Gervais' Great Traits

You either love or hate Ricky Gervais. Marmite. I must admit I am amongst the group of people who love him.

He is a perfect PR tool; he's opinionated and outspoken, as well as being one of the UK's most prominent comedians. But what I admire him for is his conservation work. He has spoken out against fox hunting and bullfighting, and even wrote to Gordon Brown urging him to stop the use of black bear fur as caps for London's foot guards. He has also expressed his desire to open an animal sanctuary in the future, appearing in adverts and has even began developing a mobile app in order to fund it.

He is constantly tweeting about petitions for the public to sign in order to save animals from all types of cruelty (a subject close to my heart). I retweet and sign as many of the petitions as I can. Just one voice can make a difference! 

He is perfect PR for the organisations creating these petitions - he is not someone you would associate saving animals with. "Ricky Gervais? Animal lover? I have to see this for myself": and there it is, thousands of people on his Twitter page admiring his work, feeling they must sign the petitions if even a controversial character like Ricky Gervais is (but it must be mentioned that his celebrity status already gives him that 'perfect PR' label). 

One petition he tweeted about was to save Tania, a thirty-seven year old elephant living at Tirgu Mures Zoo in Romania - one that really got to me. I signed and am receving email updates on the success of the petition and what changes are being made.

Unfortunately, Tania's exhibit is literally killing her. Most captive elephants die from foot disease as they do not get enough movement to keep their limbs healthy. The wet concrete from water, urine and feces seep into cracks of flattened foot pads and toes nails. It destroys elephant feet and bones, something unheard of amongst wild elephants. 

After thirty-four years in captivity, Tania came to Tirgu Mures Zoo with degenerative joint disease and diseased feet, the left back foot clearly infected as she holds it up constantly. The EAZA has known about Tania’s diseased feet but sent her to this small concrete prison anyway. Romania's long freezing winter months on a cold concrete floor exacerbate her foot problems even with foot care.

So please everyone, sign the petition!
htp://www.thepetitionsite.com/956/417/286/free-tania-the-elephant-from-tirgu-mures-zoo-in-romania/

Twitter: @rickygervais 

#findingMike

Okay, so this is my favourite campaign I've come across so far. 

A few weeks ago I remember scrolling through my Twitter feed and seeing a hopeful and heart-warming campaign ran by a man called Jonny Benjamin. 

The ambassador for Rethink Mental Illness started the campaign after a kind stranger stopped him from jumping from London's Waterloo Bridge in 2008. Benjamin was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and, given the disease's negative media coverage, felt suicide was the only option.

Benjamin was keen to be reunited with the man who saved his life that day eight years ago; not remembering his name or anything about him, he launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #findingMike.

The campaign was backed by the likes of Stephen Fry and Boy George and the hashtag trended on Twitter in the UK and as far afield as Canada, South Africa and Australia.

I was astonished to see the campaign worked: Jonny Benjamin was reunited by his stranger saviour, Neil Laybourn.  Benjamin said he didn't expect to succeed and the #findingMike campaign was motivated more by his desire to highlight the issues of mental health.

I particularly liked this campaign because it shows the impact social media has in today's society. It's fair to say that this campaign wouldn't have been as successful without social media's input. 

This campaign has a personal affect on me as unfortunately my Dad is a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder. It's good to see that there is more positive awareness of mental illness in the media today. It's this positive energy that saves people like Jonny Benjamin.

rethink.org
twitter.com/mrjonnybenjamin

The Gentleman Blogger

“Boutonniere are common in the wedding world, but I love wearing them on casual nights out” 

- Matthew Zorpas, The Gentleman Blogger

Last week we were lucky enough to have Matthew Zorpas, aka The Gentleman Blogger, as a guest speaker at uni. Despite making me green with envy, the University of Greenwich alumnus had a lot to say about his ever so aspirational career in fashion PR. 

Just months after creating his blog focusing on men's clothing and gentlemanliness, Zorpas gained a lot of attention from agencies asking him to represent them. He has landed projects with top fashion brands such as Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger and Armani. He has also been mentioned amongst the top five in many 'best dressed' lists including those of Esquire UK and The Coveteur.

He mentioned that the secret to writing a successful blog is to stay relevant. Relevance is key to generating interest".

I knew his lecture would appeal to me. I had previously researched Zorpas' work and loved what I saw. Dapper in his grey, checked suit, he told us all about his work and how keeping content relevant is key to successful blogging. His success has allowed him to mix work with pleasure, travelling to fifty-five countries to do what he does best - a truly inspiring talk!

thegentlemanblogger.com