Blogs Archives - Page 19 of 34

The role of PR is constantly evolving as its lines are often blurred with marketing and advertising. At the end of the day, each of these disciplines works towards the common goal of getting customers to part with their cash by creating a unique name and image in their mind – the very definition of ‘branding’.

More than that, branding triggers the memories of every touchpoint that customers have had with your company; everything that they have seen or heard, from content in the news or on social media to your company values and culture. They all impact on your brand image.

Is this different in the B2B space? Yes, it is for the simple reason that B2B requirements differ. The relationship between vendor and customer in B2B deals is often a partnership as opposed to a simple, one-time transaction. This heightens the importance of communicating that your business understands its customers’ pain points.

Buyers in the B2B environment are often required to make more strategic, long-term decisions on behalf of their organisation. It is therefore vital that sellers deliver strong and consistent messaging across platforms that will be seen by the buyer.

That is where PR comes in.

We are living in a time of media abundance. It is nigh on impossible to leave the house without hearing about the latest breaking news or being exposed to the latest advert promoting the latest gadget that you really don’t need (but will probably end up buying anyway). It has become increasingly difficult for brands to get their voices heard above the noise.

To change the outcome, you must change the approach. It’s time to get creative!

What differentiates you from your competitors? Not sure? Don’t worry, we can help with that .

A unique piece of industry research that pinpoints the pain points of a specific group of people can feed a wide range of PR and marketing materials, from articles and blogs to infographics and social media posts, each positioning your brand as the industry leader.

Alternatively, industry expertise can be utilised to present your business as the go-to-place for support in the industry.

Whatever your differentiator is, you should use it to tell the story of your business and how not working with it is the business equivalent of losing a limb (or something a little less scary!).

Attracting and obtaining loyal customers is about finding people who share a fundamental belief, so find out what that fundamental belief is and shout it from the rooftops.

Marketing expert, Simon Sinek famously stated that ‘people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe’. Your buyers aren’t interested in your product specs, they want to know how and why your product will change their lives for the better. Whatever that is for your business, find it and use it to feed your communications activity.

And don’t forget, if you need help drop us an email or give us a call by visiting our contact page.

Forget your fears about artificial intelligence putting you out of a job. Now it’s artificial humans you need to worry about, perhaps putting you out of… a life?

Artificial humans are already here on Earth and they hope to take over in 2020. The concept of virtual characters who have the ability to show emotions and intelligence was unveiled by Samsung-backed start-up Neon at January’s CES technology show in Las Vegas. This annual extravaganza of global innovation never fails to provide glimpses of the future, but if this is our future then what hope do we ‘natural humans’ have? How long is it before we become entirely unnecessary?

Following months of intense hype, Neon showcased some of its life-size “artificial humans” to CES attendees. Chief executive Pranav Mistry claimed these digital avatars represent a new life-form. Somewhat grandiosely he explained his vision, “There are millions of species on our planet and we hope to add one more.” Pre-show images of these Neons, as they were dubbed, came along with the mysterious slogan: “Have you ever met an artificial?”

Fortunately for the future of the human race, the general consensus following Mistry’s presentation seemed to be a great big mehhh, and the unleashing of Neons to the world was described as a train wreck by tech journalists. Phew! We can breathe again. At least until this incredibly creepy idea is inevitably perfected for CES 2021.

The controversy didn’t stop there. The decision to offer Ivanka Trump, the US president’s daughter, one of the show’s keynote sessions caused uproar across the Twittersphere. Critics said other women with way more expertise failed to be granted lower-profile slots at the show. But now we know artificial humans are on the way, does it even matter? Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and star of US TV series Shark Tank seemed to speak for many when he said of Ivanka’s appearance, “I don’t care one way or another.”

Aside from all this excitement, the main CES trend was technology companies looking to get on the climate change train. The show was flooded with products offering solutions to lowering your carbon footprint, or boasting unique selling points based on energy efficiency. With so many start-ups getting onboard with innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint, maybe humanity does have a bright future after all.

Much has changed in the world of PR over the last 10 years, from the decline in print media, to the rise of social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram (to name but a few!). So, as we enter a new decade, what trends can we expect to shape our industry in 2020?

Social Media

It may come as no surprise to hear that social media will continue to play a significant role. Over the last decade it has provided companies with a platform to engage directly with their audience and help build awareness. Over the last few years, the importance of social influencers has really taken off and this will continue to hold true. However, the sorts of influencers we approach is set to change. Consumers are getting savvier when it comes to influencers who represent brands they don’t genuinely believe in. Cue the micro-influencers!

