Next/Grazia model comp HIJACKED: ah Social Networking...

Hilariously the po faced Grazia site reported on a terrible wrong which has occurred on The Internet and called upon their readers to redress the balance.

Next, Grazia and the Storm Model Agency launched a campaign to find a top model and decided to use that newfangled yokeymabob, Social Networking to drum up some cheap enthusiasm for their venture.  But all went pear shaped as various Lads sites, taking the utter piss, are championing a candidate of their own to win. Obviously they totally understand the whole social engagement process, for their candidate shot straight to the top of the voting.

Roland Bunce from Belfast is not what could be considered classic model material, but he has managed to procure 57 thousand Likes on Facebook for his entry and is currently sitting pretty at number one in the public vote.  He's so far out in front that his nearest rival is many tens of thousands of votes behind him.

And Grazia was Not Impressed.

Shrug it off. That's the Internet. You can't control it. If he's the winner then let it be so. Dress him in clothes from the new collections, use this to your advantage - people will love it. This is no longer a boring search for a model - it's a huge big press opportunity with a sense of humour thrown it.

However as the next round of the competition uses judges to decide who goes or stays, the public vote effectively means nothing.

I know some of our readers have entered the competition and I wholeheartedly wish you the best of luck.  I'm not commenting on the competition, just the way in which big companies can get the whole "social networking" thing so wrong.

Either they want the reader to decide.  Or they don't.

What do you think?