Tim Acheson's Blog : The Sun deploys bus load of Page 3 models to support England in World Cup

The Sun deploys bus load of Page 3 models to support England in World Cup

The Sun newspaper deployed a bus full of gorgeous Page 3 models in London today, as a show of support for the England team and their football match this afternoon in the World Cup 2010. The Page 3 girls were handing out England flags (and toothbrushes) and posing for photographs with anybody who wanted one. It worked too -- England won 1:0.

This is primarily a tech blog, but this somehow seemed worthy of a write-up! The bus parked in Leicester Square, a stone's throw from my desk, so I had a look, and it was quite a lively scene. I used my phone to take a few quick photos (slideshow) and record some video clips.

It's a good publicity-stunt, and good fun too. Not being unduly modest they made the most of by posting an article on The Sun's website article on their website with photos and full details. The Sun is a populist national tabloid newspaper, and it's by far the most popular newspaper in the UK, with more readers than any two of national broadsheet newspapers combined -- enough exposure to influence election results. There's even an official "Flag of Smiles" Facebook page.

If it helps, I could dress-up this story as a tech story by presenting the photos through the Silverlight slideshow on SkyDrive, and surfacing the video on the SkyDrive video player! I could evaluate how the newspaper and its sponsor promoted their PR-stunt with viral content on the web. However, you would probably see through it.

So just enjoy! ;)

Video (more on YouTube)