What do you mean it's not fancy dress

So this is a little mean, but very, very funny. It was a joke nearly two weeks in the making but at Harvard PR we managed to convince a colleague that our Christmas party was fancy dress, the theme: Superheroes.

This is the moment he realised it wasn't...

THAT Publicis video: Good clean fun?

There seem to be a lot of people on Twitter being a little mean about a video put together by the good people at Publicis, showing what a fun, and may I say attractive and slightly whacky, bunch they are. You can watch it for yourself on the right.

OK, so they look like they're lip synching to a song they've never heard before but they also look like they're having a lot of fun doing it, so I don't really see the harm, especially at this time of year (though the bitchin' running man at 1 min 46 secs never goes out of fashion... the knitwear - 2 mins 59 secs - on the other hand...).

So, well done them...

...but if I might share some talking points from the video.

1) 3 mins 13 secs: There appears to be a man in a meeting room being pleasured beneath his desk...

GERONIM-OOOOOOHH!


2) 3 mins 43 seconds: Publicis count among their staff legendary 80s [ahem] comedians Stan Boardman and Jasper Carrot.

Left-wing news & comment? There's an app for that

The Guardian has today launched its first iPhone app, allowing users to access news on the move, from a simple handheld device called a mobile phone. It's all been made possible by a technology called WAP...

...oh no, that actually was 2002.

Of course we've all actually been able to do this for years - the Guardian even admits it has nearly a million mobile users happily reading its content already - but this is different, says Emily Bell, director of digital content, Guardian News & Media (watch the video, right, to find out more).

"There is no other news app like it on the App Store," said Bell in a Guardian press release. "Users can personalise their homepage to get quicker access to the content most relevant to them, browse content offline, effortlessly flip through our stunning photo galleries and access every contributor; from Charlie Brooker to Polly Toynbee."

iPod Touch

While anybody who used to cache pages on their Palm handheld before leaving for the office may claim reading online content offline is not that new, and the use of 3G and wifi may be evolution not revolution, this is still a handy innovation for us iPod Touch users or even those using the iPhone on a commute with patchy reception.

Because while I tend to be a fan of serendipity, rather than simply getting what I think I want to read when it comes to reading a newspaper, getting news on the move is altogether different and still involves far too much time spent trawling through multiple pages or menus, watching content load.

I'm sure the Guardian's people behind this would admit they're not splitting the atom with this launch but rather simplifying something many of us do already. And that's why the app only costs £2.39 I'd imagine - a reflection that we're paying for convenience, not for a whole new way of life. To me, that seems a fair price for taking the hassle out of configuring multiple RSS feeds or simply removing a few stages of unncessary hassle from my morning trawl through the online news. The experience is also hugely more enjoyable than wrestling with a more makeshift option via RSS.

But while the price is no barrier to trying it out, it is perhaps just enough to ensure if users like it they'll be less promiscuous regarding where they get their online news, stopping the trend towards aggregation and masthead indifference. In that regard it's wonderfully forward thinking. While Murdoch believes it's all about paywalls and monetising commoditised news, the Guardian meanwhile realises it's actually about delivery, personal preference and user experience.

And the initial feedback looks good too:

@macTweeter: First Impressions: Guardian Launches iPhone App, And It’s Good

@charltonbrooker: Just downloaded the new Guardian iPhone app, like an obedient little boy

@nickludlam: The Guardian's iPhone app is extremely well thought out, and a fantastic first version

@paulosullivano: Good news for expats like me. V reasonable price too.

OK... I am trying to find some negative comment now...

@dangrabham: Won't buy Guardian iPhone app just as I won't buy Radio Times or National Rail - all things I can get through the browser for free

Er...what make of suitcase did you say that was?

This required some subtle photography on the underground...

Web protesters Rage Against Simon Cowell's hit Machine

Nearly 20 million people tuned in last night to watch Thingummy beat Whatsisname to the X Factor crown. The prize includes a recording contract, a pretty-much guaranteed Christmas number one single and a future starring role in 'Whatever happened to...' style documentaries (anybody remember Michelle McDonalds, Steve Began-with-a-B or Leon Thingy?

But now, the Christmas No.1 part of that dubious prize may be in doubt due to some mischief makers online (probably the same people who made trouble for Jan Moir) who are fighting back against Simon Cowell's one man mission to rip the heart from the music industry.

According to the NME the altogether less Christmassy 'Killing In The Name Of' by Rage Against the Machine is outselling X-Factor winner and baby-faced Geordie Joe (pronounced Jerr) and his cover version of a song by Billy Ray Cirus's daughter.