In the past, marketing and PR professionals have opted to approach so called ’macro-influencers’; individuals with a following of between 100,000 to over 1 million. However, recently there has been some doubt around the authenticity of their promotional activity. And so, in 2020 we expect to see a shift towards the use of more micro-influencers; individuals who are still considered experts but with a smaller following of between 10,000 and 500,000, allowing them to be more connected and engaged with their followers.

Niche Media

The way in which we consume media is changing. The rise in AI has meant that we expect content to be tailored and personalised; the news is no different. Traditionally in PR, the goal is to get that top-tier media placement, however, like with the move from ‘macro’ to ‘micro-influencers’, the media is also shifting its attention to more niche publications such as blogs, forums and podcasts. Outlets like these focus on specific topics while still having a large readership, allowing companies and brands to target a specialised, niche audience.

New avenues for existing channels

There’s also the social media shopping trend to consider. Now more than ever people are using these platforms to shop and discover new products, with around 60% of Instagram users and 70 % of Pinterest users shopping via social media.

These platforms have taken note of the fact that people are using them to shop and have made it easier for stores to sell via social media. Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook have all jumped on the trend of developing shoppable posts for online retailers, allowing stores to tag products directly on their posts. For PR experts, this means social media is going to become even more critical to a successful campaign and product messages will need to be integrated with these tags to take advantage of the increase in online traffic.

Audio

There are now estimated to be 3.25 billion voice-activated assistant devices being used across the world. Do you use one?? I’ll admit I do! And they have changed the way in which we carry out daily tasks. Not only are people using voice-activated assistants to play music, tell us what the weather will be or set a timer; we can also use them to consume news and carry out searches. So, as voice technology continues to grow, what do PR professionals need to be aware of when writing a pitch?

How does your pitch read when spoken aloud? Typically PR professionals have only had to consider how words are read. However, with more and more people using voice-activated assistants to search for news we must now think about how words sound when read aloud in response to a question.
Key words – the search terms people use when speaking to a voice-activated assistant will be noticeably different to those used when typing in a web browser. Consequently, PR professionals must think about the keywords in their pitch and how this aligns with the way in which people search across both voice assistants and internet web browsers.

This also affects existing communication channels. Things such as packaging, manuals, apps and emails are all ways in which companies can already take advantage of voice activation. For this to be successful, it must be clear to consumers what key terms to use in order to utilise a company’s voice features.

This is but a glimpse at some of the exciting trends set to transform the PR industry in the coming year, and I for one am excited to see what the next decade has in store for PR.

It’s official. The Apostrophe Protection Society, founded in 2001, has shut down; largely due to apathy if its founder, retired journalist John Richards, is to be believed. And yes, it is easy to believe because as a copywriter, it’s one of the things I notice; the misuse of the apostrophe (never for plurals!) or leaving it out completely.

Some, including a linguistic expert, think the death of the apostrophe is a good thing. It’s like our appendix. Who needs it anyway?

Of course, I beg to differ. As a writer, a language lover, and a bit of a pedant, the apostrophe has to stay.

Here’s why.

Apathy or laziness?

The linguistic expert mentioned above says too , misuse of the apostrophe is used to show up people with lower intelligence: “A good grasp of apostrophe use says more about your ability to remember inconsistent patterns than it does about your intelligence.”

I don’t think it’s an intelligence issue. I think it’s about laziness. With shortcuts for everything, are we simply too lazy to remember (or learn) what correct grammar and punctuation look like? And why should we bother when we have autocorrect functionality on our phones, built-in grammar checks on Word and upcoming generations that text in code?

We should bother because details matter and we (writers, at least) don’t want to get replaced by robots.

But that’s a topic for another blog.

Evolution or devolution?

Looking at language in general, it’s true that English has evolved and continues to change with use, influenced by other languages, slang and a new generation that could shorten this blog to 280 characters.

Just think about the new words we’ve added this year alone like “bigsie”, “e-bike” and “skunked”. There are also words we don’t use anymore and not ones like “shininicked” (benumbed and paralysed with fear) or “loitersacke” (a lazy, loitering fellow), but words like “whilst” or “thus” or “henceforth”.

We’ve also relaxed a lot when it comes to style itself, like starting sentences with conjunctions like “and” or “but”. I’ve done it in this blog.

