The story of Jade Goody's death was terribly sad. It was also a landmark in the march of PR.
Since ancient times, people have made up stories about the lives of famous people- Roman generals, catholic saints, Renaissance artists- in order to increase their standing and influence. For example, King Alfred the Great allegedly burnt some cakes whilst dreaming of uniting England. Only it wasn’t called PR in hose days. We have gobbled them up because we have an insatiable appetite to know the ‘real’ people behind the achievement.
In the last century, as documented in the book The Fame Formula, Hollywood flacks and others turned making up fame-enhancing stories about people into a fine art. In the second half of the 20th century, the best publicists stopped being employees and became a power in their own right, using their contacts and knowledge of the media to bring fame to whoever paid them. The media thrives on our interest in the real lives of our heroes. PR exploits this, although it now also has to control the media monster it has unleashed.
Still, at this point, people’s fame was based on some product (be it, acting, music or sporting prowess) the sale of which would be helped by the media coverage gained from PR. Occasionally someone would gain fame by being involved in something high profile- they might marry a footballer or appear in a reality TV show- but these were exceptional and their fame didn't last without some inherent talent to back it up.
Not any more. The trouble is, real stars don't want to reveal their ordinary lives, except via the contrived reality of a photoshoot for Hell. This is because either it devalues their mystique or they simply don’t want the intrusion. Some don’t want celebrity at all (check out the number of actors that haven’t supplied a photo to the Internet Movie Data Base.)
Jade Goody fed the public appetite. She perpetuated her fame because she was willing to allow the media into every corner of an ordinary life, including her deathbed. By definition, she was famous for being famous, in that she was famous for nothing else than simply being Jade Goody, an ordinary person that the rest of us could either identify with or mock.
However she was clever enough not to waste the opportunity- she made money for her children and raised awareness of cervical cancer. I admire her for that. Nevertheless, for me, the real story is that PR is now so powerful it can keep someone with no discernible talent on the front pages longer than any celebrity in recent memory.
Showing posts with label Jade Goody. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jade Goody. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
How To Become Famous
The current media coverage of Jade Goody is a masterpiece in the art of PR. You wouldn't expect the imminent demise of a person, who participated in a reality TV show and was likeable and inadvertently amusing but has little discernible talent, to attract such attention, however sad her story. However she and her PR team have handled her media career brilliantly from the moment she came to national attention and, in effect, have made her famous for being famous, continually renewing the interest.
Mark Borkowski is a PR agent, who specialises in arts and entertainment, has worked out a formula for achieving this kind of celebrity. His book The Fame Formula (Sidgwick & Jackson), explains how modern PR became such a powerful tool by telling the fascinating story of the development of Hollywood publicists or ‘flacks’. It starts with the outrageous stunts of the silent movie era, moves through the sanitising control by studio fixers in the mid-centuryand ends with today’s powerful agents who fence with the devils of the media on behalf of would-be celebrities.
There are some great examples of stunts which were carried out from town to town in the early 20th century by publicists who followed in the large footsteps of P T Barnum. To publicise The Return Of Tarzan, Harry Reichenbach sneaked a tame lion into a hotel room, resulting in a major news story. Its human companion told the newspapers he wanted to be like the Apeman.
Invention on that scale is less common nowadays because it’s more easily exposed as a stunt by mass communication but there is still plenty of scope for stories that use gimmicks to gain attention. I’ve had Cannon and Ball planting a tree to launch Babes In The Wood and soaked the local TV weatherman when Singin’ In The Rain was in town.
The greatest publicity stunt of all time is probably the three year search for someone to play Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind. The saga is retold in detail from the point-of-view of the studio’s publicist Russell Birdwell. We recreate a small scale version every time we get coverage from auditioning children to play The Babes In The Wood.
Although the publicity said it was a chance arrival of Vivien Leigh on the set that led to her getting the part, it seems the decision had already been made. The point is, the story may be fictitious but it tells a truth that people want to believe about the person or event. When I was involved in publicising Snow White, a story about Sneezy being the only dwarf not to get a cold caught the public imagination. It even became the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question.
