Last night BBC 3 repeated a television programme called the noughties… was that it? Basically it was a rundown of the main cultural, political and economic events which have characterised the period 2000–2009.
Two of the cultural phenomena highlighted by the programme were the rise of the reality TV show and Simon Cowell. This got me thinking. How has this impacted upon the PR industry?
With special reference to X-factor we can see that every year new “celebrities” are churned out, all of them desperately hopping to further their fledgling singing career. All of them in need of someone to promote and package them into a respectable brand. Surely then the noughties have been a boom time for entertainment PR companies?
To pick out a prime example, the entertainment specialist PR agency, Hackford Jones, has handled the media enquiries account for X-factor 2007 winner Leon Jones, 2008 winner Alexandra Burke and now has Louis Walsh on its books.
With Jedward proving a topic of controversy they too will almost certainly be looking to sign onto the accounts of a PR agency – Hackford Jones perhaps.
Whilst it is evident that a strong connection exists between X-factor and Hackford Jones, we mustn’t forget that there are a whole host of other reality TV programmes pumping out new celebs every year. The entertainment PR industry as a whole has got a bigger piece of the action than it ever has.
But does the winding up of Big Brother mark the end of the golden age of reality TV and thus the end of an entertainment PR boom time? Perhaps not, celebrity culture is now firmly ingrained in our society and has crossed into new realms. Politics is a prime example. First MP’s started asking questions in the House of Commons about X-factor evictees and now we have a campaign slogan built upon the unpopular Jedward.
Two of the cultural phenomena highlighted by the programme were the rise of the reality TV show and Simon Cowell. This got me thinking. How has this impacted upon the PR industry?
With special reference to X-factor we can see that every year new “celebrities” are churned out, all of them desperately hopping to further their fledgling singing career. All of them in need of someone to promote and package them into a respectable brand. Surely then the noughties have been a boom time for entertainment PR companies?
To pick out a prime example, the entertainment specialist PR agency, Hackford Jones, has handled the media enquiries account for X-factor 2007 winner Leon Jones, 2008 winner Alexandra Burke and now has Louis Walsh on its books.
With Jedward proving a topic of controversy they too will almost certainly be looking to sign onto the accounts of a PR agency – Hackford Jones perhaps.
Whilst it is evident that a strong connection exists between X-factor and Hackford Jones, we mustn’t forget that there are a whole host of other reality TV programmes pumping out new celebs every year. The entertainment PR industry as a whole has got a bigger piece of the action than it ever has.
But does the winding up of Big Brother mark the end of the golden age of reality TV and thus the end of an entertainment PR boom time? Perhaps not, celebrity culture is now firmly ingrained in our society and has crossed into new realms. Politics is a prime example. First MP’s started asking questions in the House of Commons about X-factor evictees and now we have a campaign slogan built upon the unpopular Jedward.
I think there will always be the need for PR, particularly in such a celebrity driven society. I think it's safe to say the likes of Max Clifford will be in employment and required for some time!
ReplyDeleteI believe PR is a useful science, as one of its functions is to communicate with audience purposesly it could be used in more and more realms. If we see entertainment industry and political realm as systems, PR not only functions outside these systems but also inside them. For instance, brochures, annual report or internal documents used to deliver information between different departments such tools, to some extent, are symbols of PR. So I think PR will continue to exist as long as the human society exists.
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