Category: Blogs

Have you ever left your phone at home and felt as though you are missing a limb for the rest of the day? Technology, like the smartphone, has become so woven into our everyday lives it is hard for most of us to think about life without it. In the case of the smartphone, it has become our alarm, our diary, our entertainment, a way to bank, and even our education. It’s no longer just a way to connect with our friends and family.

Understandably as smartphone brands are developing models that can do more and more, as consumers we’re spending more and more time on our phones. According to a number of studies, this time spent scrolling our screen can have a negative effect on our ‘digital health’. One 2016 study found a link between the amount of time spent on social media and the participant’s risk for depression. Those who checked their social media most frequently were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed compared to those who checked less often. Those who spent the most amount of time on social media throughout the week had 1.7 times the likelihood of depression.

The collective research begs the question: if tech really is making us miserable should the industry really be the one to challenge us about how long we spend online? It certainly seems so if you consider that both Apple and Google have apps which aim to improve your digital health.

The Apple app – Screen Time – is standard on all iPhones with the last iOS software release. It allows you to stop your phone from bothering you while you’re asleep; it will cluster certain notifications together to avoid constant disruptions; and give a tally to see how many times a day you check your phone – all in a bid to improve your wellbeing. The app will also show how long you spend on each other app and helps people set daily limits. At Apple’s annual developer conference, the company’s senior vice-president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi stated: “For some of us it’s become such a habit we don’t even recognise just how distracted we’ve become.”

According to multiple studies, people spend on average more than four hours a day on their phones. Which shows that maybe it is time for us to start limiting our phone usage.

When Android P is released this summer, it will bring with it a new dashboard designed to clearly show the amount of time we’re spending on our phones. You’ll see a breakdown that includes the number of times you’ve unlocked your device, a tally of notifications, and details on how much time you’re spending in individual apps. With Google-owned YouTube offering ‘take a break’ notifications that will display a prompt when you’ve exceeded a specific amount of consecutive viewing time.

This could be seen as an important step by Google, as according to MediaKix the top social media platforms ordered by usage are:
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• Instagram
• Twitter

Apps make up the core activity on our phones according to comScore’s Mobile Hierarchy Report (Jan. 2017), collectively 87% of total mobile usage minutes.

Though it can be seen as a huge worry that people are spending more and more time on their smartphones it shouldn’t always necessarily be seen as bad or unhealthy. Our phones have become a vessel in which we can express ourselves freely, meet new people, experience new opportunities and can have a positive impact on our relationships.

For all businesses involved in the smartphone ecosystem, I believe it’s their duty to communicate through social media and mobile messaging as well, because they need to meet and engage consumers where they already spend their time. Maybe it’s about finding a balance – although there is a certain irony in using an app to do that.

30 May 2018 – REPL Group, a global technology and consulting firm focusing on innovative solutions for the retail industry, has appointed Whiteoaks International, a leading UK-based technology PR agency, to raise the profile of its workforce management and engagement, warehouse management and instore solutions to support the company’s ambitious plans for growth.

Whiteoaks was appointed following a competitive pitch process, due to its proven knowledge of the retail and logistics technology industry and its record of PR, content and digital work in this area. REPL particularly liked Whiteoaks’ innovative approach to transparent service delivery and saw Whiteoaks’ focus on performance and results as an excellent match for its own company culture.

Rachel Price, marketing director for REPL Group, commented: “REPL has grown extensively over the last 10 years and is continually innovating by identifying the best industry solutions to meet the needs of retailers. We wanted an external PR agency to help us promote our strong positioning within the market as we further grow and serve new customers.

“We were impressed by Whiteoaks’ knowledge of the retail industry and the commitment to results-driven PR and we are confident of a hugely successful relationship.”

Whiteoaks is currently developing a media relations campaign, emphasising REPL’s role as an industry thought leader. The campaign will maximise REPL’s pioneering role in the field of workforce management, its in-depth knowledge and passion for the retail experience and its dedication to modernising the industry by delivering the best technological solutions to align with its customers’ business goals.

