Category: Blogs

The high street is a staple of any town and I’ll be the first to admit that I take it for granted. But just like any other millennial, I’m part of the problem… My enthusiasm for going online to order what I want, when I want it is impacting the health of the high street. There’s no doubt that this trend is having an adverse effect on our physical stores. Recent figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggest that footfall declined by 6% in March (year-on-year), meaning that visits have fallen at their steepest rate since the end of 2010.

As this way of shopping becomes the norm, we decided to reach out to some top retail influencers for their opinions about how technology can help turn things around for bricks-and-mortar stores, as part of a wider omnichannel strategy. We took to Twitter to gather insights:

Q: Do you think technology could help high street retailers keep up with their online-only competition?

@EricJohanssonLJ – Feature writer – Elite Business & Elite Franchise

A: In my personal view, yes. These closures are the consequence of old school retailers not really keeping up with the times and ceasing to innovate. Adopting new tech can help but has to be combined with a high-value in-store experience if they want to stay on the high street.

Following on from the news of Toys R Us shutting down, and Mothercare potentially leaving the high street, Eric’s point highlights the importance that technology plays in the future of retail. The brands that don’t recognise this are going to struggle to retain their place on the high street. Consumer expectations are changing and the “traditional” approach needs to evolve if it wants to remain effective.

Q: Could effective omnichannel marketing help drive customers back into bricks-and-mortar stores?

@nikkibaird – Vice President of Retail Innovation – Aptos Retail

A: Well, do you have a bricks experience worth driving to? I mean, short answer is sure it could. But only if the store exp is worth it. Otherwise, waste of money.

@barnettrichard1 – Global Software Sales Expert – Diebold Nixdorf

A: My belief is that an effective strategy, with the right tools, implemented in a way that the consumer can easily shop, regardless of the channel, will ultimately drive revenues and footfall.

If a retailer is going to adopt an omnichannel approach to their marketing then they need to make their store worth visiting – whether that’s personalised experiences, applying digital innovations to the purchase journey or otherwise. The brand will need to put some thought into an experience that will exceed their customer’s expectations. This ties into the point made by Diebold Nixford’s Richard Barnett, about an effective strategy playing a crucial role in making it easier for the consumer to shop.

Q: What were your initial thoughts when you saw Amazon’s Seattle checkout-less convenience store in the news?

@holly_uc – Account Director – Whiteoaks International

A: I thought it was great, and hoping that they bring it across the pond soon! Life is busy but it is getting more convenient because of technology across all areas and this will make shopping easier and help retailers bring people back to store.

Ironically, the future of our stores is now being shaped by online pioneer, Amazon. The launch of its checkout-less store in Seattle hit the headlines as it showcased a new way to shop. Whiteoaks International’s Holly Rees highlights the importance of convenience and why technology needs to be seamlessly implemented into the retail experience.

Based on these responses, it’s clear that retail is experiencing a turbulent time. The good thing is that brands do have options. There’s an opportunity to utilise technology in a way that it will improve the customer experience – combining shopping with interesting experiences – and increase footfall on the high street. Some retailers are implementing technology more cautiously and it will be interesting to keep up with those who are fully committing to this enhanced approach to retail.

Throughout the month of April, we’re reporting on all the retail news and trends, sharing our retail tech experience and insights about working with top providers on our social media pages. From case studies to blogs and reporting from the leading retail technology conference, RBTE, follow @WhiteoaksPR on Twitter for all the insights.

This week saw British pub chain JD Wetherspoon quit social media with immediate effect. The news came as a shock to many because these days, a social media presence is considered essential to promoting your brand and customer support. Yet, JD Wetherspoon decided these accounts weren’t needed. Why?

The renowned group pointed to bad publicity surrounding social media for their reasons for leaving. Chairman Tim Martin says he believes society would be better off if people cut the amount of social media use. There may be an argument for this but what about the consequences? Wetherspoon, like many other businesses, has put a lot of effort into captivating their social media audience with hundreds of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram accounts in place to cover their 900 pubs nationwide.

