Lessons learnt from Mr Selfridge

Since the New Year, my Sunday evenings have been brightened by the arrival Mr Selfridge.  For the uninitiated, this is the latest offering from ITV, a heady mix of fashion, flirtation and drama, all set against the eye-achingly beautiful backdrop of the freshly opened Selfridge’s store. The programme fills the hole left by Downton Abby but, with its partial focus on Selfridge’s battle to drive people to his store, it is also teaching me something.

Harry Selfridge is a PR and marketing mastermind and every week his activities highlight fundamental rules of our profession to be forgotten at our peril.

1. Get to know the press- Selfridge understands the power of the press to influence the public’s reception of his new store. One of the first things he does upon arrival in London is befriend the editor of the London Evening Standard. Unfortunately for us in 21^st century PR world, things are not so simple (taking Sarah Sands out for an evening of show tunes and light gambling seem somewhat improbable), but basic theory is the same. Be good to the press; take the time to get to know what client-relevant journalists want because they have the last say in what gets published.

2. Be a news hound- Today’s news is tomorrow’s fish paper so if you’re going to contribute to a current conversation, you have to do it fast. When Mr Selfridge hears news of Louis Bleriot’s inaugural cross-channel flight, he is quick to connect the Selfridges brand with the discussion. Upon the plane’s arrival and in front of the congregated media, Selfridge commandeers the plane for exhibition in store and by the next day has a full range of red, white and blue scarves made up for sale alongside it. Selfridge’s speed and decisiveness is key to his success here. His approach is similar to modern guerilla advertising campaigns (see below example), which succeed due to their quick-witted connection of brand and news.

 3. Choose a brand ambassador- Selfridge wants his store to be viewed as cutting edge, daring and sexy. In order to project this to the public he appoints beautiful and independent showgirl, Ellen Love, to be the ‘Spirit of Selfridges’.  The Selfridges, Ellen, agreement works in exactly the same way as modern celebrity endorsement; Heston Blumenthal and Waitrose for example. By associating a brand with an aspirational figure, which its target market wishes to emulate, the brand becomes more appealing.

4. … But take care in doing so- Although publicly an object of admiration, Ellen is privately a bit of a train-wreck, (with her alcoholism and drug addiction looking to become an increasing embarrassment for Selfridge in the coming weeks). The predicament is a familiar one: When an ambassador no longer represents brand values, the association turns from beneficial to blighting. Modern examples include Kate Moss, who was dropped by Burberry, Rimmel and Chanel following the exposure of her drug taking, and Lance Armstrong, ditched by Nike, Anheuser-Busch and Giro due to his use of performance enhancing drugs. The lesson is clear: Ambassadors can bring negative as well as positive press so take care when choosing them.  

5. Put on a show- Mr Selfridge understands the power of an event to make news and grasps any opportunity to generate exciting activity in-store.  When Anna Pavlova, arrives in London, people are desperate to see her and experience the glamour and grace she represents. Selfridge’s answer is to host a reception for Pavolva, where members of the public may come in-store and do just this. The stunt woks well as a PR campaign because the underlying message; that ‘every woman should have a Pavlova moment’, applies equally well to the event and the store famed for bringing high-end fashion to the masses.   

By Polly Robinson

Are social networks losing their appeal?

For many, a day isn’t a day without a status update or a new hair cut truly appreciated without an uploaded photo. Facebook is almost universal and the majority of people only know one or two people who don’t have an account.

So the news that Facebook lost 600,000 users in Britain certainly came as a shock – to Facebook at least.

I personally have found my interest in the social network waning. I have come to wonder whether those friends I have on Facebook really are genuine friends. I certainly don’t have them all in my phone book and as for paying a fee to promote a specific post to select friends- I think not.

This month Facebook has added a new search engine to its facilities and enabled calls to be made at the touch of a button – all services that have been around before Facebook came on the scene.

It seems to me that since the social giant became public its appeal has suffered. Maybe fans of the site feel shafted. When Mark Zuckerberg launched his venture it was a simple, no adverts website where people could stay in touch with friends and family. Now, it’s trying to be something it’s not – the Tesco of the social media world - trying to offer everything in one place.

Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo sharing app, has also suffered some fall-out from its users. Panic spread after the app that has 90 million users revised its privacy policy, stating it would be selling users photos to advertisers. Following an unprecedented backlash – a 25% decrease in one week among users - it decided to remove this amendment to its policy.  

