Archive for the 'General News' Category

One of the most fascinating aspects of a busy PR agency is that every day brings something new and different.

Clients regularly turn to Mason Media for support because we have the ability to achieve the kind of positive editorial coverage they require whether in print or broadcast.

Our usual hunting ground is the likes of the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Times, BBC and Sky.

But this week we found ourselves casting the net quite a bit wider.

The UK Intellectual Property Office is a good example. For the last two years, we’ve run a hugely succesful schools innovation campaign – www.crackingideas.com. When this year’s seven regional winners were announced this week, our team set about generating great coverage in the relevant regional media, turning up such gems as the Original Bristol Radio together with more established media including the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, BBC Radio Kent and the Dorset Echo. But one bright spark in our team spotted the potential to grab a little extra media for one of the winning inventions – a robotic kettle – by placing it with that well known title World Tea News!

In the current economic climate it’s always heartening to meet up with clients whose businesses are prospering. One such business is Bolton-based Parcel2Go.com which has rapidly become the biggest independent courier service in Europe. While many of us cursed the Royal Mail’s strike action a year ago, Parcel2Go seized an opportunity to come to the rescue of many small businesses and individuals who otherwise would have been unable to move their goods. Turnover doubled and 12 months later, the vast majority of those former Royal Mail customers are still using Parcel2Go.

Inevitably, there are plenty of gloomy forecasts about the problems retailers are likely to face this Christmas, so Blackburn with Darwen Council should be applauded for launching a series of initiatives to help shops and customers get the most out of the festive season. This week we handled the PR around the unveiling of a spectacular programme which includes a retail loyalty card scheme, vouchers offering up to 20 per cent off and a magical Winter Wonderland igloo which will allow shops to showcase their products. This seems to me a far more constructive approach than listening to an army of vastly overpaid financial gurus arguing over whether we are in a “recession” or not.

…just a typical week for the Mason Media PR team

The week seems to have flown by even more quickly than usual. 

Certainly, the prospect of a night away without the children tomorrow at the lovely Golden Pheasant Hotel in the idyllic Ceiriog Valley has helped the week speed by.

But just as responsible has been the success we’ve enjoyed for our clients both in terms of PR and crisis management support.

The week kicked off with a number of prominent national media hits for PDSA, the leading veterinary charity, after it revealed that stressed out cats and dogs are suffering compulsive disorders when couples break up. The Daily Telegraph, Express, Mirror and ITN News all loved the story as something a little different to the wall to wall financial doom and gloom.

While our PR consultants were busy generating coverage for PDSA, our specialist crisis management unit, Reputations Matter, was working closely with another leading charity to help them handle a number of media enquiries relating to a senior management issue. This is an incredibly specialist area of work and one that we are called upon regularly to help with. It often involves having to begin work within minutes, to get to grips rapidly with often complex issues and then to develop and implement a bespoke crisis management strategy.

The week ended with another great burst of national and international media coverage for Pannone, one of Britain’s leading law firms. Within minutes of the news breaking that Madonna and Guy Ritchie were definitely divorcing after months of speculation, our team was lining up Pannone family partner Andrew Newbury to provide expert commentary on the legal and financial implications of the split. 

Sky News was the first to react, sending a crew to Andrew’s Manchester office to conduct a live interview. Further interview requests soon flooded in from the Guardian, Press Association, Daily Express, Times, BBC Radio Five Live and Radio Manchester as well as various media in the States and as far away as the Philippines. Many other lawyers were also clamouring to get on to the airwaves and into print, but the firm whose name stood out among the pack was Pannone.

While all of this was occurring, we also found out that a leading Irish insurer, a national teaching organisation and one of the country’s fastest growing drainage specialists had decided to sign up Mason Media’s PR team to handle their PR briefs.

 All in all, not a bad week’s work and worth a celebratory drink or two at the Golden Pheasant!

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Of all the qualities needed to the top of the greasy pole of public office, a finely-tuned instinct and a sense of timing are two of the most important. However, if such gifts were ever possessed by New Labour, they appear to be rapidly ebbing away.

We may never know why the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, chose the height of the credit crunch/brink of a recession to invite a national newspaper into his home for a feature-length interview.

Likewise, we might not find out who it was suggested it would be okay for the man in charge of leading the Government’s response to the country’s Britain’s financial woes to appear, bobbing about in a boat wearing a life jacket.

