Early bird catches the worm

I enjoy writing about the Oscars: yes, it’s a late night / early start, but worth it for the adrenaline buzz, as well as the opportunity to analyse key trends and the ever-evolving definition of red carpet glamour. They may not be as universally watched as in their peak, but dressing the attendees is still a huge coup, assiduously courted, coveted and crowed about by brands.

After writing about Oscars fashion for a news outlet, at lunchtime I received an email from a PR asking if I could kindly add their brand’s credit to my copy. I replied to say that I couldn’t, explaining that I hadn’t had the relevant information at the time of filing, and was unable to add it now. Last year in this column, I wrote about the need for concise, clear and speedy communication, and how ideally, all information should arrive by 6am. This year, my copy deadline was 9am: not unusual for the Oscars, which happen overnight, and become “old news” very quickly on account of their ubiquity. Journalists have to collate a vast amount of information as swiftly and accurately as they can, a process made much easier if said information is easy to find. Much as I’d have loved to credit this PR’s brand, time constraints prevented me, nor did I have access to the relevant CMS to do so. The moral of the tale? The early bird catches the worm.