[lucyloverlou]

I'm kind of new to the whole PR hype thing and have learnt a lot from DS..Hmm yes... quite the eye opener!

I was just wondering how common it is for PR people to post on forums relating to their clients? I thought that was a silly premise but the more I hear, the more I realise it is quite a common practice, to get rumours going and stir things up..similar to a 'tabloid leak'?

[cherry pip]

I don't know how often they do it but I think they've probably got a team specifically to browse any website that could help.

We'd not know who they are but it makes you wonder how often they do lurk and join in as a guest

[lexi22]

It's an interesting game, isn't it! The rumour mongering is probably very common, keeps interest up.

They also do it for the purpose of making their clients understand how much they need them. Posting negative comments about for eg. a 'star' who has gotten a bit above themselves and/or has started to believe they know best and is not following their PR company's advice - is a way for a PR company to control its clients.

[lucyloverlou]

Originally Posted by cherry pip

I don't know how often they do it but I think they've probably got a team specifically to browse any website that could help.

We'd not know who they are but it makes you wonder how often they do lurk and join in as a guest

Originally Posted by lexi22

It's an interesting game, isn't it! The rumour mongering is probably very common, keeps interest up.

They also do it for the purpose of making their clients understand how much they need them. Posting negative comments about for eg. a 'star' who has gotten a bit above themselves and/or has started to believe they know best and is not following their PR company's advice - is a way for a PR company to control its clients.

Absolutely.. They are probably more common than any of us think actually.. particularly on sites where you can post anonymously. Yes, it is a very interesting game!
Something I never gave much thought to myself before, but now..it really fascinates me. If you want to keep an image of a person, it certainly helps put word around as gossip spreads so quickly. That's also a good point about bringing stars down a peg or two... really a great deal of power they have there when you think about it.

[worpler]

I know that businesses etc follow the web to monitor consumer trends and keep up with what is "edgy" or whatever numb-nutted buzzword they are currently using.

I am not sure to what extent individual "stars" PRs etc browse to see which way the wind is blowing.

[Huffy1968]

Well, at the height of the Jade Goody media circus there was a "friend" (i.e. PR hanger-on) who posted on here for a while trying to defend her. This person's username was Jennifer Will, who also posted on the Sun newspaper website as "Kidders". She came across as arrogant and condescending, and her posts reeked of PR-speak. She was eventually outed and I believe banned. She was also a bridesmaid at Jade's wedding, and has now come out in defence of Jack Tweed.

There have also been persistent rumours that at one point there were five paid PR lackeys that were posting on the DS forums in a concerted effort to defend Jade against the criticism she was receiving. Others have claimed to have their names...

There is more that I have heard concerning Goody, Max Clifford and the DS forums, but I cant verify if it is true - and stating it here could potentially get me banned...

[allie5]

PR and media hacks definitely peruse DS and other sites like this. And the odd celebrity too . Its very, very easy to manipulate a celebrity or a story using these forums - a lot easier than you might think. They are a powerful tool and the PR peeps would be foolish not to utilise them.

[captainkremmen]

Well DS is quite high profile compared to most forums where we get to spout off about various z-lebs and their shenanigans. I would very surprised if some z-lebs PR people aren't on here fairly regularly, maybe not always to post, but certainly to read what is being said to perhaps try and gauge public opinion. Mind you, if Katie Price's hangers on are here, and they tell KP everything, I'm surprised she doesn't have a heart attack.

[The Prumeister]

Check out the latest Jameila thread for a brilliant PR poster

[captainkremmen]

Originally Posted by The Prumeister

Check out the latest Jameila thread for a brilliant PR poster

Hmm, I wonder what PR company Gold_Fish works for

[zx50]

I definitely think that celebrities/PR people browse forums to see what's being said about them/their clients. This is the thing with forums - you don't have to make surveys or anything in magazines for them to send to you in order for you to get to know what they're thinking. They just come on forums through the wonders of the Internet to see what's being said about so and so.

