The power of celebrity

This year's Arabian Business Media & Marketing Conference kicked off in scandalous style with a keynote speech from former Daily Mirror editor-turned-bestselling author Piers Morgan. Morgan - whose book The Insider lifted the lid on a decade spent in the company of figures including Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch and Princess Diana - chose to speak on ‘The Power of Celebrity', and urged the region's media to become more aggressive in its pursuit of both scoops and readers.

After a swift recap of his post-Mirror career, which included plenty of self-deprecation and the recounting of some scathing press reviews of his work, Morgan's nadir came when he was crowned ‘Most Stupid Celebrity in the World' on TV's Celebrity Weakest Link. "Which brings me neatly, I guess, to working with David Hasselhoff on [talent show] America's Got Talent," he deadpanned. "Having spent 20 years exposing, reviling, humiliating, and generally laughing at celebrities as a tabloid journalist, and then rather shamelessly pursuing a celebrity existence myself, I think I'm in a pretty unique position to talk to you about the power of celebrity," Morgan grinned. "Be your business in TV, radio, in print or on the internet, there are a few basic rules that I've learned as a newspaper editor."

Rule one: "know your consumer and cherish them", swiftly followed by "when you've got the readers and want new ones, then promote, promote, promote".

"There's not much aggressive promotion going on out here in Dubai," he argued, citing the recent example of a UK newspaper that launched pop star Prince's latest album exclusively through copies of the paper. "Imagine the circulation gain in Dubai if Prince's next album is released with Arabian Business?"

Moving on from dubious music selections, Morgan emphasised the power of the internet, and encouraged Middle East media companies to embrace the possibilities that online offers. "We're in an age where virtual marketing is the new game in town," he said. "If you're not playing it yet, then you're missing a big trick. Don't be afraid of the internet - use it or you'll be left stuck in the Dark Ages.

"Whatever part of the media you're in, you have to embrace the internet in a much more sophisticated and warm way," he continued. "The internet is not your enemy; it's your friend."

The next suggestion prompted a ripple around the delegates: "be sensational". Morgan argued that everyone in the room was, in some way, in the "sales business", and that an editor's job was to sell papers, by whatever means necessary. "The more noise you make, the more popular you will be," he emphasised, drawing a firm distinction between sensationalism, and distorting the truth. Morgan stressed the importance of maintaining a consistent, coherent voice: "Work out what you believe in, and stick to your core values," he said. "Not everyone will agree with what they read, but they will respect a consistency of values."

Morgan recalled the Daily Mirror's anti-war stance in the build up to the US-led invasion of Iraq, and said that the stand had lent immense value to the paper's brand, even if sales suffered at the time. Morgan was, of course, eventually sacked as the paper's editor for unwittingly publishing faked Iraq photos on the front page.

Finally, at the end of a well-rehearsed speech, Morgan returned to the theme of celebrity. "Whether we like it or not, we're all living in a celebrity age - so we might as well exploit the opportunities that brings us," he said. "The most dispiriting aspect of this cultural phenomenon is that it has no relation to talent whatsoever. People just have to recognise you for you to become a celebrity.

"Everyone in public life is now a celebrity, but this is good news for Dubai and the media here," he continued.

"You're in the right place to exploit the commodity of celebrity: it's hot, rich, glamourous, exciting, and full of tourists, and you get celebrities here all the time. Back in England, this is what you would call a prime target-rich ratings and circulation entertainment environment."