In a recent article, I examined the widely-reported ‘shock’ finding that Jeremy Clarkson is actually the sexiest man in the UK and the man women would most like to have an affair with, according to more than a dozen media outlets… who were, in turn, reporting on a press release issued by an infidelity dating website called Illicit Encounters.
This was, of course, attention-baiting PR nonsense, perfectly designed to get as many clicks and start as many online debates as possible, based on data that was spurious at best. It was the kind of non-story I have spent years following, including similar such stories from Illicit Encounters themselves, who are prolific in the art of crafting well-honed PR bullshit perfectly designed to get headlines.
As it turns out, when I was researching the Clarkson story, I stumbled across another piece of Illicit Encounters PR, published in the Daily Star, in the very same week – written by Andy Gilpin, on May 18th:
Randy love rats using static ‘caravans of love’ to cheat on partners
Randy love rats live by the adage if the “caravan is rocking, don’t come knocking” as two out of 10 have cheated in one, a poll found.
Researchers found 18% have romped in a mobile home on a “holiday” weekend. They said caravans provide perfect cover for a seaside tryst in secluded spots around the UK coast.
The dating site for married couples Illicit Encounters asked 2,000 members where they have cheated on their partners to come up with the findings.
Where else but the British tabloid press will you find terms like ‘randy’, ‘romped’, and ‘tryst’? It’s a lexicon peculiar to Fleet Street.
The article itself bears no real need for analysis – once again, an alleged user base of 2,000 members were polled for their opinions, and a conveniently marketing-friendly ‘finding’ was discovered. However, somewhat unusually, the all-important fourth paragraph reference to Illicit Encounters was actually hyperlinked within the article, leading Daily Star readers off to the infidelity website… but not directly. Instead, the URL included an intermediary site, “Skim Resources” – an affiliate marketing website. The article even include rare a warning below the headline:
“This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.”
Not only was this a dodgy PR story based on dubious research, it was one that the Star were explicitly paid to publish (The Sun, from what we can see, got no such kick-back for their coverage of the same press release).
Such declarations of commercial motivation are rare in the mainstream press, but, knowing what to look for, I soon found the same warning in a recent article from the Daily Mirror, penned by Esti Pujana on May 22nd:
Brits waste 36% of their summer indoors – and half say they let the season ‘pass them by’
Last summer’s Met Office data revealed a whopping 33 days of unadulterated sunshine from June to August, yet a recent survey of 2,000 adults indicates that 62% feel the pressure to utilise the extended daylight, with six in 10 at a loss on how to spend it.
Consequently, 60% believe they’re squandering their summers, either falling into routine habits (39%) or failing to plan effectively (29%).
I’ll save you the time now: there’s no way you’d be able to guess the company behind the press release, and what their tenuous angle is:
To combat this, Zipcar UK, who commissioned the study, has teamed up with the creative duo from TOPJAW, Jesse and Will, to launch an online ‘Summer Selector’ tool aimed at sparking a season filled with excitement.
The dynamic pair commented: “During the warmer months with the extended days we have calculated the average Brit has 58,000 minutes of spare daylight time to make the most of. However, many don’t feel like they are maximising their summer days and the met office figures show sunshine is limited.”
“But we want to encourage the nation to get out and about this summer whether it’s visiting your local park, spontaneously driving out to the beach for the day, or even treating your family to a meal out at a top restaurant.”
Whoever Jesse and Will might be, they clearly have no issue putting their names to a marketing message like “Summer is a time for being spontaneous, so why not hire a car”. The Star, equally, have no issue profiting from it, as this article also bears the warning about the presence of affiliate links providing them a kickback on any cars hired in such a fit of spontaneity.
This is where things start to get a little odd, because on the same day, in the same newspaper, from the same writer, I spotted another classic of the Bad PR genre (Daily Mirror, Esti Pujana, May 22nd):
Superfans in the UK: Sports, movies, and M&M’s drive obsession, costing £287 a year
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that nearly half (49%) consider themselves ‘superfans’ of something, with 31% being die-hard supporters of a sports team. A quarter (24%) are crazy about a movie franchise, while one in five are devoted to a particular video game.