[Sara Webb]

It always makes me giggle when they're blatantly obviously PR people, and posters suss them out.

[Vodka_Drinka]

Ive stated this on another thread, but there were two very pro Katie Price, anti Pete Andre posters on here who were outed by another forum member as being the same person posting under two different user names. I believe they have been banned now. But it sort of reinforced my opinion that some people who either know Katie personally, or work for her are posting on here defending her. They always use the same slogans like "Katie is real and tells it how it is" and "Peter was a washed up hasbeen until he met Katie" etc. Its like they are reading for a script.

[gv6l]

Originally Posted by Vodka_Drinka

Ive stated this on another thread, but there were two very pro Katie Price, anti Pete Andre posters on here who were outed by another forum member as being the same person posting under two different user names. I believe they have been banned now. But it sort of reinforced my opinion that some people who either know Katie personally, or work for her are posting on here defending her. They always use the same slogans like "Katie is real and tells it how it is" and "Peter was a washed up hasbeen until he met Katie" etc. Its like they are reading for a script.

oooh - can you say who they were? I was on holiday for a while though I had been reading the threads.

[janetcomelately]

Originally Posted by Vodka_Drinka

Ive stated this on another thread, but there were two very pro Katie Price, anti Pete Andre posters on here who were outed by another forum member as being the same person posting under two different user names. I believe they have been banned now. But it sort of reinforced my opinion that some people who either know Katie personally, or work for her are posting on here defending her. They always use the same slogans like "Katie is real and tells it how it is" and "Peter was a washed up hasbeen until he met Katie" etc. Its like they are reading for a script.

To be fair, anyone on the K&P thread not salivating over PA has been accused of being KP or her PR. I was accused by at least 7/8 posters at different times of being KP, Alex, her sister her PR blah blah blah. One poster only this week finally got fed up with the irrationality by some and their 'you must be KP's PR" nonsense that he just stopped posting on the thread.

Its more a case that some ardent fans cant quite believe that not everyone thinks like them.

I dont remember anyone being outed and banned either - who was that?

[OlgaChristie]

I`m sure PR people do regularly browse this site.........so...............message for Krusty`s PR people - please do us all a huge favour and don`t even think about sending her back into the jungle as I actually enjoy watching the programme but would have to boycott it altogether if I knew she would be in - not even the thought of watching her eating kangaroos testicles and squirming in a tank full of rats (satisfying though that would be) would tempt me to watch her flashing her bits all over my screen

[OlgaChristie]

Originally Posted by janetcomelately

To be fair, anyone on the K&P thread not salivating over PA has been accused of being KP or her PR. I was accused by at least 7/8 posters at different times of being KP, Alex, her sister her PR blah blah blah. One poster only this week finally got fed up with the irrationality by some and their 'you must be KP's PR" nonsense that he just stopped posting on the thread.

Its more a case that some ardent fans cant quite believe that not everyone thinks like them.

I dont remember anyone being outed and banned either - who was that?

I was accused of being Pete`s agent Claire (quite a compliment really as she is an intelligent woman)............but I do feel sorry for those that were accused of being Krusty or her sister, or god forbid the mother from hell - Amy

[Jem19876]

Sometimes the "accusation" of being on the PR team is more about them regurgitating the PR spin virtually word for word than actually thinking they are on the payroll. Sadly, a lot of fans and even supposed neutrals do seem to latch on to a particular line of defence that is trotted out by the actual celebrity or agents.

Janet, you fell into that category as soon as you started to insist that people who didn't like Jordan only did so because she's a woman and/or because we can't get over the fact she's a topless model. I think anyone who does repeat the PR line has to accept that they might appear to be on the payroll.

Some of the accusations are silly, but some people do a very good job of reading from the script whether they are paid or not. Others cannot be faulted for pointing out PR bull when they see it. It's a shame for the original poster of the PR bull when they don't realise they've fallen victim to it, but it's PR bull whoever repeats it.

