NORTHERN PLANNER

I did read David Meerman Scott's Newsjacking, I admit it.

Maybe because I just love anyone who has Meerman in their name, imagine sounding like a mythical half man/half fish everytime you introduce yourself. 

Anyway, I did like the collection of case studies of tactical ads and ideas. 

But let's be clear, Newsjacking is not some crossing of the Rubicon for brands, it's not even a bad attempt at it like, say Lovemarks. It's just using current events in the news to do tactical ads. 

"The rules have changed. The traditional PR model—sticking closely to a preset script and campaign timeline—no longer works the way it used to. Public discourse now moves so fast and so dynamically that all it takes is a single afternoon to blast the wheels off someone’s laboriously crafted narrative.

Enter newsjacking: the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business"

This has been around for ages, as long as advertising itself. It's just that the best brands do the long term and short term very well – and build a constistent story over time with a big idea with 'width' as well as 'legs'

However, perhaps it's more of use since it's fair to say it's harder to cut through than used to be. 

Correction. It's harder to interrupt folks with banal, over focused grouped dross. 

So it makes sense to start in life, culture, or work back. 

But then again, the best examples of this stuff are when a great brand idea is applied to a timely event. 

Perhaps this poster is one of the best examples. It was the World Cup, Rooney was the great hope for England and all the talk was over if he would be able to play after a broken foot. 

The biggest risk with this stuff is that people don't remember the brand. Let us not forget the work of Byron Sharp around memory structures  -be distinctive AND consistent. 

An even bigger risk of Newsjacking in general is mistaking the latest wheeze for something groundbreaking. Especially when it's really a clever (ish) name for a tried and tested tactic.