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There has been much debate in the PR industry about measurement — mainly because measuring earned communications success has always been complex and often has an indirect influence on a brand when compared with other marketing activities.

Businesses operate in an increasingly challenging environment. Today’s savvy senior executives rightly want to know the business impact a campaign has had and not how many clippings the PR team has delivered.

Measurement is not a myth

First and foremost, campaign success and business impact can absolutely be measured. However, it is important to recognise that it also needs commitment and support from the client to ensure an agency has access to the right tools and information required to complete the analysis. In some cases, this may require an additional investment in fees or third-party costs to deliver the desired analysis. But it’s about being clear about what you are trying to show and importantly how that data is going to be used.

A case in point is our collaboration with Omnico Group; together we identified that our integrated campaign generated £12 million in qualified sales leads. This was achieved by putting the right tracking mechanisms in place across each communication channel (earned, owned, paid, etc.) to highlight the return on investment (which actually didn’t need additional investment just effective collaboration with the client).

Download: Omnico Group case study

Introducing Whiteoaks Insights

Our measurement approach has always been valued by our clients and was highlighted in our recent client satisfaction survey which found that 89% of our clients were happy with our reporting, measurement and evaluation service, However, with the growth in data and reporting tools, there is still the need to evolve in this area.

Today, we are officially launching Whiteoaks Insights which is a dedicated brand for our research, measurement and evaluation services which can be utilised throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Our 360 Framework uses Whiteoaks Insights as standard to identify the business objectives, define the target audiences and create the right positioning and audience-centric messaging before the tactical plan is developed to ensure each campaign meets the broader business objectives.

Clients benefit from using Whiteoaks Insights services by gaining exclusive insights to inform communications strategy, including brand perception analysis, audience-driven intelligence and competitor analysis before embarking on a campaign.

Data-driven research can also provide a valuable role within a campaign creating compelling content and strong news hooks to drive brand visibility and audience engagement.  Finally, Whiteoaks Insights can be used post campaign implementation to evaluate brand perception change and audience advocacy.

Related: Generating Leads: Proving Communications Worth With Marketing Automation

Measurement as Standard

Measurement has always been at the heart of our approach to PR. Since 1999 we have offered clients tangible results with set performance commitments and formal service level agreements and measurement continues to be a critical part of our mission and vision.

In fact, our approach to campaign reporting is audience-centric and looks at visibility, engagement and impact of the campaign on the target audience to ensure we continue to demonstrate the value and role of PR for B2B businesses today.

If you are interested in hearing more about our Whiteoaks Insights services, please contact us here.

The media has had no shortage of high interest stories to cover this year. First there was the dreaded ‘B’ word, now we’ve moved on to the ‘C’ word. Coronavirus — obviously. When it comes to global viral outbreaks it would appear that, rightly or wrongly, the world has gone into panic mode, fuelled by sensationalist headlines and a distortion of the facts.

Governments and authorities need to communicate factual information, but as with any sharing of information the facts often get skewed and distorted in a game of social media Chinese whispers. The result is high volumes of ‘fake news’ causing unnecessary fear and a frustrating shortage of pasta and toilet roll in supermarkets across the UK.

It’s not just official sources and the media that need to be careful with how communication is handled throughout the pandemic. Organisations that find themselves affected in one way or another also need to pay particular attention to their communications plan in order to be effective without unduly causing concern or finding themselves in the centre of a PR nightmare.

So how can a knowledge of crisis communications benefit organisations impacted by Coronavirus? Here is a guide of how to communicate effectively and appropriately during this highly sensitive time:

• Be prepared: Being prepared is key; you want to control the narrative in any situation rather than let people come up with their own, so make sure you have a team and a plan in place well in advance. If your organisation does become affected by Coronavirus in any way then being prepared will enable you to act quickly and proactively. Tell people the steps you are taking to resolve any issues.
• Be empathetic and caring in your tone: If staff, customers, partners or end users are impacted then be empathetic to their predicament. Share as much information as you can as quickly as and regularly as you can. Again, showing that you are taking proactive steps to resolve the issue (where possible) will help.
• Make sure your information is accurate: It may seem obvious, but before you say anything be confident that what you’re saying is factual and accurate. Do not speculate and ensure all spokespeople are media trained and singing from the same hymn sheet.
• Don’t pretend to know everything: If you aren’t a medical professional don’t try to be! There is so much still unknown about Coronavirus that you could end up damaging trust in your brand and the credibility of the company if you try to fill in the blanks. However, you should know exactly what your organisation is doing and be able to articulate it clearly and concisely.
• Seek advice: Perfecting the balance between being caring and being ‘expert’ is a tough line to tread, and it’s even more important when the topic is so emotionally charged. Getting it wrong could not only damage the reputation of your organisation but it could add fuel to a fire that is already spreading pretty quickly. A good PR agency with a strong background in crisis communications will be able to advise you and guide you throughout the process.

