As the British Comedy Awards once again (dis)graced the small screen with its infamous ceremony last Saturday evening, there was an embarrassing degree of mirth at the sponsor’s expense.

Highland Spring’s association with the Comedy awards stems from a hat-trick deal with ITV in 2006 that saw them take the sponsorship of the British Soap Awards and the National Television Awards as part of the same package.

Ironically, despite being both title sponsor and broadcast sponsor of the event and after show party, the increasingly raucous antics of the guests and nominees displayed little evidence that much, if any, water was being taken at the tables on Saturday night.

No fools ITV, ensuring that the later stages of the ceremony were taken off ITV1 and reserved for the smaller, more open-minded audience of ITV2 - as the behaviour of a resentful bottle-throwing Kevin Bishop proved testament to:

Bottles, undoubtedly, of the Highland Spring water that proudly adorned every table and remained largely unopened for most of the evening.

Admittedly, the creative was strong. The idents that wrapped each section of the broadcast were cute and wonderfully conceived. Simple but effective, positioning a bottle of Highland Spring as an award-winning celebrity itself, under the tag line, ‘If you’re this good, you must be rewarded’.

And that is where the brand presence should have ended. Instead, Sally Stanley (the brand’s courageous but arguably ill-advised Marketing Director) braved the toughest crowd in the business and took to the stage alongside Frank Skinner to present the highly coveted Best Comedy award as the pinnacle of the evening.

Error.

Angus Deayton [introducing Stanley]: ‘And of course a big thanks to Highland Spring - without whom tonight would certainly not have been as…cheap.’

And it only got worse. Granted, with the amount of subsequent mentions that Deayton and Skinner managed to notch up between them, the brand probably regained its rights fee in media value alone. But they also succeeded in presenting the brand as an intrusive, resented necessity, over-playing the contractual exposure that was guaranteed for them, and generally making Ms. Stanley look like a bit of a joke.

With marketeers across the country already cringing with embarrassment on her behalf, she then attempted to squeeze in a suitably ‘on-message’ introduction which was predictably ignored and cut short by her co-presenters and the less than captivated crowd:

Stanley: ‘[the sponsorship] is a perfect partnership as we strive all year round to make people feel better…’

(Err…what?)

Skinner [doubtless echoing the thoughts of the entire room]: ‘Well, it certainly makes me feel better - as a recovering alcoholic. Not quite as good as an actual drink, but you can’t have everything.’

Words alone cannot do the whole episode justice - watch for yourself: 

A prime example of when a sponsor should be seen and not heard - always engage, but never intrude. 

However, whether or not you believe that a television awards sponsor has a rightful active role in their presentation, one must ask how the brand association with this particular ceremonial joke can be seen as beneficial in the long run? The announcement of the 2006 deal suggested that Highland Spring did know what it was getting into, but as the calibre of this most ‘notoriously unpredictable’ awards night continues to decline, how much longer can the brand deem the association a desirable one? Can the value of numerous shameful on-air plugs really outweigh an association with an awards show that is increasingly becoming the laughing stock of the industry? And how does a high-profile water brand sit alongside an event renowned for the drunken, outlandish behaviour of its celebrity guests?

One last thing: take a look at the sponsorship section of Highland Spring’s website. In the brand’s list of ‘high profile Awards and Dinners’ with which they are proudly associated, the British Comedy Awards is not listed.

Go figure.

By Lucie Bartlett on December 11th, 2008

Tags: Brand marketing, Broadcast sponsorship, Media, Sponsorship, Television

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The Society of Editors conference is producing many interesting talking points on the future of the media but in addition to some of the more heavyweight issues being discussed there will always be journalists looking for the next scoop.  The Guardian’s Media Monkey is a good source for the latest gossip and today’s news is that Trinity Mirror’s Chief Executive Sly Bailey was driven the “20 yards” or so from the Society of Editors’ dinner back to her hotel causing Media Monkey to question her commitment to the Trinity Mirror green policy.  They’ve even helpfully plotted the route on a map:

Admittedly this won’t be a major talking point of the conference but it is proof at least that the media’s appetite for a story is as strong as ever!

