Henson gimmick is a Wales masterstroke

Welsh expertise in marketing, promotion and PR has come a long way since John Toshack posed with Barry John and Gareth Edwards on the Cardiff Arms Park turf.

A black and white image of that early 70s rendezvous - with all three in loose-fitting cotton Wales rugby jerseys and Tosh clutching a brown leather oval ball - adorns a wall of Pontcanna's Cameo Club.

It was there for all to admire yesterday as Effective Communication colleagues met to discuss fabulous plans for a key area of our business.

I wonder if Gavin Henson's new promo shot for Wales' latest Under Armour skin will be in the bistros and cappuccino haunts of Cefneithin, Blaengwynfi and Tonyrefail in years to come?

Probably not - but it's everywhere now! A few puzzled sentences of reaction from past and present Wales internationals has ensured that.

Gimmick

Others have been a little more informed in their pronouncements: "It's a good sales gimmick."

And in Welsh rugby's professional era we should expect many more examples of such creative thinking, activity which encourages media-friendly mild outrage.

Those involved in top-flight Welsh rugby know the sport is a dog-eat-dog pressurised world of hirings, firings, hard-fought commercial deals, tight margins and underwhelming ticket sales.

The players know full well that promotional activity is key - if the Henson stunt does have a negative effect on the sensitivities of a few then more fool them.

Just contrast the number of fans at tonight's Ospreys-Treviso game with the number of people around the UK who know what Wales'new shirt looks like, who the sponsor is, who the manufacturer is and which rugby star's on Stricty Come Dancing.

No contest. Yet despite this being the Italian club's (slightly) historic first Magners League appearance on British or Irish soil what creative energy have the Welsh galacticos put into getting bums on seats at the Liberty Stadium today? Put up Scott Johnson and a few players at a Tuesday press conference by the looks of it.

It's 2010 not the days of It's a Knockout. Publicity images of three guys with a ball in front of an empty stand now do little to trigger merchandise sales and to raise profile.

The Henson stunt is a masterstroke. Well done to all concerned.

March 30's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

...
For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
...
Print Western Mail Click
Editorial - Cardiff City's players have not been paid their monthly wages. The club say they'll be paid within days.
Opinion - If anything is going to help Wales' economy grow in the 21st century, it's a modern and well functioning transport system that truly gets the nation moving. That has to be at the heart of Assembly thinking.
Commercial – The back page's Ryder Cup countdown goes on ... just 184 days to go. If you've not yet commercially tapped in to the golf extravaganza, think about it quickly.
...
Broadcast Bay Radio Click
Editorial - The business behind a proposed new food processing industrial plant for southwest Wales - Halal Industries UK - have pledged that all suitably qualified individuals would be considered for jobs.
Commercial – Bay has some good ties with business at the moment, with its daily low-bid auction. Prizes have included goods from Samsung, Sony and LG. Click
...
Online Neath Port Talbot Council Click
Editorial – An inspirational woman from a Neath Port Talbot special school is sitting top of the class after scooping the Admiral Swansea Bay Teacher of the Year with Bay Radio. Click
Recommended – A good looking new business website launches this week, especially for Neath Port Talbot. See it here. Click
...
Community Radio Tircoed Click
Sport - One of Britain's most successful Paralympians, Tanni Grey-Thompson, has taken her place in the House of Lords.
Charity - Radio Tircoed's April Love appeal kicks off for Ty Hafan. Click
Competitions – Nice ticket-win link-ups with the Grand Theatre (Noddy) and Super League club the Crusaders (v Harlequins this Thursday). Click
...
Links Twitter | Website
...