BACKSLAP

Hack’ s dim view of Nokia flattery

Nokia’ s glitzy launch of the Lumia 1020 in New York took an unexpected turn when an angry reporter challenged CEO Stephen Elop’ s fulsome praise of US operator AT & T.

Joan Lappin, of Forbes. com, said:“ Since you launched Lumia, AT & T has been a dreadful partner. If you went into a store, most sales people knew nothing about it. There was no signage and if you asked about it they really didn’ t promote it.

“ What have you done to ensure this beautiful phone doesn’ t get the same crummy treatment from AT & T that has curtailed your sales?”

Cue audience applause. With the US network’ s boss, Ralph De La Vega, in attendance, Elop claimed the AT & T launch would be“ better than anything it has done with it before”. In a stunning example of management non-speak( AKA‘ BS baffling brains’), Elop said Nokia can“ help people see more than their eyes can see”.

Not well enough to spot troublesome hacks though.

HTC brand awareness is now at a stonking 87 per cent – an all-time high – says director of commercialisation product management Graham Wheeler. Hurrah!

So, what was it before? Eighty-six per cent? Zero? Alas this proved a question too far for Wheeler and his indefatigable minders from Nelson Bostock PR, who

O2 has been reticent to discuss its 4G plans, so we were thrilled to receive a press release from the network recently urging businesses to join its forthcoming 4G service for a“ more reliable quickly wheeled out the standard response when a pesky journalist bowls their client a googly:“ Um, we’ ll send that info over today.”

Alas, answer came there none. Just for fun we kept asking. After a week of nagging they finally revealed this gem:“ Unfortunately, this is information that we do not have.”

A recent mobile payments event in London featured experts(‘ thought leaders’ is banned here) such as Visa Europe head of mobile business Sandra Alzetta and Santander head of mobile Ben Green.

Some bright spark had thought it would be a good idea to provide tall stools which required the dexterity of a rodeo rider to mount. Midway through answering a question Alzetta paused to inform the crowd:“ I ' m sorry but these are the most uncomfortable chairs in the world.”

Monetise, the company‘ chairing’ the session, quickly form of communications”.

As we examined the handout for more clues, we uncovered this astounding fact:“ 4G service will be available in areas with 4G coverage when we launch it.”

ordered that the high chairs be swapped for non-lifethreatening furniture.

‘ Thought leaders get high '

As part of O2’ s‘ Be More Dog’ campaign( see Backslap last issue), the network wooed the press with a murder mystery event called‘ A Shot at Fame’. Hacks had to work out who had murdered budding songwriter‘ Anna Coustic’( ho ho) by scanning NFC codes scattered at various London locations to reveal clues.

One location was a park which was closed until O2 staff persuaded park attendants to open the gates. Another clue was meant to

Ace Fones has stepped up its game. The store had fixed a broken iPhone 4 screen and the punter came in to collect it. Perhaps Sir would like to buy a protective case before leaving?

be in the window of Urban Outfitters in Covent Garden – except someone had removed it from the window display a day earlier.

‘ That was one dog’ s dinner of an event’

Nah. Whereupon Sir misjudged the steep step out of the shop, tripped and instantly smashed the newly repaired screen. Cue another £ 40 repair job and one successful case sale.

What other reason could there be for a press release on the Huawei MediaPad 7 Youth tablet not to reveal the

Apparently, this trivial stuff is still“ unconfirmed”.

MN 2013-0730 BackSlap. indd 48 24 / 07 / 2013 17:02