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Last week marked World Mental Health Day and it was refreshing to see the news and social media platforms flooded with personal stories from celebrities and members of the public discussing the state of their mental health and the impact that honest conversations can have on improving it.

As Brits, we’re notorious for our stiff upper lip, especially in the post-war generation, but in recent years Prince Harry himself has warned that he believes this trait is somewhat responsible for the mental health problems suffered by one in six of 16 to 64-year-olds in Britain today.

Given we spend on average 39 of our 168 hours each week at work, mental health support and positive workplace environments are hugely important for our wellbeing. So what can employers do to tackle poor mental health?

Bye Bye 9 – 5

The accumulative impact of demanding work cultures and increased working hours are perhaps some of the most important challenges in tackling the poor mental health amongst the general population. The opportunity to work adjusted hours to suit your lifestyle, commute, family schedule and even additional jobs can have a hugely positive impact on employee mental health, as well as sleep quality, alertness and blood pressure.

Understand absenteeism

Research shows that 12.7% of all sick days in the UK can be attributed to mental illness but with 55% of employees telling their employer they were physically ill rather than admitting mental health issues – businesses need to establish a culture of transparency and trust. Managers should have regular informal catch-ups with team members, developing strong relationships which invite open and honest conversation.

Training

You’d expect any business you work for to have a designated and trained first aider, if not an entire team, so why should mental health be any different? Mental Health First Aid England has over 70 case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of training in increasing mental health awareness and confidence in how to effectively support an employee experiencing poor mental health.

British fashion retailer Next has recently taken the step to train numerous staff in this regard, recognising the importance in creating an open workplace in which mental health can be discussed without fear of judgement, and where employees requiring help can be supported in structured, tailored and effective ways.

Talk to each other!

It’s incredibly easy to walk into the office and go on autopilot mode, opening your laptop and logging in before getting stuck into the 100s of emails that came in after you left the office yesterday. Before you know it, it’s 2 pm and you’ve only left your desk and interacted with someone else when you were waiting for your tea to brew. For your own sake and for those sitting around you, have a conversation – you never know where it may lead and your colleague might be in desperate need of someone to talk to.

Mental health awareness should be more than a day in the calendar and we’re all responsible for being the change we want to see in the world.

Why create content? Do you ever stop to think about what the time and resource is for?

In the B2B technology sector, we believe content aimed at the right audiences can increase brand awareness and reputation, as well as play a critical role in helping generate leads for sales teams. It can be used and repurposed to demonstrate your brand’s leadership, skills and knowledge in a particular area. It’s also a way to show your customers and prospects that you understand their professional challenges – we call this ‘Content with Intent’ – and are committed to helping not only overcome them, but also helping them to reach their broader business objectives.

How to make your content work hard

Generating content is only one step in a much larger process. The campaign and the content within it needs direction, creativity, investment and a measurement plan. And more than that, each piece of content needs longevity and the ability to be used in different ways. For example, it’s great to have fresh content on your website but how can you make that blog work harder for you? How does it tie into other campaigns? What about social media? What about a whitepaper or research project?

I’d like to share this five-step strategy to help you get the most out of planning your content, using a piece of proprietary research as an example at each stage:

1. Define your ambitions
Each piece of content, be it an email, webinar, social media post, eBook, blog, video or article needs a purpose. Whether it’s to demonstrate knowledge, drive downloads or boost webinar registrations, this needs to fit into the broader campaign objective(s), which we, at Whiteoaks, define and deliver in a fixed, results-based way. The goals of the campaign ultimately influence your choice of assets, messaging, keywords, and the mix of channels you use.

If we take the example of a research project and working with an independent survey company, as we do, this will allow you to better understand an industry issue and speak to a sample of your target audience. This adds credibility to your narrative and helps position your business as a thought leader, allowing you to apply insight to the raw data.

2. Perform a content audit
In the process of developing your campaign you need to take the time to find out what content you already have and decide what you need to generate. Again, think about longevity; compelling marketing content can be repurposed for different campaigns, for different audiences and different channels. So thinking long term about how you can get the most out of your assets is key and will provide better ROI.

Building on the research example, while you could just create a report, press release and infographic from the results, but your content audit would first show you what you already have, and whether blogs, articles, podcasts or social media tiles could be used to augment the results.