But (see, I’ve done it again), where do we draw the line on what gets discarded? Could we ever get rid of other punctuation like the full stop? Then every single piece of written content would resemble a Facebook rant, just minus the emojis (another new word). The same can be said of the comma. This little mark is often overused or not used at all — and if we got rid of it (shudder) it would be a gamble each time we wrote something that the meaning would be properly conveyed. Just consider:

“Let’s eat Grandma.” vs “Let’s eat, Grandma.”

I’m going to leave that there.

Language is fluid. I accept that. But there should be some guidelines we still stick to, because it’s a slippery slope. First, we dismiss the apostrophe, then the comma, the em dash (my personal favourite) and then the fullstop.

& thn in 10yrs tm well all b tking lke ths if we rnt alrdy.

Technology trends such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing have been hot topics in the news for some time due to their influence on our everyday lives. The same certainly applies to human resources, as I have seen first-hand how technology is bringing multiple benefits to every stage of the employee lifecycle, from recruitment through to employee wellbeing.

With a rise in trends like remote working and the influx of a younger workforce, people are becoming increasingly disparate, posing a fresh set of challenges for HR leaders to ensure a happy, connected and productive environment. While there is an argument that reducing the human element from HR management can lead to workers feeling isolated, in today’s digitally savvy workplace, technology has instead become a critical enabler in driving a better experience for companies and their employees alike. For example, there is an increasing requirement for employers to support their employees on issues that extend beyond the office environment, helping them to manage physical, financial and mental wellbeing as well as their work-life balance.

How we use HR technology continues to change how we manage our employee data, HR processes and the benefits offered to our teams. The abundance of data that the latest solutions provide allow us to better inform business decisions and facilitate a more efficient and happier workplace. Automated workflows and collaboration make working life easier, more engaging and fun; with the wrong system in place people can easily become disengaged and hinder overall productivity.

HR technology is not one size fits all – solutions are required that use technology to allow employees and employers to interact intuitively with the ability to scale and grow with your business. There is an increasing demand for apps and other technologies to cover the whole employee lifecycle; from supporting recruitment and staff retention to fostering staff wellbeing and boosting performance. The ability to manage payroll, performance reviews and company suggestions remotely is nothing short of a game-changer, as creating a streamlined and automated process removes the administrative stranglehold and frees up time for senior HR professionals to focus on more strategic issues.

To conclude, managing employee wellbeing in today’s working environment requires a modern approach. HR managers must adapt to both mitigate the issues and take advantages of the opportunities that a technologically advanced workplace can bring.

There’s one story that has dominated the tech news this week and that’s the unveiling of Tesla’s much anticipated Cybertruck. Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised something different and that’s exactly what we got. The electric pickup looks like a mashup between something you would expect to see in Back to the Future and Blade Runner, and the design has certainly divided opinion. You can’t help but admire Musk’s insistence on being deliberately different!

A Tesla pickup truck makes plenty of sense on paper – the three top-selling vehicles in the US are pickup trucks and the consumer appetite for electric cars is clearly growing, so Musk knows his product has a market. But the Cybertruck needs to be aesthetically appealing to the majority of potential buyers to really make a dent in the marketplace and despite impressive pre-sale figures, those looks could restrict potential eventual sales.

Speaking of impacts, Musk used the launch event to demonstrate the durability of the truck’s bodywork by having the doors walloped with a sledgehammer. Unfortunately, the impact weakened the supposedly bulletproof ‘Armour glass’ of the windows, which shattered when a metal ball was thrown at them in an experiment that was supposed to demonstrate their strength…

Not many vehicles are currently fitted with bulletproof glass so this isn’t exactly a security measure that potential owners will be especially bothered about. But there is a big security question mark over a long-promised feature for Tesla vehicles, one that is yet to materialise. Musk has been promising fully self-driving capabilities for Tesla vehicles for a while now, meaning passengers won’t have to pay any attention to the road. Tesla’s existing self-driving functionality requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. While it doesn’t look like full self-driving mode will happen anytime soon, the risks are already being explored.

A new report from Europe’s cybersecurity agency ENISA warns that increased connectivity and automation exposes vehicle owners to several crucial cyber threats. Armour glass might help us escape from hijacking events, but automakers need to think about security measures to stop vehicles being hacked and systems being overridden while we’re riding in them.

