Gold Cup: One PR's relations with the public

Photo: Telegraph.co.uk

Cheltenham Gold Cup Festival: Are we going to the races...or going to the dogs?

Last year’s Gold Cup Festival broke attendance records, with 235,125 race-goers descending on our town over the four days. Good fun I’m sure was had by all who attended and many in the town (mainly the bars of course) were all the more prosperous for their visit.

However, for this Cheltenham resident, all the hordes brought with them was misery and mess, evidently leaving their manners behind wherever they had come from.  It’s this memory that made me look forward to Gold Cup 2014 about as much as being hit by a bus, and saw me making plans to escape for the duration of the week that Cheltenham actually goes to the dogs rather than the races.

Yet my best laid plans didn’t quite come off, so I’ve found myself here, staying put at home near the train station, the first and last stop (or more likely pint) for thousands of race-goers.

But I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Cheltenham race-goers have improved their public relations, in the most literal sense.

Last year we saw many pavement pizzas, quite a few fights and a ridiculous amount of aggressive behaviour when trying to stop men-old-enough-to-know-better from doing unmentionables on our street and neighbours’ doorsteps.

This year, people have been really friendly, even apologetic for crowding the top of our road where there’s a rather popular race-day pub. And this time, when my partner was stopped on his way home from work to be asked directions to a particular watering hole, rather than being sworn at like last year, he was invited for a pint of the black stuff.

It seems to me that 2014’s race-goers have been of a much happier and friendlier disposition. Even #Cheltenham tweeters have been on good form.

 So my first hand experience of this annual event has been much improved and made me think twice about reaching for next year’s holiday forms already in a panic.

Cheltenham Gold Cup 2014 should be proud; its visitors have earned it some good PR just through good old human interaction.

 Rachel Meagher

Account Director

Girl power!

It’s International Women’s Day tomorrow (8 March), which prompted my thinking into girl power; less Spice Girls, more women in PR.

Our industry of PR is actually dominated by women. Last year’s PRCA census revealed the gender split as 63% women 37% men, a stat that’s reflected in our team - with our chairman Colin holding the enviable (or unenviable position) as the only male member! Our current recruitment drive has echoed this discrepancy, with the majority of applicants applying for an account executive position being female.

So why this bias?  Is it because women are, on the whole, better communicators – as we are more discussion oriented?  Or is it thanks to our multi-tasking and time management skills?  Or is it because we are more sensitive? I’m not so sure. 

When I studied for a degree in PR (at Leeds Metropolitan University), admittedly it was a while ago, the course was mostly men.  And if I can cast my mind back that far, I don’t remember them struggling with presentations or meeting deadlines, and indeed most have now gone on to hold senior positions. 

Which rather annoyingly seems to be where the inequality lies – most senior roles within agencies and in-house teams are still more likely to be held by men.  The PRCA census reported a 2:1 ratio of men to women in board positions.  Our board contradicts this ratio, (although our most senior figure is male) but I can see that we are a minority, when I look at some of our clients or fellow agencies. 

Many would argue that the lack of female representation in senior management is partly due to the fact that women still tend to be the key child carers and take career breaks as they start to have children. As a result, they either leave the profession or aren’t able to make continued development.  I’m in no doubt that this can be a factor, but in today’s world it certainly shouldn’t be a barrier. 

Sadly, it’s not just inequality at senior levels either.  The CIPR’s ‘State of the Profession’  survey (published February 2014) also revealed an average gender pay gap of over £12,000 in favour of men.  The results also exposed that from Account Manager/Press Officer level and above – men, on average, are being paid more than women, even when doing the same job.

So, perhaps as an industry we should take note of Sweden’s extensive welfare system which makes it easier for both sexes to balance work and family life.  The country ranks as one of the most gender-egalitarian countries, based on a firm belief that men and women should share power and influence equally.  How refreshing!

Sam Kandiyali

Director

(Image used from http://www.internationalwomensday.com/) 

#LFW demonstrates just how innovative digital PR can be

This may be a sweeping statement on my part, but we all know digital PR is rapidly becoming an essential part of any successful communications campaign. Long gone are the days of media relations churning out press release after press release; digital creates an opportunity to bypass traditional media to speak directly to your target audience online in a creative and sustainable manner, and more importantly, creating dialogue.

So, it’s no surprise that this year’s London Fashion Week followed suit and set the standard (excuse the pun, honestly it wasn’t intentional). The internationally-famous event saw 2014’s most creative campaigns yet, as fashion brands battled it out in a digital war that put the fight between Google and Facebook to shame.

In a recent article from PR Week, it was reported that 60% of shows during London Fashion Week (LFW) were live-streamed, and for one particular brand, mile high over the ocean. Taking to the skies was London’s upmarket department store, Harrods, who sought new levels of exclusivity by inviting a select 200 on board a British Airways Airbus A380 to a mid-flight fashion show, though not forgetting social media! Harrod’s head of communication reported they’d seen a ‘direct impact’ on traffic to their website from their social media activity during LFW.