The Secret Of Lasting Fame
There are a number of heartfelt references in the book to the way even the best publicists are frequently dumped by their employers, something to which I can attest. The trouble is, people believe their own publicity and don’t like to acknowledge that their achievements are not entirely due to their own talent. An example quoted is the disastrous period Tom Cruise went through after he ditched Pat Kingsley. In the rough seas of today’s media, the ship of fame requires a steady hand on the tiller.
The importance of celebrity to today’s media means that ‘superflacks’ like Kingsley are more powerful than journalists. She controls all aspects of her clients’ interfaces with the outside world, even down to telling them to leave a small gap when they cross their legs so the top leg doesn’t look fat.
Whilst acknowledging that nowadays some people like Jade Goody are simply famous for being famous, nevertheless Borkowski insists, “Fame still, on the whole, relies on someone being possessed of an extraordinary talent.” Andy Warhol, whose portraits of famous people are currently on display at the Hayward Gallery, would agree. Despite suggesting everyone could be famous for 15 minutes, he also (less famously) said, “You should always have a product that’s not just you.” In other words, lasting fame should be the result of producing something of worth.
Borkowski rambles and repeats himself a bit and I found the story he tells somewhat disjointed. I suspect it needed more editing. Nevertheless it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in PR. The formula for fame that the book promises is revealed at the very end. And it really is a mathematical formula. Studying a number of celebrities, Borkowski concluded that any boost to fame lasts 15 months (not Warhol's minutes) after which it needs to be renewed or the celebrity will slip into obscurity. I'm afraid I got lost at F(T)=
A version of this piece appeared in the December edition of Encore magazine
Mark Borkowski is a PR agent, who specialises in arts and entertainment, has worked out a formula for achieving this kind of celebrity. His book The Fame Formula (Sidgwick & Jackson), explains how modern PR became such a powerful tool by telling the fascinating story of the development of Hollywood publicists or ‘flacks’. It starts with the outrageous stunts of the silent movie era, moves through the sanitising control by studio fixers in the mid-centuryand ends with today’s powerful agents who fence with the devils of the media on behalf of would-be celebrities.
There are some great examples of stunts which were carried out from town to town in the early 20th century by publicists who followed in the large footsteps of P T Barnum. To publicise The Return Of Tarzan, Harry Reichenbach sneaked a tame lion into a hotel room, resulting in a major news story. Its human companion told the newspapers he wanted to be like the Apeman.
Invention on that scale is less common nowadays because it’s more easily exposed as a stunt by mass communication but there is still plenty of scope for stories that use gimmicks to gain attention. I’ve had Cannon and Ball planting a tree to launch Babes In The Wood and soaked the local TV weatherman when Singin’ In The Rain was in town.
The greatest publicity stunt of all time is probably the three year search for someone to play Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind. The saga is retold in detail from the point-of-view of the studio’s publicist Russell Birdwell. We recreate a small scale version every time we get coverage from auditioning children to play The Babes In The Wood.
Although the publicity said it was a chance arrival of Vivien Leigh on the set that led to her getting the part, it seems the decision had already been made. The point is, the story may be fictitious but it tells a truth that people want to believe about the person or event. When I was involved in publicising Snow White, a story about Sneezy being the only dwarf not to get a cold caught the public imagination. It even became the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question.
The Secret Of Lasting Fame
There are a number of heartfelt references in the book to the way even the best publicists are frequently dumped by their employers, something to which I can attest. The trouble is, people believe their own publicity and don’t like to acknowledge that their achievements are not entirely due to their own talent. An example quoted is the disastrous period Tom Cruise went through after he ditched Pat Kingsley. In the rough seas of today’s media, the ship of fame requires a steady hand on the tiller.
The importance of celebrity to today’s media means that ‘superflacks’ like Kingsley are more powerful than journalists. She controls all aspects of her clients’ interfaces with the outside world, even down to telling them to leave a small gap when they cross their legs so the top leg doesn’t look fat.
Whilst acknowledging that nowadays some people like Jade Goody are simply famous for being famous, nevertheless Borkowski insists, “Fame still, on the whole, relies on someone being possessed of an extraordinary talent.” Andy Warhol, whose portraits of famous people are currently on display at the Hayward Gallery, would agree. Despite suggesting everyone could be famous for 15 minutes, he also (less famously) said, “You should always have a product that’s not just you.” In other words, lasting fame should be the result of producing something of worth.
