What we’ve heard (and saw)...

Mar 09

- HOT!! A few fakies were asked to hand back their presskit and barred from going in by a no-nonsense PR at his/her event after realising that they were faked media. HOT!!

(This is what we are talking about. We take our hats off to YOU Ms/Mr. PR) 

- Have anybody heard of UTUSAN SEREMBAN?? Neither do we. Apparently, there was one guy signed in as such at an event held in KL. Hmm, what's next Utusan Ipoh, Utusan Kuantan, Utusan Kuching or wait, wait, Utusan Gombak.

- The good old Dr asked a question during Q&A. Oh wow! The first time we've seen. Of course, the reason was the organiser only gave a notepad as the doorgift earlier while, those who asked questions during the Q&A session were presented with a more expensive goodie bag.  

And his question was... "how much do expect to sell yada, yada, yada."  :) 

- The Dr like to bring his friend to events. It so happened that during one of the media luncheon his friend was seated next to the PR. When pressed, the friend admitted he is not from media but he was there just to gauge the industry and do some networking as he plans to start an IT publication... six months down the road. Wahlau! real or not? Frankly speaking we don't think the industry needs another IT mag.

Of course lar, the PR was pissed but managed to "nicely" told him...  "please don't come to our event again."

Feb 09

- The good old Dr. striked again. According to a PR friend, at one multinational factory visit event the Dr signed in as ... jeng, jeng, jeng... The Star. What happened, NSM now merged with The Star is it?? Derghhh!!

 

Jan 09

- Slow month with a few events. At least we didn’t see these fake media in most of the events. 

A good sign.

- A PR told us that after seeing the Dr signed as from the SME many times they decided to call the local Small-and-medium Enterprises Organisation to verify his credential. According to the official, the Dr did a job once (read: just once), with the organisation and that's all to it. They told the PR, if the Dr still claims to represent their organisation please inform them.

- Some of the fakies told the PR, when pressured, that their company is actually a Singapore-based publication and they were sent here to cover Malaysian events.  

Wahlau! Singapore publications don't have anything to do is it, that they've to send their people to cover events here?

Dec 08

- A group of mainstream media saw one of the fake media stole a doorgift right in front of their eyes. 

The story goes, at one event held in Bangsar the PR decided not to give one of these fakies who came quite late to the event a presskit (including the doorgift, of course). His friend who are already there saw this and decided to take matter into his own hand. When the PR went inside during the opening ceremony he went to the unmanned PR desk a couple of times pretending to check out the product brochures. Finally, on the third "visit" he just slipped his hand into a box next to the brochures, took an envelope and dashed away. The envelope contained an ice-cream voucher (the doorgift). We suspected he handed it to his friend later.  

- We counted there are as many as 11 fake media so far, including the notorious Malay uncle who claimed to be a representative from the Malaysian Media Association. He does not only attend events for the free foods and doorgifts but also ask money (saying that it was for the media event that the association plans to do). Heard he could make three to four hundred ringgits from unsuspecting CEOs at such event. 

- The Dr. seems like to bring a friend or two to these events, which ... really, really sux. 

- There was one guy claimed to be an editor of a Bahasa Malaysia IT magazine and he got away with it. 

Common lar, there is only one BM IT mag that we know off and the editor has been around for many, many years which we think all PR agencies which are involved in the IT industry should know him by now.