James Kelliher, Whiteoaks International CEO, said: “REPL is a fast-growing business with proven authority and extensive experience in the retail sector and we are delighted to have the opportunity to help build its brand and scale the business further.

“Our transparent way of working and commitment to achieving and exceeding targets continues to set us apart from other PR firms, and we feel sure that this approach will help REPL to significantly increase awareness of its workforce management, logistics and other solutions.”

Earlier this week, Mark Ward, BBC Technology correspondent, posed the question why are so many firms so bad at handling social media? The examples used to prove the journalist’s point included some cringe-inducing Twitter blunders, from US Airways accidentally including a pornographic image in a reply to an unhappy customer, to Microsoft’s artificially “intelligent” chatbot Tay tweeting racist and anti-Semitic views after been corrupted by internet trolls.

On the flip side, an example was referenced that illustrated where the red blushes caused by some tweets can be turned into humorous postings for others. Take for instance dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster which took advantage of the United Airlines forced removal of a passenger scandal in 2017 and sent this mischievous tweet:

‘Volunteer’ means “someone who does something without being forced to do it.” https://t.co/qNAcMyplhZ

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) April 11, 2017

There are countless examples of companies using social media incorrectly on a day-to-day basis, from failing to respond to customers complaints in a timely manner, to — would you believe — actually promoting their competitors in this case here.

One suspects the main reasons for these failings is because not enough thought or time has been put into making social work. But businesses shouldn’t be put off. Platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram can play a vital role in reaching a wider audience for organisations of all shapes and sizes, when used correctly. For example, some brands are more suited to LinkedIn, some Twitter and Instagram, and occasionally all. Plus, the social management tools such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Sprout Social can help put in place approval measures so that no one in the social team can post a message without a second check from someone else.

Social media is the ideal tool for engaging with customers and potential customers and the companies that are doing it well are increasingly using it to implement a user-generated content strategy. Not only does it encourage interaction, but it also makes it easy for your biggest advocates to show their appreciation of your brand to others. A creative example of this comes from the online fashion giant Asos.

Shady just got a brand-new meaning @the.dight ASOS DESIGN jumpsuit (1228608)

A post shared by ASOS (@asos) on May 9, 2018 at 12:23am PDT

Encouraging followers to generate their own content referencing your product or service is the 21^st century version of word of mouth which is always the best form of advertising.

Without a robust and appropriate social strategy and presence, businesses potentially lose valuable insight into what resonates with its audience who spend a lot of time on these channels. These insights allow organisations to take on feedback from a range of demographics to ultimately improve their business offering.

Consistency of message, professionalism, proper data collection methods and creativity are key ingredients to what we believe ensures social media success. Showing a human side and having some fun need to be in the mix too if companies are to become socially confident and less awkward.

Finally, our recent Whiteoaks Insights social selling webinar covers some of the social media ‘management’ points that I’ve made here, plus of course it delves into what social selling is and how to start on that journey. You can watch the webinar on-demand here on our website.

With the highly anticipated Royal Wedding tomorrow, most of us Brits – and many Americans – can barely contain our excitement. So, get your cuppa, scones and sophisticated facial recognition technology ready. That’s right, the most televised event of the year will be using automated facial recognition.

The Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is the social event of the year, and if you’re not on the guest list, don’t panic. Broadcasters will be using facial recognition technology to help you spot all of the celebrity wedding guests, including stars of Meghan’s former TV show Suits.

Sky News, with the help of tech startups and Amazon Web Services, will broadcast the wedding with a service called ‘Who’s Who Live’. The facial recognition software will identify guests who will appear as subtitles on our screens. The new functionality will allow Royal Wedding viewers around the world to have a greater insight into one of the biggest live events of the year.

However, it’s not just the Royal Wedding that has been the talk of the headlines this week. You might not have realised it, but facial recognition technology is already in use at large-scale events for security reasons. But as it becomes adopted more widely by police forces, the biggest question on our mind is, can we trust it?

With automated facial recognition technology currently being used by UK police forces without a clear legal basis, the police are scanning thousands of our faces and comparing them against secret databases. However, recent research has revealed the Metropolitan Police has the worst record for using this technology, with alarmingly more than 98 per cent of scans providing incorrect results.

