The W Blog

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From its announcement, the buzz surrounding Dismaland has been huge gaining national and global media coverage. Having opened over the weekend, the park is set to welcome hundreds of thousands over its six week duration.

A dystopian Disneyland that is not symbolic of a future we are yet to orchestrate but rather a present day perception of the world that we have created and currently inhabit.

This is Disneyland meets Mad Max.

That is Banksy’s latest creation. The art exhibition, curated by the famous street artist feels like a bad family holiday on a British coast during a rather gloomy summer.

There are a number of similarities with the world’s most famous theme park from the typography of the sign out front to the castle that finds itself at the centre of attention but this is a world of pessimism and anarchy.

The first installation we visited is one of the very pieces of artwork that Banksy himself has designed. It is of course filled with a large dose of irony. The stage is an abandoned dodgems set that comes to life when a solitary bumper car drifts in view, controlled by a hooded Grim Reaper, scythe and all. The bizarre event only hits greater heights when death himself begins to drive around with “Staying Alive” pumping in the background. The first of many surreal experiences. 

The bemusement park, as it is self described, is home to the work of around 50 artists that all portray in one way or another the bleak situation in which we find ourselves in.

Perhaps the highlight piece in a sea of misery is a replica city that is steeped in devastation as it depicts the breakout of a riot, not too far removed from a scene that you would expect in Walking Dead, minus the zombies, that is. Sirens are blaring, the flashing lights of the emergency services illuminate the room intermittently, the darkness often swallowing all but the scene closest to you in which a familiar building is on the verge of destruction as the police stand by watching. The negative portrayal of authority is a running theme in Dismaland, this is anti-establishment and anti-capitalism. This is the theme park for the people and not too dissimilar to what you’d expect an amusement park to look like if it was constructed within a Soviet bloc.

Dismaland is a brilliant exhibition that causes you to assess the world you live in and question society. For £3 it is the bargain of this year’s sorry excuse for a summer but then again the grim weather only adds to the experience. It is not often you go to an event and expect misery to be your form of entertainment but that it is what makes Dismaland unique and it delivers it in abundance. From the countless paintings and artwork to a grim fairytale replica of Princess Diana as Cinderella. What are you waiting for?

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It’s rare that a product inspires mass hysteria for its innovation. Nintendo managed it with the Wii, Apple changed the mobile industry with the iPhone, history has other examples littered sporadically throughout. 

Lexus are set to join the ranks on August 5th, or so they’d like to have everyone believe. The car company have decided to step away from machines with wheels and are developing a fully functioning Hover Board aptly named, Lexus Hover.

The teaser trailer showcasing the board hovering above the ground was released on the day Marty McFly travelled to in Back to the Future swapping his recognisable skateboard for a hover board. The video generated huge buzz across newspapers, magazines, blogs and everything in between.

The latest video from Lexus shows the board in motion but they are still yet to show it moving with someone stood on top.  That honour looks like it will be reserved for professional skater, Ross McGouran who is briefly seen in the teaser above.

Since the launch of the original teaser trailer #LexusHover has generated over 47.2 million impressions on Twitter and that looks set to carry on growing in anticipation of the full video. Get ready to ditch the car and float to your destination in the future!

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Ever felt that overwhelming reluctance to just say ‘yes’ when asked to pull on your sports gear and get involved at the drop of a hat? Well you’re not the only one. It’s a feeling we all know far too well! But Nike’s new ‘Short A Guy’ advert, tells us to do exactly the opposite. Released this July, it’s already making waves on the web, with a star studded cast and a compelling storyline that encourages the viewer to take charge and simply say ‘YES!” when offered the opportunity to get active. 

In the ad, viewers follow a young boy, seemingly gifted with athletic talent, who gets invited to play in pick-up games, with a whole host of his sporting heroes. It’s a great way of promoting a healthy lifestyle to kids but also subtly provides a nod to Nike’s over-arching theme of Just Do It. More importantly it works to highlight the brand’s extensive offering of performance optimising equipment and clothing, across multiple sports.

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We shouldn’t be ashamed of thinking of ourselves as publicists.

Working in the PR industry for over a decade, I’ve seen many positive changes. From the small (health saving) ones, like the demise of spray mount, through to slightly more major ones, the death of the faxed press release.

However, nothing has evolved more though than technology (hold the front page). Yes, this is not a particularly ground-breaking observation, but although the growth of 'technology' and ‘digital’ has taken communication forward in nearly every way, it has also started a series of events which threatens the very core of a PR’s skill set – the power to communicate.