But were they completely successful? Generally speaking, companies with hundreds of accounts can struggle with engagement rates due to the sheer number of different people managing the feeds, all with differing abilities, and personalities. Inconsistency in key messages, tone of voice and quality can leave the social user confused – and even a bit frustrated with the brand. If you consider how time consuming managing an effective social media strategy is, while keeping so many different accounts aligned to company strategy, you can understand why a business may feel social media doesn’t suit them

So what will JD Wetherspoon be missing out on?

Social media now plays such a vital role in reaching a wider audience for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Without a social voice, businesses will lose valuable insight into what resonates with its audience, who spend time on those channels. These insights allow organisations to take on feedback from a range of demographics to change and develop their products and services to target new customers and build customer loyalty. However, social media is only an important marketing tool if used properly — it can become worthless if in the wrong hands. How you process the information you receive from social media is key to making it work for your business. You can have the most engaging account the ‘Twitterverse’ has ever seen but without the ability to gather insights from the data generated by the accounts, the value is lost.

Of course, social media doesn’t fit every company’s needs. At Whiteoaks it’s our aim to consult our clients on how social media fits with their business strategy and objectives. For example, some brands are more suited to LinkedIn, some Twitter, some both. The results-driven nature of our agency is also engrained in the way we represent our clients on social media, as our clients’ business goals are always at the front of mind. Consistency of message, professionalism and proper data collection methods are key ingredients to what we believe ensures social media success. Without these ingredients, there is no pint….

5 April 2018 – Whiteoaks International, a leading UK-based technology PR agency, has celebrated 25 years by making a number of strategic changes to the business as it grows and realises its new ambitions for the future. At the same time Whiteoaks has been recognised as an accredited agency to the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA)’s Communications Management Standard for Agencies (CMS).

The respected industry verification comes days after the company re-branded itself from The Whiteoaks Consultancy to Whiteoaks International. The name better reflects the international nature of the agency’s business capabilities, working for clients in the retail tech, fintech, security, enterprise IT, built environment and broadcast industries, as well as the range of multi-national clients it now provides PR, digital and content services to.

To launch the new brand, Whiteoaks has a new vibrant look on the website at www.whiteoaks.co.uk and across all its social media channels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Google+.

Whiteoaks has celebrated its achievements with a recent move to an entirely new, larger and modern office in Hook, Hampshire. The agency’s new international headquarters better accommodates its growing team of 35+ people. It offers an inspiring and fresh approach to working practices with vast open spaces, agile working areas and collaborative spaces for work and play. The move from its long-standing headquarters in Farnham, Surrey now better positions Whiteoaks in the ‘UK Tech Triangle’ located in the Thames Valley/M3/M4 corridors, for London and international airports.

James Kelliher, Whiteoaks International’s Chief Executive Officer, explained “Our company is entering a very exciting and dynamic phase. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes over the last few months to build up to the launch of our new brand and opening of our inspiring international HQ in Hook.

“To be awarded the PRCA’s highly respected CMS standard is a wonderful endorsement of all the high standard of work that our talented team provide to our clients and in the outstanding way that everyone contributes in running our B2B tech PR agency.”

The agency is currently recruiting for a number of new team members in the Client Services and Business Support teams and applications can be made online on the Whiteoaks website at https://whiteoaks.co.uk/careers/.

As a result of the new brand positioning, Whiteoaks offers clients with global communications requirements four individual routes to deliver this, all under its’ International Performance Management (IPM) model. Created in 2013, the unique ‘agency agnostic’ model includes four different options, to provide clients with measurable results and ROI, in every country.

Clients can choose to:
• Select relevant agencies from the newly-branded WIN PR Group, an instant network of owner-managed agencies providing services in over 70 countries around the world
• Work with locally-agreed agencies within the Whiteoaks IPM operational structure
• Combine agencies from the WIN PR Group with other local agencies and work within the IPM framework
• Bring pre-existing relationships with a different local network of agencies and execute projects and campaigns within the IPM approach.

Whiteoaks’ new office development was project managed by Grey Interiors Ltd, a leading commercial design and build agency.

