Filed under: Comment
So we all know the shit that’s gone down with the News Of The World recently, but while phone hacking is very different from over hyping, I do think Britain’s Daily Mail are guilty of something almost as terrible.
I was browsing through their website when I came across this:
Based on that headline, it looks like 50% of British GP’s are sex pests and sex threats … however when you read the article, you find it’s simply saying that 50% of doctors would like to be free to enter a relationship with one of their patients should the opportunity arise.
Sure, allowing this opens the door to a bunch of possibilities – some unsavoury, especially if a DR takes advantage of a vulnerable patient – but apart from the fact pretty much every action has the possibility of a negative implication so we either ban everything or accept the majority of people are good, law abiding citizens who wouldn’t act in a dishonourable way … the Daily Mail’s ease at writing such scandalous, attention seeking headlines [that actually have little to do with the actual story] is a bloody disgrace.
I appreciate papers are in competition with a whole host of news organisations – many who have much lower overheads and much quicker speeds of reaction – however once you go down that road, credibility starts getting impacted, especially if you profess to be a brand of quality and integrity which is why I always find it amusing when you see ‘shock and awe’ ad headlines like “HAVE SEX FOR LONGER” [which is a real headline from Australia] because while they will definitely get seen by readers/viewers/passers-by, it also ensures the recipient will probably never hold that brand in high regard.
And there lies the problem with the separation of creative and media agencies, because while both like to think they hold the key to effective communication, the fact is they are inherently linked which is why it amazes me how few agencies actually embrace and endorse working together when that is the real key to developing work that works.
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so youre back then. got any more fucking stupid day trips planned? dont give a fuck as long as its not with a 5000 mile radius of me.
funny you write about the quest for attention and use the fucked up daily mail to prove your point when you are the biggest fucking drama queen going. emphasis on queen.
actually youre not. agency pr statements are. they make the headline of that daily fail article look fair and balanced, which is how murdoch describes his neo fucking nazi fox fucking news.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 6:33 amAnd they’re always statements like “JWT single handily get brand X sales uplift of 77%.” Wouldn’t it be great if clients started putting out things like “JWT single handily took $2 million from us and achieved fuck all.”
Comment by DH August 2, 2011 @ 6:54 amthats the sort of breakup story that would get my fucking attention. be good to use it in divorces too. instead of “irretrievable beakdown” we could have “that bitch slept with a co worker within 6 months of getting married and wants to walk away with half my fucking cash”. much fucking better.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 7:08 amand how the fuck do you go from daily mail bullshit to the separation of creative and media?
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 6:35 amIsn’t the answer “being a planner”?
Comment by DH August 2, 2011 @ 6:56 amthats the answer to every fucking wrong in the world.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 7:09 amwhich is almost as amazing as going from nottingham twat to head of fucking planning at w+k.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 6:36 amand your “have sex for longer” example is fucked up because it was for a product that pretended to help you have sex for longer even though it was some fucking smelling salts or some bollocks and would be less effective than thinking of maggie thatcher just as you were reaching, to paraphrase the office, blow your fucking beans time.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 6:41 amWhy would you want sex for longer when it could push you into the next half hour. It’s false economy.
Comment by Billy Whizz August 2, 2011 @ 7:00 amhalf an hour billy? really? according to the toilet walls in some of new yorks grimiest fucking venues half a fucking second is closer to the fucking mark. lucky ladeez.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 7:11 amcreative and media are the oil and fucking water of business because the short sighted fucks both think theyre better than the other bastard and deserve more cash. and the media fucks are winning even though they have a photocopied media fucking “plan” that they share amongst eachother and a total fucking disregard for any real fucking business goal, creative relevance or meaningful fucking value. cocks.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 6:49 am+1 like.
Comment by DH August 2, 2011 @ 6:56 amIs that headline because 50% of english patients are hot and the rest have normal limey teeth?
Comment by Billy Whizz August 2, 2011 @ 7:02 ambetter than a gleaming mouth filled with horse sized gnashers. anyway you lot cant have them anymore, didnt you know your country is bankrupt? and i dont just mean morally.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 7:15 am50% of English Patients look like Kristin Scott Thomas and the other 50% look like Ralph Fiennes.
