A weekly roundup of media news and talking points, sans effort

 

Thought for the Week

“The events of the last few months had undoubtedly raised questions in some minds about the system’s future usefulness.” Published minutes from a Ministry of Defence meeting, discussing the future of the UK Government’s D Notices, wherein the media is warned not to publish stories that may be damaging to national security, with dialogue beginning in the aftermath of the Edward Snowden, NSA and GCHQ scandals.
 

Weekly High

It’s safe to say there are a lot of very similar Facebook-based PR campaigns. Then there are the ones like Alzheimer Nederland’s, wherein fans were asked to submit images of themselves, and the charity then Photoshopped those pictures into events the people never attended, thus causing a great deal of confusion and emphasising the plight of those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Which is rather clever if you ask us.

Weekly Low

Superdrug has come a cropper this week after launching a set of personal weighing scales that provide feedback by way of a comparison to celebrities. Needless to say, if anyone has ever wanted to know if they are ‘as fat as Beyonce’ then this is very good news, albeit eating disorder charities and sane folk have found the idea both distasteful and dangerous in terms of an already image-conscious British public. Not a wise move.

Stories to keep an eye on… 

*Hit U.S. comedy show Seinfeld, which propelled Larry David into megastar status, could be set for a return as the main man.
*In the week the firm turned 30 years young, numbers confirm Apple’s iconic iPod is experiencing a sharp decline in sales. 
*Australian authorities have approved plans to begin dumping dredged sediment in the Great Barrier Reef, which is probably a very bad idea. 

Just in case you missed it…

This Sunday sees the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII take place, which if nothing else is arguably the most important day of the year for U.S. advertising. We’d link to a specific story but the web is full of articles on the efforts various brands are making in order to exploit the potential for mass exposure.
If there is a success story, blunder, or news event you’d like to see included email helloATsmokinggun.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!