As the world becomes increasingly connected, we are becoming more exposed to cyber threats and as we see more connectivity and automation – not just in the way we travel but in other sectors too including construction and infrastructure – security will become increasingly important.

To overcome the challenge ahead, automakers may have to work closely with cybersecurity experts and agencies like ENISA to keep potential threats at bay. It’s inevitable that as the reality of self-driving vehicles on public roads draws closer, regulations will be put into place to protect public safety and this could add further delay to Musk’s promise of a fully autonomous Tesla.

If, and when, self-driving cars and haulage trucks take to the roads, automakers need to be considering the safety aspects of the technology that is being put into vehicles. If they don’t, we could really find ourselves in a dystopian thriller like those that inspired the design of the Cybertruck.

As November comes to a close, it’s increasingly dominated by week-long Black Friday offers. If you’re an avid shopper, you may have found that your favourite brands have flown into your inbox and you’re suddenly scrolling through your social media feeds or favourite websites and being tempted by targeted ads.

In the months prior to this, retailers have been hard at work, strategising new ways to drive web traffic to their online flagship while also establishing an engaging and seamless in-store experience.

With a background in retail management, I can confidently say that over the years attitudes to shopping and the way in which people prefer to shop has drastically changed. For example, a recent survey from Feefo found that m-commerce and the use of smartphones for online shopping in the UK has skyrocketed by 141% in past 12 months. This statistic highlights the importance of accessibility while on the go. In addition to this, a study from Doodle, showed that 68% of shoppers who purchase online also opt for a ‘click & collect’ service, demonstrating how the integration of technology has seamlessly blended into the store experience.

However, taking a deeper look into the more advanced options available you might be shocked by the increasing levels of personalisation being used to enhance the retail industry both on and offline. Take fashion giant H&M for example; last year the brand trialled smart mirrors in its Times Square flagship store. Using these mirrors, customers were given personal styling advice and encouraged to take selfies that were then virtually integrated into the H&M catalogue. And, as a bonus, they were also able to download the image to their mobile phones with a QR code.

Another essential tool being integrated into most digital platforms are chatbots. The advancements in AI (artificial intelligence) means that brands are employing bots as a way to stay ahead of the competition as they can simulate conversations with customers and influence their spending behaviours. Chatbots also benefit businesses with increased communication outside the normal working hours and following initial outreach, users can enable push notifications, meaning brands can follow up after an interaction and resolve any problems quickly.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down either, a recent study from Juniper Networks forecast sales from bots will account for $112 billion by 2023, clearly showing that virtual assistants are fast becoming the future of e-commerce.

With so many ways to shop, and many more exciting new buying innovations to be discovered, I can only imagine how the industry may evolve over the next few years. However, one thing we can be sure about is that accessibility, experience and ease will be the key components shaping service and driving change.

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend one of the highlights of the UK infrastructure calendar as Highways UK rolled into the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Wednesday 6^th November marked the start of the two-day conference where all major players in the sector from Highways England to government leaders all shared their views on whether the road of the future will be more like a Scalextric track, if cars drive themselves or if electric vehicle charging is the answer to helping the planet.

Throughout the conference, there was a clear focus; sustainability. Organisations admitted it was a challenge of magnitude with some attendees believing this was the greatest challenge that the sector has ever had to face.

This theme created a hot bed of different ideas; one eye-catcher for me was discussed at a talk hosted by an array of leaders from sub-national transport bodies, where the idea of pay-as-you-go mobility was introduced. The concept was simple, as cars become more advanced, they will essentially become data beacons for the network, which means road tax could be linked to the number of miles that the car covers on a yearly basis, rather than a flat amount. This makes perfect sense in every other part of our lives from utility bills to phone contracts, so can it work for our cars too?

The sustainability topic rolled on throughout the event, but one thing that was dismissed on the whole was electric vehicle charging being the sole answer. While electric vehicle sales may have seen a 151% increase in October compared to 12 months ago, the idea of every car on the road being powered this way is currently flawed because of a lack of infrastructure to support it — with around 25,000 charging points in the UK, compared to the 37 million cars that were registered on the road in 2017.

Drilling down into a more immediate proposition that appears to hold the key for any sustainability ideas is the use of data, which is being widely accepted by transport bodies and technology vendors alike. Nick Smee, CEO of our client, Yotta, a leading technology company in the highways sector, took this one step further and believes there is ‘a growing recognition that data is the most valuable resource that people have at their disposal’ and acknowledges that more data will continue to be available from a variety of sources such as ‘asset surveys and first autonomous vehicle’.

