Pink Elephant/Pink EL-EH-FANT/noun: a sentence or phrase which says what is NOT happening – but by painting a vivid picture conjures up exactly the opposite of what was intended.
Example: “There can be no whitewash at the White House.” US President Richard Nixon, April 1973 – before admitting that there was a whitewash at the White HouseWelcome to the Broadcasting Business Pink Elephant competition. We’re on the lookout for the best Pink Elephants cropping up in the media or your daily lives.
Each month whoever submits the best Pink Elephant will win a bottle of champagne (pink of course!).
Please email your Pink Elephants to Lindsey@broadcastingbusiness.co.uk
Just tell us your name, company (or home) address, where you saw it, what it referred to and who said it.
Each month we’ll send out the top examples spotted by our clients and the eagle-eyed Broadcasting Business team:
There are several contenders for June’s Pink Elephant of the Month Award.
Broadcasting Business Managing Director Bill McFarlan spotted several Pink Elephants while on holiday in Canada and Alaska in June.
This was one – advertising a Vancouver-based helpline and website to discuss sexual issues. Their promise is that they “won’t get weird” during the discussion. Hmm!
During George W Bush’s last presidential visit to Britain Gordon Brown said: “In Iraq there is a job to be done and we will continue to do the job, and there will be no artificial timetable.”
Keira Knightley was in Edinburgh for the launch of the film festival and her latest project. Her mother Sharman MacDonald told a newspaper: “Keira’s not anorexic.”
Phil Addicott from 3x1 public relations spotted this one about properties owned and rented by comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli and his family being branded grubby and dirty. His father said “we are not cutting any corners.”
Several contributors highlighted former television presenter John Leslie’s statement on several front pages as he battled fresh allegations: “I’m not a rapist.”
But the Pink Elephant of the Month for May goes to David Kennedy of COSLA. There’s been so much written about Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s marriage recently that the queen of pop issued this hot denial:
“There is no divorce. There is no affair.”
Congratulations David – a bottle of pink bubbly is winging its way to you!
Send in your July entries now. Results will be posted early August.