What I'm looking at right now...

In case anybody's noticed the blog has been a little quiet, I'm currently lying in a hammock, on a balcony, overlooking the sea in Antigua.

Great competitive messaging from Dixons

In the recession I've noticed a real increase in competitive messaging. It's no longer enough to market a product or service and hope that draws in cautious consumers. It seems you must also try to rubbish the competition to make extra sure of those hard-fought revenues.

Dixons.co.uk has rattled major rivals John Lewis and Selfridges with an ad campaign in the capital that uses their own branding against them. The Dixons ads present a stereotypical view of its upmarket competitors, before boasting of its own unapologetically cheap credentials.

Rather stupidly, John Lewis has even responded, giving the ads even greater exposure.

Nice publicity stunt: Handyman.co.uk forever blowing bubbles

On a walk through Camden on a Saturday afternoon you expect a few strange sights.

But I didn't expect a singing handy man in an old Austin van blowing blowing bubbles while the driver belted out Love Is In The Air.

Great publicity stunt. It made a lot of people smile, a lot of people take photos and a lot of people no doubt remember the simple domain name which does what it says on the tin.

If your name's not down you're not coming in...

OK people, this is the guest list for the Tech PR drinks, if you're name's not down, you're not coming in I'm afraid as it's going to be a very full house...

Eb Adeyeri, Nathalie Agnew, Paul Allen, Will Arnold, Gioconda Beekman, Jon Bernstein, Lee Brooke, John Brown, Sally Brown, Sophie Brown, Toby Brown, Katie Buckett, Deirdre Burke, Stu Campbell, Funda Cizgenakad, Sarah Crawford, Amy Crosbie, Alexis Dalrymple, Denis Davies, James De Vile, Mark Dye, Suzy Ferguson, Steven George, Nick Giles, Laura Gillen, Fiona Goldsworthy, Michael Gonzalez, Amy Gooch, Helen Gough, Becky Green, Kelly Hall, Kate Hartley, Peter Hay, Melanie Hesketh, Danielle Heximer, Tim Hoang, Rachel Hodgson, Becky Honeyman, Mark Houlding, Dan Howe, Lorna Hughes, Jo Jamieson, Lyndon Johnson, Howard Jones, Elli Karagiorgas, Alistair Kent, Dominique King, Kirstyn Langford, Annette Leach, Chris Lee, Catherine Lenheim, Nick Leonard, Adam Lewis, Michael Litman, Claire Lorimer, Laura Lynne, Alex MacLaverty, Roberta Main-Millar, Sasha Manners, Pete Marcus, Chris Martin, Sebastian Mathews, Sharmee Mavadia, John McCauley, Lauren McGregor, Alex Moscow, James Mossman, Dominic Pannell, Sarah Phillips, Mark Pinsent, Daniel Read, Amy Ronge, Gemma Rowlan, Nadia Saint, Karolina Shaw, Jon Silk, Dirk Singer, Katie Simpson, Andrew Smith, Andrea Sommer, Marc Sparrow, Paul Stallard, Kate Stevens, Jordan Stone, Daniel Stracey, Will Sturgeon, Arun Sudhaman, Nick Sutton, Phil Szomszor, Max Tatton-Brown, Hannah Tella, Rachael Thomas, David Ross-Tomlin, Alistair Townsend, Kim Visser, Joana Vos, Stephen Waddington, Louise Waller, James Warnette, Pete Warren, Declan Waters, Julie Watson, Matthew Watson, Gareth Williams, Paul Wooding, Susannah Wyeth

If by some outrageous oversight your name has been missed off but you've definitely let me know you're coming, email me right away.

Random thoughts for the week: Gender-trenders and the name game

I see a website called PR Moment is running a poll on whether men or women are better at PR.

The answer of course is ‘neither, what a stupid question’.

That’s not to say it isn’t a consideration when planning teams and looking for the right mix of skills and personalities. But the notion that skills sets are so starkly different on either side of the gender divide (men are more confident communicators, women more organised and efficient, right?) that one could be classed as 'better' is laughable.

All the research will likely tell us, if anything, is the gender divide within PR. At the moment I see 44 per cent of PRs are male, 56 per cent female. Assuming anybody who votes does so in their own favour.

Speaking of wholly unscientific research I’ve just closed the guest list for next week’s Tech PR drinks and have exactly 100 names on there, which makes percentages dead easy!

I can now officially reveal that Brown is the most common name in PR - making up five per cent of surnames in the sector. It is then a 95-way dead-heat (really, not even a pair of Campbells, Davies or Jones… or a single Smith!) Proof if you needed it that you shouldn't always trust surveys.