When I first started in PR there was this thing…a phone (quite a cumbersome one) attached by a wire to a black box, which was in turn plugged in to a wall. This sat alongside a big computer – not big in an iMac designer type of way, more of an Alan Turing whirring sprockets one, and then alongside this – and for the usage of all - was the fax machine. This was our connection to the media for press releases, images and all signed off client information. It was also absolutely bloody terrible.

It was this primitive device that forced 'us' to pick up the phone and speak to an actual person (well, a journalist at least) to try and push the story or product we were ’selling'. It meant being focused, well planned, charming and on occasions, funny – in short you had to be prepared for every eventuality, which largely depended on who you spoke to and what mood they were in. In my early days I had journalists shout at me, swear at me, mock me and in one bizarre instance even offer me less than constructive career advice – a media sell in was never easy.

Still, this was the learning curve we had to take and it made us good communicators, not just with media, but with clients too. Being able to judge a room, steer a conversation and knowing when to keep your mouth shut, were just some of the skills gleaned from hours of speaking with often challenging people.

It’s these skills which we are in danger of losing as we become slaves to the digital age - don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of broadcasting myself in 140 characters to anyone silly enough to follow me, I text people when the moment is right and email (albeit in one or two sentences) when there is a need for multiple people to ‘be in the loop’ or there is some ‘arse covering' to do. But there is nothing better than speaking directly to clients, journalists and colleagues. It’s true that the technology advancements have given us multiple lines of ‘communication’, but are we actually communicating? Perhaps not.

I personally find it very sad that over the last 10 years that the buzz of phones ringing, wild conversations and phones slamming down has become less and less. Instead the noises in the office are those of mobiles updating us of a retweet, a shared pin, a Facebook like or an email hitting our inbox.

It’s these technological advancements that are threatening the art of 'selling in' to media, and moving from actual spoken communication to sending emails and blindingly hoping they are read and used. Don’t get me wrong, the positives here are that to make something fly it has to be well thought out, interesting and well written, the down-side is that you lose all chance of working a story with a journalist and actually making what your selling work for the both of you, which will always produce the best results.

I can honestly say that the best people I’ve worked with and will always try to hire, have, and are willing to, get on the blower and push for the best results rather than waiting, fingers crossed, to hear an email reply that may never come…

In our industry the phone is definitely mightier than the email, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of being thought of as publicists. It’s not a dirty word and you can bet your bottom dollar that when the proverbial hits the fan and a client, or your team, needs to be dug out of a media coverage hole it is the publicist they’ll turn to to make it happen.

And they almost always do.

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1990, the year Mr. Bean made his debut on TV and the last time West Germany took part in a World Cup. Maybe a lesser-known fact from 1990 at the time was the birth of Adobe’s Photoshop.

In a video to celebrate 25 years of image editing, Photoshop commemorated the event by creating a spectacular montage of work created using their software. By taking working files with their layers, the documents have been animated to create a film in Photoshop, titled “Dream On” fittingly accompanied by Aerosmith’s hit single with the same title.

Take a deeper look at the images used to create the video here

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Carlsberg - #BarBandits

At the end of January, Carlsberg, pioneering an innovative beer tap, took one of the more social venues, a bar and added social media to the equation. In an effort to increase engagement inside bars, customers were offered the chance to win free pints of Carlsberg. 

How? Well, it was quite simple…

Step 1. Upload a picture on instagram with the tag #BarBandits and the photo would automatically be uploaded into a virtual slot machine that would begin every time a pint was pulled from the Carlsberg tap, which had been installed with a wireless sensor that interacted with the display behind.

Step 2. Stand back and watch, if your photo featured on every reel, you’re a winner! 

Naturally the more people that entered, the lower the odds became of winning. 

Carlsberg have become famous for experiential marketing campaigns, focused especially on bringing friends together in a social environment and with the growth in the power of social media, they weren’t going to miss out on their chance to make a mark and go with the flow.

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The UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) returns for a fifth season this January and to celebrate PokerStars launched the All-In Kitchen, a unique collaboration with foodie favourites Jones & Sons, to bring together the first ever ‘Pay-By-Poker Restaurant’. Taking over the Jones at Trip space and transforming the venue into a poker inspired eatery in Haggerston.

