12 January 2007

Stoned Junction...

I've just come across a blog called "PRefect - Grassing on the world of PR" written by Richard Stone, who runs a "London based PR and strategic communications firm" called Stone Junction. He doesn't post very often, but did yesterday about how business needs more rock stars.

Stone? Grass? I don't know what he's smoking, but here's a clip:

"In the PR industry we have Mark Borkowski, Chris Lewis and Matthew Freud. Without picking up an instrument, these people have transferred some of the qualities of Bono, Jagger and Gallagher into a world more used to spreadsheets, PowerPoint and red tape."

Far out...
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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris Lewis = Bono = Rockstar. This must be some sort of surrealist joke?

10:00 am
Anonymous said...

We do often see God complexes and craggy-faced drug veterans knocking about though.

As for for the George Gallagher reference (I know, I know), he can be assured most PRs are pussies already.

11:45 am
Anonymous said...

>"In the PR industry we have Mark Borkowski, Chris Lewis and Matthew Freud. Without picking up an instrument, these people have transferred some of the qualities of Bono, Jagger and Gallagher into a world more used to spreadsheets, PowerPoint and red tape."<

No one should be allowed to get away with that kind of prime bullshit. He should be petitioned to come on here and explain himself...

12:07 pm
figgis said...

Borkowski and Freud must be mortified at being put alongside Lewis.

All that time pimping yourselves out on rubbish talking head nonsense top 100 films beginning with Q TV shows may have been a waste of time....

2:53 pm
Richard Stone - Stone Junction said...

Here I am, on here justifying myself. Any questions?

PS - Borkowski e-mailed me to thank me for the kind words.

6:09 pm
....the world's leading.... said...

Hello Richard - good to have you here.

You don't need to justify yourself to anyone, least of all TWL...but therein lies the rub, you see. How many proper rock stars would write and thank you for the kind words? Not very many, I'd wager.

So you can strike Borkowski right off your list. Lewis might just pass for Chris Rea, I suppose, and Freud might have been a Doherty in times past, but he's much too old now.

8:42 am
Richard Stone - Stone Junction said...

So, who do you feel would qualify as a rock star then? Using the original criteria I laid out in the article (http://stone-junction.blogspot.com/2007/01/does-business-needs-rock-n-roll-soul.html) - harnessing creative thought, the bravery to follow it through and an intuitive understanding of the media?

Using those criteria mind and not just making anonymous backslapping swipes in between team lunches, cold calling women's weeklies and filling in the blanks in a pro forma pitch? (re: "No one should be allowed to get away with that kind of prime bullshit. He should be petitioned to come on here and explain himself..." - Anonymous)

9:18 am
....the world's leading.... said...

Oh yes, I see. It's the anonymous comment that's got your back up.

For one thing, I don't think your crteria exactly defines what I want from my rock stars ("an intuitive understanding of the media"?)...and I'm not sure I really want rock stars in the PR industry. I want rock stars in the music industry. Being rock stars.

OK, so we're taking the piss a bit, of course. A few creative mavericks who have the bollocks to carry out their ideas - for better or worse - are much-needed. But let's not call them rock stars...comparing them to Bono, Gallagher, Jagger, Bolan et al devalues the point.

Seriously, though, in this age of increased regulation, corporate governance and more and more businesses being owned by publicly-quoted groups, is the age of the creative maverick dead?

After all, Branson (probably the best example) took Virgin private again following its flotation for exactly that reason; that having to answer to the City was strangling his company's creativity.

Are we violently agreeing now?

11:30 am
Richard Stone - Stone Junction said...

Morning World's Best,

First of all, congratulations on being listed in PR Week's Blog Special this week. Jolly good indeed.

I would argue that comparing creative mavericks to rock stars makes the point. Indeed, we are discussing it for precisely that reason. Highlights the point maybe?

I'm not sure about the age of the creative maverick being over though. I think it's more a case of the days when you could found a PR, marketing or advertising agency and turn it into a global leader in a few years are gone. Hence we don't have any Ogilvy's writing books about how great they are any longer.

Perhaps we should all just make a little more effort to publicise the efforts we do make along those lines. I for one could do with someone to rise up and inspire the industry again.

11:11 am

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