I fully expect PRs of a certain sort of celeb to regularly browse forums and if they are doing that, they are bound to pitch in from time to time too. It's going to be more common with new celebs, with their PRs doing what they can to get them talked about, and to shape public opinion while it's still early days. Posting links to news stories is one trick, and trying to get/keep people talking is another. That's why I wouldn't always assume that the PRs are the ones defending someone. Those who are famous for the sake of being famous need to be talked about and rely on being talked about good and bad. The more their client is talked about, the easier it is for them to get interviews.

I'm fairly certain that people who work for other showbiz news and gossip websites come on here to plug those websites too. The most brazen ones will start new threads will a link to their own website, and I remember someone finally getting banned for doing that repeatedly earlier this year, but some will be more discreet. There are a handful of people who are always posting the next day's drama just after midnight. Some of them might be employees of the very newspapers who have just made the story available online, but some will just be people who have nothing better to do.

While I think that a good PR agency will keep tabs on what is being said about their artist on the internet, I don't think it is the be all and end all, and even a popular site like DS can be quite mis-representative of what the general public are thinking. Not least because the mood can be easily influenced by a handful of regular negative posters. I can't see Brad Pitt's agent worrying too much if a few people say they don't like him. If it reached a point where they were worried, they'd get him to do something charming on tv, not try to defend him on here.

I think Peter Andre's management keep an eye on what is said here and elsewhere. There was a brief flurry of publicity created by them about Pete and Chantelle being seen at a string of event together, with Pete bigging her up and inviting her to a party at his house, but when that received a negative reaction, they put an end to that one very quickly.

Keeping an eye on how the public are reacting to their client's actions (and possibly publicity stunts) is an inevitable part of the job, and if they are going to visit a forum like this one to see what people are saying, it's a small step to join in and set the record straight, and from that it's a small step to putting a PR spin onto everything.

You also cannot discount the trolls, who just love to play games on the internet because they are bored. They want an arguement, so they will be objectionable and appear to ignore reason just for the sake of watching people get annoyed. Some of them will be doing it knowingly, but there will be some others who fall into it because they don't have anything better to do with their time.

[janetcomelately]

Originally Posted by Jem19876

Janet, you fell into that category as soon as you started to insist that people who didn't like Jordan only did so because she's a woman and/or because we can't get over the fact she's a topless model. I think anyone who does repeat the PR line has to accept that they might appear to be on the payroll.

With respect that is utter guff.

I can categorically state that I have never followed anyones PR line. I would wager that the same was true for most of those who have been falsely accused of being Jordan, on the payroll etc.

The problem lies with the closed minds of some posters and their inability to debate rationally, not with those offering their own opinions which just happen to be in a minority.

[lexi22]

Originally Posted by janetcomelately

With respect that is utter guff.

I can categorically state that I have never followed anyones PR line. I would wager that the same was true for most of those who have been falsely accused of being Jordan, on the payroll etc.

The problem lies with the closed minds of some posters and their inability to debate rationally, not with those offering their own opinions which just happen to be in a minority.

You make a good point. Jordan aside (I'm not going there), one of the most annoying things on here is if you defend someone solely on the basis that you personally do not have a problem with them, and can offer objective reasons why that is the case, you are often met with accusations that you're (1) part of some PR push for that person, or (2) stupid and/or incapable of forming an opinion all on your own. This is particularly rampant on the BB board.

I sometimes end up defending someone I've no interest in and will have forgotten about by the time I leave the thread purely because I'm so taken aback by the venom that's being directed at them.

[Jem19876]

Originally Posted by janetcomelately

With respect that is utter guff.

I can categorically state that I have never followed anyones PR line.

The problem lies with the closed minds of some posters and their inability to debate rationally, not with those offering their own opinions which just happen to be in a minority.

