Eight months ago How-Do's founder was sat at his computer, the twinkle in his eyes fading like that little valedictory dot on an old TV screen.
His hard work at gathering media and marketing news done for the day, his stories typed in, his better half abated with the announcement that he’d be downstairs in five.
If only he’d pressed ‘save’ in time that would have been minutes rather than hours.
The learning curve for web-virgin Nick Jaspan was apparently steeper than Stuart Melhuish’s plummet out of the How-Do 100.
But he persevered, he stuck grimly by his guns, he learnt the ropes like a Fuse Sport client and, lo and behold, look where we find him today…
Reaching for another ivory back scratcher and contemplating that second chalice of Lambrini - safe in the knowledge that you’ve found your media and marketing website of choice, and he’s found some other mug to do this review of the year thing.
Nick, it must be said, loves it when a plan comes together.
Personality of the year
An Amaze-ing disappearance
Let’s start with the human-interest angle. Everyone likes a bit of personality and here in the NW we appear to have more than our fair share.
The immediate inclination is to wrap this up for Christmas and give the gong straight to the man that is rapidly emerging as some sort of classic pantomime villain. Sorry, ‘alleged’ pantomime villain.
If he could be with us tonight he’d probably be a shoe-in, but seeing as he currently appears to be snubbing the media scene altogether I’m afraid that Michael Welch does not take the title. We can only wonder who he’s courting now?
Similarly other contestants somewhat conspicuous by their absence, are the aforementioned Stuart Melhuish and Mr 'Gone Native' himself Colin Sneath.
Where are they this evening? We're sure a lot of people would like to know.
Brauner, brains and Crains
So, who do we have as the pick of the crop? Surely we owe serious consideration to Steve Brauner for landing the Crain’s gig, as we do to TBWA’s Robert Harwood-Matthews for having the nads to go his own way, drop the BDH moniker and, perhaps most importantly of all, not get on a plane to Beijing and connect a clenched fist straight to the nose of our very own ‘Mr Personality’ Tony Murray. Admirable restraint Robert, admirable.
Controversially I think we’re going to have to award the first personality prize to Jo Walsh from GovNet.
The How-Do Hundred’er must be the most commented about person across numerous stories this year and yet she’s had the good grace to take it all on the chin and, crucially, not sue us.
Jo, we salute you!
Bitches of the year
Finnegan
If the claws are out in the media and marketing milieu you can bet they usually belong to a PR (or an ex-Media Mission staffer). This delightfully catty sector seems to be inhabited by sorts that are hell bent on ripping the stuffing, or the piss, out of their competitors at every available opportunity.
It’s what keeps the sector so alive, interesting and, judging by the page impressions, so riveting to read about. Apparently, we all love it.
Boo!
But the surprise page-hitting, comment-inducing, insult-trading sensation of the year in this respect was, on the face of it, also the most throw-a-way.
It revolved around a few pumpkins and, what some of you would have us believe, a few more turnips.
Yup, it’s Slam PR. The Weber-Shandwick offshoot had its official launch near to Halloween and decided to mark the occasion by sending out pumpkins to its peer agencies to customise.
Cue torrents of abuse, blogs that unkindly drew comparisons with senior Interpublic PRs and members of the squash genus, and a whole munificient patch of publicity for our Slam’ers.
A trick on us and a treat for them? Don’t you just know it…
Launch of the year
If we could tell you about a new, free magazine that’s launching with a seven-figure circulation that’d be the end of this category. But if we did tell you, someone would have to kill us.
Bearing that in mind we’ll have to stick to launches that have actually taken place, ruling out another yet to materialise polarizer of opinion, the NWDA’s Outbox.
For the smart money then there’s only really one horse in the race, Crain’s.
The big boys from the big country have come over here with their big plans, Porter and pockets. Despite the words of wisdom from Mr Regan over at EN, they look to have made an impact from the outset with their well received launch issue, and will undoubtedly leave more than their banjo strings quivering on the publishing circuit.
The battle commences proper in 08 – take your sides people…
Interval
At this stage in proceedings it’s customary to take a little break and refresh oneself for the second half.