Comment by DH August 2, 2011 @ 7:17 amThat is gold Dave. In a 1970’s comedian kind of way, but still gold.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 9:13 amthe way campbell takes his blog bollocks on tangents even a fucking protractor couldnt measure means he has a system the fucking cia code breaking department couldnt work out. terrorist groups need to sign the fucker up now.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 8:00 amThe enigma machine wouldn’t have cracked me!
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 9:14 amYour point about print media facing unprecedented competition is a good one, but I find it more interesting that the people behind the Daily Mail chose to dumb down the paper to claw back share rather than improve quality. Is this a fair assessment of what the British public want and react to or that the value of news is measured against cost rather than value?
Comment by Pete August 2, 2011 @ 8:37 amyou fucking toady little bastard.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 9:07 amGiven the popularity of shows like X Factor as well as publishers focus on lower cost publishing [from digital print through to less journalist costs – and, of course – phone hacking] its probably a bit of both.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 9:15 amYou should be working in the finance industry if you can associate hacking to cost efficiency.
Comment by Pete August 2, 2011 @ 1:01 pmWhat the hell are you still doing up at this time? And frankly speaking, associating hacking with cost efficiency should make me the UK Finance Minister, not just a finance industry lacky.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 2:00 pmWould you (and how would you) approach this market? I am just curious, given your views that making money and doing good can be both achieved, how you would go about selling the public a “responsible tabloid”?
Have you ever worked for the tabloids, or is this a market you would not consider, as it could be viewed as a tobacco type product?
Comment by niko August 2, 2011 @ 2:52 pmI worked for the Sunday Sport – though ‘newspaper’ is the last thing you’d call it.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 3:20 pmThe Mail knows how to provide their readers with the finely tuned sense of disappointment upon which they thrive.
Comment by Chris August 2, 2011 @ 1:59 pmYou were reading the Mail.
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 3:03 pmIt immediately makes me feel less depressed. Far more effective than Anadin.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 3:19 pmYou take Anadin to battle depression?
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 3:23 pmNo, in reality I just eat a kebab and wallow in self pity for a couple of hours.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 3:45 pmIf that fails there’s always another life sized Darlek that also plays Stairway to Heaven
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 4:52 pmOn another note, in one day someone stole my coffee, I ran our of Yorkshire Tea and my wife somehow persuaded me to buy another bloody house. If you think you’be got problems………..
Because you had your coffee stolen and you ran out of tea you bought another house? You’re sounding more like Andy every day.
How does that work exactly. Seriously, I’m intrigued … and also worried, because I think we ran out of coffee and tea at home and I don’t want another mortgage on my hands.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 5:11 pmIt’s grim oop north.
Comment by John August 2, 2011 @ 5:12 pmYou could read the above comment as grief at the lack of quality caffiene pushed me to do something rash
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 6:03 pmYou could read it as the price of a house in the North equates to a packet of decent coffee.
Or you could equate the a triumvurate of bad things happened to me yesterday, proving that terrible things always come in threes.
Or you could be attempting humour.
I hope it’s not the thirds. Substandard tea is no laughing matter.
That’s a wilful misreading of the headline designed to justify it as an illustration of a different but the point is valid – although I would say it might have more effect on the products associated with the title via their advertising. Sadly, the headlines appeal exactly to target audiences that laps them up.
That was no ad tagline – that was a plea from someone’s wife
Bonus point to Andy for first use of protractor on the internet – can slide-rule be far behind?
Comment by John August 2, 2011 @ 5:07 pmThe compass will be first.
Comment by Chris August 2, 2011 @ 5:11 pmI have read and re-read this comment – and apart from the last sentence – I don’t understand a single word of it.
Is that stupidity or the Campbell effect?
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 5:12 pmI was failing to say the following:
1) The headline wasn’t misleading – I immediately knew what the article would say.
2) It’s headlines that sell newspapers and I’m arguing that sadly the readers get what the readers want and they dont feel the title is diminished – newspaper sales are declining because of other reasons.
I do however think that advertisers/media buyers run the risk of associating their clients with dubious headlines while they’re chasing the readership demographic. That’s where collateral damage can occur.
