Author Archive

I met Heather Yaxley the other day at the Word of Mouth gig. I have been reading her blog since then and rate it as one the best PR blogs on the market. I suggest its regularly consumed. Greenbanana, it uses Wordpress which this blog will be switched to in January.

I decided to post my vlog of the Wookey Hole “Big Eat”. Its nine minutes long but I think captures the spirit of the event.

Watch me rap about the Mince Pie Marathon Competitive Eating Challenge

Interesting feed back to the Word of Mouth thing from some folk that were there

Simonsays –

Simon Wakeman -

Greenbanana -

Still feel crap that I could not stay on. Oh well.

Jackie McQuillan Branson uber PR, puts up with the exuberant publicist at the after show party. I cheekily suggest an upgrade on my next flight to LA on Virgin Atlantic

Mark declares his love of Coronation Street to Nickie Sanderson and her agent.

I celebrate the fantastc TV coverage and now time for bed Zebedee

If you can be bothered to part with £175 + VAT pop down to the Southbank and hear me and a bunch of uglies blabbering on about word of mouth. Billed as the ultimate conference on winning the battle for word-of-mouth communications, I shall be opening the proceedings. The venue is, wait for it, The Dental Institute, Guys Campus, St. Thomas Street, London SE1 9RT that’s next Friday 1st December 9.30am – 4.20pm. The happening has been put together by my old pal Andy Green, who I met twenty years ago in a toilet in the Dorchester Hotel. We were both pissed at some awards do and have been pals ever since. I rate him as one of the real people in the cess pool of PR bullshit The programme of talks look cool I hope they are prettier than the photos of those delivering them judge for your self Download file
My blather is titled “Wisdom amongst the discarded ice cream tubs, wet tissues and Kleenex wrappers – or never diss a theatre cleaner!” I hope people will find it engaging if they don’t then I am sure Andy will give them their money back. Seriously folks there is some fantastic stuff and wisdom on offer so book or be square.

Speed-reading the daily papers this morning, I noticed that an old quote I’d made about the Paul McCartney v Heather Mills divorce battle was resurrected
as a nib inThe Times.

I originally made the comment on BBC Radio Five News and Sky News when the media was feverishly speculating about the leaked court papers.Considering my angst about quotes being filleted and then used at a later date by l those who want to take me down a peg or two, (OK, so I deserve it on occasions), I thought I would reiterate the point.

Weeks ago I came out to say that in the PR war I thought it was very astute move by Heather’s llegal team, Mishcon de Reya, to bring the old corporate war horse, Shimon Cohen to the party. I have to confess I know the veteran Cohen: I met him years ago when he worked on the Andrew Lloyd Webber (whoops, Lord Lloyd Webber) account for Tim Bell (whoops, Lord Bell). I had offered an opinion about ALW in a magazine article and he was quick to snail mail (yup it was that long ago, people still used the post to make a point) me his thoughts on my position.

We agreed to have coffee to settle the issue and we parted as professional pals. He made his client’spoint and I saw the other side of the issue. I recognised how difficult his job was, working at the time for the Lloyd Webber organisation,which he handled with charm and grace. Some of the great PR operators, particularly in Tinsletown, have a magnificent way of saying “no” – or being firm -without slapping their proverbial dicks on the table.

It’s a skill that isn’t easily taught. I believe the elegance of media relations is being lost and is being replaced by a hardcore paranoia driven by a belief that the news and feature media is the enemy. I advocate that the trade needs to spend less time pinging one-line emails and more in building meaningful relationships with the press – the people that so many of those starting in PR industry seem to dread.

The Blogosphere and the digital ghetto grow minute by minute, and are a fabulous outlet for instant opinion. But even in the age of 24/7 wi-fi and hand-held broadband access, you can’t beat good old-fashioned human contact

Launching the VirginMegastore’s new uber-stellar space in Manchester on Wednesday, I was overwhelmed by Richard Branson. I have long been a big fan of his flair as a publicist and I scribbled a feature in Campaign some time ago eulogising his brio.

Watching him at close quarters, tirelessly working his butt off, never showing any signs of flagging, I wondered how many chairmen of corporations would have met their responsibilities with the same amount of good humour and vigour.

I watched him spend his day giving interviews and charming the pants off some rather cynical business hacks. It’s never easy repeating the same things,yet somehow RB has an inbuilt skill in giving the same sound-bite a fresh edge.
Equally impressive was the real connection he had had with his staff. Branson turned up to the “after-show” party for his employees and spent hours mingling with them, playing computer games and engaging with their banter. Incidentally he seems to be huge fan of the new Wii (pronounced as the pronoun “we”, IPA: /wiː/) Nintendo’s seventh-generation video game console. However is doing the PR I have the photographic evidence. It was clear that he genuinely enjoys their company.

I got a real sense of his passion for his business in all its forms. His success is not only due to his skill at putting the art of publicity at the core of his brand – it’s backed up by his authenticity. And that gives the Virgin empire a heart and a soul.

I have done my 125th interview on Kate Moss, this time for an Australian News Network. The ups and downs of Kate Moss’s life have been a rollercoaster ride. This week an article in a design magazine dug out one of my original quotes on the Kate Moss ferago, when the story originally broke.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/design/article/603548/mark-ritson-branding-hit-scandal-it/

The continuing need for 24/7 news quotes from pundits like myself and Max Clifford, only illustrates that you can comment on a situation as it happens, and as you see fit to comment at the time.
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Classical rebels play it demure
by Maurice Chittenden and Gillian Bowditch
Sunday Times 19th November 2006.

WHEN Katie Targett-Adams takes to the stage with her Celtic harp in Beijing this week she will not be wearing the suggestive outfit that has become de rigueur for the ambitious young female classical musician.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2460345,00.html
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Borat film banned in Russia
By Jeremy Last

Borat

A satirical movie starring a British Jewish comedian which pokes fun at the apparent anti-Semitic nature of some of Kazakhstan’s population has been banned in Russia.

http://www.ejpress.org/article/news/11612
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