As someone who has spent half my communications career working in the retail industry, this is a subject very dear to my heart. Despite all the immense transformations that the sector has seen, the age-old maxim, “retail is detail”, is still totally true. Whatever changes and challenges retailers face, the more attention to detail given to range, price, promotions, demand planning, distribution and communications, through an omnichannel lens of course, the better.

Two significant transformations have taken place in the last couple of generations that have led me to the realisation that we are no longer a nation of shopkeepers, but instead a nation of ‘experience-providers’. The shopkeepers, big or small, online, offline or both, that are introducing personalised experiences, are thriving.

Self-service tills were arguably the first technological catalyst that created less personal experiences in the retail industry. In 1950, after Alan Sainsbury made a trip to the US to investigate new styles of tills, Sainsbury’s opened the first self-service store in the UK. It was a 10,000 sq ft branch in Croydon, and the retailer later added a car park for customers’ convenience. The chain became a large-scale supporter of the technology in the 50s and 60s and expanded the initiative to many more stores.

Brits had to wait a number of years before the second real technology transformation took place and it came in 1998 when Amazon.co.uk launched as a retail website selling only books. This was closely followed by the creation of aggregator sites like lastminute.com and price comparison sites like Kelkoo. It would be a number of years before companies like these were able to increase personalisation online — initially, they reduced it.  They took previously personalised offline experiences — like shopping for books in a bookstore or buying a holiday in a travel agent and talking with knowledgeable staff — and let the first iteration of AI manage it online. Now, it’s obvious these were the brands that changed the retail landscape in the UK forever, creating what is now a highly personalised and intelligent e-commerce ecosystem, combined with the sophistication of online advertising, that probably understands our buying needs before we do.

In 2018, technology and personalisation are increasingly colliding to create exciting and sophisticated experiences. In stores, retailers are trying to make shopping highly personalised, using technologies such as digital and RFID price tags, kiosks, smart mirrors and more. Recent research by our client, Ecrebo, the point-of-sale marketing specialist, found that 44% of UK shoppers shy away from brands that don’t offer them personalised, relevant offers. And our client, Vista, a leading IT services company for the retail and hospitality sectors, recently researched consumer attitudes and found 61% said they wanted retailers to give them a real in-store buzz, using personalised technologies including kiosks, interactive screens and smart mirrors. Online, shop bots, live voice and online help widgets and ‘try before you buy’ techniques are leading the way. And when a retailer combines the two with social service, well, it doesn’t get much better….

In a few weeks, the leading retail technology conference, RBTE, kicks off. We’ll be attending and looking forward to some of the key themes that will be discussed and showcased, including omni-channel payment strategies, customer data security best practices, AI, supply chain innovations and of course, personalisation. And we’ll be reporting from the conference too.  Plus, during April we’re showcasing our retail tech experience and insights about working with top providers on our social media pages – and you can read our retail credentials in this Slideshare below. From case studies to blogs and that reporting from RBTE, follow @WhiteoaksPR on Twitter for it all.

There is scarcely an industry, employee or person on the planet that hasn’t been affected by technology. Like the industrial revolution before it, the technology revolution has blown open the doors for opportunities within both existing and new businesses.

Just look at the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT). Who knew that the world would become so connected? Smart cities, smart homes and even smart streetlights. Lamplighters of the 19th century are today taking the form of computer technicians or asset managers without a flat cap in sight — individual street lights can be controlled, timed, managed with the click of a mouse.

In heavy industry, engineers still form the backbone of keeping machines on the go, but we could soon be entering a world that doesn’t breakdown as machine learning and data technologies provide firms with prediction capabilities that simply have never been explored before. Unexpected mechanical breakdowns could soon become a thing of the past and routine preventative maintenance will become normality.

Technology’s overall impact on business is simply unquantifiable and we are in line to become the smart citizens of tomorrow’s smart city, but how does a business stay smart enough to fit into the new environment in which it operates?

