Public relations-hips...on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is always a PR bonanza and this little blog by Umpf keeps us up to date with 2012's offerings here in the UK.

Sometimes it's creating a new product - from this 'recession proof' card from Asda with a humourous angle ('My love for you is priceless!') for just 7p (an extra 7p for the envelope) to the $10,010 Pizza Hut proposal pack: including ruby ring, limousine servicem flowers, fireworks and...a $10 pizza and breadstick meal.

Or there are the surveys: according to a Travelodge survey British men spend twice as much as women on Valentine's and as a country we spend £880m on the day...and in the Lovehearts factory there are 61 couples amongst the 500 staff, that's a quarter of all staff in the loved up factory.

And there are the stunts: Agent Provocateur with live models in their New York window, Britain's oldest couple tweeting on behalf of wedding video company 'Shoot it Yourself', and Dove inviting people to tweet what they love most about their Valentine at London's Victoria Station, while handing out white tulips.

Well, we did say PR is all about relationships...

Do Olympic sponsors conflict with the spirit of the games?

The organisers of the Olympics are under fire for their sponsorship deal with BP today, as debate grows around sponsorship from forms such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Rio Tinto.

A letter on behalf of 34 signatories accuses the International Olympics Committee (IOC) of failing to consider the broader ethical and environmental impacts of their sponsors. Signatories include Greenpeace UK, a London mayoral candidate, the director of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management, the World Development Movement and Climate Rush.

It seems that the IOC have neglected to note that sponsorship is a two way deal: while BP, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Rio Tinto (amongst others) bask in the positive publicity of peace, fairness, competitive spirit, health and solidarity, the reputations of these firms are often very different. Brands which stand for unhealthy lifestyles reliant on fatty foods, sugary drinks and reliance upon the car, and which represent exploitation of natural resources particularly at the expense of developing nations, are hardly compatible with the Olympic spirit.

Toying with the Russian authorities?

Russian authorities have ruled that a protest by around 100 Kinder Surprise figurines, 100 Lego people, 20 model soldiers, 15 soft toys and 10 toy cars is unlawful. In the latest in a series of absurdly humourous protests, the toys carried banners complaining about corruption and electoral malpractice, on behalf of their human owners.

A spokesman for the Siberian city of Barnaul justified the ruling, saying "As you understand, toys, especially imported toys, are not only not citizens of Russia but they are not even people". However the authorities' over reaction has sparked national and international media stories and inspired many more to add their toys to the protest.

Protestors are considering an alternative - the solitary picket which is allowable under Russian law. "We will stand up one [toy] and the rest will sit on a bench not far away," said one protestor. See more in the Guardian .