Naked in the Name of Art....and good PR

This weekend saw the latest offering from artist Spencer Tunick, for those of you not familiar with him, this is his website: I dare any of you not to snigger while looking at it!

http://www.spencertunick.com/index.html

Tunick is a genius at generating publicity for one reason and one reason only... We are fascinated with naked people. Basically he takes photos of lots of naked people in famous places. Im sure many artist's will argue that it has more to do with form, symbolism and composition, but at the end of the day it is as much PR as art.

You see, he doesn't just take photos and display them, he always has a reason for doing it, there is always something that he is trying, invariably successfully, to gain column inches for. From shoots on glaciers to highlight climate change with Greenpeace to Gay Pride outside the Sydney opera house... he has put naked people out there.

His latest offering was here in Blighty, to celebrate the forthcoming 10th anniversary of the L.S. Lowry museum in Salford next month. It is art, but it is also eye-catching PR that provides Guardian and Telegraph readers with their own equivalent of page three for the day! Don't get me wrong, It's a bit of fun and I like it, but lets see it for what it is, a stunt!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7663921/Naked-volunteers-pay-homage-to-LS-Lowry.html

Perry

Never Knowingly Under-exposed...

So...my next nod goes to John Lewis....

Having been well and truly beat by Dixons in their ad campaigns on the tube last year, John Lewis have hit the ground running in 2010 with some amazing PR.

Earlier in the year they managed to get a 3 part docu-drama on the BBC. This was amazingly priceless PR and whoever thought it up, and got it commissioned, deserves a medal and a bonus bigger than any banker. "Inside John Lewis" basically gave us three hours behind the scenes at the company with them showing us how wonderful they were and how much they valued their customers and in the days of 'how we love reality TV' was worth more than any advert.

They have now followed this up with a fantastic advertising campaign. Ah! but this is advertising not PR, I hear you say..well yes and no.

You see the advert in question, Never Knowingly Undersold, has created a huge buzz around it, with already well over 150,000 hits on the official YouTube video alone and many more on countless other versions. People are commenting about the advert and talking about the company, generating further coverage. The best thing that can happen in any campaign in the digital age is for it to go viral, and this is he case here.

This, combined with the release of the new cover of the backing track used, will create an association in consumers minds that should keep the John Lewis media department very happy for some time to come.

Check out the video here...Perry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMtyOCoqHTk

Perry

Master of Makeover...

Okay, so last night the BBC showed Modern Masters: Andy Warhol.

Again not directly linked to PR but Warhol, it seems, with his understanding of the power and importance of image and celebrity, would have made a good publicist. Not surprising really from the man who said that everyone would be famous for 15 mins.

Amazing, iconic art aside, Warhols success came very much from understanding celebrity culture and its importance to society. He started by rebranding himself as an individual, the master of makeover, from Raggedy Andy, the scruffy geek, to the epitome of cool. He knew what he needed to change to get the fame he desired, creating a brand and a persona that would live on long after he was gone. Indeed one contributor commented that Warhols greatest piece of work was Andy Warhol. He understood how to create an icon.

His work too shows an understanding of what drove society at that time. The obsessions with life, celebrity and death that still drive magazine sales today. Warhol truly understood the importance of an image, its repetition and how subtle changes can make all the difference. He understood the media industry and how to play it for his own success.

It is questioned in the show whether his work is a comment on celebrity culture or a part of it. I personally think it is a wry, astute look at the present society, that has become a part of era that shines through today. Warhol changed the face of art, if he was still alive today and in the PR industry, I reckon he'd be giving the likes of Clifford and Borkowski a run for their money.

The show is currently up on BBC Iplayer and definitely worth checking out!

Perry

What's my name again???

So.... election aside, there have been some fab PR events this week and so I thought Id devote a little time to them...

The first to catch my eye was from Eddie Stobarts... you know the lorry firm with the names on them. The concept of naming the vehicles is, in itself great PR, everyone who has ever been on a road journey recognises their livery and knows to look out for the name... It's great for their brand.

Well to celebrate their 40th anniversary they have launched several new lorries... so what? i hear you say... Well these have no names on them!!!! The shock! But for anyone lucky enough to spot one, you get to choose the name! How cool is that???? Im on the lookout already, but this could well be very effective PR for the company. It costs very little for them to set up, will give them nationwide coverage and will get people talking about the business in a positive and fun way! Fab idea!

Perry