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PR for Free and P for a Free for All from PNPR Ltd.

Written by: Paul Nathanson

Article Overview: How the Best Laid Plans in PR can Go Horribly Wrong ... even for Lord Lloyd Webber, Lord of the Musicals.

PR for Free and P for a Free for All from PNPR Ltd.

Newsletter 1009 from PNPR Ltd


PR for Free (Part 1)

On the face of it this was a stroke of PR genius. People’s TV Meets Lord of the Musicals, Meets X Factor, Meets Overnight Star.

In other words, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? Remember? The prime-time BBC hit which set out to find a lead for Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s stage version of The Sound of Music, which opens in London in November.

6,000 wannabes were in the frame and his Lordship got a massive freebie of advance publicity in what some see as the longest, most lucrative advertisement ever staged on the BBC’s flagship channel. Which doesn’t take adverts…

Eight weeks and 56 million viewers later we had a winner in former call centre girl, Connie Fisher, 23, from Pembrokeshire. On the final night 2 million people telephoned in their vote.

A stroke of pure PR genius for the show, the BBC and Miss Fisher as the climax built over the weeks, surely! Or was it??


PR for Free for All (Part 2)

Suddenly and unexpectedly this Titanic of planning and foresight struck something in the night.

This time the iceberg was one Emma Williams, a professional West End singer who was to share the performances with the new darling of the people.

But when she heard she was getting just two out of the eight slots, she stormed out in a fit of the mega egos, as stars will, leaving red faces all round. His Lordship announced that Emma had ‘withdrawn her services’ and one was left wondering: did she think she’d been had?

Cynics suggested she was merely an insurance against no one being good enough to win the talent contest. Had or not, she’d certainly had enough, and the PR triumph backfired spectacularly with chuckling headlines the next day.


PR Tip of the Month

When planning very high profile events, be sure to assess all the risks realistically. And never underestimate human egos, especially when it comes to showbiz…


Copyright Paul Nathanson at PNPR Ltd.


Ends.

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