Read My Lips - Part 1

I am very much a fan of agencies and brands trying something new, taking risks to make their communications work. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when a major London agency and a major drinks brand invited me to spend some time at their latest ad shoot.

Getting bloggers involved is always risky for a brand, we tend to say what we feel instead of what's on the press release; which made it more surprising that the first example of this I have seen was from a big client/agency pairing.

Whilst (in this country at least) Baileys is seen as a ladies drink, it's still one that I occasionally enjoy (especially the mint and caramel varieties). So when their PR people (my blogging faves Immediate Future) asked me if I wanted to head down to London for the shoot, I was happy to say yes.

Now I have to confess (as I did to the client!) that I wasn't a huge fan of the first outing of the Listen to Your Lips idea. It was a nice thought that got a bit lost in the execution; so my initial expectations weren't that high.

Happily, the new ad looks like it will make much better use of the idea; and is based around moments that I for one am all too familiar with...

More to follow!

5 Rules of Blogging PR - Aka: How Not to Go Viral

1. Don't read my blog. When you get in touch, make sure it feels like you have never visited my site before. For example, I love it when you send me a link to a new ad in a campaign I've already slagged off saying "I think you'll really like this".

2. Ignore my location. The world is flat and although I mainly cover UK stuff, what I really want is 20 average campaigns from Canada and Mexico.

3. Timing doesn't matter. Sure you could encourage me to post by giving me something early, before it is released. But to be honest I'm happy to post about ads that everyone has seen, sites that everyone has been to, and content thats already been passed around. The more people have discussed it, the more likely I am to extend that conversation further.

4. Quality is irrelevant. I might be interested in the best work you have to put out there, but I am even more interested in churned out dross. Please send me at least 5 campaigns a week, all of which are shite.

5. I don't care if it works. Some people might say that sending an active, critical blogger a dead link, or a link to a site that doesn't work properly is foolish. Not me. I am happy to spend time going back and forth to your link to see if technical support has fixed it.

Image from http://www.brickmarketingconsulting.com

Mind the Inbox

I get 3 or 4 PR emails a day now promoting new campaigns, they come from pretty much anywhere in the world and provide me with useful first looks at things.

But most kudos should go to the folk at Immediate Future. While most others send brief summations with huge attachments included that fill my inbox up, the guys (and gals) there send polite emails that provide useful information on the ads and offer images and futher info if I wish to get it.

Perhaps more importantly, they only contact me about ads that seem interesting; as opposed to shoving every new campaign at me.

The bit that really makes the difference though, is that the people who contact me actually read my blog first. It might only be a scan through, but it makes me feel like I am personally contacted instead of being a name on a cc list.

That's how this kind of blogging pr should be done.

From Dire to the Diabolical

Update - Happily this is apparently the work of a Rolex jeweller, and not (it appears) the brand itself. Lets hope so.

Thanks to RobCampbell for pointing this out.

Sometimes, very rarely; outrage is not enough to describe a horrific event. 9/11, the killing of Martin Luther King, the lack of killing of George W Bush, the Israeli treatment of Palestine and the absence of world intervention; to name but a few.

But its very rare in the world of advertising and marketing that something can be SO bad, cause SO much offence, and be SO completely awful in every sense that it makes you want to physically hurt those who created it.

Step forward Rolex's PR agency.

Apparently the y are the brand to pick if ever you feel like killing yourself.

Yes, you may not believe it but Rolex helped to save the life of Owen Wilson.

"I know!

Remarkable.

Just shows you the power of capitalism and brand loyalty!"

ARGH! What absolute fuckheads. No wait, that is too good a term for the person who crafted this. This is possibly the single most despicable piece of marketing seen in the 21 century. A showpiece of arrogance, of a complete disparity from the normal world, of completely and utterly missing the whole point of mental illness and suicide.

Unbelievable. I hope for the sake of the PR world that this is a fake. Rather like most Rolexes. (Schmolex my brother calls them)

Yo Yo Yo Yo!

Best PR event ever. The opening of Yo Sushi in Spinningfields Manchester.

Free sushi and drinks, my idea of food perfection.

In the battle for online commentary, unlimited free salmon nigri is my price...

O2 No!

After the most excruciatingly PR managed hype in recent years the iPhone launched to huge critical acclaim and well... reasonable sales.

I like Apple. I like their attitude and products, and their focus on customer first. But with iPhone they just haven't got it right. Yes its usable, yes its brilliantly functional, but it has no 3G, apparently can't send picture messages, and is only available on the 'hopeless outside of a major city'* O2 network.

Seriously, its a good move for O2 to have it first, but I know plenty of people for whom the ONLY reason they aren't getting an iPhone is because they don't want to be stuck on O2.

A big question for me though, is just how much was the PR directly influenced by Apple/O2? All the hyperbole being written in every publication around was SO positive and SO uncritical that it felt totally fake. Rather like when the Playstation 3 launched to a reception of "Its like the 360 only with an High definition DVD player no one wants yet at nearly double the cost?" after a period of stupidly inaccurate hype that suggested a new apocalypse for all before it.

Did any of you feel the hype was too stage managed? Or did it match what you thought of the product?

Source: The Register

Image from infoworld

*This is from the experience of my family and friends.

Northern Rock n Roll

Now then, surely there are infinite lessons to be learnt here about all manner of business dealings. But I'd like to focus on a couple of important lessons for marketing and advertising.

PANIC! - Surely the complete lack of understanding in the public shows a total lack of PR and a failure to get across the real message of Northern Rock's situation. (They arent going to collapse, they were just struggling to get new funding to give out new loans and mortgages..only now after people withdrew 1.2 billion pounds in three days are they at risk of collapse)

You Can't Hide - If Northern Rock had been more open about the problem they might have allowed their customers to understand the situation instead of waking up to hear their family say "Our bank and mortgage provider is in trouble...shit". Ring any bells...Cadbury's?

Its unusual how individual desire to save your own money goes at expense of causing people to lose theirs. If no one took out their money the bank would be fine, but no one wants that. They all want their money, sod everyone else. And they say advertisers are unethical.

Sony Sony Sony

Why are you killing the Playstation 3?
Why are you completely screwing over the customer for short term cost cutting because you raised costs so much to try and win the DVD format battle?

I know this isnt an ad comment, but it just completely tarnishes the whole image of Sony; at a time they REALLY need to improve it.

All the good work done by agencies to create good ads is being blown to pieces by a constant stream of stupid moves and bad PR.

Someone at the top of Sony has to start looking into what is going on at SCEJ (Sony Computer Entertainment). What was saving the brand looks like it could end up destroying it; and Sony has so much history and still so much potential... lets hope they dont let it.