Nor might the identity ever come to light of the individual who deemed it appropriate for the man whose words can wipe billions off the value of the stock markets to cut loose with colourful language and warnings that the country was slipping into a deeper economic abyss than at any stage in more than half a century.

Whoever it was, they will surely be questioning the wisdom of their advice having seen the reaction from friend and Opposition politician alike.

Skipping through the minefield which he was (presumably) inadvertently laying for himself and his colleagues, Mr Darling does indeed come across as a likeable family man, with a dry wit and his feet firmly planted on the ground. However, the price of eggs in Tesco and a disdain for air-kissing are arguably not what British voters or captains of industry most want to see when they’re trying to keep home and business together.

But, leaving aside the damage self-inflicted by his choice of words, it is the images which framed them that provide lasting comedic value for his opponents.
The pictures which appeared alongside Mr Darling’s candour illustrated a lack of judgement on behalf of the Chancellor and/or those who advise him.

Mason Media always counsels clients about providing strong images to support a story and the need to think about picture content so as not to provide ammunition to critics.

If only the same consideration had been exercised at the Treasury, Mr Darling would be spared the prospect of photographs of him befuddled in a boat being endlessly reprinted in the same manner as images of William Hague in a baseball bat or a beleaguered Steve McLaren huddling beneath an umbrella.

Number 11 Downing Street’s press team are now having to judge the respective values of image composition and decomposition…of the current New Labour administration, at least!!

The close of the Beijing Olympics highlighted how the fickle finger of sporting performance can enhance, trash or merely reinforce reputations of individual athletes and the countries they represent.

China proved its value as host with magnificent venues and a medal table-topping haul of gold, silver and bronze. However, faced with ‘fake’ singers, digitally-enhanced fireworks, allegedly underage gymnasts and officials for whom the concept of flexibility simply didn’t exist, the Games underlined many sinister suspicions – unfounded or otherwise – which many people have about the world’s biggest nation.

Greece showed how far its stock had fallen since Athens hosted the Olympics only four years earlier. Having been praised for bringing the Games back to its spiritual home with élan, the country’s fortunes took a dive when the bulk of its weightlifting squad were barred for drugs offences. Even 2004’s golden girl, hurdler Fani Halkia, fell foul of the dope testers in a very modern Greek tragedy.

The competitive showing of the Cuban team was perhaps a metaphor for the country’s current political pickle and for the health of Fidel Castro. Once virtually unbeatable in many of the boxing divisions and a credible challenge to the superpowers on the track, its athletes returned home with just a brace of golds. The frustrations were perhaps most vividly displayed when a tae kwon do athlete kicked a referee in the face after being disqualified.

Of reputations enhanced, there were many. From Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt’s triple triumph to Michael Phelps’ eight victories, the 2008 Olympics produced many fine and deserved champions. Team GB’s unexpectedly golden Games delivered a very British take on success. Of all those associated with a fourth placed finish – from velodrome dominance to Rebecca Adlington’s being peerless in her two disciplines in the pool – there were stories of reputations made and sporting careers redeemed.

But the real reputation requiring as much vigilance as athletes put in training year-‘round is London. Now the Olympic host to-be, Britain’s capital needs to guard against failing to fully exploit its moment. Mayor Boris Johnson may have struck a positive tone in declaring that ‘ping-pong is coming home’ shortly after taking delivery of the Olympic flag but he and his colleagues have much work to do.

If not managed properly, ticketing, construction projects, funding and support for athletes can all impact negatively on their handling of the biggest event in world sport and determine whether 2012 will see Britain taking gold or merely fool’s gold.

One of the proverbs most commonly associated with managing one’s reputation is ‘once bitten, twice shy’. In other words, try and learn from previous difficulties in order to avoid future bother.

It’s proved to be an appropriate phrase in the last week in the case of one of the more notable examples of a dog-lover who decided to engage once more with the world’s media…and discovered it’s a beast which has an incredibly long memory.

You would have imagined that Joyce McKinney might have remembered her last brush with the press back in 1977, one that saw her charged in connection with the sex-fuelled abduction of a Mormon.

But, no, Joyce (now Bernann) McKinney turned up in newspapers and on TV the world over this week having paid $50,000 for the successful quintuple cloning of her beloved dead pitbull, Booger.