Meanwhile, tech-savvy British luxury fashion house Burberry proved its reputation for the cutting edge by embedding digital chips into its apparel, so when fashionistas hovered their Smartphone’s over them, tailored content was made available to them. Clever Burberry – who knew innovation was just as important to them as their clothes!

So, advice for brands wishing to rule the catwalk and win the hearts of the digital nation next year? There is no better model than quirky fashion brand Topshop’s interactive, multi-platform fall campaign. Last year, they demonstrated just how digital PR should work, using soon-to-take-over-the-world Google+ to allow its fans to experience the whole buzz live – from sound check through to make-up – attracting a record-breaking 4 million views. However, not only did Topshop host a dynamic array of social experiences before, during, and after their show, they are now using the data from the Google Hangout app to help its buyers decide what they are going to actually bring to retail. 

The use of digital media to reach an audience beyond an event is slowly becoming more and more mainstream. Now comes the tricky task for brands to stand out from the crowd, think ahead in every area of innovation – whether that’s their clothes or the technology they use – and above all, it is as much about style and fashion as it is creative originality. 

Kalli Soteriou

Account Executive

A good Time to Talk

Today (Thursday 6 February) is the very first Time to Talk Day which aims to get people talking about mental health. It’s a focal point of the Time to Change campaign which is England's biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination.

This week also saw Australia’s most decorated Olympian, Ian Thorpe, admitted to rehab. His ongoing battle with depression and alcohol, first revealed in his autobiography, had largely been hidden from those closest to him, even at the height of his swimming career. After being found disorientated outside his parents’ home, I was pleased to see the media report the story with empathy.

Rewind two months though and this was a far cry from the way in which English cricketer Jonathan Trott was treated by the same journalists, after he flew home from the Ashes tour with a stress related illness.
Now, some may say that given the historically fierce sporting rivalry between the Poms and Aussies, this was fair game, but I see it differently. One in four people will be affected by a mental health problem in their lifetime and while I’m all for a bit of banter, in my view Trott’s treatment over-stepped the mark.

Negative media representations of mental health conditions help fuel stigma, in this case one which is pretty deeply engrained. What I think is most worrying is the fact that the coverage around Ian Thorpe showed the Australian media are capable of handling mental health issues sensitively but in the case of Trott, deliberately chose to use it as a stick to beat him (and the rest of the England cricket team) with.

In the last year, media representations of mental health have come under fire; most notably the Hyundai ad which appeared to show someone trying to take their own life purely to illustrate the environmental credentials of a car, or The Sun for using the headline ‘1,200 killed by mental health patients.’

While the work of mental health charities including Rethink Mental Illness and Mind, who both spearhead the Time to Change campaign, has gone some way to helping remove some of the stigma surrounding mental health, there is still a huge amount of work to be done. It’s here I think the media has a huge role to play. Whether that’s steering clear of stereotypes, reporting on the issue sensitively or even just putting it on the news agenda in the first place.

Just because someone is an elite athlete, has reached the very pinnacle of their sport and seemingly has it all, does not mean they are any less likely to experience a mental health problem. It doesn’t discriminate and neither should the media channels, who are so keen to laud their achievements when things are going well.

Bethan Simkins
Account Director

#Sticksandstones...

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.  Not sure that Beth Tweddle or Stan Collymore would agree with that.

Twitter trolls reared their ugly heads once again last week – with Beth subject to abuse during a Sky Sports News Q&A session, which was meant to be promoting women in sport; and Stan facing offensive messages as a result of him suggesting a footballer may have dived to earn a penalty.  (I don’t know much about football, but pretty sure that footballers are prone to the odd dive or two...)

And while Beth has handled the abuse from Twitter trolls graciously, and Stan has now reactivated his Twitter account after initially taking it down – you can’t help but question the potential lasting impact that incidents likes these have, not just on the targeted individuals, but on social media itself.

Yes we live in a world of free speech, but should that mean, as a result of today’s technology, that we can target individuals in this way?  Happily, there do appear to be ramifications for this kind of harassment with two people who sent abusive tweets to campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez and MP Stella Creasy last year, being jailed on Friday.  But plenty would argue that Twitter could do more to report and manage this form of bullying; for many cases such as these will only serve to raise concern about interacting so openly online.

As PR consultants we encourage our clients to engage with their target audiences across a range of channels, including social media.  It’s a powerful tool that allows them to learn, communicate and build support, but it comes with its own pitfalls. Sticks and stones may well break bones, but, as Collymore and Tweddle will vouch, words can certainly be hurtful. Fortunately, damage can be mitigated through careful strategic planning, in-depth research and timely delivery. And, of course, some comfort can be taken from Twitter’s real time element – what’s news today is often quickly forgotten tomorrow.

