Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to get into advertising?  Are you the cream?  Well you might feel a little sour by the following lame attempts by advertising agencies to be creative and funny, about as funny as comediennes Mel (looks a little like Alien Life Form aka ALF, I have pictured the original so you can make a comparison) and Sue.

Scamp the popular advertising industry blog names and shames three:

Ukranian creative agency Provid see their bottom clenching version of Go West by The Pet Shop Boys at www.provid.com.ua/

An old one by a European office of Mind Share which reminds me of footballers singing an FA Cup song, but not a good song, or a Eurotrash feature.

But the worst has to be a tribute to that icon of advertising David Ogilvy by the agency he created.  It did have me in two minds: was it shameful or just awful?

The question is what are they saying about themselves and what they offer?  Very little, except I really wouldn’t want to do business with such annoying people.  Moreover, creative people that are being silly, not original or creative.

I think PushON’s Number One on The Google shows a bit of humour and gets the message across that they are serious about what they do.

So here be the lesson: It is not using YouTube or any channel that counts, it is how you use that channel.  Enough of my superior lecturing.

Anyway enjoy!

I am yet to write my letter of complaint to Qatar Airlines (no irony on that last word) over sending my bag to Bangkok for 36 hours when I arrived in Delhi at 4 in the morning.  The accusatorial tone of questioning of why I had done such a thing by the Delhi office was irritating.  However, no money was offered and they wouldn’t write in plain English that such a thing could possibly occur for me to claim some insurance.

And then there is the fact I had been given the wrong time for my flight back and so I relaxed for a couple of hours when I arrived at the airport only to be told I had missed it by an hour.  I had £10 worth of Rupees and an a card that didn’t work in Indian ATMs to my name to secure passage.

Still I might not have complained because I cannot find the place details of where to complain on their website, should it exist.

With this in mind I think this letter of complaint to Richard Branson will prove an inspiration.   It is the funniest thing I have read in the media in a long time and that includes the Darwin Awards.  Just to make sure you click through, I have a sample of what should be seen as a classic of modern complaint letter prose.  (I cannot complain too much about the food on Qatar as I did not eat much owing to a stomach bug – there is an uplifting side, it is not all doom and gloom).

“It appears (the alledged cookie) to be in an evidence bag from the scene of a crime. A CRIME AGAINST BLOODY COOKING. Either that or some sort of back-street underground cookie, purchased off a gun-toting maniac high on his own supply of yeast. You certainly wouldn’t want to be caught carrying one of these through customs. Imagine biting into a piece of brass Richard. That would be softer on the teeth than the specimen above.”

I thought it would be an easy decision with the congestion charge: a resounding “no.”

One of my reasons is that it seems that governments, or ruling bodies, have made a  recent habit of putting controversial issues to a democratic vote and then simply re-running the election if the vote did not go their way.  You only have to think about all the countries that voted “no” to Maastricht / EU changes.  If the government didn’t like the result it simply had another election.

The campaign run by a local Manchester PR agency that used models as “genuine” case studies caused controversy.  But it was all the billboards with so many different individuals saying it wouldn’t affect them that swayed it for me.  If so many people benefit and / or will not pay because they use public transport / are students / do not travel into the centre, why introduce it?

So when the voting papers came, the “yes” campaign had actually decided it for me, somewhat ironically.

The issue seems to have been fought more through PR and advertising campaigns rather than through debate, be it for or against.  The “against” camp seems to have been a word of mouth campaign by and large and the “for” campaign an above the line marketing line of communication.

But when I read the proposals, well it seemed very reasonable.  Another sign of bias?  Where is the harm in expanding The Metro and other public travel initiatives?  Where is the downside?  Was this careful manipulation of the issues?

Yet for all the campaigning The MEN reported that just 38% had voted (three days before the poll.)

What does that say about all the marketing spend and its effect?

It has been depressing news in the nationals recently, and for some the removal (self-appointed) of John Sargeant on Strictly Come Dancing could be included.

On Wednesday the news that he would voluntarily leave the show made the front pages of many nationals and not just the red tops.  John was in The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times.  And this was no mention look at page 21-22 – it was half pages.  Add blog traffic, broadcast media and a government minister wading in and you have a lot of coverage.

The campaign, vaguely reminiscent of Rickrolling, to keep John despite his lack of any talent has shown the power of viral campaigns.  It has also shown and will show for John’s career, the power of celebrity.

A reality show has given John’s career, his earning power and pull a greater vitality than at any time in his political broadcast career, something he was talented at.