And speaking of a PR industry roll call. I see my name's made it into PR Week three weeks in a row now. 4th September, 9th September and now 15th September. Completing the hattrick - will I get a match ball? I probably shouldn't tempt fate pushing for a fourth.

Worth a read elsewhere:

Jon Bernstein - The 2010 YouTube election has just begun
Steve Earl - Flippin' 'eck: Google 'Fast Flip' isn't fast, doesn't flip
Paul Stallard - Buying PR: Paul Callow, marketing director of Lexmark
Phil Szomszor - Can journalists can make a mint as bloggers?
Stephen Waddington - NLA engages directly with critics

Tech PR drinks: It's a full house...with added sponsors!

It's good news and good news (unless you've not registered yet)!

Firstly, the guest list for next week's Tech PR drinks is now CLOSED and it looks like we have a full-house. It's shaping up to be an excellent evening, so thank you for all the interest. If for any reason you can no longer make it though, please let me know, so somebody else can take your place if there's any late interest.

Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to two companies who have agreed to sponsor next week's Tech PR drinks. They will very kindly be putting enough money behind the bar to ensure everybody attending enjoys a fair few free drinks.

Apollo Research works closely with over 200 companies and agencies helping them to understand their PR performance as well as giving them the tools to improve both the quality and quantity of their coverage. Find out more here.

Press Index has supplied solutions to PR professionals for the past 10 years, supplying real-time information when it matters. Thousands of Press Index clients enjoy the benefit of a wide range of services, monitoring over 15,000 media sources in the UK. Find out more here.

A big thank you to both of those companies. Make sure you're there early to make the most of the free drinks!

ASA and BBC help advertise a strip club

A great piece of PR here for the Perfect 10s strip joint in Preston (…sounds lovely doesn’t it?). The BBC reports:

“A strip club in Lancashire has been reprimanded for placing a provocative advert at the entrance to a park. The advert showed a woman in underwear with the text, "Say hello to my new boobs for the first time here at Perfect 10s.

“The ASA found the pictures used were "likely to be seen as sexually provocative" and unsuitable for children.”

Perfect 10s could not buy that kind of advertising, not least of all because until now the words ‘sexually provocative’ and ‘Preston’ were about as likely to feature in the same sentence as ‘Fred West’ and ‘landlord of the year’.

I’d like to think it was even the switched on owners of ‘Perfect 10’ who got the ball rolling with some opportune complaints to the ASA. Such publicity can only be a bonus. After all if the worst that can be said of an advert for a strip club is that it's "sexually provocative" then somebody is doing their job.

Showing a slight lack of contrition, Perfect 10s now brands itself ‘Too Rude to Advertise’.

And what impact did the ASA and the BBC think this story would have on the good people of Lancashire.

Preston you say? 10 Lune Street...?

At the time of writing it is even the second most-read story on the BBC news site. I suspect the BBC and ASA have been played like a cheap fiddle.

Reasons to love your local paper: Flashmobbing, not to be confused with...

I've been following my local newspaper The Surrey Comet on Twitter, ever since I was a little harsh about the balance of their reporting in a post on TheMediaBlog.co.uk.

I have since come to love the paper's Twitter stream and content. Take today's description of Kingston-Upon-Thames' first ever flashmob, it's a good read. And subject-wise it's also a good example of how social media tactics can bridge the traditional divide between diverse sections of the community and old media. So it's interesting, ironic and portentous... what more could you want in one article?

What's that you say? You also want a funny description of flashmobbing?

OK here you go:

"...a group of people make online arrangements to meet, perform an unusual act and then disperse as if nothing has happened."

Er, that's dogging, surely.

PR own goals pt. 73: Chris De Burgh jumps two-footed into the murky puddle of publicity

I consider myself a music fan. But I am one who accepts subjectivity into that claim.

The best example of this is that while I hold the heartfelt belief it was a catastrophic alignment of the planets that meant the musical equivalent of the axis of evil - Chris De Burgh, Mick Hucknall and Phil Collins - still managed to enjoy inexplicably successful recording careers, I entirely accept that is because some people enjoy their music. (Of course some people also enjoy befouling one another in niche sex acts or reading The Daily Mail, but I understand it's horses for courses in this life.)

Fortunately for me, Collins, De Burgh and Hucknall have largely faded from public view since their respective heydays, as taste and fashion have moved on.

But this week De Burgh, reminding us we can never fully relax, was back in the news after he publicly hit back at a critic who had dared to do him down.

Writing for the Irish Times, critic Peter Crawley said the very mention of De Burgh’s name "summons a rush of associations, some of which carry a shudder".