Have social websites started to lose their appeal? Or have users become wise to the lack of privacy provided by some of these sites? It’s clear that a business needs to keep up with demands from customers, especially in a fast moving environment where there’s no time for the weak. Either way, Facebook looks to be fighting a losing battle.

By Stephanie Rock

New year, new start?

So with January come the dreaded New Year’s resolutions. Up and down the country most people have set themselves something…start a diet, get fitter, stop smoking, drink less… the list goes on. I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. Why all of a sudden, just because it’s January, should I give up my chocolaty treats, join a gym and cut down my drinking? In my opinion it’s the worst month. You end up associating January not only with biting cold, but with post-Christmas guilt and previous years’ failures. I would just be setting myself up to fail.

Instead I urge people to make goals for throughout the year, things that will enhance your life rather than depriving yourself in the most miserable month. In March 2012 I started playing netball, and guess what, nearly a year later I’m part of a regular weekly team. In August, I joined the gym as I wanted to become a better player and now I love my workouts. It’s important to choose things that you want to do rather than the things you think you should do.

My friend is quitting smoking when she turns 25 because that’s when she wants to stop. She’s not jumping on some New Year’s resolution bandwagon; she’s waiting till her birthday. Waiting just four short months will make her, (in my opinion) much more likely to succeed.

January isn’t the only month where we should look to improve ourselves and our lives. Don’t be peer-pressured into New Year’s resolutions, wait till you’re ready. You wouldn’t leave your job just because everyone else did, so why would you make resolutions just because everyone else does. Every day, week, month, year brings an opportunity to make a better you.

By Pema Seely

London Underground:150 and still going strong... well almost

Isn’t it funny, that something we moan about on an almost daily basis can suddenly become a cause for celebration?

This week the London underground turned 150, and in an instant we forget all those mornings crammed under a stranger’s armpit, all those evenings squished against wet umbrellas and late nights inhaling someone else’s McDonlad’s. This week, it seems that even us Londoners have ditched our usual cynicism (and reliable topic of morning conversation), to join in nostalgic affection for this British institution.

And why not? After all, since its opening, the London Underground has played a part, not only in our day-to-day lives, but in historic events that have rocked the capital to its core. This week the underground is cause for celebration, but in the past it has provided shelter, spawned love affairs and been the target of one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in recent history.

PR for the London Underground can’t be the easiest of jobs. Maintaining the reputation of a service subject to the whims of out-dated engineering, the British weather and its own temperamental workforce must feel like a thankless task at times. Nevertheless, the British and wider public’s celebration of the London Underground this week, stands as a testament to the success of a relentlessly creative campaign.  

Initiatives such as ‘Art on the Underground’, which continues to involve numerous revered contemporary artists in creating temporary and permanent installations on the network, brightens an otherwise dreary commute. Similarly, the TFL supported ‘Poetry on the Underground’ programme, which displays poems in 3,000 advertising spaces across the underground, provides a welcome break from adverts for match.com and conference call services.

Schemes such as these have elevated the London Underground in the public eye, from a sterile transport system to a symbol of the city’s art and culture. Out of the ten images chosen by The Royal Mail for its commemorative stamps, the majority are reproductions of the posters and artworks that have graced the walls of the network. Now as a PR I may be biased. But if it’s these images (rather than a sweaty armpit or rain outside Walthamstow) that represent our enduring impression of the London Underground, it has to be handed to TFL PR- they’ve done a good job.

By Polly Robinson

24 hours in Vienna

As some of you may know, last weekend saw Christmas celebrated Wordville style. Not for us the food induced coma and drunken jive round the local watering hole. No- we jetted out the city and hit the streets of Vienna for a whirlwind 24 hours of frozen fun and frolics.

I don’t think any of us know how such a momentous party concept came about. It’s possible Lucy mentioned the idea in late summer and, once in the public domain, it was impossible to retract. We ran with it like hungry leopards smelling buffalo, and before we knew it we’d booked flights, a hotel and were researching the nuances of the city’s many Christmas markets.

