Strictly brilliant PR
John Sergeant and dance partner
There are two stories that have dominated the UK media today. My colleague Nick has addressed one of them in the post below and I am going to turn my attention to far less weightier issues - John Sergeant pulling out of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition.
A few months ago he was a respected but straight-laced political correspondent, famous mostly for being the reporter shoved out of the way by Maggie Thatcher’s goons when she announced her resignation. Fast forward a few months and he is approaching national treasure status thanks to his comically bad dancing, chubby-faced charm, way with a quip and position as the nation’s favourite underdog.
The manner of his departure was exquisite too; it was dignified and timed with a perfection he couldn’t quite manage on the dance-floor, as he realised that his continued presence on the show was starting to grate. He has left with reputation not just intact but hugely enhanced and it’s an exit strategy that people from many other walks of life would be wise to follow.
Good on you John! And good luck to Christine Bleakley, my personal strictly favourite on the show.
At the time of writing there were around 1,000 articles about this on Google News and Bruce Forsyth had just been on the Six O’Clock news to talk about John’s decision. If this story is worthy of the media frenzy it has generated is another matter entirely, but it has to be said that the whole thing has been an absolute PR triumph for John Sergeant.
Tags: PR, Strictly Come Dancing
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Comments (4)
November 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm Posted by Becky McMichael
Now I love spangly dancing folk as much as the next person, however this is all actually mental. Really mental. Listening to it on radio 4 on the way home tonight and believe it or not, they were discussed in parliament yesterday….
BBC show, BBC reporter, BBC news…..BBC scores.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:02 pm Posted by PaulieA
I know, the world gets madder by the day! First sachsgate and now this - sometimes - I feel like we’re living in some made-up world at the minute.
November 24th, 2008 at 6:46 am Posted by Hugh McKinney
There is an Early Day Motion on this in the House of Commons that begins: “That this House is devastated by the circumstances surrounding John Sergeant’s departure from Strictly Come Dancing…”
While “devastated” may be intended to be ironic and was almost certainly tongue in cheek, it demonstrates just how good his PR has been.
November 24th, 2008 at 6:52 am Posted by PaulieA
i get annoyed by attention-seeking MPs that comment on issues like this and the X-factor - they only exacerbate things. Surely there are important questions to raise in the House?
Peter Mandleson didn’t stop banging on about it with Andrew Marr yesterday, although it was a close-run thing between him and David Cameron as to who was the smuggest, most insincere phoney on the show.
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