In an effort to bring the game of poker to a different audience, All-In Kitchen targeted Londoner’s love for quirky dining. Allowing people to enjoy an experiential night combining, poker and food. By encouraging consumers to play a few action packed hands of poker, their success at the felt, determines the price they pay for the three-course feast ahead. The excitement and thrill of the table has been visible with many diners returning to the poker table after their meal for another

The restaurant sold out its initial allocation within hours, prompting the pop-up to stay open a further week to accommodate two additional nights. With the success of All-In Kitchen in London, there are plans to roll-out the experience alongside the rest of the UKIPT tour stops, so prepare to go All-In Nottingham, Bristol, Dublin et al.

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Less than 24 hours ago, Nike Basketball, released the above teaser on it's Twitter with the following messaging "10 days. 10 symbols. 10 ways Kobe always strikes with precision. The sum of the Mamba's parts revealed 1.31. #KOBEX", leaving sneaker fans all over the globe chomping at the bit for the first viewing of the KOBEX shoe.

January 31st will see the full release of the shoe, with Nike releasing a cryptic image, non-direct statement and/or performance details in the days running up to the launch. 

Nike is known for using these types of social tactics to create online buzz with it's fans, especially when a Kobe product is in the pipeline. 

So far within the 20 hours the teaser tweet has garnered 922 retweets, 680 favourites and a reach of 2.4 million impressions. Considerable figures for a single tweet and an intriguing start to a social campaign that will no doubt build as it nears the official launch date. 

The KOBEX is rumoured to go on sale February 7th.

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Established in 2004, Knomo is the creator of high-end, thoughtfully designed accessories. Technology is at the forefront of Knomo’s designs, so every product offers a solution to keep your gadgets close to hand and easily accessible.

This month, Knomo launched a collaboration with Danish technology blogger and media broadcaster Christiana Vejløv AKA Elektronista, unveiling a first-of-its-kind digital clutch bag, uniquely designed and crafted specifically for a women.

The clutch bag is made from beautifully soft-full grain leather and includes a concealed 3000mAh battery to keep your devices charged on-the-go. The fold out styles means it has the ability to fully unzip on either side to transform into a flat, practical layout of compartments, providing enough space for just about everything – a 10” tablet, phones, passports, credit cards, charging cables and anything else a women on-the-go may need. 

  For the UK launch, W hosted twenty top tier media from the worlds of fashion and technology at a luxury penthouse apartment, in the heart of tech city for a unique female-only discussion. Lead by Christiana Vejlø, the theme of the discussion was focused around ‘If technology is liberating us or adding to our daily to-do list?’ 

With welcome warming sloe gin cocktails supplied by Sipsmiths and delightful canapés supplied by Deliveroo, our journalists from the likes of BuzzFeed, Elle, Pocket-Lint, BBC Click and Yahoo! had an appetite for a lively discussion.

The evening provoked conversations on topics including, our need to be switched on 24/7, the etiquette of tech, the importance of innovation in fashion and even wedding hashtags. Providing our media with food for thought for early 2015 feature ideas surrounding the digital detox and woman in tech. 

www.knomobags.com

@knomo

#Elektronistaclutch 

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Go crackers for The Diner’s Christmas Menu!

W and The Diner have fashioned a Christmas menu sure to knock your stockings off! The latest bespoke Christmas treats range from the Christmas Shake, whipped up with cinnamon and vanilla goodness, to The Diner Turkey Stacker, a tasty alternative to beef. W’s favourite new dish, however, has to be the sweet potato poutine. Poutine has quickly gathered a band of loyal followers since its introduction to the UK, and The Diner's version is a real must-try.

Feeling more adventurous? W has worked with the The Diner to give the humble mince pie a mighty meaty makeover, replacing the classic fruit filling with a juicy beef alternative. These pocket-sized parcels of meaty goodness can be enjoyed served warm with a dash of gravy, or pick up a pack to take home for your own festivities.

Be sure to head down to The Diner to taste these Christmas gems for yourself – and don’t worry, there's not a Brussels sprout in sight! 

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Additional Content - Ignition Creative

Prior to the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past, fans of the Marvel comic and movie series were treated to an immersive side story centred around the infamous ‘bent bullet’ theory associated with the assassination of JFK, provided background to the subsequent movie plot.

The site (designed by Ignition Creative) – www.thebentbullet.com which launched on the anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination features a rather brilliant video that approaches the story in a similar fashion to a conspiracy documentary and a feature article decades after the event following the declassification of a report from the Warren Commission. For those unfamiliar with the X-Men universe, Magneto the main antagonist has the power to manipulate all forms of metal and in this version of events is accused of having redirected Lee Harvey Oswald’s wayward shot into the President. Offering an interactive experience to the viewers, it is a great example of providing content to supplement a wider project and it wasn’t Marvel’s only attempt at extending the realm of their universe into our very own history with the launch of www.25moments.com that bridged the gap between the earliest and latest instalments of the series.