This epic Christmas party (which we’ve been assured will NOT happen every year), provided a fitting end for what has been an action-packed 2012 at Wordville. For those of you that can bare to read them, here are some highs, lows and memorable moments from the trip…

1.    Suitcase situation- The moment Steph realised that she’d locked her suitcase- with her phone, purse and key inside it. Now this would be an unfortunate situation for anyone but for Steph, our resident news wire, this forced separation from her iPhone was quite catastrophic. What if there was a flash flood somewhere, another royal got pregnant or ASOS had a 50% off bonanza? Thankfully it wasn’t long before Pema came to the rescue with a blunt airport knife and, using some questionable skills, triumphed over the lock to reunite Steph with her cash.

2.    Let the party commence- After a long journey, a rapid change and a stumble round Vienna in search of food, we were finally settled in a buzzing bar over-looking a snow-dusted cathedral. With drinks in our hands and a hefty selection of bar snacks, it finally sunk in that we’d made this happen.

3.    Doing it Wordville style- If there’s one thing we like doing- even more that ringing up the FT- it’s dancing. Determined not to leave Vienna without showcasing our skills, we took to the floor of some unsuspecting establishment and strutted our stuff till the early hours.

4.    The Sheep pig- Yes. It may shock some of you to know but the greatest treasure in Vienna does not lie amongst the crown jewels; it’s not hiding in the museum quartier and you most certainly won’t find it in Mozart’s house. However, scour a straw filled enclosure at the heart of one of the city’s lesser-known Christmas markets, and you may be rewarded with a glimpse of… the sheep pig. We all agreed that this fleece-covered piggy was unlike anything we’d ever seen. It was spectacular, even when scratching its bum on the water butt.

5.    Getting in…and out of the cold – After spending some time, and quite a few of our hard-earned euros, in two of the city’s bustling Christmas markets, we were all ready for a sit-down and a break from the -2 °C conditions. Entering into a warm café and thawing out with a hot drink and some Viennese pastries was the perfect end to truly memorable 24 hours in Vienna.

By Polly Robinson

Holidays are coming

Christmas adverts have always provided a festive marker for me. My sister and I used to wait impatiently for the Coca-Cola, holiday’s are coming advert. Seeing it was akin to glimpsing Rudolph’s nose peaking over the horizon- a promise of the festivities soon to come.

But when did Christmas advertising become so competitive?

Over the past fortnight, the heavyweights of British retail have been flexing their media muscle, eager to gain audience approval and drive consumer conversation through attention-grabbing television campaigns.

One of the first big-brand efforts to run the critical gauntlet was that of Waitrose. The up-market food retailer has chosen to shun big budget TV advertising this year, instead giving the estimated 1 million pounds usually spent to charitable causes. The result is an irritatingly pious offering, featuring Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith, being very vocal about just how socially aware Waitrose is. It’s smug and seems to wave an implicit naughty finger at all the other retailers, including sister company John Lewis, who have continued to toe the blockbuster line. Clearly there’s no place for sisterhood in the competitive retail Christmas.

Despite this, John Lewis is claiming that its Christmas commercial, devised by advertising greats Adam and Eve DDB, is its most successful yet. The advert, which launched last weekend (10 November), has generated some 6,790 likes and 1,340 shares on Facebook so far and was trending last week on Twitter. Its 'go that extra mile' message is illustrated by a snowman, who travels over mountains and across streams, only to return with a hat and scarf set (presumably from John Lewis), for his shivering snow wife. All this is set to a cover of The Power of Love and is executed with a comic charm that has generated praise from viewers and critics alike.

Alongside the traditional, some say sentimental, ads this year, a worrying trend for realism has emerged. Asda came under fire last week, after airing its Christmas advert with the strapline, ‘Behind every great Christmas, there’s mum.’ The commercial features a fraught mum, juggling the demands of a thankless family, with Asda seemingly her only help. How the supermarket chain did not see the furor this would cause, I do not know, but it has outraged both male and female viewers, generating a strong reaction from fathers for justice who claim it belittles the role of fathers at Christmas.

Television advertising plays a huge part in communicating brand vision and ethos, and there are obvious, safe ways to use it.  Nevertheless, be it in an effort to snatch the rare Christmas pound, or mere creative competitiveness, retail brands are increasingly looking to create impact with their seasonal advertising offerings. The problem is, the flip side of impact is often risk. As Asda is now finding out, investing in advertising that communicates controversial brand values can be a costly mistake, especially as (according to my mother), all anyone really wants to see is Take That dancing round a country house.  

By Polly Robinson