No, it is not guff. You seem to be in utter denial about the fact that your own, independently thought out opinion, which you thought proved you were better than the rest of us irrational people, happened to be exactly the same as what her PR people said.

You may not be doing it deliberately, but what you were saying was identical to the sort of things they were saying and Katie herself was trotting out as the only reason people didn't like her being an author or whatever it was that week.

What you were saying was the PR line, which I doubt even they believed, but I can't blame them for trying. Perhaps you picked up on what had been said by someone else on tv or radio and didn't realise where it came from when you regurgitated it. I'd heard her saying those lines during a radio interview, and read quotes in features, so it was definitely out there and very familiar. Or perhaps you happen to think along the same lines as her PR. You will know that better than me, but it doesn't alter the very definite fact that you were trotting out lines had been used by her PR.

Everyone else was giving good reasons for why they didn't think she deserved respect, and you struggled to find rational reasons why she did. You just thought up excuses as to why our opinions were wrong, and repeated stuff about people who criticised your opinion as not being capable of rational debate. At least if you were her PR it would make sense.

Repeating that you weren't saying PR stuff and that everyone else was irrational won't make it true, any more than insisting that Katie is telling the truth "as she feels it at the time" equates to being an honest and sincere person.

I go back to what I said before, and I think that some people who appear to be a bit like PRs are just people who like to stir.

The worst ones are people who repeatedly stick up for an individual for the most tenuous of reasons, but never quite manage to admit to liking them, or coming up with a good reason for liking them. Granted, some of the more illiterate fans struggle with that one too, but any seemingly intelligent, articulate poster should be able to explain why they like someone they constantly defend. If not, I presume them to be stirrers, trolls, or on the payroll.

[Vodka_Drinka]

Originally Posted by janetcomelately

To be fair, anyone on the K&P thread not salivating over PA has been accused of being KP or her PR. I was accused by at least 7/8 posters at different times of being KP, Alex, her sister her PR blah blah blah. One poster only this week finally got fed up with the irrationality by some and their 'you must be KP's PR" nonsense that he just stopped posting on the thread.

Its more a case that some ardent fans cant quite believe that not everyone thinks like them.

I dont remember anyone being outed and banned either - who was that?

They stood out like a sore thumb because they had very low post counts and only ever posted in threads about Katie and Peter where they piled praise on her and were incrediably nasty and abusive about him.

Someone PM'd me to tell me that they thought two posters were the same person because apparently one was asked a question and they answered under the other username by mistake. I didnt see that, but the next time I looked both had become inactive, so I assume they had been found out.

[djcamp]

Attempting to move things away from that awful woman for a moment, I have previously said on forum threads that work for one of the UK's best known entertainment brands companies, and that I can't spill too much gossip about certain people who may be spoken about above because so many of my colleagues regularly read these pages. However, we have a rule that no one from the company would ever directly post on here or anywhere except for official websites about any subject we are involved in. Besides anything it is unessesary as our musical artists will all have streeet teams who get the word out. Our rules go much further than this, for example, I had to sneak into an HMV to buy a charity single by one of our artists once for a relative, as our co rules say this is not allowed in case it could be construed as attemping to fix the chart system.

On the other hand many people are not as strict with things as we are, and ever so slightly off topic, but one of my favourite industry stories is about a talent show judge who owns a large old van, which regularly used to find itself sat on the street full of thousands of singles and albums, to be emptied every so often and at christmas the contents given to disadvantaged kids, when santa comes to their hospital, home, school etc. This same talent show judge may have also kept someone else's closet door firmly shut despite the whole industry knowing otherwise by mocking up relationships with 3 of the other female artists on his roster!

Another slightly different example was that I recently had a wiki war with a PR guru who felt the need to put his client in as co creator of our most successful project, despite the fact that he is only an employee. This myth has been propagated by this PR man for years, to such an extent that if you ask the public who created this product, a signifcant minority world say the person I am talking about, not the real creator. (please excuse my generally odd way of putting this, but obviously i have to be vague!) I am pleased that after much changing and rechanging, I managed to get it sorted... it was interesting that the user doing the editing had as their picture a shot of a wall with several men crouching behind, showing only their hands and the long lens cameras they were holding! Subtlety never was this firms strong point!