More recently, Interstellar released their premiere trailer on a domain that required the user to input the coordinates of the moon in order to access the clip. A seemingly small gesture but shareable material that went viral through social media to heighten anticipation of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster. 

The ability to generate or maintain interest, the integration of additional content hasn’t been restricted to feature films but very few have capitalised on the rise as well as the movie industry. We hunger for content and in today’s world we are treated to a buffet of information.

With the buzz surrounding Oculus Rift and other Virtual Reality technology, the future for additional content is potentially limitless. Placing users behind the scenes and giving them detailed background into a brand or company is right around the corner. A wine label can transport its consumers to their own vineyards, whilst restaurants will be able to offer potential customers the chance to preview the atmosphere. It is an exciting prospect and one we can’t wait to watch unfold.

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Le Chameau's Atelier Spring Summer 15 Preview

Born in Normandy in 1927, Le Chameau is the name of the world’s finest rubber boots: designed to be as comfortable at the end of the day as they were at the start; manufactured to offer the highest standards of performance. Each pair tells a story of intuition, innovation, and savoire-faire.

For the launch of Le Chameau’s Spring Summer ’15 collection, W welcomed the fashion elite to a traditional French venue, Compagnie des Surnaturels in Covent Garden for a breakfast briefing.  The event provided a narrative on the captivating story of how a French agronomist turned a simple idea into a superb brand, W invited guests to step into the intimate setting where they could watch and learn from Le Chameau’s master bootmaker.

  Dressed with a cast of Le Chameau’s iconic boots and a selection of Spring Summer styles, the intimate venue showcased Le Chameau’s colourful creations with shades of cherry, marine and classic Chameau Vert– displaying the world’s finest rubber boots in all of their varieties. To encompass Le Chameau’s traditions, the Atelier saw master boot maker, Patrick Poulain, demonstrate his true talent across the morning, handcrafting each pair of boots in a matter of minutes in front of an audience of media. 

  The Financial Times, London Evening Standard and Harpers Bazaar are just a few who attended the exclusive event, learning the language of Le Chameau and watching the brand being brought to life. The guests were also invited to try their hand at the trade and attempted to make their very own pair of boots following Patrick’s lead.

Following the boot demonstrations and story telling, media were treated to a professional, semi-bespoke boot fitting ahead of their departure. Measuring the curve of the calf and height of the heel, each guests participated in the one to one consultation to have their very own pair of Le Chameau boots hand made in the original factory in Normandy.

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Where do advertising creatives, the modern day Don Draper’s of the world find their inspiration? Mad Men would have you believe it is at the bottom of a finely aged whiskey that has been poured into a crystal decanter and enjoyed early in the morning (ice is optional). At Leo Burnett that isn’t necessarily far from the truth, noted for their work ranging from McDonalds to Samsung, a little in house promotion has shown the secrets of their inner circle and it is rather unique.

Introducing Slapshot, a two step process, the first of which involves a member of the team enjoying a shot of liquor, very Sterling Cooper-esque of them. Step two, a fairly aggressive, though thoroughly entertaining slap to the face. The comical narration would have you believe that we need “the proverbial slap in the face. Or a literal slap in the face” in order to spark inspired thinking.

The advert features a host of employees volunteering themselves for the initiative at its beta testing in Cannes, straight through to agency meetings.

There’s reason to this apparent madness, according to the video, productivity is up 16% and even more importantly, award winning work has increased a remarkable 69% in the agency. Not wanting to keep this goldmine to themselves, Leo Burnett hopes to rollout the slapshot to the advertising community in 2015.

Before the advert concludes we are reminded that this is a parody, yet the question of how they managed to get so many employees to sign up to being slapped in the face still remains and is perhaps a sign of their dedication to their trade and a reason the agency has enjoyed so much success in the past.

In a great example of self-promotion, Leo Burnett’s Slapshot is a breath of fresh air even if it is not necessarily factual and manages to bring a smile or wince to the face.

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Having interviewed the guys at HOTBOX this Summer during their STREET FEAST residency, we headed down to help launch the first of their bricks and mortar establishments, nestled in the heart of Shoreditch.