By Alex Coulson on November 11th, 2008

Tags: Media

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Analyse the thoughts of newspaper editors (that have occasionally had a reputation for cynicism around the ‘integration’ word) on what it means and we have the perfect roadmap for the Communications and PR executives trying to maximise our clients’ exposure.

The Guardian’s editor, Alan Rusbridger outlined his paper’s plans for a newly built newsroom organised into ‘pods’ based around content areas not publications.

At a regional level, it’s happening even faster. The Nottingham Evening Post has re-trained its newsroom which now outputs seven niche sites, 20 hyper local and one main newspaper website as well as putting out a daily paper – all this without one member of staff dedicated purely to one medium.

The underlying implication of the conference for sponsorship PROs is clear. Those at the highest levels of newspapers have now recognised that it is content not platform that is king and it is this content we are fortunate to have in spades. Don’t pigeonhole yourself around the type of media you’re targeting, rather the opportunities now lie in working your content through all parts of the system – your story must become a ‘content factory’ not just one hit.

Why will the media love you for this? Simple - last word to Rusbridger – “there is a lot of advertising waiting for [video] content…We just can’t generate it fast enough at the moment.”  

By Dominic on November 10th, 2008

Tags: Branded content, Media, Public relations, Sponsorship

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Bravo Lewis Hamilton, cue media frenzy - with, as ever on these occasions, a predictable focus on Hamilton’s future earning power. Thus we find Max Clifford in the Telegraph (not an everyday occurrence in itself) predicting that Hamilton will be ‘bigger than Beckham’ and this, my personal favourite to date, from the Mirror:

He is already on a £75million five year contract with McLaren and has a £10million three year sponsorship deal with Reebok. But extra sponsorship deals could see him on £1billion next year.

Now that would be bucking the credit crunch.

There is, of course, much more interesting territory to be explored here. For example, how will the nascent ‘Brand Hamilton’ be evolved?  To what extent does Hamilton’s appeal extend beyond F1? And what effect is Hamilton having on the F1 brand and audience?

In the UK at least, we already know some of the answers. Yesterday’s Grand Prix drew an average audience on ITV of 8.8m, way ahead of the channel’s slot average for the year so far of 2.6m, with a massive peak audience of 12.5m watching at 18:45 as the race went down to the wire.

Ironically, it was thus easily the most watched race since ITV started broadcasting F1 in 1997 – the irony being that coverage reverts to BBC in 2009, ITV having opted out of F1 earlier this year in order to retain its UEFA Champions League rights.

By Tim Crow on November 3rd, 2008

Tags: BBC, Formula 1, Media, Sponsorship, Television audiences

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It’s an interesting rumour that could pass as a viral hoax: “Internet will close tonight for cleaning.” “Please wire me your bank details so I can send you $10m.” “Government will regulate web content to help TV.” (Spot the real one.)

Andy Burnham’s plans to “even up” the regulatory imbalance between television and the internet can go one of two ways. Either TV will become more like the unregulated web world. Or the web will become more like the regulated TV world. Or a bit of both.

In fairness, Mr Burnham is all about promoting “innovation, risk taking, and new talent” and, although scant on details, there’s no doubt that the internet is by far the most innovative platform ever invented. But I think we now know Mr Burnham’s views on grubby commercialism like product placement, so we have to assume that plans to “tighten up” the online content will be a less-is-more approach.

If the plan is to restrict content, either through ISP certification or centrally-managed censorship, it feels we’ve heard this somewhere before: clearly recent Olympic trips to Beijing had more of an impact on the DCMS than anyone expected…

By Morgan Holt on October 27th, 2008

Tags: Branded content, China, DCMS, Default, Digital marketing, Media, Product placement, Television, Viral Marketing

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So ITV is trialling technology that fills empty spaces with brand logos. After a thoroughly unscientific poll of those I met today the general response is “Ugh!” but I think it’s unjustified - and missing the point.

When I first skim-read the article I thought ITV was proposing an on-screen advertising overlay a la YouTube, which would have been truly horrible. But no, this is a smart techno way of getting brands involved in the editorial at a time when no one wants to see them interrupt the story.

