Pema reveals her favourite holiday: Business New Year

The New Year is one of my favourite times, filled with hope and the excitement of what’s to come…Granted, the financial New Year hasn’t got the same hype as December 31^st but I prefer it. Rather than the normal doom and gloom of January- with its miserable weather and feelings of inevitable failure- April, with its first taste of summer flavour, helps maintain the excitement of the night before without incurring the next day hangover. April marks the beginning of the Business New Year and this year Wordville is making some business resolutions.

Giving up … In today’s world it’s not easy being heard amongst all the chaos and noise. Audiences are constantly bombarded with information and messages and it’s easy for yours to get lost. Now more than ever the ability to cut through the noise is what’s required of PR. Originality has got to be our lifeblood. Regardless of the communication channel - social media, traditional print, online media, broadcast, or the next big thing - powerful, targeted, original PR is what’s going to have an impact. We’re always looking for new ways to widen our clients’ audiences and work to individual’s strengths, ensuring we continue to deliver the most effective campaigns. So we’re giving up the unoriginal, the obvious and the mundane.

Getting fit … Wordville has always understood the importance of measurement. If you understand where you are, it’s easy to set clear goals and decide where you want to be. Measurement allows us to understand what does and what doesn’t work. It offers transparency to our clients about what we do and how well we do it. This year we’re implementing new performance reporting on all our accounts – it’s not just about the cuttings and the message pull-through – we’re aiming to have the ‘fittest’ PR in the business.

Getting together … As a PR agency, we communicate- whether that’s with the media, our clients or between ourselves. It’s surprising how people often overlook the importance of good old fashioned talking and the results it can achieve. It creates bonds, encourages creativity, increases productivity and most importantly it creates a positive working environment full of laughter and fun times. I have no doubt that this coming year there will be plenty more.

For the first time ever, I am confident that I won’t break my New Year’s resolutions. It’s time to get louder and truly make our mark. Happy New Year.

Watch Word of the Month

Fortune favours the bold; seize the day; who dares wins. There are countless mantras, repeated throughout time, which extol the virtue of fearlessness whilst warning against reticence. We all reference them occasionally but how often do we actually set aside our inhibitions and step outside our comfort zones?

Recently, I was lucky enough to hear a speech given by the CEO of Cosworth, Tim Routsis, on the future of creativity in business. Tim’s speech held one prevailing message; now is not the time to be timid. The economic climate may have us all quaking in our boots but for those with guts and tenacity, the opportunities remain endless. Everyone is still looking for innovation, the next big thing. If fear of an unknown outcome threatens to stifle our creativity then the answer in obvious- we must be bold.

Tim’s words struck a chord with me, not just because of their refreshing optimism, but because they seemed peculiarly relevant to Wordville at this time.

In recent months Wordville has not only stepped outside its comfort zone; it has leapt the fence, swum the river and headed for the hills. In the February- March period two new recruits joined the Wordville team, one of which was myself. Embarking on a new job is a daunting prospect and so it is not difficult to recognise how Tim’s words resonated with me on a personal level.

Nevertheless, our whole-hearted admittance into the Wordville fold also represents the fearless attitude of the team. After all, company expansion is a bold statement of success. It provides a promise to existing clients of fresh ideas and even more efficient delivery, as well as a declaration of readiness to take on new business.

As a new, young and enthusiastic team the future’s bright for us. We’re eager to have our metal tested and prove our worth. Our watch word for this month in bold- because fortune never favoured the timid.

By Polly Robinson