The power of social networking - X-Factor put into perspective

So little Joe McElderry – the X-Factor winner - failed to be the Christmas number one in the charts! He was beaten by a massive Facebook campaign designed to stop X-Factor ruling the Christmas roost – and ensuring that Rage Against The Machine took the festive accolade this year.

The campaign to stop Simon Cowell’s X-Factor domination was hatched by Jon and Tracey Morter who promoted Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 hit ‘Killing in the Name’ – mobilising an army of Twitterers and Facebook enthusiasts, resulting in the sale of more than half a million copies – beating little Geordie Joe hands down.

But what this whole exercise shows is just how powerful the new social networking phenomenon has become – mobilising millions of people to change things with a powerful message. This is PR at its most potent.

Jon Morter was quoted on radio as saying that this whole campaign was not about the X-Factor but simply a demonstration that ordinary people can make a difference – which could have major implications for us all in the future.

Peter Corder
Managing Director