Wordplay

2nd Year for Wordville with Leading Charity Recruitment Event

2009-06-30T02:38:00.000-07:00

2008 success sees forum3 renew contract

Following the successful campaign in 2008, forum3, the leading UK recruitment event for the Third Sector, has renewed its contract with Wordville.

forum3 hosts a yearly recruitment event for over 12,000 visitors, including 150 top charities such as Cancer Research UK, Big Issue, NSPCC and the RSPCA. The partnership with Wordville resulted in a 20% increase in attendance and forum3 directors engaged with key print, broadcast and online journalists. Extensive coverage was featured in trade, national and international media.

“Wordville was a key part of our 2008 success, enabling us to influence the Third Sector agenda through key media engagement. We saw an increase in visitor attendance and we are now a point of reference for anyone looking for the latest developments in our industry. We are very much looking forward to working with Wordville again this year,” said Debbie Hockham, director, forum3.

The forum3 event will take placed on September 10-11 at the Business Design Centre in Islington in London. For more information, please visit: http://www.forum3.co.uk

Mistrust Reality

2009-06-05T01:26:00.000-07:00

Two friends of mine have recently become embroiled in reality TV shows - not the talent show variety but sideshows nonetheless. Both willing participants of on air behind the scenes programmes with two different reasons for taking part. First was emotional (wanted to talk through a relationship breakup), second promotional (wanted to get more clients for his business).

All cautionary tales seemed to fall on deaf ears because they both had a strange belief that they wouldn't "be like those who look insane and unreasonable".

It's not just reality TV that brings out the delusion. Company executives step unprepared into TV studios, confident that the ego that does them so well in the boardroom will work its magic on camera. And subject matter experts ramble on to journalists convinced that their evangelical zeal will inspire.

If you're doing TV for promotional purposes work out what you want to achieve and how your offline activity supports your onscreen appearance. Have you timed your marketing with the transmission? Are you ready to take advantage of any incoming queries and are your staff prepped for any possible negative reaction? If it seems obvious, you'd be surprised how many people think it'll just fall into place.

Ultimately anyone producing a reality TV show is looking to deliver entertainment not reality. Take stock before you agree to appear - think what's in it for you, don't trust that your everyday charm will make it onscreen, and take advice from experts before signing anything. Reality bites.

It’s the way you tell ‘em

2009-03-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

Writing speeches for someone else is an unusual way to spend your time. Finding the right words, weaving in the key points, following a thread to a conclusion. It’s got to be more than an intellectual exercise. You’ve got to find the humour, the passion, something beyond the metre of the words to stir the audience and keep them involved. But when you hand over the pages it’s down to the speaker to make your sentences into something memorable. Those attending the recent event at the V&A’s Sackler Centre were lucky to have Sir Christopher Frayling on hand to kick off the launch of the National Museums Online Learning Project. An excellent engaging speaker, he said what was needed but so much better than anything that could be written on a page.

I enjoy reading speeches – a pleasurable homework to keep my own speechwriting skills up to scratch. But it was a real pleasure this week to stumble on the British Library’s exhibition The Sound and The Fury: The Power of Public Speaking. A row of headphones lets you listen in on some of the greatest speeches given over the last 150 years, drawn from the Newspaper and Sound Archive. The pacing of the great actors, the passion of the sportsmen, the wit and humour of the statesmen. So much better than reading the transcript - the breathing and phrasing makes all the difference. So many of the recordings are famous enough that you can anticipate the words “I am the greatest...”, “Once more unto the breach”, “We shall fight them on the beaches” - but it’s great to hear them spoken.

What makes a great speech? There are certainly some dos and don’ts that can help even the novice to improve. What makes a great speaker? Practice, for sure. But more important is the desire to connect with the audience, to really say something that changes how people feel, that knocks them for six. Engage the audience and they’ll feel lucky to be listening.

How do you know that you’re ready for PR?

2009-01-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

Before you kick off a campaign - PR, marketing or any other type of formal communication - there are a few important questions you need to ask yourself to avoid putting the cart before the horse.