Stay safe, stay calm and please remember to wash your hands!

Make no mistake, us Brits are certainly passionate about our tea. Nothing made this more evident than when Conservative MP Rishi Sunak sent shockwaves through the Twittersphere by posting a photo of himself pouring a few cuppas for his colleagues on 21^st February.

The photo in question featured Mr Sunak promoting a bag of Yorkshire Tea to the camera, or at least that’s what it looked like at first glance. With the impression that Yorkshire Tea had engineered a blatant piece of product placement, social media users flocked to Twitter to express their anger at the company for representing an affiliation to the blue side of UK politics.

The twist in the tale was that Yorkshire Tea was in no way involved with Rishi Sunak’s post, was not told in advance that it would be posted, and quickly gave a statement confirming this on the same day. Despite this, what quickly followed was a combination of accusations and boycott threats that inundated Yorkshire Tea’s Twitter account that following weekend.

In an impassioned tweet on Monday 24^th, Yorkshire Tea lamented the fact that Twitter users had attempted to drag the brand into a ‘political mudfight’. But the brand was also quick to praise those that defended the company.

What was most prominent in Yorkshire Tea’s response to the debacle, however, was the brand’s final tweet on the matter, which looked to make the point about social media abuse towards organisations, and made the case that a human still has to deal with the insults at the other end.

With this tweet, it added fuel to a debate that has certainly come to the forefront in recent months — something that my colleague Ellie spoke about a few weeks ago. Are we fully aware of the impact that harsh words can have on a recipient in the online world? Much has been said in regard to the impact of an individual’s mental health when they receive online abuse, but what about those who have to field insults when working under the umbrella of a corporate account?

A member of the firm’s social media team commented that it was easier to be on the receiving end of such abuse as part of an organisation, but also urged people to remember that the company had a human face, as well as a corporate one. After all, it is humans that ultimately make an organisation what it is, and we all have the potential to be affected by negative words.

#bekind

Back at the start of December 2019, history was made in the world of UK broadcasting. Amazon Prime live streamed multiple Premier League matches simultaneously, becoming the first platform to take football’s most watched league in the world, exclusively online in the UK.

Sky has dominated broadcasting rights of the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The biggest matches, the best pundits, the most iconic moments captured – the Premier League simply wouldn’t be what it is today without Sky.

However, in recent years BT has flexed its muscles, slowly chipping away at Sky’s monopoly. First it was one match on a Saturday, then the odd mid-week game, to now – where BT has complete exclusivity on European football’s most premier competitions, as well as a prime Saturday lunchtime broadcasting slot.

While BT provides stern competition for Sky, it certainly isn’t a ‘game-changer’. In other industries intense competition between suppliers means that it’s the consumers that stand to benefit. However, that’s not really the case here. As Premier League matches became split across two paid-for television broadcasters, fans still need to subscribe to both in order to watch the biggest matches. So, it makes sense that Sky lowered its price in line with this?

Good one.

Enter: Amazon Prime. A third subscription-based service which demands fans to part with more of their hard-earned cash in exchange for live Premier League football.

While it’s long been expected that the Premier League would sell off more broadcasting rights to have an online presence (Facebook a rumoured destination for some time), another paid-for service is simply too much to ask of fans. Surely this time, we didn’t fall for it, right? Un-surprisingly, we did.

Just last week it’s been reported that Amazon Prime overtook Netflix as the UK’s fast-growing streaming service, 35% growth in 2019 compared to Netflix’s 20%, credited in the main to its new Premier League broadcasting rights (do any of us actually watch Amazon original TV shows over Netflix?).

Am I guilty of contributing to this daylight robbery? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Like most things Amazon does, the end-result was pretty superb (my opinion may have been skewed had Chelsea not beaten Aston Villa 2-1). Most of us already have the Amazon app loaded onto our phones and tablets, and it’s already there on our smart TVs too.

MTV changed music in the 80s and remained on top until Spotify changed it again. Sky (MTV in this analogy), might be on top for now but it won’t last for long as fans eventually turn their back on rising prices for more technologically advanced services. And let’s be fair, it’s not like Amazon lacks budget when it comes to the next round of TV bidding.

As consumers, will we ultimately be the ones who benefit? Or will our monthly budgets be stretched by all this choice?