There's a long way to go until the chart is announced on Sunday but if you'd like to join the campaign to scupper Simon Cowell's attempt for a fifth consecutive bland-as-you-like Christmas No.1, there is a Facebook group here and you can buy the Rage Against the Machine song via iTunes.

Walking a foggy London

Just yesterday I was commenting how much I enjoy having a walk between Waterloo and Holborn Gate each morning. Crossing Waterloo Bridge has to be one of the greatest views in any city, whichever direction you look in; towards St Pauls or towards Westminster. I then skirt the edge of Covent Garden, through theatreland, past the Masonic HQ and assorted knick-knack shops for the funny-handshake brigade, over Kingsway, an underrated boulevard that rivals Budapest or Paris, through the cobbled Dickensian alley behind Lincoln's Inn Field and along High Holborn, with the City looming ahead, the conflicting spires of the Gherkin and St Paul's again breaking the eyeline.

...not that you could see any of that this morning. London was covered in a thick fog as I crossed Waterloo Bridge yet the capital was all the more atmospheric because of it. I took these snaps, including a barely visible London Eye, a dim and distant Hungerford Bridge and the Adelphi emerging from the gloom:

Congrats to all invoved in the Biz Academy '09

It was touch-and-go for a minute there, but yesterday I got to spend a great afternoon with this year's intake on the Biz Academy, a charitable venture run by Landmark Training and the salesforce.com Foundation which gives young people from East London a taste of business life and training. It was the fourth year I've taken part.

Throughout the week, the young people taking part go through a scenario of establishing their own youth recruitment agency, ahead of pitching it to business leaders at the end of the week - Dragon's Den style. Yesterday afternoon I ran sessions on establishing their USP and pricing their services, and encouraged them to understand that much of business is simply the application of common sense which they appeared to have in abundance.

Other sessions they've had this week include workshops on open and closed questions, how to negotiate a sale, objection handling and later on in the week-long course they do presentation training and pitch preparation ahead of the big presentation.

Biz Academy

Given the world of opportunities open to them, probability says it's unlikely any will establish their own youth recruitment agency - instead plotting other paths to employment - but the foundation the Biz Academy gives them in raising confidence and awareness of the opportunities - not to mention providing some interesting talking points for their CVs - makes it a hugely worthwhile activity and it was an honour to be involved.

I'd urge any business to get involved in future events - and I'd gladly point anybody in the right direction. For people leading the sessions it provides a huge buzz but also the difference it can make to the lives of young people, in return for just a few hours time and some meeting room space, makes it disproportionately rewarding.

Throughout the week many companies give up office space and time to let these young people get a taste of being in corporate surroundings. Yesterday's sessions were all held as Fujitsu's offices in Central London.

Gillette curse takes latest twist in Tiger's tale

I recently wrote a post about the 'Gillette curse' following the disgraceful cheating of their sporting spokesmodel Thierry Henry. This followed a post I'd first written in 2008 about the faltering fortunes of all three sportsmen heading the Gillette campaign: Henry, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.

Now, following a tough couple of weeks for the Henry brand, now synonymous with cheating, Tiger Woods has made the leap from back pages to the business end of the newspapers and TV news schedules following speculation about his private life and an incident at his home which has got the gossip columns chattering, not to mention interested the police.

Today I notice The Independent has picked up on the 'Gillette curse' I first indentified over a year ago.

Update: Meanwhile, in another part of town... I see Gillette's PR team has waded, rather clumsily, in to the defence of the brand tarnished by Henry's behaviour. Many consumers are reported to be switching away from Gillette following the brand's support of Henry and clearly the company's agency felt compelled to act when this customer churn began to cast rival 'King of Shaves' in a postive light.

D'oh: Sponsor's chopper offends the public

I was at Newbury racecourse yesterday to witness, among other things, a moment of monumental stupidity and a major public relations own goal.

During the running of the first race a helicopter hoved into view, drowned out the commentary just as the horses reached the furthestmost point from the crowds, buzzed the horses and eventually landed in the middle of the track.

That at least one horse didn't get spooked, with all the potential danger that could entail, owed all to luck and nothing to judgement. Following complaints from the public and possibly sensing foul play, a stewards' enquiry was launched and eventually reported that the pilot had expressly been instructed not to land during the race but that request was overruled or ignored.

And who were the self-important passengers who showed such disregard for people's enjoyment of racing? Why, they were apparently executives from Hennessy, sponsor of the day's main race, the Hennessy Gold Cup, of course.

Nice to see the sponsors take so seriously their guardianship of this historic occasion.

Week three of my £500 Challenge

The latest update on my £500 'Betfair Challenge' has been posted here.