Bernann/Joyce thought the press might have forgotten her earlier fall from grace. Unfortunately, she found out the hard way that the case of a fugitive former beauty queen caught up in a sex scandal tends to linger long in the memory.

The prospects of her getting an easy, uninquisitive ride were made less than negligible when you also consider that her animal obsession not only set new boundaries for science (the first commercial dog cloning) but may break legal ones. As well as being a fugitive herself, Bernann/Joyce’s favourite pooch may have been one itself. There was speculation that she’d broken into a dog pound to rescue it from a death sentence after it attacked two people.

There’s a lesson in all this for everyone ever tripped up over some misdemeanour: the media never forgets. While people who come a cropper should not necessarily keep their heads down for ever after, if there hasn’t been closure – especially if they’re actually on the run – they should recognise that being part of a story with global profile means whatever mistakes they made are likely to be revisited.

The penalty for Bernann/Joyce may be more serious than getting a battering once more from the press. Her infant pitbull clones may find themselves estranged from their scandal-dogged owner if British authorities follow up a 30-year-old case and lead their ‘mum back to Blighty in handcuffs…but not for the sort of fun and games she’d envisaged back then.

In today’s current climate (no pun intended), Government ministers, media and celebrities alike are keen for everyone to play their part in helping combat global warming and save the planet.

Noble sentiments indeed! But, as a growing number of individuals have found, there is a price for joining the band of environmentally-friendly citizens: namely, over-fill your bins, put the wrong items in the wrong bins or merely put them out a few hours too soon and you’ll be facing a fine.

There’s everything to be said for doing things correctly but penalising those who are making an effort, especially when even Gordon Brown’s staunchest supporters acknowledge we’re in the middle of a rather biting credit crunch, doesn’t go down terribly well with voters.

The Prime Minister might not be personally behind the campaign to target what some in central or local government might construe to be refuse rebels. However, as the most powerful man in the land, he’s the one who has to carry the can – and it doesn’t matter whether he tries to recycle it or not.

And this is just one aspect of micro-managing the country which could put paid to New Labour’s 11-year grip on power. Speed cameras and the seeming erosion by political correctness of the liberty of children to climb trees (for health and safety reasons) and the clinical need to correctly describe grossly overweight individuals as obese (so as not to hurt their feelings) are used by media as further examples of how petty bureaucracy impinges on our lives.

As individuals contemplate who will get their vote at the ballot box next time around, the feeling that Mr Brown is responsible for too much red tape is not going to do him or his party any good at all.

If he and his cabinet fail to adequately tackle the tide of nit-picking stories hitting the pages of the nation’s press over the traditional Summer silly season, he – and they – could end up getting binned themselves!

Today’s Premier League footballers are accorded the same degree of celebrity as movie idols and rock stars.

Not for them the humble act of travelling on public transport with supporters, something that was fit for the great names of previous playing generations. Instead, they’ve become used to stretch limos and bodyguards…just to get to the shops!

With high profile in soccer’s current climate go astronomically large wages and, one could argue, a great responsibility to behave. So, it is with not a little disappointment that one of England’s heroes has recently been visited by a bit of bother.

Not chastened by the volume of bad press landing at the feet of his mahogany-skinned, want-away team-mate, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney literally had something of a spat with a photographer outside a swish London eaterie.

Rooney’s riposte to being snapped after a meal with new wife Coleen was to spit down the paparazzo’s back. There was certainly phlegm but the reaction was hardly phlegmatic, particularly from a talented player urged by coach and sponsors to keep his cool in challenging situations on and off the pitch.

For someone whose feats with his feet have become so feted since he made his debut as a 16-year-old, getting quizzed by the cops after an unsavoury incident will not derail Rooney’s career.

But bearing in mind the extent to which he is admired by young fans of all clubs in Britain and beyond, it would be advisable for his handlers to recommend he counts to ten in future before letting fly with the kind of volley which allegedly wasn’t aimed at the back of a net but the back of a media man instead. After all, the whole business does leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

London’s Southbank Centre’s ended up in a bit of a whirl over some poor reviews for its latest production of the family classic, ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Despite boasting a strong cast including the likes of Roy Hudd and Gary Wilmot, the show’s producers must also have been dreaming of being ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ when theatregoers began posting their criticisms on the internet.

Suddenly, the tone changed with postings which suggested that, contrary to the critics, this ‘Oz’ was a thoroughly enjoyable night out.