Sam Kandiyali
Director

Get motivated for change

Motivation. It’s a powerful force that can determine success or failure in almost anything.

Going to the gym, giving up booze (Dryathlon anyone?), or embarking on a spot of DIY, we know from experience that a good dose of personal motivation is required for most of us to make changes happen.

It strikes me this is true for our businesses too. A sense of purpose creates a kind of energy that we could just as easily call motivation.

As businesses we need to understand the motivations of our customers, if we’re going to create products or services that they’ll want to buy. Trying to get them to change their behaviours (swap brand, buy a house, change PR agency…) without tapping into their motivations is pretty futile.

The same is true of our teams too, if we are to drive our businesses forward and pull ourselves out of the muddy quagmire of recession followed by phew-we-made-it-survival, into a smooth and steady period of sustainable growth.

The New Year brings a surge of resolutions as we take the opportunity to ‘draw a line’ under what’s passed, and aim to ‘be better’ this year. Anything is possible. Everything is possible! Our motivations and sense of purpose are high.

January brings a great opportunity to try and capture the ‘air of possibility’ that hangs around us, and challenge our teams to think differently; to set themselves new goals for what they’d like to achieve and consider how they can use their talents to help us reach our business goals.

Momentum. The other big ‘M’. After one huge sugar rush of motivation in the first week of the year, the energy can quickly dissipate and we’re left with the Blue Monday scenario – dashed hopes and disappointment.

So what can we do to keep the momentum of motivation, change and possibility alive? Take action. Make plans, enact plans, set small and regular goals or milestones so you can measure your progress. Experiment, test new ideas, and, most importantly, involve those whose motivation you’re seeking to harness.

The good news is that windows of opportunity to reignite our motivation appear throughout the year. Attending a course (in my view, there’s none better for development and motivation than LEAD), meeting someone new, winning a new contract, moving office, starting a new project, change within a team, confidence in the economy lifting… any day can be a good day to start a new page.

We need to recognise and seize upon the windows of opportunity for making changes, open the window, and let the fresh air in.

Sarah Bryars

Chief Executive

Evolving PR: Team Target reports on what we believe 2014 will hold for the industry?

As we enter another new year, the question of 'what will this year hold for the industry?' naturally arises. Here are a few thoughts from some of the team on what we feel working in this industry will be like this year.

"In 2014 boundaries between disciplines will continue to blur, and great ideas will be king.

Great ideas that help to grow bottom-lines will be the king of kings.

It won’t matter very much whether those ideas come from PR, digital, social or advertising agencies. The client won’t mind so long as they deliver results that move their business forward a step towards their goals for success; whether that’s cash on the balance sheet, or, well, come to think of it, cash on the balance sheet.

Which means we’ll continue to search for meaningful ways to evaluate the power of PR to build reputation, increase engagement with customers, change perceptions and measure its fiscal impact. We’ll probably never cease in that quest.

We may also find that the briefs we receive become looser. After all, when boundaries fall the question posed becomes at once less specific, more complex and more direct “Can you help?”

2014 holds great possibility and an exciting opportunity to create economic growth, client by client, one step at a time. Now, thinking caps on, let’s see how we can help."

Sarah Bryars
Chief Executive

"It’s been pretty tough working in PR over the last few years during the economic downturn. When looking to make savings it is often sadly marketing and communications budgets that are cut. However, there are signs that things are on the up and hopefully 2014 will be the year things continue to improve. Whilst previously we have noticed a trend towards more project work rather than sustained press office/campaigns functions, I’d like to think that this year there will be more scope for ongoing briefs. If the last few months of 2013 are anything to go by this will definitely be the case! As Newspapers and magazines also felt the squeeze, and paginations reduced, there appears to have been a shift towards more online coverage which I think will only continue to grow. Content is king and with limitless amount of online ‘space’ to fill this can only be a good thing for us PRs!"

Bethan Simkins

Account Director

"We have already seen a shift in the way we present and communicate information, and in my opinion this change in approach will become more apparent and widespread in 2014. We will see organisations targeting media in a more bespoke manner, using methods best suited to the individual/sector/audience they are trying to reach. As mentioned in a previous blog, I believe the press release is, and will remain, a classic communication tool, however, you can’t deny that communications is evolving. Readers are receptive to broader information and far less detail; 140 characters rather than 600 words, an infographic rather than a word document, an app rather than a brochure, the list is endless.

In 2014, digital marketing and social media will be at the fore of many successful campaigns; however we are still finding our feet through the adolescent period of digital growth. As Anthony Simon, head of digital communication for the PM and Cabinets’ office said, it’s not just about tweeting or blogging – but about ‘engaging, listening and responding’ effectively to deliver online campaigns just as well as traditional offline campaigns. Social media is and will remain a low-cost, highly effective digital tool, however we are still only just tapping into what the various platforms have to offer. Watch this space!"

Kalli Soteriou

Account Executive