Looking at retail, Wi-Fi providers, app developers and online giants such as Amazon have all been at the forefront of the technology wave, to meet the needs of a modern-day consumer. Amazon appeared to realise that shopping on a simple internet database was far more appealing to many consumers than making countless trips to several different stores. Even now, physical retailers continue to play catch-up, offering mobile apps and click and collect, but which store can deliver me the first ever Now CD, an 18ft waterslide and a 1kg bag of cola cubes? It’s still likely Amazon…

However, as bewildering it might seem, shopping in a store is still a popular leisure activity and while to many the idea of spending a whole weekend traipsing from sale rail to fitting room might sound like a fun thing to do, even that experience could be on the verge of change as retailers fight to stop the high street and shopping centre footfall from declining. Some retailers are entertaining the idea of the store offering a showroom experience, where ordering online is the final purchase transaction, leaving the shopper with just a collection of online receipts to represent their spending spree.

While businesses change to meet the demands of their specific industry, they are also adapting to accommodate the needs of their workforce. In the office, fax machines, PCs and photocopiers, are almost extinct, replaced with email applications, laptops and smartphones – and if you believe the hype, integration with AI. But what will the smart office, smart city and smart home of the future actually look like? Perhaps the answer, at least for the office of the future, lies in what we’re already using. Just like typewriters and computers the size of the skyscrapers laid the foundations of today’s office, will emails and laptops lay the foundations of tomorrow’s?

17 March 2018 – Whiteoaks was featured in a story written by the Online City & Finance Reporter in the Daily Express, after the Chancellor revealed in the Spring Statement that £80m of funding would be released to support small businesses to engage with apprentices. Comments from former Digital Account Lead, Daniel Bailey and PR Apprentice, Harrison Lea, were included.

Click here to read the article on The Daily Express website.

We all know that technology is now an integral part of our daily lives. Just like we need food and water to survive, we need technology to be able to communicate, work, play, shop, entertain, cry, laugh – the list is endless.

Yes, technology has changed our lives; I never thought I’d be able to control my lights and television just using my voice or transfer money to a friend with just my email address. But despite being in awe of what technology is now available and its uses, is it having a completely positive effect?

There are some definite positives — we no longer have to write letters to our loved ones because we can easily connect with them 24/7 from anywhere in the world, whether this be in a text, WhatsApp or social media platforms. But this doesn’t just apply to our personal lives, it also affects the business world. Thanks to the advances in technology and improvement in communications, I can do my job – in 2018, if there’s no instant communication, there’s no PR. There’s no online retailers, call centres, air traffic controllers, police, pilots. The list goes on.

Another key benefit of technology is how it has improved education. In fact, several studies have shown that students who have access to technology have better chances of doing well at school than those without. Thanks to the internet, I am able to constantly educate myself – even if that is learning silly facts on BuzzFeed, or keeping up with the latest news on the Mail Online – I am still digesting new information throughout my day and improving my knowledge, both for the benefit of myself and my job.

The benefits go far beyond just improved communication and education. But what are some of the negative effects of technology on our lives?

First of all, we are now an ‘always on’ generation. Designated work hours no longer exist and the communication between colleagues, clients and customers goes beyond the traditional 5:30pm finish. This may, in fact, seem like a positive, and knowing that you can respond to your emails from the comfort of your home may make you feel more at ease.

But this isn’t always the case. We need to relax, take time for ourselves and switch off from the outside world every now and again — it’s all about the work life balance. Britain is in the grip of a ‘stress epidemic’, with 82% of us feeling stressed at least some of the time during a typical week, new research suggests. The findings from AXA, suggest stress is strongly linked to the ‘always on’ culture created by workplaces, with almost three in every five Brits (59%) admitting to taking calls outside of working hours.

These stats are indeed worrying, especially considering the physical effects stress can have on our body. In fact, tech evangelist Belinda Parmar has recently discussed her fears around how technology can affect our mental health, and explains the importance of building a digital resilience. Unfortunately, there are plenty of ways that technology can have a negative impact on our lives, from cyber-bullying, a lack of privacy and security online and addiction to social platforms. There are always going to be negatives to technology, but the important thing here is how we let it affect us.