With no legislation, guidance, policy or oversight, facial recognition technology is argued by many to have no place in public. Every person who walks by these cameras will have their face scanned and stored on a police database. If you are one of the unlucky ones who is falsely identified as a match, you might be forced to prove your identity to the police – or be arrested for a crime you didn’t commit. However, the government is working alongside the “evolving” technology and is actively seeking to improve security measures and identify potential or current threats.

Taking a step back, facial recognition technology is also being used in more consumer-driven applications, which we’re comfortable with.

Instead of using passcodes, mobile phones and other consumer electronics can be accessed with our facial features. Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi Corp have all installed ‘FaceTech’ in some of their phones. This is just a small stepping stone towards consumers getting into their cars, houses, and other secure physical locations by simply looking at them.

For the most part, facial recognition technology seems to be encouraging a more seamless relationship between people, payments and possessions, without infringing on our rights because it’s our choice – and that’s the crucial point. As this technology is slowly being integrated into our lives, is it perhaps paving the way for bigger and more “invasive” applications?

Opinions on trade shows tend to differ greatly. To some, they are a monumental waste of money and/or time for businesses, offering little more than a handful of irrelevant business cards. To others, they are a fundamental date in the calendar for new business, and for which major corporate and customer news is held back, in order to make the biggest splash possible.

Having heard these opinions from both clients and prospects alike, I try to see both sides. Yet I’ve always had a fondness for RBTE, the UK’s major retail tech show held at the Olympia each spring.

With a host of our current clients attending or exhibiting, it offers a great opportunity to network and gain a greater understanding of the issues and challenges, topics and themes disrupting the fascinating retail industry.

The usual mega trends around POS (point of sale), cash handling, data collection and supply chain were obviously visible, while I finally got to meet Pepper the robot, who stole the show in 2017. This wasn’t necessarily a key goal of mine, but having seen the diminutive little chap in just about every social post last year, I was more than a little curious…

But I digress. The one point that was hammered home time and again, on stands, in discussions and in speaker panels, was that of customer experience. People are more demanding, less trusting and expect relevant information instantly. A statistic given at the event was that 89% of companies are now competing on customer experience, not product. That is a quite incredible shift.

One of the sessions I enjoyed attending in the Retail Technology Conference was led by Vicki Cantrell, a retail transformation officer at Aptos. In a wide-ranging discussion, she told the crowd that any time a consumer is exposed to a better digital experience, their expectations are reset to a new, higher level consumers expecting better digital experiences from all sectors – not just retail – if the bar is raised by anyone they interact with.

The importance of breaking down data silos and the death of loyalty points are clearly issues that will continue to significantly challenge retailers, but what I particularly enjoyed was her view on organisational change.

On a couple of occasions Vicki dismissed the typical view that “I won’t be able to change my organisation on my own” and encouraged proactive staff to get together across different units to make a business case.

So, while the usual big buzzwords such as AI, personalisation, customer experience and omnichannel, will dominate column inches in the trade media as always, it was this message of hope, proactivity and partnership that will stick with me. It is clear that there is a talented and hungry community of vendors seeking to make the retail industry run smoother – what is now needed is the realisation, throughout all parts of the retail ecosystem, that these goals can be achieved.

2 May 2018 – The PRWeek Top 150 UK PR Consultancies: Technology Rankings 2018 have just been released and we’re delighted that Whiteoaks International has been ranked as the number one technology agency outside of London. We’re the second fastest growing in the top 10, recording a 21% boost in the last 12 months. In the overall all-agency Top 150, our ranking is now 78th, up from 96th in 2017.

In 2018, as we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we’re also pleased have achieved accreditation to the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA)’s Communications Management Standard for Agencies (CMS).

Click here to see the full top 50 technology rankings.

1. What’s your career background, in brief?

Everything I’ve done professionally so far has revolved around either writing or music, and sometimes both. I studied music full-time at college before going on to do journalism at Kingston University (while also writing for various music magazines and interning at Warp Records in between). I then landed a job as a copywriter for Sony Electronics, which also involved me writing a fair bit about music.

