Story of the Week: Invasion of the Giant Rats

Now it is the silly season, and it was in The Sun – but it’s a great story.

In case you missed it, ‘ratzillas’ have been discovered on an estate in Bradford where residents have described how rats the size of bulldogs terrorise their cats and keep them awake at night, screeching around the rafters like drag racing cars.

As well as speaking to worried neighbours, The Sun also sought expert opinion, talking to the Mammal Society (good PR opportunity) and the Yorkshire Rat Club President (I’m not kidding). The Sun concluded its report with an appeal for anyone who’d seen the MONSTER RAT to get in touch.

And I’ve got to hand it to the press office at Rentokil, who feature in a follow up entitled Gnaws II in today’s Sun. They’ve produced pictures of a two-foot long beast that they recently caught in Lincoln – after reports of a pair ‘stalking’ the grounds at night.

Hundreds of Sun readers have also been in touch, describing their encounters with ‘whopping’ rats – including a lorry driver who’s too afraid to get out of his cab at night.

Regardless of what you make of the story – it can’t be ignored from a PR point of view. Local papers will be demanding to know what their local council is doing about rat control and what measures are in place to cope with an INVASION OF THE GIANT RATS.

Pet shops could come under fire for encouraging rat ownership and hardware stores might need to gear themselves up for a run on traps and poison, no doubt sparking fears for the safety of young children and other pets (a new angle to keep the story running). Before you know it, rat terror will be gripping the country. Just the thing for the silly season.

Of course you never read The Sun, but one day you could find yourself unexpectedly in the spotlight – so be prepared. It’s no good protesting that they make it all up – remember most people believe what they read…

And don’t forget time is of the essence in situations such as this – no doubt Rentokil’s competitors are kicking themselves.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3102460/Invasion-of-the-giant-rats-in-Bradford.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3104027/Gnaws-II-Giant-rat-caught-in-Lincoln.html

Look For The Quirky Angle!

You’ve got to take your hat off to the Aussie tourist people, when it comes to PR.

Last year 34,000 people applied for the ‘Best Job in The World’ – as caretaker of Hamilton Island, Australia. And now the South Australian government is tempting bored Brits with a wild range of jobs.

If you fancy being a ‘roo poo’ harvester, Koala catcher, beer taster or shark personality profiler then South Australia’s the place for you it seems.

The gap year market is big business, with destinations around the globe competing for the traveller dollar. And while Australia has its fair share of ‘must sees’ and ‘must dos’, what sets it apart from most countries is that it’s possible to get a work permit while you’re there.

Now, the reality is that most ‘gappers’ will probably look for work in bars, restaurants, offices etc, but what the tourism PR people realise is that travelling is ultimately about adventure.

So, armed with research highlighting that 60% of Brits are bored with their jobs, they’ve come up with a quirky campaign to sell Australia’s ‘uniqueness’. As they say: “take the usual trail, do the usual jobs or go for something that you can’t get anywhere else in the world…an experience you’ll be dining out on for years, the sort of experience you’ll be telling your grand-kids about.”

You could dismiss it all as a silly PR stunt but I think it’s a real winner – not only is South Australia highlighting the fact that you can actually earn some money while you’re there, but it’s offering travellers a bit of real Aussie adventure at the same time - and grabbing world headlines in the process.

Remember, a great PR campaign doesn’t necessarily mean doing anything new –sometimes it’s just about positioning things in a new light...