Denizens of this domain that is media have a habit of making the odd idle boast and then being resolutely idle when it comes to bringing that boast to fruition. We all, at some time, end up writing cheques that we just can’t cash.
Unless you’re Mediavest of course, then you’re minted.
If it were Tony writing this he’d probably single out one Giles Bastow as the very embodiment of this character foible, seeing as said nemesis of his has yet to unleash any Chimps into the magazine jungle.
However, seeing as Giles Bastow may not even actually exist, we’ll refrain from doing so and stick to concerns that are very much very real.
Taking a Time Out Tony?
Outbox, as we’ve already earmarked, has to be one of the protagonists in this league as it was slated for a November launch. Those clicking though to the url will have discovered that this is not yet the case though, with the only thing launching being a fistful of the taxpayer’s cash into the wide blue yonder.
Nevertheless, Outbox is apparently emerging in the New Year, meaning it will be a mere smattering of months tardy at the very most. Time Out, however, is an embarrassment of, well, years behind schedule now, and is so far off on the horizon still that it might as well be Michael Welch.
What is happening Mr Elliot? Please do tell. Your audience awaits, but not for too much longer…
Fall out of the year
Mercer: leather
Fall outs? In media and marketing? Surely we’re all as tight with one another as the contents of Grant Mercer’s leather keks?
No, perhaps not.
Scrolling through the stories, with eyes that are now fading faster than Sophie Anderton’s fake tan, it appears as if we do have the occasional jocular run in.
But, I’m ashamed to say, we have to gravitate back to the world of PR yet again for the easy winner.
The fall-out headline that made most of you fall in to the story was ‘Brazen PR and the MEN in Easter tiff’. A cautionary tale of the media and manipulation that, just like so much chocolate smeared all over nubile young bathing bodies, you seemed desperate to lap up.
And who can blame you.
Bargain of the year?
Anything that’s free just has to be a bargain (unless it makes you itchy), so the launch of Shortlist, the MEN’s continued expansion of its free model, Man Con’s donuts and the definitive list of the most powerful people in the North West media, undoubtedly go down as gigs that offer tremendous VFM.
But the best bargains are often the ones when you pay a lot less than what you perceive to be market value. When you almost surprise yourself with your bloody good fortune.
And in that respect there’s only one star a top o’this tree.
The real answer, of course, is something that only the accountants and Mr Melhuish know.
We can assume that the profit margins at the business were on the thin side of feck all, and there may have been the obligation to shoulder a chunk of debt that needed the strong back support that only a group entity such as Hasgrove could muster.
But still… £600k? For great clients, great staff, a great reputation (that may admittedly have been tarnished a little), great offices and greatly increased presence in the digital marketplace.
You have to say that that’s probably great business.
Success story of the year
The final category before you bugger off to your Xmas party, and I can bed down under my blanket of discarded freesheets, is a positive one – the success story of 2007.
The heart, head and need for on-going work makes me immediately want to proclaim ‘How-Do!’ with a clarion call worthy of an angry Cheshire-ite. But alas that, just like conjuring up ‘fake’ members of the public, just wouldn’t be cricket.
With the New Year panting lustily in the wings it would have been a joy to hand the gong over to the heads of Liverpool Council and the Culture Company for their groundwork in preparation for the Capital of Culture status. But, alas, it’s not to be.
I’m no fan of kicking anyone when they’re down, but in this case it’s probably necessary just to check that they’re awake.
Please guys, you only have a few weeks left and a whole city relying on you. Get it sorted.
Festive lights
In contrast to the stuttering preparations that have haunted 2008, the 2011 moves seem to be progressing with an air of quietly industrious, inexorable determination.
Sure it’s early days, sure there have been setbacks and cuts – but the biggest single transformational development in the history of the North West media and marketing industry is underway, and has gathered pace right the way through 2007.
If that’s not a success story then I don’t know what is.
On that cheery note, the now handful of us at How-Do would like to raise a glass of the pink stuff in your general direction.
Happy Christmas folks and here's to a prosperous New Year for one and all of us.
Why not leave your own personal high and low-lights from 2007 below. We’d love to hear what you think...
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