Just as the BBC continues to make cuts, Sky will surely be forced to expand Sky Go to become its main viewing platform or eventually succumb to the combination of Amazon (Spotify, in my excellent analogy), Netflix, Apple TV Plus and even the soon to be launched Disney+. The streaming wars are on, and who will win is anyone’s guess. But with Amazon setting its sights on one of the UK’s most prized assets, the Premier League, maybe that’s all the competitive advantage it needs.

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

Nice idea… but really, who came up with that?

The human body has a remarkable ability to recover from physical injuries, and often without lasting damage. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule – if ever you’ve landed awkwardly on your ankle while dancing in your university kitchen, you’ll know what I mean. But if you’ve tripped over a stick or fallen on a stone and have, in fact, broken a bone, it’s usually a case of six weeks, cast off, and you can trot off into the sunset on your newly healed extremities.

Now, I love the occasional proverb. But this one sticks (pardon the pun) in my mind for all the wrong reasons. While it’s true that words themselves aren’t capable of inflicting physical harm, they are perhaps the most formidable weapon in anyone’s armoury.

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1839 

Ah, another of my favourites.

I won’t spam you with any more quotes, I promise. But as a writer, voracious reader and passionate believer in the power of the written word, I think our good friend Mr Bulwer-Lytton was spot on with this one.

Because words are the backbone of everything. Whether you want to communicate important information, influence perspectives or change lives, it’s the words you choose, the content you write, and the things you say to people that matter.

Let’s take business as an example. Messaging is marketable. And when used to spread information and education, words are truly the most valuable asset we own – especially in PR. Without words, we’d have nothing to sell. Imagine not being able to communicate with clients or colleagues, or post on social media. Imagine a world without insightful content, without emails, without… speech?

Without words, the world as we know it would be no more.

As pointed out in 1839, the pen is “mighty”. Written words can mean the difference between understanding and confusion. Between success and failure. Between happiness and pain. And when it comes to negativity, trolling and the generation of “keyboard warriors” who use their words to inflict so much (non-physical, but very real) hurt, sometimes they can mean the difference between life and death.

I know I promised there wouldn’t be any more quotes. But given the recent tragedies in the news, this one is so poignant I couldn’t leave it out. So, I’ll apologise in advance, and leave you with this one to reflect on.

“Words start wars and end them, create love and choke it, bring us to laughter and joy and tears. Words cause men and women to willingly risk their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Our world, as we know it, revolves on the power of words.” – Roy Williams

When it comes to words, we all have choice. So choose to end wars. Choose love. Choose laughter. Choose to risk your fortune and your honour for the right reasons, and use your words to be a force for good in the world.

Words have so much power. It’s how we choose to use them that makes all the difference.

#BeKind

While employee engagement is now highly regarded as a critical enabler to business success, organisations and associated HR and internal communication teams are still faced with a number of challenges when it comes to building and maintaining it. For many businesses, this is largely shown by their employee turnover figures that continue to increase year after year, with research also reporting that 63% of companies admit retaining employees is actually harder than hiring them.

A recent survey declared British CEOs as disengaged from the workforce.  This, coupled with recent research from one our clients, employee engagement app technology company Vevox, which found over one-third (34%) of employees in large organisations say that management rarely or never listen to them and address their ideas, also suggests that there is a sizeable engagement gap between senior management and the workforce. This, in turn, is arguably affecting employees’ willingness to provide feedback – which is backed up further by Vevox’s research that revealed more than half of employees (57%) are often afraid to voice ideas to management about how their role or the business could be improved.

Organisations are also somewhat challenged by the ever-changing employee demands prompted by our multi-generational workforce. With so many varied needs and expectations, it can be difficult for companies to cater for everyone. But if they aren’t doing so, it will likely have a negative effect on how their employees engage with them.

Fortunately, today’s technology is giving businesses a good chance at improving engagement levels and building positive relationships between senior management teams and employees. There is a new array of communication and engagement gamification apps that not only appeal to younger, tech-savvy workers, but also open up opportunities for organisations to offer employees new ways of engaging with the business and sharing feedback and ideas.

In addition to this, AI and data analytics technologies are providing businesses with intelligent insights that enable HR teams to identify and track employee trends, monitor satisfaction and create tailored development and career plans to enhance engagement and retain staff.

Social media is also another valuable platform that organisations can utilise to engage with their workforce. Giving employees the opportunity to engage with different channels can encourage them to feel continuously connected with the business and keeps them informed with the latest updates and company news.

As today’s business landscape continues to evolve and change, employee engagement is likely to continue to present some challenges. But, if organisations utilise the engagement tools that are available to them to the best of their advantage, they do have the potential to derive great value from their workforce.

What’s your career background, in brief?