If you’re feeling stressed due to being glued to your phone 24/7, or find yourself endlessly scrolling through your social feeds on an hourly basis, change up your habits and leave your phone behind. You might experience the FOMO (fear of missing out), but it’s worth it. After taking up yoga classes and mindful meditation, I can promise you that taking the time to focus on yourself and switch off from the rest of the world can bring you happiness. Of course, there will be things we can’t miss… but the key, for both our business and personal lives, is finding that equilibrium. With that in mind, the world is not going to end if you leave your phone behind every once in a while!

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It is less than two months until the introduction of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

A number of our clients at Whiteoaks are helping B2B organisations prepare for the regulation, which is set to radically change the way that businesses collect, store and use data belonging to individuals.

In summary, the regulation standardises data protection law across 28 EU countries and imposes strict new rules on controlling and processing personal information. Organisations found to breach the regulation can be fined up to 4% of annual global turnover for breaching GDPR, or €20m.

GDPR comes into force on 25th May and is designed to strengthen data protection for consumers, making it easier for EU citizens to understand how their data is being used, and also raise any complaints.

Recent research suggests that attitudes amongst consumers are already changing when it comes to how their personal data is used.

Almost two-thirds (61%) of consumers are already happy with the amount of personal information they share, according to the ‘Data privacy: What the consumer really thinks’ report from our client the DMA, in partnership with Acxiom.

This change in attitudes has been greatest among 55-64 year-olds who have historically been more cautious; 63% said they are happy with the amount of data they share today, compared to 47% in 2012.

So if consumers are increasingly happy with the data that businesses hold about them and the way they use it, is there really a need for further regulation?

Critically, 88% of those surveyed for the report cited transparency as one of the keys to further increasing trust in how their data is collected. One of the benefits of GDPR is that it establishes a level of honesty about how data is used, which is essential to build and maintain trust between businesses and consumers.

As we edge ever closer to 25th May, the good news for B2B marketers is that – according to DMA research – they are more prepared for GDPR than their B2C counterparts.

However, the same research found that while B2B marketers are feeling more prepared (+4%) than marketers in B2C organisations, they’re less likely (-6%) to possess a detailed understanding of how GDPR will affect their company.

While many of the headlines have been about the fines that organisations may face as a result of breaching the regulation, marketers recognise the potential that the regulation has to enhance business performance and marketing activities. The DMA found that 71% of marketers believe GDPR represents a unique opportunity to implement more creative campaigns.

We believe that GDPR presents businesses with a rare opportunity to enhance processes around how data is collected, stored and used, which in turn will enable marketers to continue along the path of building trust with consumers.

We talk a lot about the methods and importance of measurement in the PR business, and so it was great to attend PR Moment’s recent analytics event where Alex Aiken, executive director of the Government Communication Service counselled attendees to “make measurement a mainstream part of every PR programme and campaign. It’s not nice to have. It’s an integral part of communications.”

Measurement has been at the heart of our results-driven approach to PR – in fact since 1999, when we offered clients a better PR solution – tangible results with robust performance commitments and formal service level agreements.  It’s one of the key reasons for our long-standing client relationships.

A clear message from the PR Moment event was that the industry is still changing and clients are demanding transparency and more effective measurement – and that sentiment is something I wholeheartedly support.  We are deliberately different in our approach, providing set fees for set deliverables and transparent targets — we don’t believe in the intangible retainer model.  Encouragingly, this was recognised by the majority of clients in our last Client Satisfaction Survey in December, with 88% agreeing that Whiteoaks provides clarity from the outset in terms of investment, activity and outputs.

Listening to Richard Bagnell, chairman of the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) at the PR Moment event, as he outlined that the problem with measurement is that people often start with the tools and data available, rather than the organisational goals and objectives, got me thinking.

Campaign management used to be about storytelling – but a story isn’t enough. Creative or not, clients need to balance creativity with realism, as I outlined in our last Whiteoaks Insights video campaign. Our strategic approach focuses on understanding a company’s business objectives, who they are trying to reach and identifying the desired perceptions and behaviours required from the target audience.  It is only once we have this information that we can create the correct audience centric messaging, select the appropriate channels and implement the right tactical mix.  Proof in point is that 84% of clients believed that Whiteoaks creates campaigns that support their company’s business objectives.