After two and a half years I felt a change was in order, and that’s how I came to arrive at Whiteoaks as a content creator!

2. What’s the most challenging job you’ve ever had?

Some of my most testing times came while working the bar at a local golf club as an 18/19-year old. We often held weddings, birthday parties and countless other functions — and I was quite regularly the only one manning the fort. This meant pulling hundreds of pints with one hand and tidying up empty glasses with the other hand, while simultaneously being shouted at by some drunk bloke who couldn’t deal with the fact we had no Jägermeister left. It definitely taught me the art of multi-tasking and how to deal with tricky customers.

 

3. What apps, technology items and gadgets can’t you live without?

Despite efforts to wean myself off social media, I’m hopelessly devoted to Twitter. I use it to stay on top of the news, tweet stream-of-consciousness ramblings and over-analyse everything that Kanye West posts.

I use Evernote a lot to jot down notes and any other ideas that pop into my head. I’m currently using it to keep track of all the books I’ve read so far this year, and everything that I still need to get round to reading (guess which list is longer…). I’m also a massive podcast nut, so I’m regularly making use of the Pocket Casts app.

Finally, I recently caved and bought myself a Nintendo Switch, and it’s the best decision I’ve made in ages (although my girlfriend might disagree). I used to play Zelda all the time as a child, and so immersing myself in Breath of the Wild on the Switch is bringing all those childhood memories flooding back.

 

4. What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

Akio Morita, one of the co-founders of Sony, used to always say that ‘curiosity is the key to creativity’, and that’s always stuck with me as something that can be applied to all aspects of both life and work. Other than that, I’m a firm believer that life is too short to waste time reading books that you’re not enjoying.

 

5. Name one thing about your job that gives you a sense of satisfaction or makes you leave the office smiling…

It might sound contrived, there’s nothing better than receiving positive client feedback on something I’ve written. As a writer I’m constantly having to deal with feedback on my work, and it’s not uncommon to have to do rewrites or tweaks to get it right. It’s therefore incredibly satisfying when a piece of copy is approved first time around with no changes — it’s a huge confidence booster and a sign that I’m in tune with the client’s tone of voice and messaging.

 

6. Do you personalise your workspace?

Short answer: No. I like to try and keep my space quite minimal — try being the operative word in that sentence. You can usually find a magazine or two lying on my desk, and I have a few books around writing tucked away to one corner. Oh, and I can’t forget the PG Tips monkey that I pilfered from the old Whiteoaks International office…

 

7. What’s the first thing you do in the office in the morning?

Coffee. Always. I need at least two cups before I can start functioning like a proper human being, so I’ll make a bee-line to the coffee machine before checking my emails and catching up with the morning headlines. I’m safe to talk to from about 10am onwards.

 

8. What are you reading, watching or listening to at the moment?

Reading: an incredible book called I Still Dream by James Smythe, a fascinating look at the future potential of artificial intelligence and probably the best thing I’ve read so far this year.

Watching: I loved Three Billboards… and the new Wes Anderson film Isle of Dogs. Apart from that, Curb Your Enthusiasm, on repeat, forever.

Listening: I’ve currently got the new records from London-based producer Paul White and Chicago rapper Saba on repeat, and I’ll always make time for new episodes of The Adam Buxton Podcast.

Every year, TIME Magazine publishes the TIME 100 Most Influential People list. Always eagerly anticipated, the list serves as a definitive guide to the most influential individuals in the world — so how has a 14-year-old girl from Dorset made the cut for 2018?

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven in the Netflix science fiction mega-hit Stranger Things, has been written about in the iconic list for 2018 alongside global influencers such as Donald Trump, Prince Harry, Sadiq Khan and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

As the youngest person to ever grace the list, I had to find out how and why this came to be.

The clue is in the title, ‘influencer’. Many of those included in the list have lived long and distinguished lives in the service of others or innovating for the benefit of our global community. Millie, however, first hit the TV screens in 2016, and through the power of Netflix and social media, has already made a huge impact and forged a stellar career for herself.