Now, if this ever goes to court I’m willing to be a witness in Crawley's defence and confirm the shudder is also followed by a feeling of nausea as I recollect the moment, pictured right, when De Burgh sang a duet with his Stars In Their Eyes 'double'; looking longingly into one another's eyes singing the words "I"ve never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight..."

However, showing an incredible ignorance of the ‘how could this possibly backfire?’ factor, De Burgh then responded in writing to the Irish Times:

“Your churlish review is an insult to all those who enjoyed their night out... Your pals in the pub must have loved your review, but it seems ...you are universally loathed in the theatre world.”

Way to rise above it Chris.

"It must be so poisonous to have to lurk in the shadows, riffling through the garbage bins of despair and avoiding those who think ...you are an irrelevance, an irritation to be ignored and laughed about...”

...added De Burgh who sounds like somebody who may know a thing or two about avoiding those who regard peopls as "an irrelevance, an irritation to be ignored and laughed about...". Certainly our paths have never crossed.

And if you think that sounds a little childish, in a "takes one to know one" kind of way, the 80s crooner, then added:

"We were wondering by way of explanation... were you much teased by your school chums in the schoolyard and called 'Creepy Crawley'.”

Brilliant.

It's nice to see Chris De Bore is above playground name-calling.

So, what have we learned from all this?

Naturally, the whole thing is backfiring rather spectacularly – meaning the original negative review has gained a whole new audience, now being raised on the notion that De Burgh more resembles "A small man... in suit trousers and a white shirt, giving a little wave, like a businessman happy to have finished a long day of conference calls" than a pop star.

De Burgh may be tempted to cling to the notion that no publicity is bad publicity, but his return to the spotlight sees him cast in a negative light by many.

In the subsequent coverage there is little reference to any achievements, awards or recognition De Burgh may ever have received. Or even any mention of his music - bar some "sees red" type puns on his best-known song title.

The focus is almost entirely on a childish spat he engineered with a lowly and largely unknown journalist.

It is a textbook example of how not to engage with a negative media.

All De Burgh did was fan the flames rather than let his legion of fans extinguish them on his behalf, or maintain a dignified stance while they died out on their own (the flames, that is, not his remaining fans).

Tech PR drinks shaping up to be a great night... is your name on the list?

The second Tech PR drinks event, scheduled for 23 September at the Savoy Tup is shaping up to be a coming together of a veritable Who’s Who of the technology PR industry.

Registered are a great many lovely people from such esteemed agencies as... (deep breath):

Axicom, Berkeley, Bite, Brands 2 Life, Buffalo, Carrot, Champion, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Consolidated, Cow, Diffusion, Edelman, Escherman, Fishburn Hedges, Financial Dynamics, Fire, Fleishman-Hillard, GBC, Golin Harris, Harvard, Hoffman, Hotwire, LEWIS, Mi Liberty, Nelson Bostock, OCTANE, Octopus, Porter Novelli, Racepoint, Red Consultancy, Ruder Finn, Skywrite, Spark, Speed, Text 100, Trimedia, Waggener Edstrom, Weber and Wildfire

I look forward to meeting some old friends, familiar faces, colleagues and contacts from across the industry.

And also in attendance will be freelancers and in-house specialists from across the broad Tech PR spectrum, as well as industry watchers from PR Week and notorious blog The World’s Leading.

Cute animal pics*

* Apropos of nothing.

Caption comp: Still, at least she's putting on a brave face...

You can't beat a good photo of professional footballers endorsing technology brands.

Unfortunately there aren't too many, as the pic of David James (an all time classic of its genre), right, neatly demonstrates.

How did that briefing go?

"We're going for a sort of 'your-mum's-fur-hat and coat', meets 'sunglasses, trackie-bottoms and moonboots' look David, that cool with you?"

"Yeah, sounds wicked, has the cheque cleared?"

But that photo is from all the way back in 2004.

I was passed a far more up-to-date publicity shot today, right, featuring not one, but three (former) pros, some assorted models and a couple of fellas who I'm guessing are either competition winners or members of middle management hastily pulling branded T-shirts over their civvies, all squeezed into a space not quite big enough for the pose they were hoping to pull off (click to enlarge).

It's not great, is it.

But the more you look at it, the more the eye is drawn towards former Bayern Munich and Aston Villa player Alan McInally (he's the one in the black suit and shirt, left, for anybody who doesn't watch Soccer Saturday).

Go on, look again.

I've even blocked out the rest of the scene for you...

I don't know, footballers! You can't take them anywhere!

Still, they both seem to be enjoying themselves.

Feel free to submit your own caption, via the comments section below.