It’s a silly supposition that ITV will allow advertising brands to unsophisticatedly plaster the walls of The Rovers Return with their posters, or for Microsoft to spray its logo in the sky while Morse solves another provincial conundrum. The creative force that gets these shows on air is just too strong to let the channel screw it up so badly.

No, what strikes me is this is just product placement ‘in post’. Whether a brand pays for a neon sign to be digitally superimposed on the Woolpack door, or whether it was there during shooting - if the brand paid for it, then it’s product placement. Pure and simple. And forgive me if I missed a meeting, but doesn’t Andy Burnham have a dim view of such nefarious practices?

By Morgan Holt on October 6th, 2008

Tags: Branded content, Broadcast sponsorship, DCMS, Digital marketing, Media, New Product Development, Product placement, Television, YouTube

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With perfect timing in the week when the Large Hadron Collider became part of the global zeitgeist, a new sponsorship category was also unveiled to the world: Dow Chemical has become the ‘Official Chemistry Company’ of the PGA Tour.

Sponsorship has been adopted by a myriad of product categories in the modern era, but ‘Chemistry’ is a new one on me. Let me hasten to add, I think Dow has done a very clever deal with the PGA, creating a perfect showcase for its agroscience and technology products. And I’m sure that the guys at Dow and the PGA thought long and hard before landing on ‘Chemistry’. But it does lead your imagination in some interesting directions…

Talking of which, the scientists involved in the Large Hadron Collider project have taken a break from attempting to discover the ‘God Particle’ to star in their own hit viral video. The ‘Large Hadron Rap’ has become a favorite on YouTube.

By Tim Crow on September 12th, 2008

Tags: Branded content, Digital marketing, Golf, Media, New Product Development, PGA Tour, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Viral Marketing, YouTube

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With this week’s sad announcement that Jade Goody has developed cervical cancer, a rather cynical thought occurred to me that the timing and rather inappropriate way she was informed of the diagnosis was more of a Public Relations stunt than ‘the best way of informing her’ of the news.

Was that just me thinking that?

In this day and age where reality TV, celebrity relationships and the latest clothing/hairstyle/tattoos seem to grab the headlines, I start to wonder how far people will go to get some attention from the Public.

From the news that Peaches Geldof and Max Drummey of American rock band Chester French got married in Las Vegas to the tragic string of teenage suicides in Bridgend over the past few years. It is astounding how extreme some people’s actions are becoming to get the attention they feel they should have or often as a cry for help in an overcrowded time where it is hard to stand out in the crowd. According to sources Peaches and Max did not want ‘unnecessary publicity’ but decided to set out the facts after growing media attention. Yeah right!

But what will satisfy the hunger for approval, attention and celebrity that so many people secretly - or not so secretly - desire?

Look to our Olympic athletes currently filling the spotlight out in Beijing – the cyclers, rowers and sailors to name but a few of our medal winners. Their moments of stardom are a culmination of years of focused, hard work whilst they strive for sporting glory in a field that they excel in. This I applaud with all my heart as I admire and respect the sheer determination and time they put into achieving their Olympic goal, which often brings with it their place on the front or back pages.

However, the latest shouting match between Big Brother contestants or the recent hairstyle Agyness Deyn has adopted seem to capture the attention of so many of us but does not, in my view, deserve applause or that much attention. 

The dictionary definition of ‘celebrity’ is:
n. A person of distinction or renown
n. The state or quality of being widely honoured and acclaimed.

Surely we should be striving in our daily lives to achieve distinction and honour in our own strengths rather than searching for attention in a more superficial way. This way we may ultimately end up more fulfilled than the names which drift in and out of the media limelight from one day to the next.

By Dordie Brett on August 22nd, 2008

Tags: Beijing 2008, Cycling, Media, Olympics

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It has been speculated that BBC Breakfast pulled out of broadcasting live from Cowes this week due to a bombardment of PRs selling in their client ahead of the world’s largest sailing regatta, Skandia Cowes Week.

As a minority sport, sailing can struggle for column inches, so communications professionals have to fight hard to promote their clients involvement with the sport. The majority of broadsheets maintain a sailing correspondent but even The Times has decided against filling the position left by Ed Gorman after he moved to cover Formula 1 in 2006.

