Publicity Shy Business Competition Update.

Entries are already flooding in thanks to some great publicity.

http://www.startups.co.uk/Firms_encouraged_to_write_press_releases.YRT3a9doS63Ijg.html
http://www.businessopportunities.com/bob-daily/2006/9/20/its-always-the-quiet-ones.html
http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/5.99/homepage/news/28885/small-firms-need-good-pr.thtml

Chelsea PR Machine Has Gunner Gallas in its Sights

Anyone still in any doubt about - and unsure of the origins of - the William Gallas affair should look no further than the name of the man more than happy to undertake a succession of national media interviews – Chelsea Director of communications Simon Greenberg.

Greenberg knows that information is power. Gallas reportedly said he’d “score an own goal if selected” as he engineered his departure from the club. It was probably a flippant heat-of-the-moment aside – but in the CFC corridors of power it has been noted, remembered and offered up to the media giving them exactly what they love best – a dirty scrap.

The information has been rehashed and served up to inflict maximum irritation to Chelsea’s arch rivals Arsenal. And the media tactics might even cause Gallas to lose his focus if he plays when the sides meet later in the season - surely one of the main aims.

Arsenal – to their credit – have resisted the temptation to get involved (for now at least!) For me, Chelsea come out of this looking particularly petulant. I remember when football matches were won and lost on the pitch – not in news print. It would never happen in Finney’s day.

As a ‘PR professional’ the only mildly sad observation is that all this spin shenanigans really detracts from the good work so many PR consultant do for their clients – see links on the right ;)

Enjoy Your Meal Enjoys The Coverage

Congratulations to Sharon and Jon at Enjoy Your Meal (sign in and get involved when you visit!) who are already reaping the rewards of their first two news releases (cost only £500) with trade and regional media coverage conservatively valued at more than £5,000.

Selection here:

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/businessnewsandblogs/kendalbusiness/display.var.872986.0.local_couple_set_up_pub_grub_rating_web_siet.php

http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/business/viewarticle.aspx?id=405016

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=18448&categoryid=38

http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=52494

http://www.enterprisequest.com/news/2006/08/pick_of_the_pubs.html

North West Evening Mail, Barrow Advertiser, Lakeland Radio and BBC Cumbria have also featured the innovative new pub food website.

QS Discount Media Coverage

Thought you might appreciate a look at a brief selection of the great regional coverage The Buzz Factory has successfully achieved for QS Discount recently. This is in addition to a BBC Radio Lancashire interview with John Gilmore and a great three-page interview in regional business magazine EN.

All good stuff. And we're only just getting warmed up!

http://www.prestontoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=74&ArticleID=1712216
http://www.chorleycitizen.co.uk/news/newsheadlines/display.var.899528.0.school_bargains.php http://www.chorleycitizen.co.uk/news/newsheadlines/display.var.861088.0.qs_plan_two_new_stores.php http://www.thebestof.co.uk/Wigan/News/11537
http://archive.boltoneveningnews.co.uk/2006/8/2/919850.html
http://www.lancashireeveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/chorley/display.var.861088.0.qs_plan_two_new_stores.php http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/newsheadlines/display.var.866942.0.store_boss_bids_to_buy_jackos_ranch.php http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/display.var.866942.0.0.php
http://www.lep.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=73&ArticleID=1686279
http://www.prestontoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=73&ArticleID=1686279

Who Dares Spins

At the end of the week when it was revealed that UK taxpayers pay for more than 3,000 central government PR officers to keep voters' perceptions in check, Oliver Pritchett at The Telegraph has a stab at managing our perceptions himself.

Read the article here.

Risking it All

If you get the chance, watch Channel Four's excellent 'Risking it All'

This week's new series featured Loaf Hair in Sheffield. These guys had a target of £2,000 a week turnover to break even. But in their first week they doubled it.

Within five months of starting up (investing just £35,000) they were achieving £8,000 a week and on target for £10,000 a week plus in the run up to Christmas. And their business was valued at a whopping £350,000! Better still it was projected to be worth £2.5 million assuming the same level of business in four more planned salons.

Their business success - and it's no coincidence - was accompanied by some great local PR. I loved one idea in particular:

The salon's five senior stylists spent a morning finely crafting hair-dos on five local models. They then took to Fargate shopping centre in Sheffield City centre and passers-by were asked to nominate their favourite. Their details were entered into a draw and the winner received a full hair and nail makeover.

Coverage here.

Rats the way to do it!

Every so often you see a news story you wish you'd come up with yourself. The best you can do is doff your cap and hopefully use it to inspire your own PR activity.

Congratulations to Preston Borough Council who put one of its officers in a glass box full of litter and ... rats! All this to highlight the problems of litter. It achieved some great local TV coverage and will have had viewers squirming in their thousands as they watched. A great 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' parody.

Buzz Factory clients beware of being strapped up in rat-infested glass boxes very soon!

See the coverage here and here.