You may be thinking “ah, yes, that well-known area of superfandom: M&Ms”. But if you are thinking that, just know that it still plays into the marketing message – even sarcastic mockery of the content helps spread the article, and with it the very-obvious mention of the company behind the ‘study’:
On average, Brits have splashed out £287 on their fandom in the past year. The study was commissioned by M&M’S to celebrate the launch of its new M&M’S Minis and a pop-up experience in Soho on Wednesday 22nd May.
By this point, it seemed surprising that one author had penned two Bad PR stories in the same paper, on the same day. Given how prolific Ms Pujana has been throughout May, I shouldn’t have found it all that surprising to stumble across several examples…
One in four adults prefer a firm touch in the bedroom – when it comes to mattresses
A study of 2,000 adults found 28% thought they’d prefer a firm mattress – only to realise they need something softer
No surprises here to see that this study was created by mattress company eveSleep. Mildly surprising, however, that Esti Pujana published the same story to the Daily Star, on the same day as the Mirror.
One in three Brits ‘despise’ unexpected phone calls and quarter rarely or never answer
A poll of 2,000 adults found 31% ‘panic’ when the phone rings – especially if it’s from an unknown number or someone they haven’t heard from in a while
A few surprises to this one, not least that this story about rejecting unknown callers is actually an ad for a Whiskey Distillery:
The study was commissioned by Buffalo Trace Distillery ahead of the opening its first store outside of the USA, on 6th May.
Their hard-to-believe angle being, “you should be spontaneous, pick up the phone, it might be a friend inviting you out for whiskey”.
Andrew Duncan, global brand director for the brand, said: “It’s clear spontaneity is becoming a lost art form. And we think that’s a shame because many of life’s greatest experiences happen when one commits to living what we like to call perfectly untamed bolder, more daring, and less afraid of the unknown.”
“Unexpected moments shared over a glass of whiskey are, unsurprisingly, some of our favourites.”
Interestingly enough, Ms Pujana also published this same article to Cheshire Live, while other journalists picked it up for the Daily Express and Daily Mail.
Green projects businesses are most likely to fund – and it’s not electric cars
A quarter of companies would invest in environmental education, while just over% would put funding into rainforest conservation and carbon removal projects
A straightforward press release from climate action company Ecologi, noble in goal if still slightly troubling in eventual execution.
Brits spend the equivalent of more than two years of their lives tidying up their homes
Research among 2,000 adults found they’ll spend 54 minutes a week on laundry, 25 minutes mopping floors, 35 minutes vacuuming and 45 minutes washing up
A spokesperson for Flash, who commissioned the study to launch its new Power Spray Mop with a washable microfibre pad, commented: “If you’re going to spend this much time cleaning, you may as well do a proper job of it. But when you see just how long people will spend over their lifetime cleaning, it does make you wonder if there’s a more efficient way.”
If you are wondering whether there is a more efficient way to mop the floor, Flash’s new floor mop would like you to wonder if it is the answer you’re looking for. This story showcases a classic Bad PR trope: any regular thing that takes a small amount of time, adds up to a large amount of time over the course of a year/decade/lifetime. “Numbers add up to get bigger” shouldn’t be the headline-grabbing notion that it reliably proves to be. And this piece grabbed quite a few headlines for Pujana, who also published it to the Daily Star, the Teesside Gazette, and Wales Online.
The top 20 moments Brits turn to a cuppa including after a bereavement and during a hangover
Research of 2,000 adults found a cup of tea is often present as we progress throughout our day – from the moment we wake up to kick start the morning and after a stressful day…
The research was commissioned by PG Tips, to mark the launch of its advert with Top Boy star Ashley Walters, Mercury Prize winning Ezra Collective and Oscar-winning director Sir Steve McQueen.
Research here from PG Tips, the nation’s favourite “yeah, I guess that will do” brand of tea, found that the nation does, in fact, drink tea. It’s a story that saw Pujana also secure by-lines in the Daily Star, Wales Online, Cheshire Live, and the Grimsby Telegraph, while the Daily Express employed a different journalist to republish the same press release.
And, on the same day as that clutch of five by-lines across the breadth of the UK, Pujana was also busy publishing a story on behalf of veganism charity Viva!, to both the Daily Mirror and Daily Star. Quite the busy Wednesday.
