Twitter is today’s PR weapon of choice. Spontaneous and direct, a tweet scythes through the traditional layers of media activity like a knife through butter, paradoxically personal and public at the same time. Unsurprisingly, businesses and marketing and PR agencies across the land are furiously tweeting to unlock the full commercial potential of the medium, many employing ingenious strategies to promote their clients. However, sometimes the best way to see how social media such as Twitter really works is to study those who use it solely for their own purposes; those seeking to give the public access to their personality in a way that might not otherwise be available.
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Hello. Welcome to 2012. As it’s the start of a new year, we thought we should look into the mystical Manifest crystal ball and see what’s predicted for the 12 months ahead in the world of communications. Here’s the PR & Social Media instalment:
In a quiet corner of a state-of-the-art gym facility in Finsbury Park, I found myself sat propped against a wall and panting. Ciaran, the personal training expert who had kindly offered to help my weedy frame through an hour-long taster session, hovered before me with apparently undimmed enthusiasm. I’d completed the mini circuits and learnt how to correct my crooked posture, but I still had my warm-down stretches to come. The easy bit…surely the easy bit?
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Earlier this month, the Manifest team made their way to meet under the clock in Waterloo Station station pre-7am. Staggeringly early I’m sure you’ll agree, which may explain why Mr Myers managed to alight at the wrong station and only made it to the train by the skin of his teeth. Clever. Anyway, the reason for this early bird meeting was to take a trip to Windsor to conduct some spicy PR activity for La Tasca’s revamped, revived and soon to be rave reviewed new menu. How did you cause such a stir, I hear you cry? Two words. Flamenco flash-mob. (Yes it is two words, it’s a hyphenate. Pipe down.)
Flash-mobs are renowned for their ability to attract attention, buzz and whip up excitement to intrigue in passers by which is exactly the kind of atmosphere we wanted to create. Our well-rehearsed troupe of Spanish Senoritas (and a couple of token gents) appeared out of nowhere onto the streets of Windsor just outside the iconic castle and the central train station and sprung into a fiery Flamenco dance. Tourists stopped to take pictures, local business owners came out of their shops to see what all the commotion was about and guests at the hotel opposite the castle came out of their bedrooms in their dressing gowns to enjoy the show.
The flash mob was a success in creating a unique topic of conversation for everyone in Windsor that day and indeed for the following weeks. Being so close to London, Windsor rarely gets the spotlight so this flamenco fiesta injected some pride and interest in the locals. Everyone who witnessed the commotion smiled and asked what it was in aid of creating exactly the kind of intrigue we wanted in the local population who will hopefully pop to La Tasca on their lunch break to try the paella or perhaps the churros. It was a brilliant chance for La Tasca to introduce their new menu as flyers and vouchers were distributed to all the spectators as they posed for photos with the dancers.
Oops – another Twitter episode for the blooper reel. One of Fox News’ verified Twitter profiles @FoxNewsPolitics was hacked today (probably by Script Kiddie according to the Beeb) and proceeded to announce the (fake and frankly tasteless) assassination of President Barack Obama. Ouch.
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31st January 2012
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