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27/07/2009 by Rhian.
This is the best example of viral marketing I’ve seen in a while - entertaining, clever and innovative. Love it but be warned it will make you jump!
Posted in marketing, PR, raves | No Comments »
15/07/2009 by Rhian.
Feeling just a teeny bit worried about my future in the business after hearing the fantastic multi-media anti-litter campaign put together by Andover schools. The slogans and adverts devised by these future copywriters, marketers and advertising gurus were superb - just as good as anything I’ve seen put together by the ‘professionals’ - and it’s fantastic that they’re being played at the cinema and on Andover Sound for everyone to see and hear.
‘Pick up your rubbish, let Andover flourish’ was inspired by the Andover Vision project and funded by Simplyhealth and Andover Sound - a brilliant example of CSR in action.
Posted in Andover, marketing, PR, CSR, raves | No Comments »
19/05/2009 by Rhian.
The jury’s still out on the value of Twitter as far as I’m concerned. Plus points: the short, snappy status reports are quick and easy to complete; down points: lots of very random people/businesses following as many people as they can without really having anything meaningful to contribute.
There are some organisations however that I think have really tapped into its true potential for engaging with a wide range of stakeholders. The CRC is one, Governor Arnie another. With many people in rural areas relying on the Internet to connect them with vital services and as a source of information, the CRC’s tweets are helping to target the very people that it seeks to serve. The fact that you can reply directly to writers is surely another boon for effective engagement. As for me as a freelancer, I’ve found it replaces the office water cooler moments - a chance to have a quick, not necessarily work-related chat before getting back to the business at hand and, when you spend most of the day alone at home, that’s not to be sniffed at!
PS You can follow me @hermieone
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10/02/2009 by Rhian.
I know PR people are always talking about piggy-backing onto current events but perhaps the Law Society’s 10 point guide for Valentine’s couples is pushing it just a little too far!
Posted in PR | 1 Comment »
21/01/2009 by Rhian.
Channels like BBC 24 and Sky news are perfect for feeding my news addiction and great for watching a major story, like yesterday’s historic inauguration, unfold, but sometimes, when there’s very little new information to report, or things aren’t happening quite when expected, you can’t help but feel some of the correspondents struggle to keep the coverage going.
Last night, I particularly enjoyed the fashion observations of one journalist reporting live from the scene of the Presidential walkabout. Commenting on why the First Lady was not wearing her jacket when her husband was wrapped up in what looked to be a very warm coat, he solemnly told us that she was from Illinois, which is significantly colder than the President’s birthplace of Hawaii. The fact, therefore, that she had forgone her jacket and was wearing ‘what looked like ordinary stockings’ was because she was far more used to the cold.
Really? I think most women would disagree! We know that if you’re wearing a fabulous new designer dress, you’re going to show it off to the world come rain, hail or snow, especially if you know that all eyes on are you! Poor man, he should really stick to hard news and leave the fashion advice to E!
Posted in media, random | No Comments »
26/11/2008 by Rhian.
Here’s chance to extend a little Christmas goodwill without digging into your pockets, what’s more it won’t even take a minute of your time.
Just a few seconds is all you need to sign this online petition calling on the government to help charities affected by the Icelandic bank collapse.
Naomi House Children’s Hospice has £5.7 million tied up in the crisis and has already been forced to cut some services as a result. Having met many of the families that rely on the hospice, I know what a huge blow this will be to parents and children alike.
Gordon Brown and his gang provided billions of pounds worth of our cash to rescue the bankers that largely got us into this mess, and I can’t be alone in wanting to see the same level of compassion shown to charities like Naomi House. The government froze the bank’s assets, let’s turn up the heat and hope people power can thaw its heart!
Add your voice here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CharityHelp/.
Posted in CSR | No Comments »
26/11/2008 by Rhian.
Barnardos has developed quite a reputation for hard-hitting, uncompromising adverts and the one I saw earlier this week was no exception. It was not pleasant viewing with its repeated scenes of violence and abuse. Was it shocking? For sure. Effective? Perhaps. Informative? No, not really.
Whilst it certainly made the point that the way we treat children has a direct impact on the adults they grow up to be, it failed in one crucial way for me; it didn’t explain what Barnardos does to help these youngsters. All I know after watching that advert is that Barnardos is a children’s charity, I don’t know what its staff do, what its projects are or most importantly what it would used my money for (I feel the same way about the NSPCC adverts). I suspect like many people, I have an inkling Barnardos may run children’s homes but I couldn’t say for sure.
My daily finance bulletin for Third Sector magazine, today reports that Martin Brookes, chief executive of New Philanthropy Capital says charities must find ways of demonstrating their effectiveness if they want to survive the recession. I think he’s right but I also think this has always been the case, after all if I give some of my hard earned cash away, then I want to know how it will help those who need it.
Images that outrage or tug at our heart strings are fine for grabbing attention but you need to tell people what you do, not just what you stand for. Naomi House Children’s Hospice does this very well and extremely succinctly, it cares for life limited children and their families. It’s on all its publicity material so you know that’s what your donation will be used for - providing care - and that’s probably why it has become such a well-loved, well-supported local charity.
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21/10/2008 by Rhian.
Remember that bit in the Simpsons’ movie? The one where Kent Brockman introduces the latest updates on the Dome under the graphic ‘trappuccino’ as ominous music plays? Well every time I see media coverage of the credit crunch/economic crisis/end of the world as we know it, I’m reminded of it! You just know editors in newsrooms up and down the country are bellowing ‘find me a new angle’ so if you’ve a story that’s remotely connected to finance, now’s the time to send it out.
Posted in media, Uncategorized | No Comments »
13/10/2008 by Rhian.
Quite apart from the fact I love the Echo’s positively apocalyptic description of mutant rats rampaging across Hampshire, this is a good example of how reporters use bulletpoints to illustrate a story.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
09/10/2008 by Rhian.
When you want some coverage for a campaign, putting together a fact file is a great way to grab a journalist’s attention. Reporters just love ‘em - at the Advertiser we used to call them ‘blobs’, snippets of information such as key statistics or dates presented as bulletpoints. They’re great for putting boring facts and figures into context and condensing key messages into bite-sized chunks; I use them all the time for longer feature releases and briefing key spokespeople.
Sometimes numbers just don’t add up to good publicity though as Starbucks found out earlier this week when The Sun accused the company of wasting water.
According to The Sun’s sums:
Starbucks says it has to keep the cold water taps for its ‘dipper wells’ running all the time to meet health and safety rules but the story, which was picked up by media all over the place, is sure to leave a pretty nasty aftertaste for some time yet.
Posted in PR, CSR | No Comments »