Borkowski rambles and repeats himself a bit and I found the story he tells somewhat disjointed. I suspect it needed more editing. Nevertheless it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in PR. The formula for fame that the book promises is revealed at the very end. And it really is a mathematical formula. Studying a number of celebrities, Borkowski concluded that any boost to fame lasts 15 months (not Warhol's minutes) after which it needs to be renewed or the celebrity will slip into obscurity. I'm afraid I got lost at F(T)=
A version of this piece appeared in the December edition of Encore magazine
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Who Wins The Big Brother PR Battle- You Decide!
What japes in the Big Brother house!
From a marketing point of view, who are the winners and losers?
Channel 4, worried that BB is losing its lustre, brought in Jade Goody, BB’s most famous housemate, and family to liven up the programme. It began to backfire when she so alienated Ken Russell that he walked out. Then there was a predictable argument over food (we regular BB viewers know food is always a flash point). Faced with declining viewing figures, C4 exploited the row for all it’s worth. However they probably didn’t expect the slanging match and bullying that have been a regular feature on BB through the years to turn into a global controversy on racism. As a result, BB is back on the front pages and they have gained viewing figures. These are probably short term gains. On the other hand, they've lost their £3 million sponsor and they've been condemned by politicians and other more sincere people. Storm in a teacup perhaps. Still, they have lived on the edge with this programme for some time, using controversy as their main PR weapon. This time they got their comeuppance.
Jade has exploited her persona for all it’s worth. She’s become a tabloid favourite, featured in minor TV programmes and sold a successful perfume. She might have thought that re-entering the house would put her back on the front pages and mainstream TV, and set the seal on her celebrity. Unfortunately for her, the ignorance and naivety that made her so appealing showed their dark side in the charged atmosphere of the BB house, when she was seen bullying Shilpa. (Though not a racist, I think. Given her uncontrolled language generally, I am sure that, if she was, racist pejoratives would have slipped out of her mouth.) She's been evicted with 82% of the vote, her scent is off the shelves at Debenhams, her apology appears forced and she is a hate figure.
Shilpa Shetty, unheard of outside of India and the Bollywood fanbase, decided to gain exposure in the UK by appearing on BB. She was calm and dignified in the face of bullying from Jade. She got sympathy from a British public that is fair-minded and likes underdogs and she has become a household name in the UK. Western film contracts will no doubt follow. Mission accomplished beyond her wildest dreams.
The winner is Shilpa Shetty.
From a marketing point of view, who are the winners and losers?
Channel 4, worried that BB is losing its lustre, brought in Jade Goody, BB’s most famous housemate, and family to liven up the programme. It began to backfire when she so alienated Ken Russell that he walked out. Then there was a predictable argument over food (we regular BB viewers know food is always a flash point). Faced with declining viewing figures, C4 exploited the row for all it’s worth. However they probably didn’t expect the slanging match and bullying that have been a regular feature on BB through the years to turn into a global controversy on racism. As a result, BB is back on the front pages and they have gained viewing figures. These are probably short term gains. On the other hand, they've lost their £3 million sponsor and they've been condemned by politicians and other more sincere people. Storm in a teacup perhaps. Still, they have lived on the edge with this programme for some time, using controversy as their main PR weapon. This time they got their comeuppance.
Jade has exploited her persona for all it’s worth. She’s become a tabloid favourite, featured in minor TV programmes and sold a successful perfume. She might have thought that re-entering the house would put her back on the front pages and mainstream TV, and set the seal on her celebrity. Unfortunately for her, the ignorance and naivety that made her so appealing showed their dark side in the charged atmosphere of the BB house, when she was seen bullying Shilpa. (Though not a racist, I think. Given her uncontrolled language generally, I am sure that, if she was, racist pejoratives would have slipped out of her mouth.) She's been evicted with 82% of the vote, her scent is off the shelves at Debenhams, her apology appears forced and she is a hate figure.
Shilpa Shetty, unheard of outside of India and the Bollywood fanbase, decided to gain exposure in the UK by appearing on BB. She was calm and dignified in the face of bullying from Jade. She got sympathy from a British public that is fair-minded and likes underdogs and she has become a household name in the UK. Western film contracts will no doubt follow. Mission accomplished beyond her wildest dreams.
The winner is Shilpa Shetty.
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