A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Worth the paper it’s printed on?

Last week’s light news success stories included…
… the Stone Roses reuniting for their first tour in well over a decade, which appeared in 95 articles, three more than Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, an event that featured in 92 headlines…
… French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s wife, Carla Bruni, giving birth to a baby boy, and securing a spot in 40 stories, whereas Basque separatists ETA laid down their arms and only took up 39 pieces…
…. and finally, Irish boy band Westlife splitting up, which hogged 31 stories, while Moody’s downgrading of Spain’s credit rating to A1 was only referenced in 27.
(Source: Journalisted)

Weekly high

If your brand message is that the product gives people wings then affiliations with aviators is a great idea. Red Bull do it very well indeed, what with the annual air race and the company’s Air Force Team. This week they performed skydives and ‘never-before-seen wingsuit swoops’ over the Hollywood sign as Los Angeles looked on, which is pretty much the definition of attention grabbing exposure.

Weekly low

When good news comes in the form of a slow down in customer decline you know the company in question has been doing a few things wrong, regardless of subsequent steps taken to compensate. Orange’s broadband arm is in exactly this situation, with the ultimate public humiliation occurring this week as Bruno Duarte, head of the internet side of the business, admitted he was “ashamed” of how customers had been treated. Oh dear.

Battle of the tweets: Manchester vs London vs Auckland

Top Manchester #tags (seven days to 27/10/2011)

#xfactor #mcfc

#mufc #youngapprentice

#manchesterderby #stepstosurviveahorrormovie

#towie #manchester

#frozen planet #bbuk

In Manchester plenty of people are watching The Only Way Is Essex, but there’s only one real story that’s had the city talking over the last fews days. Last week they went top of the league, and on Sunday Manchester City gave United a rather humiliating 6-1 stuffing at Old Trafford. Oh, and people are sharing Scream-like #stepstosurviveahorrormovie.
One to watch: lucyjo_hudson (Lucy-Jo Hudson– British Actress; 32,761 followers /16,631 updates)
Top London #tags (seven days to 27/10/2011)

#xfactor #youngapprentice

#mufc #bbuk

#eastenders #liespeoplealwaystell

#towie #uglygirlsarenotallowed

#frozenplanet #weallhavetried

Britain’s capital is less politically fired up than last week, possibly because The Young Apprentice has begun, or not. Elsewhere Manchester United are in people’s thoughts, as is the broadcast of David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet, a programme that managed to hold a staggering 6.8million strong audience captive when BBC aired the first episode.
One to watch: guardiantech (Guardian Technology– News and comment from the Guardian’s technology team; 1,688,038 followers / 26,380 updates)
Top Auckland #tags (seven days to 27/10/2011)

#rwc2011 #irbawards

#allblacks #rena

#rwc #stepstosurviveahorrorfilm

Though geographically as far from England’s North West as you can get, those in the Kiwi capital are involved in the same rhetoric on scary films as their Mancunian counterparts. But the real news is New Zealand’s All Blacks winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup, with the trophy paraded through the streets of Auckland after France fell foul of just one point.
One to watch: karlrohde (Karl Rohde– Innovative, business savvy copywriter, journalist, and marketer; 9,935 followers / 3,597 updates)
That was The Blagger’s Blog, a selection of statements, statistics and noteworthy newsies from across the media and social world, amalgamated, allowing the time-starved professional to start a conversation from thin air.
If there is a success story, blunder, or tweeting town you’d like to see included email [email protected] or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!