Half of Brits don’t clean their phone after taking it to the toilet with them
In a story designed to make readers think “wait, half of people clean their phone after using it in the bathroom” Dettol secured not just a well-placed article in a national newspaper, but a direct link to their YouTube advert, too. And then, four days later, Esti Pujana published the story to the Daily Mirror, too… despite her colleague, Florence Freeman, having covered it the previous day, in the paper’s Sunday edition.
Brits are prioritising social media over personal finances
A study of 2,000 adults found they typically devote just 24 minutes a week to reviewing their expenses, budgeting, and planning their future finances – but 48 minutes scrolling through social media platforms
How terrible, according to investing app Moneybox, that people are spending just 24 minutes per week planning their future finances – implying that 24 minutes per week is a short amount of time. It is, of course, just one minute less per week than the amount of time we spend mopping, which Flash and Esti Pujana decried as a huge amount of time just five days earlier.
‘Fast homeware’ trend sees millions of usable items end up in landfill every year
A quarter of people feel that homeware trends are changing at an increasingly fast pace, with 62% admitting to throwing away items in good enough condition to donate to charity
Why throw things away, when they can be given a second life by the British Heart Foundation? Equally, why throw a story away once you’ve published it to Wales Online and the Hertfordshire Mercury, when you can republish it to the Daily Mirror four days later?
May carried on in the same vein. On the 14th, Pujana was in the Daily Star and the Daily Mirror letting M&S travel money and insurance warn people that they need to start saving for their next holiday as soon as they’re back from their current holiday. Later the same day, it was gambling company Lottoland using Pujana in the Daily Star and Daily Mirror to promote it’s 80s themed range of gambling games (a story Pujana’s colleague Richard Jenkins also published in the Daily Star on the same day… with Jenkins also publishing it to the Daily Express).
On the 15th May, Pujana wrote in the Daily Star and the Daily Mirror about ‘holiday choice paralysis’, and how having too many hotels to choose from is ruining the experience of planning holidays – according to hotel aggregator website Hotels.com. A website that, happily for the newspaper, offered an affiliate link – though not an affiliate link that the newspaper warned its readers about.
The next day, Pujana had food on her mind – starting with a story placed in the Daily Mirror and Daily Star on behalf of New York Bakery Co explaining how to spot an authentic bagel (hint: the company sells New York Bagels). Later the same day, she was writing in the Daily Mirror, the Daily Star, Gloucestershire Live, Lincolnshire Live, and Wales Online about the country’s cluelessness about fish – all in service to the marketing goals of fresh fish company Fish Said Fred.
By the 19th May, Pujana was publishing messaging from Kellogg’s to the Daily Star and Daily Mirror about the historic sporting events we wish we’d seen (in order to promote the cereal company’s latest sports promotion), before moving on a few days later to explain (in the Daily Star and Daily Mirror) that people are much more cautious about their exposure to the sun (thanks to survey sponsors Kopparberg), while at the same time reporting in the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star that people are poor with their numerical skills (thanks to KPMG).
The next day, Pujana was publishing a press release from Paypal to Teesside Live warning that businesses need to have more technical competency – complete with an affiliate link for the technically proficient Teesside Live. On the same day, Pujana published to the Daily Mirror a press release from MSC Cruises boasting about their use of British drinking water on board their cruise ships (cruise ships that originate, and therefore restock, in a British port), before writing on the same day in the same paper about the need for workers to efficiently track their overtime (thanks to time tracking app ProTime).
On to May 24th, and an article in the Daily Mirror explaining that:
Millennials and Gen Z turn to social media for gardening tips: Unusual hacks revealed
Of those gardening hacks, it’s fair to say one stands out as being particularly bizarre:
However, as hashtags like #allotmentuk and #growyourownfood gain popularity, 34% of all adults have also discovered unusual hacks to help their plants flourish. These include using old teabags (35%) and egg shells (32%), while one in 10 even use their body hair as a natural plant fertiliser.
Surprisingly, 11% have even resorted to using hair from their private parts to boost their fruit and veg growth. Yet, 80% were unaware that body hair is nutrient-rich and could be used as a natural plant fertiliser.