Key messages are just that. Key to working out your press targets, key to finding the case studies to support your business, key to every piece of collateral that you create. However, it takes time to work them out. Sit in a boardroom with a group of executives, with the company's brand seemingly running through their bloodstreams, and you’ll find that each one has a different perspective on what the company stands for, how it stands out and why customers chose them.

If the board is unclear every level down will have a variety of other company colours to add to the mix. Unfortunately, rather than making the end result a kaleidoscope of opportunity - if you mix too many colours the result is mud.

If you want to build a multifaceted business start with an achievable goal then build. Find your main differentiators and ensure that one important selling point doesn't contradict another.

When Amazon launched with a goal to be "Wal-Mart online" the story goes that the chairman and founder, Jeffrey P. Bezos, threw out the extensive marketing plan declaring "We're going to sell books." Building credibility in one area before expanding to another makes marketing sense rather than be an 'all things to all people’ newcomer who can get lost in the crowd.

As times get tougher you need to make it easier for your clients or customers to buy. Can your service be simply explained? Is the product's benefit easy to understand? Is what you charge clear and not laden with hidden costs? Whatever size your customer is, their budgets are being scrutinized. If you can’t be clear about what you sell, how much it’s going to cost, and how they’re going to benefit – they’ll never to the internal selling job needed to get you a purchase order.

What do you want to be famous for? Take the time to establish your messages before you turn on the PR machine. It’ll provide you with a engine under the bonnet and make all the difference.

Snap, Crackle and Crunch

2008-12-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

It seems that everyone is fixated on the economy and it doesn't matter if you're pitching to a trade title or a lifestyle mag, everyone is selling in the same story: "We can save you money", "How to cope with your impending redundancy", "Why this service is what you need to fight the downturn". It's not an easy time for PR. But just because everyone is writing the same story doesn't mean you have to.

It's time to add more snap and crackle to the Crunch. Interviews with journalists can be time badly spent if you're giving them nothing new. Go deeper with your analysis of the market, think further into the future and predict how behaviours of consumers and businesses will change. Go beyond telling it like it is.

PR agents can do their best to set up the interview, pitch the hell out of your customer win, inundate key titles with product launches but a spokesperson shouldn't agree to go into a meeting with a journalist unless they understand how what they're going to say will appeal to the readers and appear in print.

If you're a household name then your comment on what we already know can make a headline (John Major says there'll be job losses – yeah, that's no surprise) but otherwise you and your PR need to try much harder.

Tough times bring out the very best and worst. And that's what journalists want to write about. How is your sales team coping with the slump? What are you experiencing which you never have before? Michael Gonzalez, a PR guru and killer media relations expert, says it’s time to take risks. “If you are too nervous to say what hasn’t been said then you are not in a good position to handle press interviews. If your latest press missive doesn’t pass the ‘so what?’ test then don’t waste your time. Stretch your research to the point that it uncovers what’s really valuable. Stare far into the future to predict the aftermath. That’ll give a journo something worth writing about.”

If you have a PR team on a monthly target for the number of press releases distributed or coverage achieved, it's time to look again at your goals. Opportunities abound to make a name for your business during this stressful business climate. But it'll take you and your PR specialists more than the normal approach to create a tasty morsel that the press will crave. Book in a brainstorming session and cook up some genuinely original angles.

A New Brand of Uproar

2008-10-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

Two overconfident radio personalities, a slow moving institution, politicians eager to show their morals, and a growing crowd of offended individuals to spread the story like a virus. Anyone who has ever faced a serious issue in their business and been put under media scrutiny at a time of high stress looks back with dread at their experience. But knowing what you’re about to face and then facing it is a walk in the park in comparison to the escalating outrage of mob rule.

There are lessons to be learned from the Brand/Ross chaos over the last few weeks. And the first is to act fast and make your statement strong, definitive and sincere. You may not be able to quash the furore with one statement but you can certainly add to the anger by appearing vague, unrepentant or reactive.

