In today’s modern world, how important is brand? I don’t mean that Essex longhaired controversial comedian, although his own brand is of some interest that I will discuss later. I mean the trade names given to products, companies, services and ever more importantly, public figures that we all grow to know and recognise.
The face of the recent credit crunch coverage on the BBC was Robert Peston, Business Editor, who through his blog, Peston Picks, and his constant TV reports delivered breaking updates of the financial crisis day after day. Rick Waghorn, an ex-local newspaper sports writer, in a recent lecture discussed with us the idea of the Robert Peston brand and how during the financial crisis the 'Peston brand' potentially became bigger than the BBC (particularly on that niche subject). Waghorn, who now has his own brand in My Football Writer (an online site dedicated to the latest insights and updates about football teams such as Norwich City) told us that this type of brand-orientated journalism is where we are headed.
Both Jeff Jarvis and Shane Richmond on their blogs have discussed the idea of a journalist creating their own brand and it’s growing importance, as news organisations can’t afford to employ them all as journalists. Jarvis looks at whether the future of the newsroom isn’t a room at all but:
“an open network of journalists who succeed or fail by the value of what they do and their reputations and credibility?”
Richmond discusses whether other journalists will pursue Waghorn's route of going alone and questions the cost of subscription fees if all his favourite writers followed that path.
This made me consider some of the other big brand names within the BBC, such as Jonathan Ross and Jeremy Clarkson, who arguably could be considered almost untouchable because of the success of the brand they have created.
Clarkson is undeniably both an assured journalist as displayed in his Sun and Sunday Times columns, and clearly an entertaining presenter, leading one of the BBC’s biggest shows, Top Gear. Yet it would be difficult to deny that he seems to be able to get away with just about anything. This joke on a recent show that offended many people with 339 complaints is just one of many outrageous remarks Clarkson makes on a weekly basis on the high-ratings show, Top Gear, which have included several run-ins with Ofcom and the public, even over allegations of racism and homophobia.
Jonathan Ross, a household name among Britain as a talk show host, film critic and radio presenter is another figure whose position at the BBC where he earns a reported £18 million annually, seems to be impenetrable. It may be too early to tell but he appears to have come away from the recent Ross/Brand/Sachs prank call saga relatively unscathed and is another figure that is no stranger to controversy, as Nigel Burton details in his article, often with very little backlash.
So are these names just too big of a commodity for the BBC to lose? On the other hand, could these brands survive even when parting with a huge corporation like the BBC and could these individuals have become the brands they are today without the BBC association?
Renowned PR man Max Clifford believes that Ross would nosedive if he parted with the BBC and went to a rival broadcaster, but its hard to say when you see the almost immediate success Russell Brand found since leaving the BBC. After resigning in October 2008 Brand’s second series of the Channel 4 show ‘Ponderland’ has had an average audience of over one million, he has further success in America and has also won best live stand up at the British Comedy Awards even dedicating his award to Jonathan Ross.
Despite the BBC being a public service broadcaster, it definitely needs cutting edge programming and adopting an over sensitive approach to all of their output would likely lead to a drop in the quality of programming. Yet questions still have to be asked over whether some of these individuals command too much power and clout within the BBC considering their positions as presenters and primarily entertainers. It is clear that brand is very important in this modern world as it can help garner this amount of influence and fundamentally you have to question how dangerous of a position a brand like the BBC find themselves in when these internal brands potentially have this amount of power.
The face of the recent credit crunch coverage on the BBC was Robert Peston, Business Editor, who through his blog, Peston Picks, and his constant TV reports delivered breaking updates of the financial crisis day after day. Rick Waghorn, an ex-local newspaper sports writer, in a recent lecture discussed with us the idea of the Robert Peston brand and how during the financial crisis the 'Peston brand' potentially became bigger than the BBC (particularly on that niche subject). Waghorn, who now has his own brand in My Football Writer (an online site dedicated to the latest insights and updates about football teams such as Norwich City) told us that this type of brand-orientated journalism is where we are headed.
Both Jeff Jarvis and Shane Richmond on their blogs have discussed the idea of a journalist creating their own brand and it’s growing importance, as news organisations can’t afford to employ them all as journalists. Jarvis looks at whether the future of the newsroom isn’t a room at all but:
“an open network of journalists who succeed or fail by the value of what they do and their reputations and credibility?”
Richmond discusses whether other journalists will pursue Waghorn's route of going alone and questions the cost of subscription fees if all his favourite writers followed that path.
This made me consider some of the other big brand names within the BBC, such as Jonathan Ross and Jeremy Clarkson, who arguably could be considered almost untouchable because of the success of the brand they have created.
Clarkson is undeniably both an assured journalist as displayed in his Sun and Sunday Times columns, and clearly an entertaining presenter, leading one of the BBC’s biggest shows, Top Gear. Yet it would be difficult to deny that he seems to be able to get away with just about anything. This joke on a recent show that offended many people with 339 complaints is just one of many outrageous remarks Clarkson makes on a weekly basis on the high-ratings show, Top Gear, which have included several run-ins with Ofcom and the public, even over allegations of racism and homophobia.
Jonathan Ross, a household name among Britain as a talk show host, film critic and radio presenter is another figure whose position at the BBC where he earns a reported £18 million annually, seems to be impenetrable. It may be too early to tell but he appears to have come away from the recent Ross/Brand/Sachs prank call saga relatively unscathed and is another figure that is no stranger to controversy, as Nigel Burton details in his article, often with very little backlash.
So are these names just too big of a commodity for the BBC to lose? On the other hand, could these brands survive even when parting with a huge corporation like the BBC and could these individuals have become the brands they are today without the BBC association?
Renowned PR man Max Clifford believes that Ross would nosedive if he parted with the BBC and went to a rival broadcaster, but its hard to say when you see the almost immediate success Russell Brand found since leaving the BBC. After resigning in October 2008 Brand’s second series of the Channel 4 show ‘Ponderland’ has had an average audience of over one million, he has further success in America and has also won best live stand up at the British Comedy Awards even dedicating his award to Jonathan Ross.
Despite the BBC being a public service broadcaster, it definitely needs cutting edge programming and adopting an over sensitive approach to all of their output would likely lead to a drop in the quality of programming. Yet questions still have to be asked over whether some of these individuals command too much power and clout within the BBC considering their positions as presenters and primarily entertainers. It is clear that brand is very important in this modern world as it can help garner this amount of influence and fundamentally you have to question how dangerous of a position a brand like the BBC find themselves in when these internal brands potentially have this amount of power.
Photo courtesy of claire h: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flashback/2322626646/
and photovalve: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photovalve/1413090804/
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