diary
Thursday 23rd August 2012- Manchester; Note To Self Creative Consortium @ The Cornerhouse invited design professionals to descend on one of the North West’s most revered artistic institutions to hear speakers from some of the world’s top creative agencies.
If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email helloATsmokinggun.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!
…Kristen Stewart, of Twilight Saga fame, saying sorry for cheating on Robert Pattinson, with 54 articles reporting on that bombshell, in contrast the trial for the chap who tweeted he would blow up an airport out of frustration- as a joke- had his conviction overturned in the High Court and only made it into 10 …
……Paris Jackson, Michael’s daughter, posting on Twitter that her Grandma is missing, as relayed in 50 stories, whereas Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brooks, and six others were charged over the phone hacking scandal, and appeared in no less than 28…
…and finally, this year’s annual Teen Choice Awards, and the celebrities that made an appearance formed the crux of 45 headlines, almost double the 24 that focused on a woman dying in a Dorset landslide.
On paper it’s an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, but scratch beneath the surface and last Friday night was about plenty more than welcoming athletes from across the world to London. The UK is struggling economically, and outside investment is high on the agenda, as such Danny Boyle’s ode to all that is Great about Britain- from industry to creativity and pop culture- is about as good an advert as anyone could ask for.
Weekly low
The thing with unfounded rumours is people often remember them more than the truth. This week a company called Limited Run accused Facebook of using in-house bots to click on its ads, and trying to illicit £1,280 for the rights to change the brand name on the network. Big claims, matched with big statements like: “This is why we need to delete this page and move away from Facebook. They’re scumbags and we just don’t have the patience for scumbags”. Ouch.
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!
The Games are big business, with strict rules on commercial tie-ins. But amid the maelstrom of legitimate partner messages there have been some equally effective unaffiliated adverts successfully grabbing our attention.
Only official sponsors like McDonald’s, Coca Cola, P&G, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow, GE, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung, Visa and Addidas can exploit the sporting showcase with profiteering intent, though this hasn’t stopped daring advertising departments from jumping on the bootleg bandwagon. Over the last few weeks we’ve noticed a number of excellent examples, the best of which we’ve listed below in a celebration of cheeky innovation and barefaced ingenuity.
Aviva – British Athletes
How do you officially unofficially link with the greatest show on Earth? Well, this insurance giant did it by sponsoring Team GB athletes over successive years, before hosting its own Aviva Trials 2012 in July, wherein the nation’s top competitors went head to head, providing plenty of photo opportunities.
Oddbins – We Can’t Talk About It
The UK’s most famous off-license chain struck gold with its latest advertising campaign, pictured here. Many stores are also offering a 30% discount if you go in with a product made by rivals of the main Olympic sponsors, for example Vauxhall car keys or an RBS bank statement. Brave moves indeed.
Nike – #Findyourgreatness
By filming locations across the globe that all share a name with Britain’s capital- i.e. London, Canada- and sending out a clear message that ‘not all great athletes are in SW19’ it’s amazing the U.S. sportswear giant hasn’t wound up in hot water with the people in charge of Olympic branding. Still, it’s an effective advert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNNVb5JT-RA
Specsavers – As They Might Say In North Korea
As highlighted in our Blagger’s Blog the first major blunder of London 2012 occurred as a South Korean flag was shown next to members of the North Korean women’s football team. Cue plenty of embarrassment, and an entire ad based on the fact whoever was responsible should have gone to a certain opticians.
Subway – My Personal Best
OK, so this televised 30-second spot is irritating, and the athletes used are a little wooden on camera. But, by drafting in two of Team GB’s biggest hopes to help promote a pair of sandwiches, Subway’s current campaign has used the Olympic podium without even mentioning the Games. Job done then.
…The Only Way Is Essex, unbelievably, not being on TV at the moment, with 45 desperate journalists reporting on that momentous occurrence, far more than the 5 that covered ‘ClimateGate’ and the hacked email inquiry…
…David Beckham’s last minute role in the Olympics opening ceremony, with 33 articles focused on that, whilst calls to allow the separation of siblings to speed up the adoption process only apeared in 4…
…and finally, Madonna’s performance at Hyde Park, as formed the crux of 29 stories, in contrast the recent ‘startling’ suicide figures revealed by Tayside police only made it into 2. .
In a world full of companies that take too long when admitting fault it’s good to see at least those behind social networking understand how to use such platforms to make amends, with Twitter failing this week and then saying sorry a couple of hours later. Yep, that’s how it’s done.
Weekly low
If you’re hosting the Olympics, and a notoriously secretive and isolationist state takes part, it’s a pretty big blunder to then project an image of the country’s sworn enemy. South Korea’s colours were shown on a big screen ahead of a North Korean woman’s football game, which certainly won’t have pleased anyone.
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!
