Mystery of the accidentally leaked memo leaves questions unanswered

Published on Thursday 23 June 2011 18:01

THE eagerly anticipated launch of the Pottermore website, which sought to keep its contents firmly under wraps until it was unveiled, looked like it would end in disaster after JK Rowling's Scottish PR firm mistakenly emailed out details days before the event.

Public relations executives at StonehillSalt, a PR firm based in East Lothian, sent national newspapers throughout the UK details of a confidential PR strategy document about the event by "mistake".

Details of what was likely to be contained on Pottermore published and also appeared online and spread worldwide.

The New York Post wrote the project had remained "shrouded in secrecy" but that a leaked memo mistakenly hinted a real-life treasure hunt linked to an online game.

The document revealed there is a Quill Quest treasure hunt called where fans must search for magic wands physically planted in real world locations. The game would also link to an online game where there were an unspecified number of magic wands, it said.

A spokesperson for StonehillSalt said sending out the document, dated October 2010, was a "genuine mistake" and claimed it was an old working strategy.

However, a publishing industry insider maintained the "error" would be interpreted by many as a deliberate marketing ploy to heighten excitement.

"It got the launch into the newspapers and online on the day of the unveiling which is rather clever."