Getting back to the point, it is an incredibly difficult feat to pull off, as in the case above, any over the top sycophancy would be seen through straight away. It takes time and a lot of effort to get right which is why most major companies have learnt by now not to bother trying to fake positive comments about their clients. I have now got to the stage where reading a national newspaper makes me cringe as I can see that 75% of the copy has come from badly designed press releases. We do as a company have access to services which grab all the print media relating to our clients, and these companies are now doing the same with all the main showbiz blogs and forums, so you never know who may end up reading your bitchy comment about someone's lack of talent!

[Jem19876]

Some good points there, but everyone already knows about Louis Walsh buying the Boyzone CDs, and his penchant for inventing romance is not even subtle.

Part of what made Jade's PR so blatent was that she was always trying to drum up support for future projects, rather than convincing everyone that we should like her. She'd be in the Dancing on Ice forum convincing people she'd be good on that. When people disagreed, she maintained that we could all laugh at her being rubbish and so on. It was all quite undignified. Anyone with an interest in her, and not just 10% of her career earnings, wouldn't want that.

It's more obvious on websites like Popjustice when the PR people are doing their stuff. Some are just so unsubtle about it, but street teams aren't always much better, except that the record company/management can distance themselves from anything that goes too far.

For bigger PR companies with decent, established acts, it has the potential for doing more harm than good as well as being loads of work.

I've also got to agree with how many "news" stories in the press read as press releases. Heatworld is particularly bad for regurgitating the adverts they get sent as *breaking news*. I'm quite jaded by the whole thing.

[janetcomelately]

Originally Posted by Jem19876

No, it is not guff. You seem to be in utter denial about the fact that your own, independently thought out opinion, which you thought proved you were better than the rest of us irrational people, happened to be exactly the same as what her PR people said.

You may not be doing it deliberately, but what you were saying was identical to the sort of things they were saying and Katie herself was trotting out as the only reason people didn't like her being an author or whatever it was that week.

What you were saying was the PR line, which I doubt even they believed, but I can't blame them for trying. Perhaps you picked up on what had been said by someone else on tv or radio and didn't realise where it came from when you regurgitated it. I'd heard her saying those lines during a radio interview, and read quotes in features, so it was definitely out there and very familiar. Or perhaps you happen to think along the same lines as her PR. You will know that better than me, but it doesn't alter the very definite fact that you were trotting out lines had been used by her PR.

Everyone else was giving good reasons for why they didn't think she deserved respect, and you struggled to find rational reasons why she did. You just thought up excuses as to why our opinions were wrong, and repeated stuff about people who criticised your opinion as not being capable of rational debate. At least if you were her PR it would make sense.

Repeating that you weren't saying PR stuff and that everyone else was irrational won't make it true, any more than insisting that Katie is telling the truth "as she feels it at the time" equates to being an honest and sincere person.

I go back to what I said before, and I think that some people who appear to be a bit like PRs are just people who like to stir.

The worst ones are people who repeatedly stick up for an individual for the most tenuous of reasons, but never quite manage to admit to liking them, or coming up with a good reason for liking them. Granted, some of the more illiterate fans struggle with that one too, but any seemingly intelligent, articulate poster should be able to explain why they like someone they constantly defend. If not, I presume them to be stirrers, trolls, or on the payroll.

Jem as I've said before I find some of your posts too long (sometimes condesending and defensive too) for an entertainment forum so dont read them all through so wont answer all but, I will say that I have not criticsed "everyone" for anything. I have enjoyed bantering with many of the posters; LizG and Rosie Red to name but two.

Others however can only manage the sort of retorts to which Lexi22 refers above when they read opinions they do not agree with and it can get tedious.