You never want to make a mountain out of a molehill but if, two days after the story breaks in a national paper, the prime minister and opposition leader have made their feelings known and Ofcom are on the case, you need to get the big guns out. It’s easy to criticize the handling of a media crisis from the outside but it would have been nice to see more from the BBC management earlier. Three days after the news broke (and 11 days after the show aired) is too long to wait to take decisive action against the tide of opinion.

People love to pass on news – especially bad news – even more so if it has salacious content and appears to bring down someone in a prominent position. According to noted anthropologist Robin Dunbar, language evolved because it enabled gossip. Individuals who could share stories had an advantage. It made them popular and connected them to their gossip partners. When people pass on timely gossip they feel more powerful, they have a better shared sense of what is right and what’s wrong. It’s impossible not to talk about these things. Gossip and stories like this burst out.

It’s difficult to stop gossip and those that are genuinely distressed by what’s happened will keep talking. But show your position, set out clearly what you’re going to do according to established policies, rather than be lead to react by the ongoing situation. The story will go away. But PR people worldwide should watch and learn. It’s a cautionary tale and one that could teach us all a lot.

Lying for a Living

2008-10-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Having worked in PR and media relations for many years, it’s not the first time I’ve heard it. But it’s always an unwelcome surprise to find out how few people trust PR. A survey by Ciao Surveys found that 60.3% of people in Britain believe that PR officers often lie. Is that fair? And which PR person distributed that survey that pours scorn on the profession?

There’s a reason I object to lying on behalf of a client. Not just on moral grounds but on practical ones. If you are using a PR that exaggerates the truth beyond all reality then they’re doing you no favours. Companies are under more scrutiny than ever and bloggers and journalists are quick to expose untruths or fabrications. And with the internet a permanent reminder of all that is said on (and off) the record, an untruth can resurface years later to haunt a spokesperson or an organisation.

PR should help an organisation polish their image – find the good things to talk about – gather the impressive evidence – and evangelise about the business. Everyone deserves to look their best. But if your PR is straying too far away from the truth then it’s up to you to think hard about whether they’re doing the kind of work you need. Any PR should evaluate the organisation or individual they offer to help before the work begins. And if they don’t think they can get you press coverage and exposure based on what you really are, they shouldn’t take the job.

There are liars in every profession. But whereas advertising gets a slap from the Advertising Standards Authority if they promise something they can’t deliver, PR folks are left to follow their own moral compass.

The most famous PRs in the country are some of the worst liars and manipulators – but that doesn’t mean you should have them working for you. It’s a pity for the reputation of PR in general that political spinning and the trading of celebrity gossip has blinded people to the genuine art of media relations.

Success on a Soapbox

2008-09-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

An interview with a journalist takes time. It takes time for the PR team to secure the meeting, arrange the logistics, prepare the spokesperson, brief the journalist. And the spokesperson will have to take time to prep and have the meeting. It’s frustrating when all that investment in time results in an article without the spokesperson in it.

One of the biggest disappointments is when the spokesperson just doesn’t seem to have anything interesting to say. They’ve nothing to add to the argument, no vision of the future, and no evidence to support what they do say.

If you think you’ve wasted your time then the journalist will feel the same. And you’re not likely to be on their list of people to call for a comment in future.

If you don’t know why you’re doing the interview – you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Consider the publication’s audience and what they might be interested in. Work out early what key points you want to get across and think of the proof you have to support what you say.

In the simplest terms, spokespeople need to See it … Say it … Show it.

See it
Journalists are looking to write what hasn’t been written before. Feature articles review the landscape, look to the future, and reveal unknown trends. An expert spokesperson should be able to future-gaze. Before you meet with a journo, take time to think about what you see in the industry. What’s going to change? And how will that affect the customers and the market?

Say it
Your key messages should be worked out in advance. You’ve got something to say to the publication’s audience so work out what that is. Try to come down on one side or another of an argument. If you have to get permission to be outspoken then get it. Avoid marketing scripts but instead prepare what you want to say with the audience in mind. And speak. Don’t just answer the question as quickly as possible and sigh with relief when it’s all over. Really say something.

Show it
Your business is innovative? How so? You are changing the nature of the industry? Who else agrees? Attend an interview with something to back up your statements. Follow up by providing the results of research, the name of an industry expert who can support your view, a graph that lays out the landscape.

