mark smith

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@talkMacca Just finished the opener 👌

All is right with the World again, new series of "Deadliest Catch"

Max Dowman is the first player born after ITV shut down Teletext to win the Premier League

@FootyScran Would you like spies with that? 🍟

Yeah you know, fair enough

And the front page of tomorrow's Gazette 👇👏

👏 You love to see it 🧐

@BarronMedia Cillit BANG! 😳

#Headlinechallenge: Doing household chores increases men's sex drive, according to new research...I WANNA HAVE SEX ON THE BLEACH. Can you do better? dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-ne…

Dan Burn interview: I rang mam and said ‘I don’t want to feel like this any more. When does it stop?’ The #NUFC & England defender talks mental health, speaking up, navigating a tough season, Eddie Howe, the World Cup and much more. FREE to read. nytimes.com/athletic/72758…

@davidtennick Hi David, not heard anything on that. Should be a fun day, though.

@markismith50 @NCL_RedBulls we are going up for the Melrose 7s. We are first game up against Glasgow but can't find any times for KO. Does the club know yet ??? Just so we know what time to set off. Thanks

Your full entry fee for Sunday's Wings for Life World Run goes towards spinal cord injury research. And you'll get a FREE ticket to Newcastle Red Bulls' game against Harlequins the same day. wingsforlifeworldrun.com/en/locations/n…

Three frames away and there’s still time for a quick tab. Proper old school this.

Big game here for North East rugby. Do head along if you are in the area…

@ajsrugby Yeah, winning on the field definitely helps the marketing effort. I don’t see anybody saying any different. It’s an important part of the equation, as is the PR, TV, social media stuff.

@markismith50 I don't see a problem either. What I'm saying is nail the on field and a handful of the marketing is done. The best and most marketable Bristol team was the team that came top in 20/21. More than this team that has "big names"

However funny and strange Tom Tainton’s words come across in print, he’s kinda right. To be a successful business, you have to have outstanding marketing. And my thoughts as to Bristol Bears will be down (a vast amount) to their messaging.

@ajsrugby I’m sure they’re trying their best to win rugby games. There are 10 teams in the league, and 9 of them aren’t going to win it. Like all teams, they’ll be trying their hardest both to win games and market the sport. I don’t see the problem.

@markismith50 Again, obviously. But they've not built a squad to win trophies.

@ajsrugby No, I think you should work hard to achieve both.

@markismith50 You can, but don't you think Bristol actually winning on the pitch should be the priority first.

@ajsrugby I don’t see why you can’t have good rugby and market it well. And I don’t see Tom advocating for that.

@markismith50 Of course it is. But they're still a rugby club first, marketing is a big part but always plays second fiddle to results on the pitch

@ajsrugby I don’t agree with your perception of it, but that’s ok. We’re all entitled to our opinions. To me, he’s saying that being a pro rugby player in 2026 includes promoting the game, not just playing it.

@markismith50 Every club wants that. Calling yourself a marketing agency that plays rugby comes across as wanting a bigger off field presence than being successful on it.

@ajsrugby Yes. They want the player to do the job on and off the field. Not just on it, and not just off it.

@markismith50 I'm not disagreeing with that either, you want a player to do a job on the field. But do Bristol sign someone and persist because of their off field presence

@ajsrugby He’s just saying they need to be able to do what’s needed from a playing standpoint. I don’t see how anyone can disagree with that.

@markismith50 I mean, if I or a CEO described someone at their place of work as competent, it's not exactly a huge compliment or exactly endearing

@ajsrugby Of course in a squad of 50+ you’ll be fine to carry a couple of PR shockers if their playing ability is so stellar it outweighs those considerations. But the modern player needs to understand that PR is also part of their job (which most do, I can say from direct experience).

@markismith50 Fine for similar level players but he's literally described wanting players to be "competent" as long as they have an off the field presence. Surely you'd want players to be more than that and you can build off field value, especially if you're a marketing agency apparently