[Orchids & Onions] Landy ad does it in black and white, but as for PRWorx...

One such simple, elegant, yet effective design shows in the latest Land Rover advert, for Land Rover-approved vehicles.

To qualify as an approved vehicle, each Landy must go through a stringent 144-point test. To show that, and to emphasise the brand's ability to take you far along the road less travelled, the ad designers have a myriad ticks disappearing into the distance and over the horizon with a Freelander in the middle.

The design is largely black and white and reminds us that, used cleverly, it can be even more effective than a shouty colour.

An Orchid for Land Rover.

© Fantasista – 123RF.com

Late last year, I handed out an angry Onion to a Joburg PR firm, PR Worx, which has the FlySafair account, among others.

Among the assorted bits of incompetence (too much to go into now), they have been sending out individual e-mails to people with the wrong names on them.

Hence, I am, in addition to being Brendan, also known to them as Muzi and as Herbert. Quite why Muzi and Herbert should have the same e-mail address as me - which is a form of my name - is clearly something which has not occurred to them.

Despite this being pointed out to them - and an indication that they do not understand e-mail and that, possibly they are annoying plenty of other journalists with incorrect addresses - nothing has been done.

Kevin Ritchie, my colleague and editor of The Star, got one addressed to "Mpho". Being a lot more polite than me, Kevin wrote back and pointed out not only who he is, but also his position.

When this week I again received e-mails on my own address (not part of a list) to Muzi and Herbert, I blew a gasket.

So did Kevin (Mpho), who promised to phone FlySafair's chief executive Dave Andrew, to complain.

There is no excuse for this utter incompetence. Nor is there any excuse for failing to remedy the situation after you've been told.

Sadly, too many PR companies in South Africa operate like this - and then look at us (journos) as if we are the enemy when we point this out. I am only the enemy of a business model that takes money from a client for a service not provided.

So, PRWorx, you get yet another Onion from me. Clearly, no one there is listening - so if you do know them, please pass this along...

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