This year, there are over 15 brands involved with Cowes Week as race sponsors, boat sponsors, individual skippers and team partners try to maximise on the sport’s high profile created by the event.

Frankly, I think it’s a travesty that PR overkill led to BBC Breakfast withdrawing from Cowes Week altogether. We have to respect the media we are working with after all it’s all about getting an interesting and exciting story out there. It’s no use flooding the media space and bashing editors’ ears till they’re blue in the face if it’s going to blur the story and deter the media from covering it at all.

Working in the communications industry I believe PRs are providers of stories and news, sources of information, ‘make it happen’ people. We should not be selling so hard that the world’s most respected broadcaster decides to withdraw from an event it first merited as a strong story.

The solution is not easy. It’s a competitive world we PRs live in, but communication is what we do so perhaps on specific occasions we need to communicate with each other. No one wins by scaring off our beloved and much sought after media.

This November, seven British skippers will take on the gruelling round-the-world yacht race the Vendée Globe. Never before have we as a nation had so many contenders taking part (Dee Caffari onboard Aviva, Samanatha Davies onboard Roxy, Mike Golding onboard Ecover 3, Jonny Malbon onboard Artemis Ocean Racing II, Alex Thomson onboard Hugo Boss, Brian Thompson onboard Pindar and Steve White onboard Spirit of Weymouth). Since early this year the British skippers’ communication teams have been meeting to ensure we don’t reach media overkill. Each team has their individual story to tell but we appreciate we have to work together on certain occasions to provide the media with what they want not what we want.

If sailing is your bag, log on to www.avivaoceanracing.com to find out more about Dee Caffari and her inspirational adventure to make history by becoming the only woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world in both directions.

By Caroline Ayling on August 7th, 2008

Tags: Media, Public relations, Sponsorship, Television

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Apart from the competitors’ heroics, what will we remember Beijing 2008 for? And how, with London 2012 in mind, will UK consumers feel about the Olympics after Beijing?

Previous Olympics in the modern era have all strongly impacted the Olympic brand – in general negatively – and left a single-issue legacy. Montreal 1976 invented the Olympics as a debt monster. Moscow 1980 was the Cold War, Soviet Games. LA 1984 showcased the American entrepreneurial Dream - and in Atlanta 1996 the Dream became an over-commercialised Nightmare. Seoul 1988 will forever be remembered for Ben Johnson and doping. Barcelona 1992 was a triumphant spectacle for Spain, as Sydney 2000 was for Australia. Athens 2004 was the Games that could never follow Sydney and only just got built.

Beijing 2008 looks like being another single-issue Games - the issue, of course, being Chinese government policy. With the Torch Relay crisis now firmly imprinted on Beijing’s DNA, and the media even more focused on the issue as we move into Games time, I can’t see this changing.

But what I do see changing is the world’s knowledge of and attitude to China. And in this respect the Olympics is part of the solution, not – as many would have it – part of the problem. Beijing 2008 will offer an unprecedented window into China’s uniquely fascinating society and culture. And the greater knowledge, understanding and – let us hope – human empathy this engenders will perhaps be Beijing 2008’s key legacy. As Simon Barnes of The Times wrote in a characteristically brave and intelligent piece back in April, this is a key strand of what this Olympics is about. It will make few, if any headlines, but it will leave the world, and the Olympics, in a much better place.

And what of the legacies that Beijing 2008 will leave London 2012? Here in the UK of course, as the next hosts of the summer Games, we’ll be looking at Beijing very differently to the rest of the world. “It’s our turn next” will undoubtedly be a theme running throughout the Games coverage, rising to a crescendo when Beijing hand the Olympic flag to London during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday 24 August.

The big question, of course, which we’ll be looking at closely with our clients who are Olympic sponsors, will be the effect of Beijing 2008 on UK consumers’ attitudes to and behaviours around the Olympics. There are bound to be some big shifts – especially in favourability if, as we all hope, Team GB wins medals galore – but only time will tell what they’ll be, and how lasting.

By Tim Crow on August 6th, 2008

Tags: Beijing 2008, Brand marketing, China, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Media, Olympic Torch Relay, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Synergy

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