By Jackie Fraser

May 17th, 2013

Dr. Who becomes a new kind of practitioner (the PR kind)

Dr. Who becomes a new kind of practitioner (the PR kind)

Good PR stories are not hard to find – whether it’s a great crisis management strategy or a dreaded PR fail, they are all out there. Every day, companies, organizations, celebrities and public figures coordinate with consultants to ensure they’re putting their best foot forward, in PR terms of course. This week, we’re taking a look at Dr. Who’s PR footsteps, and why there’s no need to backtrack.

It’s no secret that Dr. Who’s fan base is gigantic – the hit BBC science fiction program is broadcast in 48 different countries. Given the large international fan base, Dr. Who’s producers and PR team pulled off an impressive campaign after a pre-order crisis. Essentially, the problem boiled over when this season’s DVD compilation was sent out too early to pre-order customers, and included the not-yet-aired finale (oops!).

Now, as this finale is set to unveil some pretty heavy plot-twists, you can imagine the crew’s horror at the mass effect of today’s social media driven world. All of the secrets would be revealed before the finale, resulting in dangerously low ratings for the long-standing hit show.

In a swift effort to combat the problem, Dr. Who successfully turned the crisis into an opportunity. Using social media to reach fans, the television program’s producer has urged viewers to hold off watching, or to at least keep quiet, about what they’ve seen. In return, they will be rewarded with special clips featuring appearances by past Doctors, which to ‘Whovians’ is a pretty big deal.

The true genius behind the plan is this: it doesn’t matter if the producer’s plea succeeds or fails. The full finale could be bootlegged and put onto YouTube for the world to see but the show, regardless, has gained significant engagement and respect for not only owning, but compensating for, its mistakes.

Not to mention, those who have never watched Dr. Who want to know what all the fuss is about, and that already-aired finale will have more viewers than it would have sans-crisis.

To find out a bit more about how Prompt Communications can offer you this kind of effective PR, but without the need for a crisis,  visit our website today. Better yet, let one of our high-tech clients, Ipswitch File Transfer, tell you by reading our latest testimonial.

Will you be one of the many Whovians watching the ‘finale that will change everything’ on Saturday? Let us know – tweet us @PromptBoston or @PromptLondon!

By Dave Wilby

November 30th, 2011

Listen with Auntie: BBC Science

Listen with Auntie: BBC Science

Apologies in advance for such a hugely indulgent post, but if you have similar weaknesses for the more geeky wing of the Big British Castle, then you at least will appreciate the links!

Earlier this week I sent a tweet out for @promptlondon which said: “Really enjoying @BBCRadio4 ‘The Life Scientific’ and ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’ science programming: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/science-on-radio4″

I’ve always been a massive, unashamed fan of Auntie, but as I grow older I find that I click or tune-in to the comforting familiarity of Radio 4 with increasing regularity. BBC iPlayer Listen Again and podcasts just serve to feed the addiction further.

Recently I’ve been spending much more time than I’d like driving along dual-carriage ways, pacing corridors and sitting in waiting rooms. On the plus side, I’ve had my iPhone with me packed with the Radio 4 science shows I mentioned in the tweet. Of all the shows ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’ is probably the most accessible, fronted as it is by everyone’s favourite contemporary physicist Prof. Brian Cox and comic raconteur Robin Ince. I was hooked from the first show I caught around this time last year, when Alexei Sayle was roped in to discuss whether philosophy is dead. If that sounds appealing and you think you’d also enjoy hearing Tim Minchin talk about probability, or John Culshaw defending the north of England, then tune in.

Once your latent geek has been unlocked by humour, it’s time to tap in to ‘The Life Scientific’ (worm DNA this week!), Stephen Fry delving inside mobile phones, ‘Material World’ with Quentin Cooper, or if you’re feeling really brave, ‘A Brief History of Mathematics’.

You can imagine how pleased I was to receive a tweet from @BBCRadio4 which asked “@PromptLondon – What do you think of our #science @BBCRadio4 collections page then?”

Well, what do you think? Radio 4 Collections is the hub of all Radio 4 factual content sorted by genre. Not only has this tweet helped me discover ‘Saving Species’, it’s also a useful launchpad for great programming such as ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’, ‘Bookclub’, ‘Desert Island Discs’ and more.

So what’s my point? There isn’t one really, other than a simple reminder of some great ways to expand your horizons, feed your head and pamper your techy soul with huge archives of great content. You’ve undoubtedly paid for this stuff already with your licence fee, and it’s all just sitting there waiting patiently to keep you company when you need a friendly voice or two to fill your wandering mind with baffling science.

Hook yourself up – tell us what you think.

By Dave Wilby

October 26th, 2009

BBC Trust bounces UK VoD future

BBC Trust bounces UK VoD future

Digital execs within the BBC were left seething last week when their plans for a more open version of the iPlayer were thrown out by the BBC Trust. Perhaps they’re back at their desks today following a reflective weekend, devising new plans to make the ‘Open iPlayer’ a reality? Who knows.

I’ll admit it, I’m a total sucker for all things BBC and honestly believe my days would be a lot poorer without Auntie. I’m writing this blog post while I ‘Listen Again’ to Guy Garvey’s latest from 6Music. Tonight I will check out iPlayer to see whether Russell Howard’s debut on BBC3 and Ray Mears’ latest adventures were a success. £139.50 per year? Pah! I spend more than that on PayPal fees.

Such blind faith from UK citizens like myself, weaned on ‘Watch with Mother’ and now letting our own kids mainline CBeebies, is partly what has made the iPlayer so damn successful thus far. Sure it hogs Britain’s bandwidth, but it’s the BBC, so for some reason we seem to trust it implicitly, and install and stream iPlayer media without many of the qualms we might feel with software and content from more obviously commercial broadcasters.

The recent BBC proposal suggested pushing programming from other terrestrial networks through the Beeb’s online channel. Imagine, ‘Katie and Peter’ or ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ on the BBC! Blimey. But when the BBC Trust, an organisation set up to give the great British public a greater say in BBC decision making, rejected the plan last week, it admitted it “supported the principle of sharing the iPlayer more widely” but ultimately decided the deal wouldn’t represent value for licence-fee payers. Alternative proposals for the Open iPlayer will need to suggest a less complex marriage of public service and commercial programming.

This Open iPlayer concept would have promoted commercial licensing of iPlayer tech to third-party broadcasters alongside a publically funded video on demand (VoD) service hosting a wide range of content from any broadcasters signing up to the project. The VoD listings were the real powerplay behind the project, without acceptance of which any Open iPlayer proposal was always going to be left dead in the water. There are some obvious parallels to Project Kangaroo in these proceedings. Remember that? Back in 2007, Project Kangaroo was proposed as a VoD platform with a blend of BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 content. This would have been paid content and not publically funded, but would have offered a single platform for multi-broadcaster programming. The project was then blocked by the Competition Commission, put up for sale, bought by Arqiva for £8 million, and a launch was promised for, well, about nowish I think.

Ultimately, most observers believe that some level of integration is inevitable once the digital switchover is complete in 2012 and commercial realities bite even harder for ITV, Channel 4 and Five. So is the case for the Open iPlayer now closed? Will Operation Kangaroo really hop back into the fray? And where does this latest decision by the BBC Trust leave the UK VoD market as a whole?

By Dave Wilby

February 10th, 2009

Can Amazon re-Kindle our interest in the e-book?

Can Amazon re-Kindle our interest in the e-book?