And thanks to some great writing from Gulf News journalist Julianne Evans, the piece is a welcome PR boost for what promises to be, the beginning of some very interesting projects over the next few months… but more on that later….

Although the local paper primarily serves the Hauraki Gulf Islands and therefore has a relatively small readership, it’s surprising how far this little paper manages to travel…..  Auckland City for a start, since it’s sold in a few places downtown and also finds its way across to the mainland thanks to the many daily commuters.  I’ve heard of it travelling to far off places too as tourists take a copy home or friends post them overseas (it has quite a cult following!)

It’s great to be able to notify the local community that Purple Dog is not just for international customers.

Sol even put on a nice shirt for the occasion, so if you haven’t yet seen the article, you can read it in full here

The poster depicts a dejected-looking Joseph lying in bed next to Mary under the caption, “Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow”.

The global media attention has taken many of the people involved by suprise, but it’s unknown whether they feel it is a good or bad thing – afterall, it was always intended to spark debate.

The media has had a field day with the latest developments in the story – the defacing of the poster by a protester, and “thousands of emails, phone calls and letters” flooding in.  St Matthew’s communications manager, Clay Nelson says “About 50% said they loved it, and about 50% said it was terribly offensive”.

links:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8417963.stm

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10616253

Regardless of your personal views on such matters, one thing is obvious: global media attention is unpredictable.  It can be a “once-in-a-lifetime” event – whether it’s wanted or not, and it can make or break you.

So how would you run your PR & marketing campaign to ensure that you get the right results?  Talk to Purple Dog about your ideas, we’d love to know your thoughts and help shape your project.