The film premiere – heaven or hell for PR?
June 3, 2010
A film premiere is both heaven and hell for a fashion PR (I should know, I used to be one). You need to ensure that your dress is seen on the right people, received well by the critics and that the photographs appear in all the right publications. If a premiere goes well it can make an otherwise unknown brand a must-have label over night. However, a premiere can also be a PR’s worse nightmare as it can quite literally mean the end for a successful brand. You need to ensure that your dress is not worn by the wrong celebrity, nobody wants to see a Z-list celebrity on the red carpet in their client’s creation or even worse that the dress is worn by a different celebrity to the same premiere and that it looks better on them. My advice for a premiere is to ensure that you secure the only dress and that the brand you have borrowed it from sign an agreement that they will not lend it out to any other celebrities until your client has worn it.
A British Ex Pat officially recognised as world’s first genderless person
March 22, 2010
Norrie May-Welby claims to have no gender and is thought to be the first person in the world to be officially recognised as neither male nor female.
Norrie says that
“The concepts of man or woman don’t fit me. The simplest solution is not to have any sex identification.”
Norrie, 48, was born a man, and had a sex change operation in 1990, at the age of 28. Norrie was unhappy as a woman, and preferred not to take any hormone supplements, allowing the body to “develop naturally” in a neuter state.
The Australian government (Norrie moved there many years ago) issued an identity certificate with ‘Gender Not Specified” after years of Norrie’s not feeling comfortable with either male or female labels.
Sir Paul McCartney Launches New Live CD And DVD
November 29, 2009
Legendary Beatle Sir Paul McCartney was in London this week for the launch of his new live performance CD and DVD, and answered some candid questions about his time since the end of the iconic Beatles era.
At an intimate press conference, Sir Paul described how performing many of their old songs brings back specific memories and can make him quite emotional. “If I’m doing songs by The Beatles, I obviously remember the sessions when we recorded,” Sir Paul said.
“There’s a song I do called Here Today which is specifically written for John, and that sometimes catches me out.”
“If I’m doing something like Something - the song - obviously I’m thinking of George and I’m thinking of him playing the ukulele…
“It’s great actually. I really like it. In a way you’re revisiting them.”
He went on to add: “Similarly with John and Linda - in a way you’re kind of in contact them again and it’s sad, it’s emotional.”
Papa John’s Pizza Leaves Competitors In The Cold
July 21, 2009
UK pizza chain Papa John’s turned it’s back on frozen pizza dough in a PR exercise to improve it’s image in it’s continuing growth in the UK pizza market. Frozen dough is now officially a thing of the past at Papa John’s with Marketing Director Simon Wallis quoting:
“We wanted to really draw people’s attention to the fact that frozen pizza dough is a thing of the past for Papa John’s, and we felt that this was a great way of highlighting that we are the only major chain to make this promise.
“We have recently replaced our only frozen dough based pizza with a great new fresh Authentic Thin Crust product which now means that we never use frozen dough on the menu.
He went on to say:
“All the feedback we receive shows that customers can really taste the difference between fresh and frozen dough, and hopefully this move will really raise the bar for the entire pizza business in the UK.”
After building a huge ice sculpture of a pizza in London’s Leicester Square, complete with toppings, the pizza was then demolished as part of the PR exercise. Members of Papa John’s management team then handed out fresh pizza to passers by.
Papa John's say no-go to frozen dough
‘That Dress’ - Classic PR Stunts
July 14, 2009
There are many classic PR stunts that have been pulled by people in the public eye, but not many that stay in the memory for as long as Liz Hurley in ‘that dress’. Remember the seemingly unknown Elizabeth Hurley when she turned up to star studded event on the arm of Hugh Grant back in the ’90s in the safety pin dress. Well ‘that dress’ as it’s now known has been voted the best red carpet dress of all time.
It was worn to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral back in 1994 and many celebs have tried to repeat the PR stunt over the last decade and a half, however it has yet to be surpassed.
Held together by little other than large gold safety pins, pictures of the luscious Liz appeared around the world in newspapers, magazines and on the TV. Liz Hurely has since moved on to model, appear in films and set up her own range of swim wear. The dress is widely regarded as the reason she has managed to increase her profile and make a career. What a PR stunt!!!
A Telegraph report listed the top 20 ‘red carpet dresses’ back in 2009. The results of the top 10 are as follows:
1. Liz Hurley - ‘That Versace ’safety pin’ Dress’ (1994)
2. Audrey Hepburn - White flower pattern Givenchy dress (1954)
3. Julia Roberts - black Valentino dress (2001)
4. Catherine Zeta Jones - Versace red dress (1999)
5. Jennifer Lopez - sheer green Versace dress (2000)
6. Keira Knightley - one shoulder plum Vera Wang dress (2006)
7. Kate Winslet - one shouldered red flower strap gown by Ben de Lisi (2002)
8. Halle Berry - embroidered net Elie Saab topped dress (2002)
9. Bjork - Swan dress from Marjan Pejoski (2001)
10. Kate Moss - Ripped gold satin classic gown by Christian Dior (2007)
'That Dress' worn by Liz Hurley
Wimbledon Great PR For London Ahead of 2012 Games
July 7, 2009
centre court at Wimbledon complete with new roof
As always, Wimbledon really helped to sell London as a worldwide sporting capital. But this year there was the added bonus of the weather.
Wimbledon is always a special occasion in the British summer of sport, and the Ashes will hopefully further enhance the UK’s image as a sporting capital ahead of the football World Cup bid for England in 2018.
Wimbledon is largely regarded as the biggest grand slam on the tennis circuit with its history and setup. However the great British weather usually causes embarrassment with match hold ups, having to pull players off court while the covers are drawn across the courts and players have to wait painfully in the locker room for the sky to clear. This year however, there was very little rain, and the new roof at SW19 on Centre Court was a wonder to behold. Andy Murray played a 5 set thriller on a floodlit centre court for the first time to show that the adaptation of the old centre court had moved with the times to provide an excellent stage to host world class tennis no matter what the weather.
And the influx of famous faces to grace the centre court stands throughout the 2 weeks, most notably the appearance of Pete Sampras, a late arrival from the US to watch Roger Federer eclipse his 14 grand slams shows what a high profile sporting event Wimbledon is.
The 2 weeks at Wimbledon was a great PR campaign for London, English and Great British sport ahead of the Olympics in 2012 and has further raised the profile of England as a sporting venue ahead of the potential World Cup Finals in 2018.
What is Public Relations?
July 6, 2009
Public relations is an exercise designed to improve or increase your companies exposure. It is about managing information between your company or business and the public. Raising your brand visibility is paramount in modern business as it acts as a driving factor in improving your credibility and is very important in ensuring you are portrayed the right way in the public eye.
Public Relations or PR as it’s often known offers your business a legitimacy that perhaps ordinary advertising methods don’t - purely by third-party websites and sources discussing who you are, what you do, and how you do it. PR is a great way of educating your publics with information about your company or brand, and does not necessarily require direct advertising costs, such as paying for an advert in a magazine or newspaper.
There are hundreds of companies who can help with your company image, and ensure you are seen as legitimate in your field. The benefit that PR now stretches to online provides you with an even bigger shop window in order to get your business noticed by those who are most important to you - the public.
