I’m not the only thinking it am I?

Media surfer Jordan is hogging column inches once again. This time it’s a divorce, followed by an ironic request for the media to respect her right to privacy.

It’s a tricky call this because divorce is a mightily serious affair with emotional repercussions in the family running wide and deep.

So would she really make it up?

The PR conspiracy theory goes like this: Jordan is perceived as an obsessively focussed woman who makes money. She appears to be a hard nut who will stop at nothing to get at what she wants. And she is impressively successful with minimum talent. Other than the talent to make money and make the most of what she’s got.

But supposing she wants people (the public) to actually start liking her? What’s a girl to do?

Well, a classic method is to become a victim and expose vulnerabilities. Classic angles include illness, crime, and in this case a failed relationship.

While most of us might shrink away and seek comfort from family friends at times like this. Jordan ‘tells all’ to the media.

Anorak News sums things up nicely:

PETER Andre and Katie Price have separated after four years of marriage.

Says Peter:

“For the first three years I was in a different room to her. Then she had her Jordans reduced and we met eye-to-eye for the first time. It was dreadful. I had been speaking to her breasts for ages and we’d formed a real bond. But with Katie it was hard work and we never clicked.”

Says Katie:

“He’s an orange Australian! Why did no-one tell me?”

A spokesman explains:

“Peter Andre and Katie Price are separating after four and a half years of marriage, Can Associates Limited can confirm today. They have both requested that the media respect their families’ privacy at this difficult time.”

Or until they can secure a magazine deal…

… which will probably now have to wait until the inevitable reconciliation.

But, would she really make it up? Surely not. Time will tell.

If I had a penny for every time someone had asked me what I did for a living – then responded “you mean advertising?” every when I told them I was PR consultant I’d have … well, about £3.24.

Which is actually quite a lot.

“No, I do the free stuff – the bit in the magazines and newspapers the people read,” I’ll often advise. <blank look in response – wish I never asked – change subject>

Our marketing cousins in advertising are having a tricky time of things at the moment. Belts are understandably tightening. But I fear the PR industry will not be immune.

The fact is, love or loathe the idea of advertising (because it’s cheating isn’t it – just paying to put your message in an advert, where’s the fun in that?) advertising spend underwrites all that lovely editorial space the PR industry plunders on a daily basis.

Newspapers are announcing redundancies, BBC newsrooms are amalgamating and that new whipper-snapper on-line media is hoovering up all the opportunities in-between.

It makes for interesting times. But if the PR industry believes it’s immune then it might be in for a surprise. It’s true that marketing budget holders are seeing significantly better value from PR than advertising at the moment.

But as advertising budgets are squeezed, editorial opportunities will become fewer and more fragmented.

It’s not doom and despondency – far from it. Remember the value PR represents! But it is time to prepare to think even smarter.

Stumbelled across www.diggerland.com reading the first UK edition of Wired magazine (worth a read). And it has inspired me. I love the idea of turning jobs into leisure parks.

So stand by your beds, because I’ve hatched a new plan to open the world’s first ‘PR Land’ theme park – but I could use some feedback on a few of the ‘rides’ that may feature.

This so far:

1. ‘Press Release-a-tron’ Buckle Up. Can you devise an angle, quote, message and eye-catching headline – then write distribute and follow up before the deadly deadline? Watch out for the evil client-approval process!

2. ‘The Schmooze House’ Dare you enter The Schmooze House? Can you track down journalists before your fellow visitors? Will you beguile them with your witty banter and irresistible news pitch? But beware! Don’t ’schmooze’ them when they’re on deadline. They bite back! Grrrr!

3. ‘Blue Sky Brainstorm World’ How wacky can you be? Park a taxi on the top of the Eiffel tower? Suspend a client MD upside down in his boxers from a football stadium floodlight? Welcome to Blue Sky Brainstorm World. A fantasy world where there’s no such thing as a bad idea!

4. ‘The Big News Coverage Dipper’. Watch as your .. OK, bored now.

So – is it a winner?

I’ll get my coat.

I’m a football fan. Have been for some time. And I’m looking forward to seeing the new film about Brian Clough. The reviews are encouraging. And the exerpts have seen make it sound like it will be an entertaining hour and a half well spent.

The publicity surrounding this film has been bubbling for a few weeks now. And it offers a great example of how confrontation can be used with great effect to generate massive publicity, curiosity and ultimately bums on seats,

Nigel Clough says he and his family will not watch the film ‘The Damned United’ when it comes out next week.

Based on the book about his dad Brian’s 44 days at Leeds in 1974, Derby manager Clough says the story has upset members of his family, including his mother.

“The book deeply upset a lot of people when it came out, including my mum,” Clough told BBC Radio Derby.

“I’ll go with the principle that if the film is based on the book, we won’t be going down the road of seeing it.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7950412.stm

Former players have also been quoted (although this is a bit tenuous in my book – from The Sun)

… he will not be sitting down to watch The Damned United.

Pearce, whose side have a friendly in Norway tomorrow night, said: “You could learn a great deal from him. He was such a strong character. Respect

“You bump into people and some of Brian Clough rubs off on all of us.

“If you asked Martin O’Neill, Brian Laws or Roy Keane they would have nothing but respect for the man.

“My lads are free to go to the pictures on Sunday so if they want to see it they are more than welcome. Personally I won’t.

“I haven’t read the book either. I worked with him for eight years so I don’t need to read a book about Brian Clough.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/damnedunited/article2341282.ece

So, ready for some irony? The Clough family and players who feel agrieved by the film have generated more publicity than any film promoter could have achieved on their own.

They set out to tell people that they didn’t think the book or film represented the father/manager they knew. Fair enough.

But how many more people will now watch this film than would have if they hadn’t helped to generate publicity for it by voicing their disapproval?