Public relations consultant /blog

Stephen,

not sure about this

Manchester Confidential is advertorial. Try getting an editorial piece in it or even a competition or giveaway without advertising.

I think the Manchester Evening News has reach and has visibilitz it can change editorial direction quickly.

I only read Manchester Confidential for teh competitions, which I never win.

If editorial was accepted I think it would be a stronger publication.

Rob

There is very little editorial, but to argue that it is entirely advertorial is misleading. The Castlefield campaign, the congestion charge and a previous campaign against increased parking charges show this. More importantly, given that it’s an ents mag, Jonathan Schofield’s reviews can be trusted.

You’re right that the opportunities for PRs are very limited indeed. That they expect you to advertise in support of any competitions / give aways you offer them is a cost issue not an integrity issue. A competition prize should be worth at least as much as the advertising space it takes up, which is why you should always offer ‘money can’t buy’ prizes whose value you can inflate.

Hello, I’m the editor of Manchester Confidential. I was away on holiday when these were posted so missed them. We are not an advertorial website, we are a magazine which is strongly commercially. Like all magazines, certainly print magazines, we have advertising and offers, create microsites for people and so on because that’s how we make money. And we do make money, a clear profit.
Yet on average, per week, we post between 15 to 25 home page features, three-quarters of which are editorial without any link to advertising, offers and competitions. This gives, per calendar month, more than eighty stories on the site – much more than most comparable print magazines. This week was very food based but we broke stories too such as The Modern Restaurant and Bar opening in Urbis, did a listing for Pride and previewed the Take That musical, the previous week we wrote about gun crime, Cube Gallery, The Bourne Ultimatum and so on.
We have variety and that will increase, for Rob to say ‘Manchester Confidential is advertorial’ is plain wrong. Even in the food reviews I’ve banned anything but impartiality. Still even if Rob comes on the site for the offers and competitions that’s fine with us.
And from a commercial point of view check out our media information – a exact set of stats not figures guestimated from a supposed ‘readership’.

Manchester Confidential is probably the worst publication I have ever had the misfortune to read.

It’s basically a sales brochure for various different companies dressed up as some sort of supposedly serious publication about Manchester.

Perhaps the worst example of bad taste I have seen in there was an article about a woman’s personal experience of multiple miscarriages. All very heart rendering you might think until halfway through the article the woman in question,who had up until then pulled every emotional heart string in the book, begins a blatant sales patter to sell a whole host of unproven vitamin supplements and alternative therapies. Personally I was horrified that such grubby sales tactics are being used by such a publication to target the weak and vulnerable members of our society.

Manchester Confidential is getting better all the time. It is witty and very direct and covers a huge range of topics.Not even sure about the advertorial thing at the moment either. Loved the way they treated the Rangers situation this week.

I agree that Manchester Confidential is very much an advertorial. In a decent publication, they show enough integrity to clearly state when an article has been paid for by putting “ADVERTISING FEATURE” in big letter at the top of it. On the Confidential websites, you have to check the “client list” to find that the majority of reviews and editorials are written about businesses who have paid money to Planet Confidential. In addition, so called journalists are permitted to write articles about businesses that they are commercially involved with, such as Lynda Moyo’s review of Red Rooms (run by Bruntwood who are commerically involved with her interest).

Any publication worth its salt would make it extremely clear which articles are unbiased, and which are commercially inappropriate rather than dressing them all up the same. It makes it hard to trust anything Manchester Confidential writes.

Manchester Confidential, and in particular Lynda Moyo just smack of poor journalism and low integrity

I love Manchester Confidential. Certain writers are the best on their subject in Manchester and I’d include Nicola Mostyn, Phil Griffin, Jonathan Schofield, Gordo, Laura Whitworth, Daz Mossop and various others. If you’re intelligent enough it’s easy to spot the dividing line between advertorial and editorial. The former doesn’t have a rant facility.

The Castlefield debate just shows ManCon for what they are – cashing in on a debate to try and generate more business – I thin they only got Alberts Shed signed up off the back of it as other Castlefield businesses didn’t want to get into bed with certain members of their team from what I hear.
They were quick to claim victory in the Jacksons Wharf debate despite not even doing about the protest, lead by the likes of Pride Of Manchester, James Hickman, Anthony McCaul and Marc Ramsbottom.
I have to give them full credit for their self-PR, (presumably some of the replies below are from their office). Speak to anybody who has worked for them or advertised with them in the past and you’ll get a different answer as to whether or not they are an editorial or advertorial website.

Having dealt with and stupidly advertised (i know…never again) with Man Con I can only liken them to the journalistic equivalent of double glazing salesmen. Most of the team are over smug juniors with the account handling/copywriting ability of a team of chimpanzees. Brainwashed by some slick sales pitch from a past it moron complete with daft moniker they chase the dream fed to them that “we’re the next facebook” while aformentioned Greedo – who has only a modikem of real understanding as to what they actually do – spends his days dropping their wages off at the best eateries in town.
A choice bunch if ever i saw one.

Love the quote above “even in the food reviews i’ve banned anything but impartiality…” yeh ok jonathan……go read your Go Pizza review – it’s pizza made in 60 seconds for god’s sake yet it’s written as if Ramsay’s come to town and shock horror – they advertise.

Their claimed page visit rates are made up – see alexa.com for the truth – i know because an ex employee spilled the beans.
They’ve now realised the error of the business plan and run out of places to slag-off in city centre, picking on some poor bastards in the ‘burbs to provide the entertainment of a sarcastic slagging off.

The news is old. The reviews are paid for and the team are mostly a joke. With any luck the crunch will see them off.