We will see John used as an advertising tool for some time to come.  With so many offers pouring in, the difficulty will be where he chooses to use his new found fame and power.

John pictured dragging his dance partner across the floor, with all the grace of a farmer dragging  a sack of potatoes.

I have just swapped ISPs from Pipex to O2.

It took mission impossible: getting through to their call centre to cancel.  You can get through to pay, but not to cancel.  Either it is busy and call back later or you have to put your phone number in to register and it is invalid; funny it is accepted if you want to pay.

Anyway had to complain by Internet Service Provider Association to get to speak to someone other than a call centre worker in the wrong dept reading from a script.

Very helpful when a trouble shooter from Pipex called: she gave me an illegal MAC code.

Second attempt got a legal one!

So I have left and gone to super efficient Pipex.  Not quite.  I have been informed I am still being debited.

You have been warned….

Thank you, it’s almost over.  Two years and we have just a few hours, but we have another 77 days before we see whether Barack Obama can deliver change (providing he wins and surely he must).  It’s going to be a tall order with the budget deficit and two wars.

This election has been fought over tooth and nail.  I have to say the Democratic Party and their supporters in large measure fight it on optimism and the desire for “change.”  That word, “change” could seem very hollow if Barack doesn’t deliver.  The Republican fold seemed to fight on fear and there was a fair amount of smears as well.

What is interesting from a UK perspective is that the media is so biased.  Yes we have “The Sun wot won it” and The Guardian and Independent partisan in the other direction, but the US media, or at least broadcast media is astonishing.

Fox news “gives two sides of the story: the president’s and the vice president’s” as quoted by satirist Stephen Colbert.  (It calls itself the home of election coverage but Barack Obama won’t go it because it is so skewered).  It is not the only one.

I heard Scott Ritter explain this poor quality because the news is relegated to the bottom of the pile.  It does not make as much as entertainment or sport and so resource is not provided. The media is simply the tool of who owns it.  I am not getting smug because this is a worldwide affliction but it seems the US suffers more than most other democracies.

Have you seen Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin being interviewed?  It is toe curling.

This inexperienced and basically ignorant woman could be as they say “a heart beat away from the most powerful job in the world” in a few months.  She can shoot a moose though – personally I would prefer a moose in power.  At least a moose will not know what to do with nuclear codes.

Anyway Tina Faye has taken off on Saturday Night Live.  It is a very funny satircal piece, but for some inexplicable reason it is banned on YouTube!  One example.

Why?  It is satire.  It is not particularly offensive, and so what if Republicans might not like it?  It is a free country? MMMM.

What gives the right for YouTube to block quite legitimate content but it is quite alright to have neo-Nazis operating as reported here before?

Have a look at the real clip here and the satirical one here courtesy of someone I respect more.  If you can bear it and do not mind being frightened by the prospect of Sarah Palin coming to power watch this as well.

I hope YouTube have a valid reason.

This week saw Business Desk establish its presence on the right side, well west side of the Pennines.

In a time when a number of NW business magazines have been axed it is uplifting to see new channels emerge.  (Since I started writing my blog I have reported on at least  four business titles going for one reason or another just in the North West).

Some of the new publications such as Crain’s seem to have invested as much if not more of their resource into ensuring their online output is as comprehensive and reaches the business audience it intends to communicate with.  The Manchester Evening News also ensures the majority of its content is available online although it does not allow track backs as does How-Do, which certainly has relationship building with readers as a key part of its strategy.

But there are still many trade and business publications that are lagging behind – perhaps disinterested, unaware or simply do not have the resource.

This is a shame.  In a competitive market, where content is often freely available and advertising revenues are going to be scarce surely it is time to make the online world a priority.

Thought provoking?

The Circle Club in Manchester has decided to use this sophisticated title to sell its debate into whether PR is humbug.

Subjects that will result in a slanging match are:

How did PR get a bad reputation in the first place?
Is PR worth the money?
What should a good PR company really be doing?
What are the benefits of PR?
Should businesses risk doing it for themselves?
How can you tell a good PR agency from a bad one?
Are people just attracted into the PR industry by the lifestyle?The last one is interesting as I do not hob nob with the cast of Holly Oakes or do I getting treated to champagne hospitality for the Monaco Gran Prix. Yes sitting at a computer typing press releases is glamorous.

Anyway if like me you have not been invited by Manchester City’s new owners to dine with them on Tuesday 9th at 6.30pm you might want to go along.

This one is from our kid.

I have some more from Vince Holt of 11 out of 10.

The value, what do we learn about our media, profession etc?  Not much, but I hope you find it funny.