Portraying a lost child in the strange world of the ‘Upside Down’, Millie’s role in Stranger Things speaks not only to a generation that believes 80s tunes are ‘dinosaur music’, but her obvious acting talent appeals to a much wider audience demographic. In the words of Aaron Paul, “she somehow understands the human experience as if she has lived it for a thousand years”.

By staying true to herself while remaining aware of her audience, Millie has become the voice of her generation and her peers want to listen to what she has to say. This was made clear last year, when she used her massive profile on social media to launch a successful anti-bullying campaign.

So, what does it take to become influential? The magic sauce can be hard to identify –, but in our world of B2B tech, working closely with our clients, we identify the personas they want to communicate with and build campaigns that make a lasting impact. Our specialist content creators craft copy that is thought provoking and starts with us asking ‘what do people want to read’ rather than just ‘what does our client want to say’, while our media and analyst relations specialists ensure it reaches the right people in the marketplace. This all results in PR campaigns that deliver the best possible Return on Investment (ROI).

At the tender age of just 14, Millie Bobby Brown has achieved far more than she could have ever imagined, and will no doubt go on to inspire thousands of people — both young and old — to follow in her footsteps. After all, Stranger Things have happened.

A retail leader who is both inspirational and effective is a truly unique breed of CEO. He or she will have an instinctive understanding of customers and what they feel, need and want, a superior level of emotional intelligence with thousands of staff and suppliers, a head for numbers, a thorough understanding of logistics and supply chain, IT, marketing and digital – plus a curiosity for understanding products, their benefits and market trends. They have to know when to speak, and more often to listen, and be absolutely comfortable with delegation, swift decision-making and carry a belief in their collective people. They’ll want to work on the shop floor – often having started their career there – knowing that it is by far the best place to be.

The retailers who have a leader at the helm with all of these qualities will be the most likely to succeed because their leadership will create a culture where everyone is engaged. They recruit and keep the best people, with HR Director and Retail Directors to realise and execute the cultural vision. Yet even the best senior leaders need one other component to enhance employee engagement: technology. So, what are the main ways to embed technology tools in this area?

1.      Recruitment: Sophisticated online tools are available to combine CV information with social media presence and other publicly-available information about candidates. Combined with effective screening by HR reps, interviews with both quantitative scoring and values-based questions, companies can best match the potential employee to the company’s culture.

2.      Listening with satisfaction surveys: Using well-written regular quarterly and annual online employee surveys and multi-store focus groups will provide valuable information in a way that staff feel more open to provide. Embedding social media style functionality to internal platforms like Yammer or on intranets, will give quick and straightforward ways to feedback in between more formal surveys.

3.      Enhance team work: When a cross-functional retail team kicks into action, it’s like watching a winning football team, so think how online or digital collaboration tools and workforce management software could be added into legacy IT architecture. Or make a plan to reinvent internal IT platforms and deploy next-generation versions, accessible through secure company laptops, tablets and smartphones.

4.      Communication: Balancing how much communication needs to come from and go to stores can be tricky – it’s hard to find equilibrium when you’re opening or closing stores, running year-round promotions or managing a snow day. An annual root and branch review of ‘what, for who, why, how and how often’ will help provide clarity on content, and social media style software will make it easier for that all important two-way communication.

5.      Perks: There are so many choices of online flexible benefits providers, and this choice, within a structured HR strategy, will increase engagement further.

6.      Frictionless customer-facing technology: Often, one of the best ways to improve employee engagement is by giving colleagues ‘back office solutions’ which lead to easier and faster ways to help customers. Digital price tags and stock locations make pricing and re-stocking better, hand held payment terminals or software on tablets with contactless, email receipt options and full loyalty programme access make transactions smooth and APIs linking to stock room or warehouse data, click and collect and buy in-store-deliver to home services, mean no customer should walk away empty-handed.

Whether you’re a retail technology provider of POS, software or engagement platforms, we can help take your business on a fast growth path and further establish it in this competitive space. You can read our retail credentials on Slideshare below or contact us for an informal conversation.