Why nonsense ‘Blue Monday’ is still great for public relations
Sometimes a new dog needs to learn old tricks
So, this past Monday I took part in what is now an annual tradition for me — rubbishing the very idea of ‘Blue Monday’ while simultaneously feeling glum about a lack of money and having to get up for a job while it was dark for the first time in weeks. Of course I voraciously consumed all the ‘Blue Monday’ articles that appeared in every corner of the media, tutting as I did so at the laziness of journalists ‘taken in’ by this long disproved pseudoscience.
The thing is though, that for all my disapproval about the nonsense science behind the annual charade I can’t help but be in awe of Blue Monday. It’s simply one of the greatest greatest public relations hooks ever invented. Invented by their agency to sell holidays in January for the now defunct Sky Travel, it was typical of the kind of research we PRs do — pull together a few likely sounding stats, put a respectable name on it and hope the journalists don’t look too closely (there’s a great take down of the science by Ben Goldacre here).
Like Black Friday it’s entirely generated by judicious use of statistics by consultants eager to get their clients name in the press at a key time of the year and like Black Friday it’s a beast that has grown far beyond it’s origins. A quick look around this week shows Blue Monday coverage in every major UK newspaper, even though many of those were reminding the reader that there was no basis to the science. And that’s what piques my interest — the journalists are so well versed in the nonsense that even writing articles debunking it has gotten to be a little lazy, and the public relations and marketing professionals know it’s nonsense but still everyone plays the game.
For editors the motivation is clear — readers like it, read it and share it. As unscientific as the formula is when you’re sat at your desk for the first time in a fortnight looking at a long, bleak, penniless January stretching out before you it certainly feels true and it makes you feel better that everyone else is going through the same thing. Maybe, just maybe, it justifies booking that holiday. After all no matter how poor you are you’ll never get through today without giving yourself some kind of treat.
This year one company Frank PR reinvented the concept by recrunching the supposedly flawed formula and… well coming to the same conclusion. But they added a Wellness Barometer for their client Upbeat Drinks adding another level of nonsense to the whole thing. It works though, it’s a cute infographic cum social media aggregator that tells us that the happiest tweets of 2013 were about Andy Murray, Valentines Day and Barbeques and that we’re happiest at 6pm each day. Frank PR tell me they got coverage from Mail Online, Daily Express online, Daily Star, Guardian, Huffington Post, Metro and Evening Standard coverage in all the right places to be spotted by the kind of people who might want a drink to make them feel more ‘upbeat’ — so there’s no way you can count it as anything other than a win.
While those of us charged with media relations will be rubbing our hands with glee I don’t think latching on to these kinds of news hooks will work for every brand, there’s a risk that you damage credibility with more discerning publics if you aren’t seen as rigorous but I don’t think there’s a lesson to be learnt in Blue Monday for all of us — if it worked before don’t be afraid to try it again. Every piece of advice on garnering coverage will tell you that novelty works but sometimes being unoriginal pays off.
