By now, you have probably heard about the latest celebrity email hack, this time of the beloved Becks. I’m a massive football fan and also a fan of David Beckham as a sportsman and role model but there is no doubt that this will raise more than a few Beckham-esque eyebrows amongst football fans and …
I’d just finished registering the press ahead of a Richard Branson keynote speech at a major business show, there were already 60 in the room and rising. No surprise. Branson is a dream for journalists and an absolute PR natural. What was a surprise was that he didn’t have a PR officer attending to conduct …
Virgin on brilliant – the 5 words I used to introduce Richard Branson Read More »
It is a truth universally acknowledged that marketing folk are so busy with buzz words that they forget to tell us what they actually do. This actually makes it hard to buy what they sell. Not a good thing. Why? Well…it seems we often don’t know what it is we are trying to sell. We’ve …
What a depressingly predictable scenario. England’s brave, battling “Lionesses” (in itself arguably a bit derogatory but let’s not dwell on that) fly home to great acclaim across the football supporters in the country, men and women alike, inspiring a generation of girls to pull their boots on and of boys to stop making disparaging comments …
Wimbledon fortnight begins. A time when for a few fleeting summer days the nation embraces tennis. The BBC swings into action, elbowing Eurosport aside, celebrities are (for some unfathomable reason in my opinion) spotted in the crowd and pigeons landing on a grass court are considered the height of situation comedy. I’m a massive fan …
“Anyone” for tennis? Grass court champions = grass roots cash. Read More »
Will Michael Gove’s latest “Golden Rules” of grammar “impact” you? Technically they shouldn’t, especially under Mr Gove’s own rules – he abhors adjectives as verbs you see…”impact”. However, (he hates starting a sentence with “however” too) does it actually matter? I’m not so much speaking (sorry…”writing”) so much about Michael Gove’s version of grammar rules …
Gove on grammar – Panda-ing to pedants or good advice? Read More »
I’d like to highlight an area that lets PR campaigns down again and again: pictures. Imagine this. You are running a magazine so your goal is to help your publication sell more copies. You do this by being informative, entertaining, controversial or even conservative. You have to attract the attention of your readers so that …
“Think in pictures” photography is an investment…not a cost. Read More »
I have written before about the issues brands have to bear in mind when aligning themselves to celebrities. Do both brands fit? Is there synergy in terms of their current perceptions or…hopefully…an opportunity to find that synergy and benefit each other? Consider the risks if it all goes a bit wrong, celebrities are not known …
Take it easyJet – Kate’s not the classic role model. Read More »
Ryan Air is hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons… again.However, it is not the usual issues, namely being the world’s love/hate airline – that has all changed (so we are told). This time it is embroiled in industrial action with baggage handlers at Madrid’s main airport. A Ryanair spokeswoman said: “We sincerely apologise for …
Ryan Air’s charm….offensive? Or is it really “getting better”? Read More »
With the FIFA annual congress meeting in Zurich today, one man appears to be somewhat absent – as I write this anyway… Whether you are a football/soccer fan or not, most people know the name Sepp Blatter. So far, teflon Sepp has managed to avoid the direct controversy that has surrounded his reign and tomorrow’s …
FIFA FO FUM – sponsors smell the blood of corruption Read More »