Borkowski Weekly Media Trends: Boris' Last Stand | Kim K Relatability Play | Will's Polish Pinkwash & More...
PLUS: Heinz x Absolut | Climate Comms Issues
Boris' Last Stand
As he sat down in front of the Committee of Privileges to give evidence on whether he intentionally mislead parliament about breaches of COVID restrictions, Boris Johnson probably had visons of a historic moment when the country decided collectively that it was wrong about him and that we all liked him again.
His opening gambit was the performer we all know. He was confident, pompous and defiant, but in a deviation from type, also came across well-prepared. However, as the time went on and the pressure ramped up, he unravelled, lost his composure and the real Boris - dripping the nasty entitlement that characterised his downfall- re-emerged.
What is clear from his testimony is that Boris still does not think that the rules which applied to everyone else at the time applied to him. While his remaining diehard supporters such as Nadine Dories describe the committee as a ‘kangaroo court’, it was clear they had all done their research, had clear questions, and wanted answers . Sadly for Boris the questions weren’t simple enough to get lost in a word salad of a response.
While the daily news conferences of lockdown were a communications success at the time, they also ingrained the rules into our minds, meaning that nobody believes that Boris was standing at that podium in the sincere belief that the drinks parties that broke out on his watch counted as work.
Boris defence was very helpfully outlined by Andrew Marr
As Boris battles for what scraps remain of his legacy, he has a long wait to find out his fate, and a long time in which more scandals could emerge...
A New Direction for The PRdashian Machine
One of the more surprising attendees at London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations was none other than Kim Kardashian. The pop culture princess was in town to take her sons and their friends on an Easter soccer tour. Having stopped by to support Arsenal, the entourage spent St Paddy’s Day at a showing of Back To The Future before Kim popped next door for a round of baby Guinnesses.
The whole foray was expertly documented for her 350M Instagram followers - from the squad pic outside the Adelphi, to the pub pic with Guinness in hand. But for someone so careful in curation she once admitted to photoshopping her infant children, the whole gallery had the curious air of normalcy. In fact, part of the reason Kim’s Guinness pic went so viral was because she seemed to look like just about every other scouser toasting to the Irish.
But was this a case of “celebrities being just like you and me”, or a careful move from the PRdashian machine? As the cost of living crisis has forced the world into a collective tightening of the purse strings, many think the Kardashians are hiding their excesses and moving to show they’ve tightened their purse strings too. Khloe’s instagram now features a steady flow of motivational quotes and gym selfies, while Kourtney’s is almost just a shrine to her kids - a far cry from her 2022 Dolce & Gabana sponsored Portofino wedding bonanza extravaganza. It must be said, if this is a shift, it has been done with far more dexterity than Kanye’s 2022 “homeless inspired” clothing line.
But it’s not just the Kardashians. Two weeks ago, Vogue declared “quiet luxury” as 2023’s biggest trend. Blingy logos and glitzy diamonds are out. “Max Mara investment coats thrown over an ancient pair of vintage jeans” is in.
We’re unsure of just how far all this will go. But with a Beyoncé tour coming up, a bet on it featuring H&M might not be so stupid.
Prince William and the Gay Sandwich
Prince William’s recent official foreign trip had a rather sombre context. The heir to the British throne touched down in Jesionka, near Rzeszow, Poland, on Wednesday, to meet with Polish troops near the country’s border with war-torn Ukraine and to speak to Ukrainian refugees there. The reason behind the visit notwithstanding, William managed to squeeze in a classic royal stunt on the second day of his trip in Warsaw, where he was scheduled to meet with president Andrzej Duda.
British press reported Varsovians absolutely ‘stunned’ at the sight of Prince William, accompanied by Kensington Palace staff, having a meal at a bistro in the capital. The venue is specifically a queer-friendly space which advertises itself by rainbow-coloured neon signs, which, while not uncommon in Warsaw, isn’t free of controversy. While the British press implied that William having a sandwich at a ‘LGBTQ+ restaurant’ was a display of solidarity with the Polish queer population, the local press did not seem to appreciate the gesture and barely reported it at all.