In terms of what the road of the future might look like, it is very much still up for debate with creating roads out of recycled plastic being one option put forward by one Scottish firm earlier this year. Meanwhile Shell, has developed a clear picture of what the road would look like, featuring glow in the dark lanes to pollution sapping road surfaces all of which seem a long way of becoming a mainstream and long-term solution.

The highways sector clearly has plenty of hurdles to overcome in tackling the sustainability challenge and although there is no fast lane to success, the event provided a fantastic insight into how the issue is being approached and it was clear that the majority agree that data will still be king in 2020.

When they’re part of a carefully strategised marketing plan, B2B technology industry events provide an excellent platform to share expertise, raise brand awareness and build relationships with key media and industry influencers.

Download our eBook, ‘Making the Most of Industry Events‘ now, to ensure you achieve the best return on investment from your events marketing, with tips covering content creation, media relations and PR and social media.

Industry Events eBook

Related: Event Series Webinar – Redefining event marketing: Plan for success

Bekki Bushnell, Head of Business Development

Apple TV+ launched at the start of this month, entering the already-crowded arena of streaming platforms. With Britbox also having launched this month, and the likes of Disney+, HBO Max and NBCUniversal slated for upcoming release, the competition is set to heat up even more as the battle for subscribers continues. This new array of content also joins the established players like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV, which account for usage in over 46% of homes in the UK.

Apple’s challenge is not only to stand out among the new platforms, with Disney emerging as its biggest rival, but also those existing channels which have cemented their places as the streaming giants and set the standards we expect from platforms today. Where ‘Netflix and chill’ has become a commonplace phrase, ‘Apple TV+ and chill’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. The reality is that even if we wanted to, most of us couldn’t afford subscribing to all the streaming services available, so the challenge for each platform is creating a higher value to the consumer than its competitors.

So, what is Apple’s strategy to break into the market?

Undoubtedly, Apple’s top priority is pushing its original content. Original content is on the rise across the board to combat the increasing threat of rights holders pulling their content from existing platforms to monetise it themselves – such as WarnerMedia pulling Friends from Netflix to include on its own upcoming platform HBO Max. By creating original content, Apple avoids this risk entirely. It has also invested heavily in talent, with its shows featuring huge names, from Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carrell, to Steven Spielberg and Oprah. This is a bid to assure consumers that its original content is going to be worth subscribing to. After all, you could say that Spielberg’s repertoire of blockbuster hits speaks for itself.

Apple has also opted for a staggered approach in releasing its content. Its launch debuted eight TV shows and one documentary film, and M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller ‘Servant’ is due to drop on November 28th. Although other dates are yet to be announced, Apple has an impressive amount of new content in the pipeline. Despite the pressure to churn out shows, a focus on quality over quantity could work in Apple’s favour. Meanwhile, Netflix has recently been flexing the ‘surprise drop’ strategy (staggered timings for new content) which Apple could end up imitating – although, it would likely need a healthy base of subscribers first to make this worthwhile.

Another differentiator is Apple’s price. It’s cheaper than its counterparts at £4.99 a month, but arguably couldn’t justify charging more given its initial lack of content. It offers a one-year free trial for students, a clever strategy given that the student demographic is known for social media usage and can spread enthusiasm and positive reviews via social feeds and word of mouth. It’s also free for new iPhone and iPad owners. However, this offer was marred by technical difficulties on launch day as some users were unable to claim the free trial while others were given the offer without owning a new product.

Product accessibility is another issue. Apple TV+ is currently compatible with Apple devices, some Samsung smart TVs, Roku and Amazon’s Fire Stick, but not with any Sony, LG or Vizio devices. Additionally, although its price is lower than other streaming platforms, ‘stacking’ ends up being expensive (a term for subscribing to multiple platforms). In this sense, it will be harder for Apple to convince those already subscribed to existing services to unsubscribe and opt for TV+ instead. Its closest competitor, Disney+, has the advantage of existing films, rights to franchises like Marvel, and a global fan base. Meanwhile, HBO Max is an extension of its existing network, offering a combination of content already proven popular alongside new content that promises to be the same.

Ultimately, Apple TV+ needs to prove its original content is top quality, binge-worthy and appealing, as this remains its key differentiator in the increasingly crowded market. With good reviews it could see a surge in subscribers, but bad feedback could be its downfall. Whether I’ll subscribe? Only time will tell.