My first proper introduction to the fast-paced, ever-changing world of PR was my sandwich year placement at the John Lewis Partnership as part of my PR degree at Leeds Beckett University. I supported the events and photography team, working on various exciting projects across fashion, home and technology, including press shows, lookbook shoots and the celebrations for the Partnership’s 150-year anniversary. Every day was different, and even though it was an in-house role, it gave me a taste of what agency life could be like, jumping between projects and brand teams.

After graduating university with a First Class degree, I joined a leading boutique consumer agency, working on household name interior and consumer technology brand accounts. Due to the size of agency, I wore a lot of hats during my time there – from press officer and event organiser, to social media manager and business development executive. An interest in embracing a more tech-focused role brought me to Whiteoaks, moving into the B2B space.

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

At university, one of my part time jobs was in a call centre – a great way to develop a thick skin!

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

I run my life from my phone, so I’d be pretty lost without it. App-wise, my top three would be Whatsapp, Instagram and Strava – I’m a keen runner, so I love seeing the stats build up.

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

You can’t change how people act towards you, you can only change how you react to other people – a solid bit of advice that I try to keep in mind.

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

It’s always nice when the client is happy, but I really enjoy helping a team member with their development and seeing them succeed – whether that’s on a standalone project or growing their skill set in a particular area.

Do you personalise your workspace?

Not really as I’m a bit of a neat freak – at my last job I was mocked for chronologically numbering my notepads!

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

I have quite a long commute, so I’m ready for a coffee as soon as I get in! Then I’ll check my emails and form a to-do list for the day – usually accompanied by a chat over the desks about everyone’s evenings.

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

We’re finishing up the second series of Dark, a dubbed German-language drama on Netflix, which has been really intense. Maybe that’s why I’m opting for lighter reading material at the moment – Diary of a Drag Queen by Crystal Ramussen (yes, she’s the drag queen from R29 Money Diaries; if you know, you know!). Before that it was The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, which is one of the best books I’ve read lately and would highly recommend.

To say that technology has become an all-encompassing entity amidst modern-day life would be to state an obvious fact. Most of us would only need to look at our daily routines to grasp a sense of how digitally dependent we truly are. No longer do we walk to our local travel agents to book a holiday abroad, we simply download a mobile app that allows us to from the comfort of our own home – but wait, there’s more. Now we can book ourselves a taxi to the airport. We can pre-order food to eat before our flight. We have mobile banking to convert the British pound into our necessary currency. Tech has enabled us to achieve more than we could possibly imagine, and for many businesses, technology and the subsequent effect it has on our lives brings the promise of professional perks, as well as plenty of potential pitfalls.

In a 2019 article that explores the benefits of technology in business, Alison Coleman of The Telegraph states that business leaders aim to focus their attention on the rise of social media. Surveys conducted by Brother UK and Telegraph Spark which Coleman samples within her article state that 35% of business owners believe social media will be their central focus over the next 12 months in order to future-proof their enterprise. Online platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter are all used to promote global businesses and the sales of their products and goods. It can also be argued that these same social media applications are used to ‘sell’ our own self-image, whether that be our authentic selves or an ideal image of our life which we hope other people will believe and accept. According to a recent UENI study (as featured in The Telegraph), Facebook is named as the preferred platform for selling products, with five out of six small businesses admitting to using social media platforms as a way of increasing their company sales. Here we can see a prime example of how technology is used to increase efficiency and productivity in our daily work environment, supporting the idea that the effect of technology on our lives is one that provides positive results.

Another form of technology piquing the interest of business owners is artificial intelligence (AI). The rise of AI and the effect it has on our working lives has garnered much attention in recent years, including media coverage from publications such as Forbes who discuss the use of AI during the business recruitment process. The 2019 article states that AI-enabled machines are now being implemented to help business owners choose the right candidates based on cognitive and emotional responses. While this ideology may help pick the appropriate candidates based on intelligence, it seems that the human interaction of a face-to-face interview could now become a distant memory as a result.

A recent statistic from thinktank platform Reform (as featured in a 2017 article from HRreview) indicates that 250,000 administrative jobs could be taken over by AI-based technologies as of the year 2030. This statement foreshadows a more drastic effect that technology could have on the everyday lives of working humans; a future that highlights our society’s reliance on technology, as well as the potential for an AI-dominant workplace. In terms of how workers themselves feel about this change, YouGov reveals that 38% of workers believe their current job will still exist for them in 15 years’ time, however, 15% of employees believe that their job will soon be replaced by AI entirely.

To conclude, it seems that rather than influencing our lives, technology has simply become a part of life itself. The reality is that technology is not going away. But rather than assessing whether this digital uprising is a positive or negative thing we should be embracing and acknowledging both sides of the coin while keeping our eyes peeled for the latest and greatest advancements.

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.