Even more curious are the reported details of the thinly-veiled stunt, such as William, a senior royal on a diplomatic trip, supposedly ending up at the bistro because he had nothing to do that evening and chose to join the staff to kill the time. Further, we know that William chose a £7.50 challah bread sandwich. It has been reported as a humble, poignant choice of meal for a prince. In reality, the sandwich was the most expensive item on the bistro’s menu, and a severely overpriced one at that for Warsaw standards.
It seems that readers in the UK enjoyed this royal moment and felt warm about William supporting the marginalised by having a London-priced sandwich. The LGBTQ+ Varsovians might not have appreciated the impact of this dinner, but they weren’t really the key target audience for this appearance. In line with William’s 2016 ‘Attitude’ cover, this is just another one of the traditional, subtle yet crowd-pleasing stunts that rely on the symbolic.
Heinz X Absolut Vodka Pasta Sauce
Absolut Vodka and Heinz are bringing Pasta alla Vodka sauce to the masses through an unexpected collaboration inspired by a social media craze.
Although the origins of the recipe are heavily disputed, supermodel Gigi Hadid played a major part in the vodka-pasta combo gaining notoriety after she shared a version of the recipe on her Instagram story in 2020 which went viral.
Responding to the social media trend, the brands announced their partnership and UK launch with a marketing campaign that draws inspiration from Absolut’s famous 1980s ads which pay tribute to Andy Warhol’s artwork. The series of posters feature a simple visual design with the prominent Absolut Vodka bottle, playing on the strengths of both brands’ recognition and fusing the two iconic identities with witty taglines such as ‘Absolutely Heinz’, ‘Ridiculously Good’, and ‘Absolutely Tomato’.
“While it may have taken over 150 years of tomato expertise to launch our first Heinz pasta sauce, we’re determined to continue innovating and delighting consumers with delicious flavours, at the speed of social media trends”
(Hein new ventures director, Caio Fontenele)
The collaboration comes one year after Heinz released its first pasta sauce. In 2022, Heinz went all out with a full-page ad in The Guardian, apologising to consumers for taking 150 years to launch the sauces, despite its focus on tomato products. The comical confession of being late to the game, was as an important step in the strategy to expand the brand into new categories.
The limited-edition collaboration with Absolut continues Heinz’ recent embrace of the foodie culture, whilst adding a sense of fun and 80s nostalgia. The timing of the partnership highlights the role that social media can play in how consumers discover new products and information, and how brands if they’re listening, can stay dynamic.
The Climate's Communication Problem
You'd be forgiven for missing this week's news on the latest IPCC report. This week's hectic news cycle relegated Monday's announcement to Tuesday's back pages. The scientific study by the world's leading climate scientists presents the latest on climate change and, crucially, what we must do about global warming.
The good news is that we have the tools to 'fix' climate change. The bad news: chances are razor thin that we keep the world from warming more than 1.5C.
1.5C is the maximum acceptable limit for global warming, a temperature we're increasingly closer to hitting. And whilst the warnings are as plain as day, the report has fallen mainly on deaf ears. So does climate change have a communications problem?
Back to the positives: all the solutions to reduce emissions by 2030 -wind, solar, electric vehicles, and heat pumps - are available and scaleable. We don't need more research, and these options are affordable.
But despite this, climate change isn't enough people's priority. We have the information, the facts and the projections, but the issue is so vast that the effects of climate change and the big picture are challenging to grapple with. In short, it's hard to know where to start as an individual.
So the climate comms issue is a major problem. Presenting the facts clearly has been tried and tested, and whilst this is effective, it isn't fixing the situation quickly enough. Another issue is the climate change naysayers - conspiracy theorists and climate deniers that challenge the very notion of global warming. Engaging with this audience will only be possible once the crisis is at a tipping point.
The fact that this report isn't top-of-the-agenda news and the reaction is relatively mild despite the colossal warning signs broadcast by some of the world's finest scientists shows that traditional communication rules don't apply to this situation.
There is no silver bullet - it's up to global leaders to take decisive action. And how will we get to this point? Pressure. The comms solution targets individuals to take action and drive the issue to the top of our leaders' agenda. Whether that happens remains to be seen.