3. Get it out there
You’ve got your objective, audience defined and content drafted, now you need to get your message out there. Whether it’s a thought leadership or social media campaign, a media relations programme, or a combination, as we’d often recommend in an integrated marketing campaign, you need to plan it, publish it in various channels with UTM links, and keep a close eye on how it’s doing. It’s also important you keep track of where it is — in terms of where it’s hosted, like a dedicated landing page, and where it’s located internally so that sales teams can make use of the insight for nurturing prospects and so other colleagues are informed.

For instance, your research report could be gated content hosted on your website, while an infographic could be ungated and sections from it promoted as GIFs on social media to drive people to the report.

4. Measure it
Measurement is crucial for determining ROI. It also helps you understand what approaches, assets and calls to action are performing best so you can adjust the current campaign. You might change something that’s not working or do more of something that’s working well — and this gives you a foundation on which to build future campaigns.

For a project like a research report, your KPIs could be focused around report downloads or if you host a webinar to discuss the results you could measure registrations for the event. Other typical metrics include unique website visits, time spent on a specific web page, subscriber / follower growth, downloads (for gated content, for example), shares, likes or retweets (for social media), sign-ups and attendee numbers (for webinars), and click throughs from emails. Measuring effectiveness will be easier using marketing automation software, Google Analytics, IP tracking and other tools.

5. Look to tomorrow
Developing a content calendar is a must. This is critical to the planning process, as well as in the content creation stage, as you’ll understand exactly what assets are needed for which campaigns, with associated deadlines. A research report and its associated assets is a good example of populating the calendar with themed content that drives a campaign across a few months and gives you milestones to work around.

Creating a calendar also gives you an overview so that you can easily see where any gaps lie, if there is content that can be repurposed, and makes the whole process more structured. Finally, this makes your content assets work harder over the longer term, which is exactly what you want.

Susan Richter, Marketing Communications Manager

The end of September was bad news for the likes of two well-known companies I’ve frequently been a customer of: Thomas Cook and Forever 21. As big players in the package holiday and retail industries, the news of these organisations falling into administration came as a surprise to many.

Thomas Cook, the UK’s oldest travel company, appeared to have a good model for success as it offered a wide range of holidays for a good price and operated its own airline. Forever 21 also seemed to be doing well, offering the latest fashion to teens at competitive prices.

Below the surface, somewhere within their business models the strategies of both companies have failed to keep pace with competitors, consumer buying trends, and in the case of Forever 21, its customers.

Many would argue that it’s the classic story we have sadly seen played out throughout the year. Both companies have failed to adapt their approach to fit the increasingly online world we live in, with both relying on sales coming from their physical high street stores and have neglected to take digital to the next level as many of their competitors have.

Shifting strategy to keep up with consumer demand

It’s more important than ever that companies take notice of changing consumer demands and consistently evolving themselves to meet them.

Thomas Cook surely suffered from a combination of a lack of differentiation compared with competitors, relying on a legacy brand appealing to an older demographic of customer and not marketing products that would appeal to the younger, ‘Airbnb’ generation.

Forever 21 had one competitor that has evolved through challenging periods and reacted in line with industry changes: Zara. As a leading fashion brand that acts on a ‘fast-fashion’ model Zara has noticed this is no longer ethically responsible and has launched a sustainable fashion line.

Beyond that, Zara has continued to update its story by refreshing its purpose, product selection, quality and overall brand relevance. It’s also focused on its stores, making them a strength by enticing customers and creating an enjoyable experience in-store with its well-trained staff, music with some stores offering in-store tech such as ‘self-service’ check outs. Zara also has a strong online presence and utilises social media channels to effectively engage with its target audience.

Crisis comms – saying farewell gracefully

With the fall out of both companies, those in charge of what remains owe it to their loyal customers and staff to maintain their brand identity during the final process.

Through their social channels and websites, it’s important that they provide updates, honest guidance and are proactive in offering advice to make their last dealings as pain-free as possible to leave a good lasting impression.

With this week’s news that Pizza Express is urgently searching for a restructuring solution, these three stories are lessons for operators in any industry to become or remain fiercely customer-centric and anticipate market trends, manage a clear, differentiated brand as well as retain and communicate value in their proposition.

