mihnea miculescu

digital pr rants & a motley of tech blabber

PR catastrophe: Grainger Games at the GMAs

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Wow, this is an absolute treat.

This little retail chain wanted to get closer to the game media, so they sponsored this year's GMAs. But check out what their people did at last night's award ceremony:

 

Expertly alternating between shouting whilst sitting down and shouting whilst standing up, at one of the particularly coked-up chaps even decided to jump up on stage and start thrusting his pelvis towards the audience. 

 

But wait... There's more. You can read the full (and rather juicy) story right here. And then the organisers' very elegant apology. (via @vikkichowney)

Glastonbury Mobile App

In a time when almost every big brand out there has some sort of mobile app just for the sake of having one, Orange has come up with one that's actually extremely useful for anyone going to Glastonbury this year. I quite like seeing this festival communication frenzy among mobile operators - and Orange seems to be winning at this point. Remember the Vodafone charging truck announced about 2 weeks ago? Orange has charging tents, but which are available for everyone (not just its customers).

(download)
The app's features include:
  • Schedule and programmable ‘My Planner’ in association with the Guardian Guide allowing the user to customise their own line up for the weekend
  • Interactive map with one click ‘now and next’ listings for stages and ‘mood map’
  • News section featuring up to date content from Glastonbury Festival and The Guardian including direct updates from the festival over the weekend
  • Ability to share line-ups via Facebook before and during the festival

And it's available to everyone for free on the App Store, the Android Market and the Ovi Store. Check out a video of how it works right here.

 

London Action

There's a nifty urban ARG called London Action coming up next week, and it sounds quite appealing:

"You’ll be given a device equipped with GPS and image-recognition software free of charge. Using this tool you’ll pick up streaming videos and virtual clues hidden in the nooks and crannies of the urban landscape. Every lead you find takes you deeper into the history of the resistance and presents a new challenge."

Interestingly enough, it's not something backed by any big companies - instead, it's all about charity. Picked it up from Londonist. If it all still seems a bit confusing, you can find guidance here.