Another day another Internet meme doing the rounds. MIchael Litman from LitmanLive and [EDIT 30/10/2008] Paul Stallard have tagged me in the Three for Three post where bloggers are encouraged to list their three choices across three categories before tagging other bloggers to continue the chain. So, here goes... Top three non-work websites: - Football365.com - The number one resource for the UK football fan. It isn't the mecca for stats that the BBC is but its mix of irreverent comment, insight and humour makes it a winner in my book! - Digg.com - The ultimate time waster but an incredibly useful one. An instant snapshot of what's hot on the web - TheOnion.com - Older than the WWW itself. One of the few US sites to do satire very well Top three karaoke songs: - Don't Stop Believing by Journey - "I love Journey, but I hate baseball cards" - We Built This City by Starship - Guarantee you'll get groans when this first comes on but 2 minutes in you'll have the entire bar singing it with you - Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi - For little over 3 minutes you honestly believe you are a rock star Top three weekend cocktails: - Mojito from anywhere - Raspberry Collins ...

This week I watched an interesting video stream from Hot Dog Media where we discussed, amongst other things publishing content. Along the course of the debate we touched on whether making content available online means it should free and that artists/authors/developers should look to monetise their creations through additional services. I argued that we shouldn't assume that because something is online it is free however I do believe the way content is published should change. For the music industry, I still find it amazing that the record companies continue to rip off fans with albums costing £15 plus. Their decision not to embrace the digital movement is leading to their own downfall as consumers look for more convenient and cost-effective means of getting their music such as Last.fm, Napster and of course illegal downloads. I have no doubt in my mind that the level of music piracy would plummet if labels offered consumers a fairer price for their purchase. But, this issue isn't confined to the music industry. We hear little from the publishing industry on the impact that e-books are having on hard-copy sales. Probably because e-books haven't hit the mainstream in the same way MP3s have. However, with more cost effective ...

Tech PR blogger Paul Stallard has tagged me to list three communicators, living or dead, who have most influenced my way of thinking professionally and personally. So here goes... First one I'll choose is Eugen Beer. Eugen was the founder of my first agency Beer Davies who were responsible for some fantastically extravagant PR stunts and campaigns such as Mattel's Pink Street and the Cup-a-Soup comedy challenge. Eugen, more than anyone, has shaped my creative approach and taught me to stand by my convictions even when client's raise eyebrows at our thinking. Secondly, Oasis. These guys are a dying breed, a band that played music for the love of it and wouldn't be sugar-coated by any producer, manager or record label. They said what they wanted, what they believed in and didn't care who disagreed (or agreed for that matter). Oasis taught me one thing, consumers and the media will always forgive true talent. My final selection is two-for-one: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Over the past few decades these two have become masters at using the media to achieve business success. And one couldn't have done it without the other. The media love rivals and these two recognised that and have been playing ...

I've just been sent this and thought I'd share: I trust brevity because it’s evident. What you see is what you get. Clarity and decisiveness inspire confidence. Brevity doesn’t waste my time or make me work for something that may be nothing. I trust brevity because it gives greater meaning and more time to ponder. Less is more because I can take it or leave it. It made me think about the way we present to clients and new business prospects. PowerPoint has, for some time now, been the PR industry norm and is a staple in any presentation situation. But, we should remember the most effective weapon we have when presenting is ourselves. More and more I'm seeing lengthy PowerPoint slides with size 10 font portraying every miniscule aspect of a campaign. The problem is there is no life to it, nothing to make it "sparkle". Slide shows are here to stay but we should trust in brevity and use it as a supporting act to the lead role which should be played by us!

The AmIHotorNot of brands, Superbrands, has today announced its top brands in the UK and Google has knocked Microsoft off of top spot. Sony is the other tech brand to edge into the top 10 as the sector dominated the overall list. It will be interesting to see how the growing privacy debate affects the public's affection for the search engine over the next 12 months! But for now they're sitting pretty... The top 10 looks like this... 1. Google 2. Microsoft 3. Mercedes-Benz 4. BBC 5. British Airways 6. Royal Doulton 7. BMW 8. Bosch 9. Nike 10. Sony

I've just read Sally Whittle's post exclaiming that journalists suck (she's a journo herself so it's okay). As a journalist she found herself on the other end of the PR process and ended up having to sell-in a weak story which (understandably?) received short shrift from some journalists. PR blogs far and wide are getting in on the act on commenting about this story and there's no way I'm going to be left behind! Anyone that has been within a mile of a PR company will have heard the immortal words "journalists suck" or a stronger version with the same sentiment. Moaning about journalists is to PRs what cooking is to chefs. We love it; if our clients are pushing us to the edge of despair then it's journalists that tip us over. Whether it's not wanting to run our story, or saying they will and then not doing so - dealing with journalists of every ilk can often cause us running through our broadening repertoire of words only suitable for over-18s. But, it's journalists that can also provide some of our career highs - we all know (or at least should know) how good it feels reading a story crafting from our ...

Just spotted this on PR Media Blog - a social media site allowing NHS patients to rate their doctor. The BMA aren't too happy and I have to agree with them. PMB compares it to Trip Advisor and Toptable and claims it will be a good way of making doctors consider what their patients think of them, in turn resulting in a better level of care. However, the issue here should be apparent to anyone who has ever used Trip Advisor or Toptable. If I am planning to go on a once in a lifetime holiday and want to ensure I stay in the best hotel possible then all it takes is one bad review to put me off. It could have read 99 great reviews but I don't want to run the risk of having the experience of the one person who had cockroaches crawling through their scrambled eggs in the morning. It's the same with doctors. We put our well-being in their hands, something that is quite a high priority for most and therefore we demand the highest level of care - and (if we are rating medical professionals) this means 100%! Can you imagine the admin involved if patients can ...

One of my weekly staples is Top Gear and whilst I didn't catch it over the weekend, through the magic that is Sky+ I managed to watch it this morning (skipping the stars in a reasonably priced car). Clarkson and co. reported on the new Fiat Panda Mamy - a car specifically designed for "mums on the move". Why is it designed for mums? Is it the low fuel consumption, the 5-doors, the great safety features ( © every car manufacturer) . Possibly, but in reality Fiat have done what all product development teams (in all industries) do when told, "Design it for women"... ...they turn it pink, or in this case purple (close enough). Last month I had the pleasure of working with Intel ethnographer, Genevieve Bell. What's an ethnographer? Well, in this case, an ethnographer was an eccentric (she won't mind), enthusiastic, well travelled and highly intelligent Aussie. She used the term "pink it and shrink it" - or as it was extended during a media round table, "pink it, shrink it and diamante it". Basically the act of turning a standard product pink, making it a little smaller and marketing it as something for the fairer sex. Genevieve has a unique and ...

So this is my first post so what better way to kick things off with a brief rundown of who I am and what you'll find on this blog... My name is Dan Leach, I'm an Account Director for Hill & Knowlton in London - this is not my first stab at having a blog, in fact it's my second (the first failed due to lack of time and motivation). So what will you find here? Well, it will be my general thoughts and discoveries relating to my various interests including PR, marketing and technology. On occasion I'll write in-depth articles, mostly it will be one-liners. But, all-in-all this is very much experimental - I'm hoping this blog will develop over time into something quite interesting.