3) The “Have sex longer” comment was a joke.
Comment by John August 2, 2011 @ 5:40 pmI agreem what the fuck are you talking about Dodds? While we’re at it, why do you never post my comments on your blog? I’m far more constructive than I am here. It’s the least you can do after spamming me with links to porn masquerading as shaving advice
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 6:00 pmI only found one comment on my blog (one that complained similarly to this one) and I posted it – I can only assume the other positive ones got lost due to poor technological infrastructure in your part of the land.
Comment by John August 2, 2011 @ 6:15 pmEveryone is ganging up on you aren’t they John. Don’t worry – when you read Friday’s post, you’ll realise what you’re experiencing here is nothing compared to that!
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 6:21 pmAnd while I’m at it, when are you going to write a new post Northern? You’re getting dangerously close to Paul Colman gaps between posts … which are getting dangerously close to Def Leppard ‘Pyromania’ to ‘Hysteria’ gaps!
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 6:24 pmI only post when I have something useful to say.
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 6:32 pmThat’s where I have been going wrong.
Comment by Rob August 2, 2011 @ 6:37 pmComments suspended.
Comment by John August 2, 2011 @ 6:39 pmDef Leppard?
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 2, 2011 @ 9:33 pmReally??
As it happens I have posted anyway
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 7:01 pmI’m considering blogging again.
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 7:29 pmThe Kraken awakes. Blimey
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 7:38 pmbehave, NP.
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 7:51 pmget on with it marcus because this shithole makes me want to kill myself. and northern groper, unless she made you buy an overpriced fucking shed in vanfuckingcouver, stop your fucking whining and consider yourself fucking lucky.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 9:44 pmI’ve done it. Now calm the fuck down.
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 9:50 pmThanks Andy, I feel better. When you know you’ve done something daft, it’s always comforting to consider the hellish fate of a real idiot.
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 9:54 pmYou calling me an idiot?
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 10:06 pmhes from flatcap country marcus, no fucking idiot is as idifuckingotic as him.
except billy.
and every fucker from nottingham.
and queen fans.
and whoever thought it was a good idea to give campbell the keys to w+k towers.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 10:26 pmand jill for selling herself way too fucking short.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 10:27 pmand dodds for agreeing to meet campbell in fucking public. thats supermotherfucking idiotic.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 10:29 pmNot this time, I was referring to the naturalised Canuck and his oversized log cabin
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 10:25 pmdont ever call me a fucking canuck again. thats more than fighting talk, thats call in a fucking hitman talk and i dont want to hurt you when baby 2 hasnt had the chance to bleed you financially dry with pram, nappy and formula costs. though mrs northern seems to be doing a pretty good fucking job forcing you to buy her a fucking house just because you forgot to replenish the fucking tea.
talk about pussy whipped.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 10:35 pmhappens to us all. how the fuck do you think i ended up buying the most expensive piece of shit in mooseville.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 10:36 pmSteady on there, Boucher.
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 10:41 pmdefending your honour and you tell me to calm it? youre sounding like one of those pissed up tarts screaming at her bloke at 2am and then when the cops come and take him away (its always him) she starts saying how much she loves him. actually thats nothing fucking like it is it. bollocks. anyway i was being nice to northern. well nicer than he deserves and 10,000 times nicer than nottingham, queen fans and people who meet campbell will ever get even on a good day.
Comment by andy@cynic August 2, 2011 @ 10:48 pmI’m just concerned about you health.
Comment by Marcus August 2, 2011 @ 10:51 pmI merely prefer the quiet life. As do you judging by the decision to live in the middle if the Yukon, with only the odd mountie to hear your screams of anguish as the Orelly Men persist in building you log cabin with the deft precision of Clouseau on the trail of the Pink Panther
Comment by northern August 2, 2011 @ 11:39 pmIm not sure they’re persisting at anything except invoicing.
Comment by John August 3, 2011 @ 4:55 amhave you been having writing lessons groper? and not a missed word in fucking sight. take note doddsy.
Comment by andy@cynic August 3, 2011 @ 6:20 amI missed an ‘a’ before ‘log cabin’ pay attention 007
Comment by northern August 3, 2011 @ 4:20 pm