And if you manage not to use the words 'score' or 'tackle from behind' you will be awarded bonus points.

Tech PRs: Who fancies a drink or two then...?

Following the great success of the last Tech PR drinks, back at the first twinkling of the summer sun, it’s time for an autumnal livener or two!

If you work in technology PR and you fancy a few beers in London and some sociable networking with friends, colleagues, contacts and peers (take your pick from: drunken banter; shameless flirting; name-calling or serious in-depth conversation about the merits of social media) then get yourself along to:

The Savoy Tup, Savoy Street on Wednesday 23 September from 6.30pm.

Strewth you dingo! Aussie cobber comes a cropper with bitter Tweet crit twittery

Australia, 5 September, 16:12pm: "So I'm racked off at that mongrel Rooney and I start carving quicker than a hungry bushman eating his mate's 'roo steak while the poor cobber's on the dunny. Then I go on Twitter and starting boasting like a swagman with a solid gold billy can."





























Thanks to Charlene Li for flagging this brief exchange (via Lloyd Gofton).

10 good reasons to read The Media Blog

Since a quiet little launch in July, my blogging side project - TheMediaBlog.co.uk - has been going from strength to strength, sparking some debate and discussion along the way.

Here are the top 10 posts from the past week:

1. Ron Wood, anchorman: stung on YouTube
2. Behind the Edelman protest response
3. News websites 1990s-style
4. Daily Mail (once again) pours scorn on Strictly
5. The Sun, Katie Price and political delusions
6. The Wire's David Simon: 'Newspapers must go behind paywall'
7. Hit and hope of the week: Daily Express anally gets Mensa prize
8. Welcome back ma'am: QC's book tour gets Diana back in her rightful place
9. Behold The Sun’s Relentless contradictions over energy drinks
10. Daily Telegraph meets Fail Whale in case of the phantom Twittercrat

Finishing the week on a funny

Regular readers of this blog will know why I chuckled when I received this in my inbox:

Sure?

Ooh go on...just a small one: Surely this can't be the Google diet?

If Twitter rumours are to be believed, then the picture to the right, as the caption too claims, was snapped at Google’s cafeteria.

But I’m a little skeptical (for once!).

Not because Krispy Kreme Cheeseburgers (...with bacon) would be too un-American for such a latter-day Silicon Valley stalwart and Wall Street darling. The food fits the national stereotype perfectly.

But rather because such a calorific treat seems at odds with other messaging out of Google.

Take Google's privacy chief Peter Fleischer who in a 2007 letter to the FT criticised the neck-tie - of all things - because:

“…it acts as decorative camouflage for the business suit, designed to shield the middle-aged male physique, with its shrinking shoulders and protruding paunch, from feeling sufficiently self-conscious to hit the gym.”

Fleischer went on to say:

“Men should lose their "business attire" and wear T-shirts to work. Wouldn't you like to know whether your business partners are fit? Why should you trust a man in business if he abuses his own body?”

I’d settle for just knowing my business partners aren’t eating Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers every day.

“Bacon with that?”

“Why the hell not…”

Virgin snatches a draw from the jaws of defeat

Yesterday a few visitors to this blog briefly saw a post I wrote outlining a minor snafu I’d had with Virgin Atlantic. After initially posting the blog, complete with a video/recording of my final phone call with Virgin, I took the decision to take it down.

Out of professional courtesy I thought in this instance it was fair to offer Virgin right to reply.

While it could certainly be argued any company should deal with a customer complaint at the time it arises, not retrospectively when it looks like it may escalate, these things happen, and I’m also aware the world of social media can serve a disproportionate punishment to companies where the style and manner of complaint outweigh its severity.

And to be fair, Virgin Atlantic was already on the case, contacting me via Twitter and email asking for the chance to remedy the problem. I sent them the wording of the blog post (to save repeating myself) and the video/audio of the call, explaining the plan was to republish them both, with any comment they cared to add.

Pretty soon I received a phone call.

Of course – as we all know - there is always a manual override for any situation where the “system simply won’t allow it”. It’s often just a question of authority. And in this instance, my complaint was escalated to somebody who was able to do so and make the booking I was originally told would be possible.

To be clear, there was no freebie here. The company simply booked what I’d been lead to believe was originally available. My wife and I have paid every penny and every mile. Virgin naturally asked whether this meant the original blog post would now never see the light of day again.

I pointed out that is my call and mine only, but I appreciate the speed with which they rectified the problem.

At the moment I’m happy not to republish the original post.

PR gets a bum deal...

BREAKING NUDES... London PR shop Edelman has been invaded by nudey protesters. The cheek! PR Week is keeping us a breast of the situation. I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of it.