Experimental - Experiential

Big brother for turkeys and the art of the trench

2009-11-18T06:39:00.001-08:00

TURKEYCAM - FARM, PARK & WILD LAUNCH BIRD BROTHER

A Norfolk-based company who grow and deliver farm-fresh produce have launched a 'TurkeyCam' to promote their hand-reared Christmas turkeys.

The TurkeyCam section of the Farm, Fresh & Wild website has a video link to their turkeys' home in Norfolk, documenting the various elements of their day to day lives (pecking, clucking, shagging). It's a fantastic way of hooking in ethical eaters and makes for amusing viewing.

THE ART OF THE TRENCH - BURBERRY SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

New Media Age has reported that Burberry has managed to attract 200,000 to its new social network in one week, following the launch of the "Art of the Trench" campaign (slogan: "a living celebration of the trench coat and the people who wear it"), which asks fans to post pictures of themselves on the brand's Facebook page wearing their Burberry trenchcoat.

Christopher Bailey, Creative Director for Burberry, said, “Everybody has a different story related to their coat or the first time they came into contact with one. I love the idea that people from all over the world can share those stories and images with each other.”

Read the original article here

Facebook - a better platform for hack-bothering?

2009-11-13T04:42:00.001-08:00

As well as working in PR, I also freelance as a journalist for a handful of publications.

One of the main mags I freelance for is Artrocker Magazine - an ex-fanzine turned music glossy that is distributed throughout the UK (coincidentally, it's definitely worth reading if you find yourself losing patience with NME propaganda).

As a result, I regularly get contacted by PRs offering me details of their clients' tour dates, accompanied by a note that reads something like 'if you fancy this, let me know and I'll sort out guestlist places.'

#1 This tends to be a pretty futile exercise - as a freelance reviewer for a professional music magazine, I have little say in the editorial agenda. PRs can send me to as many gigs as they like, but as I'm not actually based in the office and, like the majority of the freelance reviewers based outside of London, I have little control over the editorial schedule, so a printed review is highly unlikely.

2# Being sent endless lists of gigs by bands I'm not particularly excited about does get quite irritating after a while - mainly because I feel quite rude when I have to send yet another 'thanks, but I'm busy that night' email. Not being able to guarantee them any coverage also regularly deters me from taking them up on their offers.

However, as a PR myself, I do appreciate the necessity of such tactics, which is why I was especially impressed when I received the following Facebook message a few days ago:

I'm not entirely sure how they managed to identify me on Facebook - but having said that, my name is fairly unusual.

I imagine the list of things the PR used to identify elusive female Artrocker journalists goes something like this:

"Do they have a fringe?

Is their default profile picture taken at a gig or festival/taken from above in the style the Myspace generation use to make themselves seem more interesting?

Are they wearing something that is clearly vintage/inspired by vintage fashion?"

(Much to my chagrin, I'm ashamed to say that I fit all of the above criteria)

Despite my initial reaction ("that's a bit bloody cheeky"), this method of contacting me certainly worked - it immediately grabbed my attention, accelerated my professional relationship with the PR in question and the whole approach made me feel even more guilty about ignoring his message.

If it's possible to identify which John Smith is the Telegraph's farming correspondent, I'd definitely recommend other PRs attempt to make contact using this method. I'm not suggesting I preferred it, but as a PR, I'd say it was infinitely more effective.

Having said that, I still sent a "thanks but no thanks" reply.

Publicity Stunt Hall of Fame

2009-11-13T04:20:00.000-08:00

Anyone who is interested in guerrilla marketing should check out Taylor Herring's Publicity Stunt Hall of Fame.

It's a fairly comprehensive archive of PR stunts/the earlier days of guerrilla marketing and contains some of my favourite campaigns from years gone by.

Lotus' "faceless people" campaign, which saw the car manufacturer plant actors wearing blank prosthetic skin masks at various key events in 2008, including Wimbledon, one of Elton John's parties and the Harrod's Summer Sale, to coincide with the launch of their latest model, Eagle.

The 'faceless people' campaign was accompanied by the slogan "True character in a faceless world."

Experimental job hunting for recession-struck graduates

2009-10-21T08:47:00.001-07:00

A PR saavy participant in Antony Gormley's One and Other art project, who used her time on the plinth in Trafalgar Square to advertise her skills as an Account Executive, has been snapped up by SKV Communications.

Mairead Rodden, who has a postgraduate certificate in Communications form the University of Ulster, donned a sandwich board, which read "Public relations Account Executive seeks employment." Her stunt was picked up by various media outlets, including the MEN, which led to SKV offering her a job.

Since hearing about this, I've been batting around my own ideas for harnessing guerrilla marketing for the purposes of attracting the attention of potential employers, including sending out customised Christmas crackers containing my CV ('Need ideas with a bang?') and getting pumpkins with my contact details carved into them couriered out to agencies.

Watch this space...

Tumourville

2009-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation took shock tactics to a whole new level last week, using giant inflatable tumours to block off pedestrian passageways. The installations were part of their "the longer you leave it, the bigger it gets" campaign.

The reactions this campaign intended to provoke when pedestrians encountered the inflatable tumours were especially clever, as they reflected the experiences people have when real tumours emerge - the installations were giant roadblocks, they were incovenient and undesirable, those who happened upon them could not physically avoid or ignore them and they were planted in places they wouldn't otherwise expect.

Even those who are particularly switched on to advertising would find them difficult to ignore.

The campaign also involved a chilling advert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2vdFITavZ8&NR=1