This year might have been doom and gloom for some, but we think this lot will remember 2009 as one of their highlights:
1. 1. Spotify – it’s free and you can listen to practically any track or album you want. We love it at Viva Towers, even if it does mean having to put up with Tony’s whale music from time to time.
2. Twitter – if you’re not a Facebook fan, chances are you’ll be a Twitterer. Viva has found it to be a useful PR tool, as well as a great way to keep tracks on our latest celebs. Even if they are tweeting about what they had for breakfast.
3. Peter Andre – before the days of Jordan, he was wallowing in the obscurity his cheesy ‘hit’ of a decade previously deserved. Since the celebrity split of the year, Peter has gone from ‘zero to hero’ and won over an army of ‘Team Pete’ fans. Can’t help feeling that obscurity knocks in 2010 for the man of limited talent.
4. Cheryl Cole – a glittering solo career, numerous advertising deals and a much sought after seat on the judging panel of a little known TV talent show has seen ‘Cheryl mania’ reach its peak. She is idolised by millions, except maybe the toilet attendant she beat to a pulp a few years ago. Not a great judge – just look at who she chose to marry!
5. YouTube – millions of us logged on to the site to watch SuBo’s Britain’s Got Talent audition clip, which has became the most watched YouTube vid of the year. It has also been a great promotional tool for a local school. Pupils from Alder Grange posted a video on the site as part of a petition for a new Sixth Form. Didn’t too badly either, as it helped in the campaign which landed the school planning permission.
6. Sunday Best – the award-winning Rawtenstall store bucked the retail trend when the recession hit and opened a new young, on-trend department. It also flew the flag for northerners when it came runner-up in the prestigious Telegraph Shop Awards.
7. The ‘best job in the world’ advert - Tourism Queensland managed to generate over £35million of free global coverage, gathering masses of publicity in the form of TV, radio, newspapers and online resources, when they placed an advert to become the ‘caretaker’ of an Australian island.
8. Twilight saga – move over Harry Potter, in film world it seems it’s all about blood-sucking vampires this year. But enough about Simon Cowell.
9. X Factor mania. The fact that 2/3 of the nation did not watch it hasn’t stopped X Factor fever captivating the nation’s media. As Marie Antoinette said “Let them watch karaoke…”
10. Peter Kay – 7 years since he stood up and made us laugh proved that absence makes the heart grow fonder by selling 200,000 tickets almost over night.
Viva PR Manchester: Clayton House, 59 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
Viva PR Rawtenstall: The Old Pickle Factory,
Unit 4, Burnley Road, Rawtenstall, BB4 8EW.