Murdoch & Hall – a match made in media heaven?

Twitter seems to be the bearer of all sorts of news these days. No sooner had we finished trawling the David Bowie posts with a sad heart we were then confronted by the announcement that Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch were engaged. Err what?! You may also have experienced this reaction – certainly the social media world erupted in a slew of comments that ranged from shock, to undisguised disgust. However, while the media tycoon and the Texan model might seem like the strangest combination since egg and jam, from a comms point of view might they be a match made in media heaven?

Jerry Hall has a pretty impressive record when it comes to famous partners, the most iconic of whom is Mick Jagger, snake hipped front man of the Rolling Stones who caused many a teenage girl to faint during the band’s heydays in the 1960s and 1970s. She has also been involved over the years with Bryan Ferry and – post-Jagger – with millionaire property tycoon Warwick Hemsley. Murdoch will be on to his fourth wife with Jerry, having divorced Wendi Deng Murdoch in 2013.

On the face of it, they are a pretty unusual coupling but a quick scan of any of the media reports will tell you that, despite previous partners, perhaps they are more suited than they might seem. Murdoch, it seems, is not just a ruthless businesses tycoon but also “a vulnerable man torn between fusty family values and a burning desire for beauty” (says, GQ). Hall, on the other hand has had more than her fair share of junkie rock stars and is clearly fed up to the back teeth of unreliable flaky cheaters. In 84 year old Murdoch has 59-year-old Hall finally found her rock and he his Aphrodite?

The answer to that is, of course, only time will tell but in the meantime the combination of the two has certainly got people talking. Some have pigeonholed the relationship as the folly of an ageing billionaire, although Hall is hardly a 20-year-old gold digger with no assets of her own. Others are speculating over why the couple are bothering to get married (especially given that they only started publicly dating four months ago), and why the wedding needs to take place “sooner rather than later” (presumably there’s no chance of this being a wedding of the shotgun variety). All in all, the story is huge and perhaps all down to a few essential ingredients…the time honoured components of a fit-to-go-viral tale.

Profile, power and the fame…famous rock star exes, billions of dollars in the bank, two of the most recognisable faces in the world. The opportunity for speculation…how did it happen, what do they talk about, is there a prenup? A whiff of scandal…the age gap, the whirlwind romance, the quick wedding. A little bit of envy…perhaps a tiny part of you wants to marry a billionaire/model, maybe you wish your life was so carefree that a wedding could be arranged as easily as a haircut, or maybe you just have a huge crush/man crush on Rupert Murdoch. Do you? Don’t worry we won’t tell anyone…

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