All was well until someone noticed that the positive messages had all been sent by staff at the Southbank Centre. Oops!

With faces as red as Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers, the Centre’s directors came clean and announced an investigation.

Yes, bad reviews can cause sensitive, artistic egos to be wounded and truly awful write-ups can kill a production off. But weigh a couple of stinkers from the critics in the cheap seats against the global reputation which the Southbank Centre now has.

A fine artistic pedigree has melted away quicker than the Wicked Witch of the West under a bucket of water in the face of allegations that it not only put on a show whose only saving grace is a performing dog but of lying in an effort to get bums on seats!

As numerous theatrical productions and famous producers have noted over the years, there can be some kitsch, cult, enduring value in failing spectacularly. Reviews for the latest London ‘Oz’ were far from terminal but trying to undo the damage may have a lasting negative effect.

If only those behind the scam had taken advice from one of the musical’s characters. As the dim-witted scarecrow laments: “If I only had a brain….”.

I don’t know about you but I’m not too keen on the traditional English salad and in the last few days I’ve found another reason to get my quota of vegetables during the Summer months in a more robust Continental fashion.

It seems that Anthony Worrall-Thompson, a chef of some profile and no little repute, decided to offer some seasonal food tips to readers of a healthy living magazine. However, while recommending herbs to add some oomph to an everyday salad he made what could have been – quite literally – a fatal error.

Rather than suggesting a wild herb called fat hen, he ended up praising the virtues of henbane. But this particular plant would do more than leave your tastebuds tingling. It could leave you quite dead!

Worrall-Thompson – who hadn’t taken his own taste tips - was left red-faced but he’s not only the latest big-name cook to come a cropper in the last 12 months. Jamie Oliver was embarrassed after admitting that, despite a campaigning against cruelty to chickens, one of his restaurants had been serving eggs from battery-farmed birds. Foul-mouthed Gordon Ramsay’s impressive first-time spearfishing feats in Devon for a Channel Four show were shown to be totally bogus.

Best of all, Gordon Irvine, a Brit who became a celebrity TV chef in the US, had his show cancelled when it emerged that his most impressive bit of cooking had been done to his CV. No, Mr Irvine had never prepared food for the Queen. And Her Majesty had absolutely not given him a castle by way of thanks for his culinary expertise.

One of the golden rules in protecting your reputation is think before opening your mouth…especially if you’re going to put something in it or recommend that others do the same. Chef celebrity used to be measured in Michelin stars and a good write-up courtesy of Egon Ronay. Now, their fame generates TV and book deals, huge contracts and merchandising ranges (come in, Ainsley Harriott!).

However, the bigger the act, the bigger the target they have pinned to their backs by the media. There’s a need to realise that just as they wouldn’t let a dodgy gazpacho anywhere near a customer’s table without giving it a thorough once over, they shouldn’t open their mouths or pen their columns without checking it once, twice and once again…just to make sure. The fact that in the newspaper industry, the process is known as ‘copy-tasting’ should make it even easier to remember.

Crying ‘foul’ after being exposed in print is a bit cheeky from individuals who have built a career by trying to appeal to telly and tabloids alike. After all, chefs – more than anyone – should know that if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!!

So England suffers a ten wicket defeat at the hands of a very strong South African cricket team and immediately the recriminations begin.

Why was our batting so feeble? Whose decision was it to pick the former roof tiler Darren Pattinson from virtual obscurity? Why did England captain Michael Vaughan fail to get runs in either innings?

Everyone should take a deep breath and consider for a moment that England have enjoyed a pretty good summer to date, including a Test Series win against New Zealand and having the best of the First Test against the South Africans.

Although only being whispered quietly, there are also suggestions that Vaughan’s days as captain may be numbered unless the team gets back to winning ways and he starts contributing more with the bat.

Vaughan may only average 30 in his last dozen Tests for England, but it is only five matches ago that he notched up a superb hundred. He is also head and shoulders above any other candidate for the England captaincy, rather as Mike Brearley was back in the early 80s.

Yes, England made some selection errors, but there are enough quality players in the side – helped by the return to the ranks of Freddie Flintoff – for England to bounce back before the end of the summer.

And Vaughan certainly has no need to mend his own reputation. Without him as leader and top order batsman, England really would have something to worry about.