Tag Archives: Word of Mouth

Bruno’s LA PR girls are giving the rest of us a bad name

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Posted by Amy on July 14, 2009 – 9:00 am
Filed under Consumer Social Media

On Friday night my boyfriend and I went to see Bruno. We’re both massive Sacha Baron Cohen fans and were really excited about seeing the film.

There was really no escaping Bruno, over the past few weeks I’ve seen him absolutely everywhere. I love how SBC only does interviews in character, and there were some ingenious tactics used to promote the film, such as Bruno taking a front page of Marie Claire magazine as a guest stylist. Using his alter-ego meant he had access into a completely different section of the media and was able to dominate the press running up to the film’s launch.

The social media tactics used were also really innovative and impactful. Bruno created a personal URL at www.meinspace.com where you could see the trailer, biog and links to other social networks. His Twitter account and facebook pages were both active and in character with over 48,000 followers. In addition to the online campaign and the assault on the traditional media, Bruno also created a number of stunts such as falling onto Eminem’s lap at the MTV Awards (attracting over 600,000 views on You Tube so far), creating a truly integrated and exciting campaign.

The film was amazing. Albeit at some parts I was watching from behind my boyfriend’s shoulder because I was cringing so much! SBC is a real comedy genius and has to be one of the bravest men out there!

However, one scene compelled me to write this blog post. Half way through the film, Bruno goes to an LA PR firm to get advice about how charitable work can help raise your profile in Hollywood. He’s met by two sisters, Nicole and Suzie, who are quite possibly the most stupid cretins I’ve ever seen. That’s not an exaggeration, they can barely speak – if you’ve seen it you’ll know what I mean, they struggle to form sentences.

Bruno asks about Darfur. The sisters reply by saying “that’s a hot charity right now”. This is despite not knowing where Darfur is. When Bruno suggests Darfur is old hat, and that Dar-five might be better, they simply nod and agree.

During this scene my boyfriend was looking at me and smiling, making a sarcastic dig about my job in PR. Girls like Suzie and Nicole give PR girls a bad name. It’s obvious there is still a stereotype surrounding women in PR – perhaps even stemming back to the Ab Fab days. I did a degree in PR and have lots of friends working in the industry. All of them are intelligent, focused, articulate and funny. It’s a shame we’re sometimes still portrayed as fluffy party organisers.

I began to wonder if any women working in PR still feel this stereotype exists, or whether things have moved on since the days of Patsy and Edina?

Suzie and Nicole need not respond.

Bruno with baby OJ

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day or else

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Posted by Amy Johnston on February 10, 2009 – 3:15 pm
Filed under Consumer Social Media

Agent Provocateur has recently launched this raunchy video on their website to promote their Valentine’s Day range. It is quite funny and definitely plays up the ‘girl power’ feeling that is evident in most of their communications strategy.

The ad stars ‘the next big thing’ in modeling, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and shows her punching her boyfriend for cancelling on Valentine’s Day. A little extreme but fun all the same.

I have to also say at this point that I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. It seems if you’re single you feel lonely and sad and if you’re in a couple you’re forced to be extra ‘in love’ just because it’s the 14th of February. However, I don’t think any men in their right mind would be cancelling on Rosie looking like this, the guys in my office certainly agree!

This web-based ad campaign was coupled with an exclusive male screening of the new collection for high flyers in the City. High-earning men were invited to private lingerie shows where they could find out exactly what women wanted for Valentine’s Day.

I think this is a good idea and is especially timely because of the press coverage about the banker’s bonuses. The events and advert address both of the key target audiences -men with money and women who love their products - engaging both groups with the brand, whilst creating conversation, word of mouth and some great PR.

The timing is perfect, so it creates a call to action for consumers and also encourages people to forget about the credit crunch - if you can’t splurge on Valentine’s Day, when can you?

Just don’t expect a visit from Rosie if you don’t.

The Home Office and Pablo the dog launch new campaign to tackle cocaine use

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Posted by Amy Johnston on December 8, 2008 – 1:03 pm
Filed under Consumer Social Media

You’ve probably seen the Pablo the drug mule dog advert, created by Mother for the Home Office and drugs body, Frank. If not, click here because you’re in for a treat.

It opens with Pablo, a canine drug mule, lying dead with his stomach slit open. This may sound graphic, and it is quite a shocking image, but the narration by Peep Show’s David Mitchell is inspired and instantly changes the mood.

David / Pablo then comes to life and meets people involved with drugs from the dealer to the clubber to find out more about cocaine. He’s on a mission to find out the truth about cocaine but can’t get much sense out of anyone he asks. Cue him making a call to Frank at the end of the ad.

It’s a well made advert and is maybe just bizarre enough to create a bit of word-of-mouth among their target audience, 16-25 year olds. The advert aired on Channel 4 on Thursday and thanks to some clever online marketing and social media seeding, it has had over 20,000 views on You Tube in just three days.

I have a sneaking suspicion cynics out there may feel this is just an attempt to jump on the bandwagon of ‘shocking’ viral videos and that it could be perceived as a little patronising to its age group. What do you think?

Mamma Mia and the power of word of mouth

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Posted by Amy Johnston on November 28, 2008 – 4:34 pm
Filed under Word of Mouth

Mamma Mia has defied the initial critics to become the most successful British film ever.

Now, in the interest of transparency, I have to admit to being a fully fledged Mamma Mia fangirl - one who saw the film, owns the DVD, bought the soundtrack and is often found singing ‘Does your mother know’ when I think nobody’s listening. However, on a professional level, I’ve also been blown away by the impact that word of mouth has played in the success of the film.

Mamma Mia had a very low-key opening; the premier was held in London and then a European launch followed a few weeks later. There was hardly any hype before the opening and the film was supported with limited advertising and PR beforehand.

In comparison to its opening week rival, The Dark Knight, (which executed a truly amazing social media campaign throughout the 12 months prior to opening) marketing for Mamma Mia was practically non-existent.

To be honest, I’m surprised that a low-budget film starring a singing Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth even survived, considering it opened:

  • a) the same week as the most hyped film of the year, which featured a surely Oscar winning performance from the late Heath Ledger, and
  • b) during the worst economic crisis of the past 15 years - the papers claimed that people didn’t have enough money for bread, let along musicals!

However, the film became the unexpected success story of the year and many actually credit its success to the timing. Not only did Mamma Mia offer an escape from our dreary summer, but it also offered some light relief from the highly publicised economic crisis. The sight of sun drenched beaches, beautiful people, great music and a happy ending certainly cheered me and my friends up on a cold Wednesday night!

WOMMA believe that word of mouth marketing is now the fastest growing and most in-demand set of marketing practices today. The power of word of mouth is immense and it’s something that consumer brands need to consider and take very seriously. The basic premise of word of mouth is that people like to talk to other people - and they certainly enjoyed talking to other people about this film!

Universal have since capitalised on the buzz surrounding Mamma Mia by creating a sing-a-long version currently being shown in cinemas around the UK - and it’s also included as a bonus feature on the DVD. (Cue lots of girlie trips to the cinema after a couple bottles of wine, or the perfect way to finish off an evening of X Factor.)

This clever modification gave people another reason / excuse to go and see the film again and experience it in a totally different way, whilst doubling the ticket sales, hence the record breaking stats - and also appealing to the current karaoke craze sweeping the nation thanks to games like Sony’s SingStar and dozens of new karaoke bars appearing in our cities overnight.

Mamma Mia has not only smashed box office records and given PR people a fantastic WOM case study, but it’s also allowed thousands of people to escape a recession - if only for a few hours. Just don’t mention “Money Money Money”.