The Beast of Stroud

For more on developments in the eco-car world, see this article in the Guardian about the new 'Beast of Stroud' for Ecotricity. This is a rather different type of car to the 'Electra' but clearly an excellent piece of PR on behalf of the new car: have a think about what the press release that prompted this article would have looked like...

The BBC journalist Andrew Marr labelled bloggers as 'inadequate, pimpled and single' - yet I talk about the power of 7 Harry Potter bloggers to reach 250million people within 2 weeks... For more on the diversity, perils and value of bloggers read this week's PR Week and their article 'Know your Bloggers'. With valuable tips of who bloggers are and how to work with them, this expands well on the New Media lecture.

Creativity is King

If you want your PR to stand out, it's got to be creative: unique, mindblowing, original and exciting. Anything else will just get lost in the crowd. See PR Week's article on creative techniques - and watch out for the 6 hats technique in the Consumer Campaigns tutorial.

Andrew Marr blasts the bloggers

Is 'citizen journalism...the rantings of very drunk people late at night' as Andrew Marr claims, and are bloggers merely 'inadequate, pimpled and single'? Or do they have opinions and information of value to citizens, and therefore play an important role as part of the media? These are important questions when PR professionals decide whether to include bloggers in media relations, and if so, who? See PR Week's take on this in the Editor's column this week, as Danny Rogers asks whether citizen journalists need a thicker skin...

Murdoch monopoly?

Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, warns of the potential "abuse of power" if Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is allowed to buy the remaining 61% of BSkyB, achieving 100% ownership and a larger share in British broadcast media than the BBC. Clearly ascribing to a theory of liberal pluralism - which we will cover in the traditional media lecture - Thompson says this could lead to a "significant loss of plurality in our media market" and asks Vince Cable, the Business Minister, to block the deal. However such reference to power and dominance tends more towards theories of the political economy of the media and contextual analysis. See the media lecture for more explanation...

Fashion furore PR stunts

Mel B is the latest in a long line of celebs to use fashion to promote a product - sometimes it's themselves but in this case it's the London screening of her new reality YV show 'It's a Scary World'. The catsuit idea 'backfired' when it became see-through under the glare of flash bulbs - but Mel B's phenomenally fit body carried it off - resulting in a publicity coup for an event that otherwise may have gone unreported as 'just another launch event'. She follows in a long line of celebs using fashion to stand out from the crowd and generate publicity - as we see Matt Damon's pregnant wife Luciana Barroso sport a leopard print dress, or Halle Berry's famous Oscar's gown, or Liz Hurley's famous safety pin dress - or indeed, David Beckham's sarong

Shoot the Bear

Go to You Tube - look for Shoot the Bear. Do it. Great use of social media. And I know what will be the first word you type in...