However, the holy grail of PR is to demonstrate the ROI delivered from a campaign, and as such I am incredibility proud that 84% of the clients surveyed agreed that Whiteoaks delivers a clear ROI.  The focus on the industry at the moment is on proving the outcomes delivered from campaigns, and we are working closely with clients and their extended teams to collect the necessary data required to show the business impact our efforts have achieved.  Our work for Omnico in 2017 demonstrates how powerful an integrated marketing and lead generation strategy can be.

We asked our clients what they valued most about working with us, and some of the feedback included:

•  “Responsiveness, accessibility and friendliness of the team blended with a structured approach to managing the project”
•  “The prompt responses, and commitment to reporting results against goals on a consistent basis so that we could accurately track metrics”
•  “It’s a pleasure working with Whiteoaks. Professional, proactive and results-driven”.

Strong client satisfaction levels motivate our account teams to deliver the best results, and a continual feedback loop with clients is important for us to evolve and improve. All of clients surveyed agreed that the Whiteoaks team is always willing to help.  There is no doubt that the strongest and most effective accounts we have are when we are treated as an extension of the communications team and so we are extremely proud to have received such praise in this vital service area.  And going a step further for our multi-national clients, I can already share with you our new, agency-agnostic approach to high-performance international PR, launched this week, which you can read about here.

Who are you? And what’s your job at Whiteoaks?
My name’s Bekki, and I’m a senior account executive at Whiteoaks.

What does your daily to-do list look like?
I know that everyone says it but my day really is very varied. The one thing that happens like clockwork is that l always start my day by reading the morning’s news including a browse of my guilty pleasure, the Daily Mail (entirely work related, I promise…). Most of my day is then spent trying to identify and secure the best media opportunities for my clients, as well as working with our team to create and deliver on exciting campaigns. I also like to get out and about when I can, whether that’s facilitating interviews with national media or networking with key influencers over lunch.

What made you want to get into PR?
Growing up, my dream was always to be a forensic psychologist, which is why I did my degree in psychology. However, as I was studying I realised I wanted to do something more corporate that would allow me to put my extraversion to good use and that would keep me on my toes. Once I graduated I did an advertising internship in India for a few months, which then opened the door to PR for me.

What is your favourite brand and why?
At the moment it’s Primark. The clothes are actually very good, and in my opinion, the range has just become even better value for money as the years have gone on. I love the Disney collections the chain is bringing out at the moment, and I’m a sucker for anything mermaid or unicorn-related. On top of that, the way Primark manages social media impresses me — it is the only brand whose Instagram Stories I actually find engaging and want to watch all the way through.

What’s your top tip for someone who wants to get into the PR industry?
Make sure you get some good work experience and once you’re in a role then show a willingness to learn from everyone around you. You will always be learning new things and the way you work will change as you find your own style. Being able to adapt is key.

How do you unwind after a day in the office?
I have a vast selection of unicorn pyjamas which I wear on rotation and I like to just relax at home with my cat Phoebe. Every Thursday I go to Slimming World to find out whether the scales have picked up on the 12 million brownies that ‘don’t count’ because I’ve shared them with someone else. On weekends I like to have a few drinks with friends (also doesn’t count against the diet because it’s a liquid….), and as you might have guessed, probably a visit to Primark too.

What’s your favourite anthem suggestion for Friday’s Whiteoaks Power Hour?
Taylor Swift, without doubt. Luckily, this is never an issue in my team as we’re all avid Taylor Swift fans. In fact I’m the only loser who didn’t grab tickets to see her on tour this summer.

If you could be any character in any film, what would you be?
Anastasia Steele, I’m sure I don’t need to explain.

What’s your ideal getaway location?
I usually jet off to India every year to see family, but I’m taking a break from that this year in the hopes of going somewhere completely new. I’d love to go to the Caribbean, Vietnam and Japan (probably not all this year though).

What’s your go-to party trick?
I can pop my eyes quite far out of their sockets but it gives me a headache and tends to scare people. It’s for special occasions only.

And finally, cheesy chips?
100%.