Opening December 9th, take a look behind the scenes of the exclusive launch party! 

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POKERSTARS - NADAL VS. RONALDO

PokerStars hosted two of the world’s most famous sporting athletes when Rafael Nadal went head to head with Brazilian football legend, Ronaldo in a poker showdown at the Hippodrome Casino in London.

The battle had been in the making for quite some time as Ronaldo issued the challenge to Rafael Nadal following a defeat to the Spaniard in a charity poker event earlier in the year.

After a tense encounter, history repeated itself with Nadal coming out on top, as he served up a winning hand to claim the $50k prize pool which he donated to his own foundation The Rafa Nadal Foundation.

Following on from the match, the two sat down together and held a press conference to highlight the similarities between their respective sports and professional poker.  

Nadal had this to say "It’s important to work hard and study, like everything it requires hours of practice to learn, the more you play the more comfortable you feel… You have to have self control, analyse the opponent and the game, to know when to go for it.”

Ronaldo “In comparison to football the strategy and the tactics are important and it is important to understand the situation in the game, when to play slow or fast and I enjoy that transferring from football to poker."  

When all was said and done, Ronaldo had one final task to complete as he had to complete his forfeit for losing the match. Retiring to the kitchens, the three time ‘World Player of the Year’ began helping out with the dishes.

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ED SHEERAN - O2 PRIORITY

Ahead of tickets going on sale for his 2015 headline concert at Wembley Stadium, Ed Sheeran has teamed up with O2 Priority to promote the event with a minute-long ad that highlights the singer's rise to fame. 

The ad is one continuous shot, taking the viewer through key moments in the singer's life, such as his childhood bedroom, the local pub where he played, Angel station and on to Maddison Square Garden, before culminating in his arrival on stage at Wembley.

The online version of the advert offers viewers the opportunity to win tickets to Sheeran's concert and even the hoody worn in shot. This competition is brought to life through the site, edsheeran.o2priority.co.uk, a digital reality walkthrough, which allows users to take the same journey, scene by scene, with a simple scroll of the mouse. As you move through the different periods of his life, you encounter exclusive interviews with Sheeran, discussing the relevance of each scene and even props, such as the origin of his new book that lies open in his bedroom. 

What's more, to enter the competition you must locate four loops from the ad, that build into the final soundtrack, before you can enter the prize draw.

  The creative ad coupled with the supporting interactive world is a great example of how to offer loyal fans exclusive content. As well as promoting the O2 Priority service, it also presents further opportunities for marketing Sheeran's new book and latest album ahead of Christmas.  

O2 marketing and consumer director Nina Bibby said: “Our new Priority campaign highlights our continuing commitment to giving customers access to the music and artists they love.”

O2 customers can gain early access to tickets for the Wembley show two days before they go on general sale at 9am on November 26 – two days before they go on general sale.

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BUSINESS INSIDER DEBUTS IN THE UK

Having organically built up a considerable audience across the Atlantic, Business Insider, one of the world’s fastest-growing news brands has now launched in the UK.

Bold, punchy and conversational, the digital native media brand, renowned for delivering original reporting, news aggregation and fearless commentary for the business leaders of today and tomorrow, attracts 55 million monthly unique visitors globally. 

For the launch of the UK site, which offers real-time news targeted to a British and European business audience, Business Insider’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Henry Blodget flew to London – where the online-only news hub has put down its roots.

A former top-ranked Wall Street analyst, Henry Blodget is widely regarded as a celebrity in the business world. And, as editor and founder of Business Insider, Henry was one of the first journalists to explore and create internet-specific storytelling techniques and use the digital medium to its full potential.

To maximise Henry’s brief visit to London, W, which was brought in to promote the launch of the highly anticipated UK site, secured interviews and introductions with key reporters from some of the UK’s most influential media outlets, including the Financial Times, The Telegraph and The Times.

The launch week kicked off at 6am at BBC Broadcasting House where Henry Blodget gave a brilliant and – despite the early start – energetic interview with Simon Jack on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme.

W’s robust communication strategy across broadcast, national and trade press, generated a wealth of coverage in the national and trade press including The Independent, The Guardian, Press Gazette and The Drum, as well as an interview with Henry Blodget on the Ian King Live show on Sky News.

The media response to the launch of Business Insider UK was extraordinary, despite the fact that many nationals and trade media outlets perceive it as a competitor.

It was very exciting to support the launch of a digital news platform, which, to quote Henry, “puts the fun back in business”, so let’s sit back and enjoy.