And that’s because this gardening press release is not the product of a garden centre, nor a plantcare product – but an electric shaver designed to tackle pubic hair:
Fiona Atkins, a male grooming expert for Philips OneBlade, which has teamed up with gardening and topiary experts to launch the ‘Hairy Harvest’ – a pop-up where passers-by can get a quick shave and take their trimmings home to help their own plants grow, said: “More and more people are looking at how they can start growing their own produce at home… so, we wanted to highlight the little-known fact that body hair is the perfect nutrient-rich DIY fertiliser to help Brits in their gardening endeavours.”
May 24th was a busy day for Pujana, as she was also in the Daily Mirror explaining that couples now run financial compatibility checks before agreeing to take on a mortgage together (according to mortgage provider Skipton Building Society), as well as appearing in the same paper on the same day to warn of the dangers of roaming charges, on behalf of a mobile phone company Sim Local. It was such an important story, Pujana would spend the 28th May publishing it in the Nottingham Post, the Leicestershire Mercury, North Wale Live, and Wales Online – in each case, with revenue-generating affiliate links.
It’s a surprise there was time left on the 28th May to do anything else, but clearly there was, as Pujana wrote for the Daily Mirror about the new youth trend of energy-saving air fryers (as discovered by energy company Utilita), and that houses are saving lots of money with other energy efficient upgrades (thanks to other energy company Smart Energy GB), before telling the same newspaper that it’s important to be knowledgeable about gormet food… thanks to a gourmet coleslaw range from salad brand Florette… a story which Pujana repeated for Cambridgeshire Live, Kent Live, and Somerset Live on the same, incredibly busy day.
What is the point of all of this?
So, who exactly is Esti Pujana? Is she the most prolific journalist in the UK, writing for at least two national newspapers, while also haring around the country to publish in regionals as spread out as Kent, Wales, and Teesside?
According to LinkedIn, Estibalitz Pujana is Assistant Managing Editor at Reach Plc. She has diploma in Marketing Management, and worked as a financial manager and a sales and marketing manager, before taking a role as ‘editorial management support’, and nine months later, ‘assistant managing editor’ for Reach Plc.
And just to be clear, my issue here is not with Esti Pujana. It genuinely isn’t. She is doing a job, and that job happens to essentially be putting her name to commercially-sourced (and occasionally kickback-laden) nonsensical articles that masquerade as news in the mainstream media. It is a living, and just because she is part of a broken system doesn’t mean she’s responsible for the breakage.
Instead, my issue is with Reach Plc. Reach is the company who bought the Daily Star, and the Daily Mirror. They also bought up the Daily Express, and the Daily Record, plus the Sunday versions of all of those titles. What’s more, they hoovered up more than 120 local newspapers across the UK, including the Liverpool Echo, the Manchester Evening News and the Manchester Metro News. Reach owns twenty-six newspapers in the London area alone.
As part of their operating model, Reach have dramatically cut costs at each of those news titles, and have laid off journalists across the country. After all, who needs a robust local news team in Manchester and one in Liverpool and one in Runcorn and one in Stockport, when you can have a slimmed-down team serve them mostly the same set of articles from a local pool? In fact, why stop there – why not have a national pool of articles, that get used as content in any one of those 120 ‘local papers’, or in several all at once? And why does the person writing those articles even have to be a journalist? Why can’t they just be someone with a marketing or sales or commercial background, repackaging press releases and churning them into things that look to all of world as if they are news articles? It’s cheap, and it requires no skill at all, but it fills a newspaper just as much as real journalism might.
But, crucially, it is not real journalism; it’s cargo cult reportage, the illusion of ‘local’ news. These local titles are arguably no longer newspapers – they’re journalistic zombies; they have the faces and the names you used to know, but inside they’re hollowed out and are effectively incapable of thinking for themselves.
Sadly, these hollowed-out husks of formerly reliable local papers – and, indeed, the national titles that sit at the top of that unholy food chain, equally voracious in their need for cheap, fast content, simply fills the internet with nonsense, particularly nonsense that’s an open door for bullshit commercially-sourced messaging. Sometimes, that messaging is what a company has paid Reach to publish, in terms of affiliates and kickbacks; other times, Reach will gladly and enthusiastically publish corporate brand messaging for free, because the zombie must be fed at all costs.
Even when that cost is a robust local and national press, or institutions of journalism that have been around for well over a century.