Make every interview count. Plan to perfection. Get on your soapbox and I’ll get off mine.

Tooth and Nail

2008-09-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

There are 47,800 PR people in Britain. That’s twice the number of NHS Dentists. That’s double as many people as those licensed to give you a manicure. That’s 13 PR professionals for every company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

It’s a wide sphere of skills and ability – ranging from those that can really help transform your business to those who you wish you’d never met. If you’re looking to hire a PR agency or a PR consultant how do you know that you’re picking from the top of the industry? The process is rarely straight-forward but it must start with a clear picture from you of what you want to get out of PR. Marketing in general is a discipline that is full of vague guidelines for measuring success. But if you know your business well enough you should have an idea of what you want to change. Perhaps it’s better name awareness so the sales teams find it easier to connect with prospects? Perhaps it’s industry recognition for the innovative work your organisation is doing? Perhaps it’s traffic to your website or an increase in sales of a particular product?

It’s interesting that PR agencies talk about success in so many different ways. Measuring the advertising spend equivalent (sorry, you’ll never get me to buy into that), counting cuttings, before and after media audits. There are numerous feel good factors about appearing in print too – better staff morale, assisting recruitment, customer satisfaction. They’re all valid. But for most organisations, the PR spend is justified by the impact it’s going to have on the bottom line.

It sometimes seems that organisations want PR because their competitors have it. Some organisations are unprepared for the contribution they will have to make, uncomfortable with the revelations and demand for opinion, and unsure what the real point is. But there are 47,800 people fighting tooth and nail to convince them that PR is the answer.

It’s only ever the answer if you’ve actually worked out the question.

Know your business objective before embarking on a PR campaign. The best PR professionals can help you devise a strategy, can create compelling campaigns, can get you noticed. But without a true goal in mind you might just as well get your teeth cleaned or your nails done.

Very Superstitious

2008-09-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

The more volatile the world becomes the more we rely on forecasts, predictions, and calculations. Whether it’s a turbulent economy, a new market, or the launch of a breakthrough product – marketing strategists cling to their research reports like crystal balls. Gartner, Ovum, the CBI, the EIU – who you get your predictions from and which ones you build your strategy upon depends on your industry. And for marketing people, as times get tougher, the assumed behaviour of the ABC1 crowd becomes a life-raft. But it’s getting harder to predict. How will the bling-bling society behave when they’re strapped for cash? Sensible (switching power suppliers and maximising current assets) or speculative (investing in the high risk returns, refusing to give up the luxuries)?

How can you predict the unpredictable? Complex economic models provide a comfort factor to prop up a multi-million pound strategy but the reading of tea leaves might be as helpful.

It’s times like these that people start relying on magic. It’s a recognised human behaviour that can be traced back to the caves. “Should we hunt on this side of the mountain?” “Only if the clouds are shaped in a certain way.” “Shall we move the flock to safer ground?” “Red sky at night – shepherd’s delight.” “Do we fight in the morning?” “The entrails from this slaughtered goat will have the answer.”

In The 1984 California Management Review, Martin L. Gimpl said, “superstitions are the vehicle whereby charismatic leaders provide feelings of certainty in otherwise uncertain times.” And superstitions can deliver great results. Choosing random locations to hunt based on the results of cloud formation or cracks in burnt bones (like the Native Americans did) reduces the likelihood of overhunting one area or teaching the animals to avoid predictable hunters.

How many PR and marketing folk rely on ‘rules of engagement’ that no longer apply? Press releases only go out on a certain day of the week – headings must be X words long – it’s more difficult to get hold of a journalist on a sunny day? Real or random – the confidence of someone with inside knowledge can’t fail to impress the client. But it’s only the results themselves that provide the answer. So measure them. This week, next month, year by year. If someone’s superstition is bringing you a great communication campaign then keep going. If the report and research-fuelled strategy is getting customers to beat a path to your door then don’t stop now. Action is always better than inertia – especially during the tricky times.

But don’t really be fooled by the magic. It’s not real, you know.