PR and communications consultancy is one of those strategic support services that must be considered for businesses of all sizes, but it’s a particularly important topic for organisations going through a step change or transformation – be it corporate growth, a re-brand or entering new markets. In some instances, it’s a major investment for companies that might be far more inclined to put money towards R&D. For others, it’s a go-to move during times of change. But in all cases, traditionally PR has been guilty of a widespread shortcoming – lack of measurement.

The issue as it stands

For decades, PR has followed a fairly formulaic approach – agencies charge monthly retainers that effectively buy their clients a set amount of hours, which are then used to promote the organisation or its latest updates. In its worst form, this PR approach results in sending out a press release every once in a while to journalists who have never heard of the company, frequently receive hundreds of similar news releases, and who are ultimately unlikely to report on the announcement. The outcome? No measurable results, or no coverage at all – making it more difficult to secure future budget for PR.

The new way of doing things

When your organisation has a message that it needs to communicate to the marketplace, take care to avoid the classic ‘retainer-based’ agencies. Instead, partner with a consultancy that offers set fees for set deliverables – along with bespoke campaigns that align with your business objectives and strategies. Whether each deliverable takes 2 hours, 20 hours or 200 hours, the fee will remain the same. This will ensure you have complete transparency of your investment.

SLAs and tangible results

Technology is not only providing PR agencies with additional channels to communicate your messages, it’s also providing the data that’s needed to determine the real success of the activity. By partnering with an innovative PR organisation that builds strategically-aligned campaigns from day one, you can agree strict performance targets before the activity begins. These targets and KPIs can include key message penetration, coverage volume, and tangible social media engagements. Importantly, by setting service level agreements with your PR partner, you can protect your budgets and ensure your investment is not squandered. For example, industry-leading partners will typically set SLAs that state ‘If we miss our coverage target by 10%, you’ll get 10% of your total fee back.’

The Whiteoaks way

Our approach differentiates us and we believe our work is second to none. All of the next-generation PR techniques mentioned in this post are the foundations of what we do at Whiteoaks. With an unrivalled network of business and tech journalists, analysts, bloggers, vloggers and industry influencers, and an expertise in leveraging social media content on the right platforms for our clients, we ensure their businesses cut through the noise. We build brand awareness and generate sales leads through targeted and impactful integrated marketing campaigns – driving real results and generating return on your PR investment.

To find out more, just submit an enquiry below and we’ll be in touch.

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Who are you? And what’s your job at Whiteoaks?

Hi, I’m Georgie and I’m a Junior Account and Digital Executive.

What does your daily to-do list look like?

My role includes both PR and digital so every day for me varies a lot. In my digital role I carry out social listening for my clients, as well and writing and scheduling their social content each week. In my PR role I always begin the day with checking my calendar to see what client calls we have that day and what coverage might be due to be released, followed by general correspondence to clients.

What made you want to get into PR?

I studied Ancient History at uni and when I finished I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted a job that would challenge me, and where every day was different. I’m also a very sociable person so I wanted a job that would allow me to interact with a lot of different people. Everyone told me that those things sounded like PR, so here I am!

Who is your favourite brand and why?

At the moment I would say my favourite brand is Bacardi. Simply because its marketing campaigns are incredible. Its latest campaign ‘Do What Moves You’ sells the idea of having a good time, and enjoying the little things in life like dancing with your friends (and having a Bacardi), the slogan being “if it’s a floor, it’s a dance floor”. I don’t even like to drink Bacardi but I love dancing so the advertising campaign definitely caught my attention… even if when it comes to drinks I’m more of a gin and tonic kind of girl.

What’s your top tip for someone who wants to get into the PR industry?

Do as much work experience as you can beforehand. I think it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into and to see if you will actually enjoy the work. PR is a fast-paced industry so you need to be sure that you can keep up. Work experience would also give you the chance to network with lots of different people, you never know what opportunities this could bring. I actually worked for Whiteoaks for a few months as an office assistant before going travelling. This gave me a really good idea of what to expect from a career in PR and took up my current role with the company a few months ago.

How do you unwind after a day in the office?

I usually spend my evenings seeing my friends. I’m not much of a cook so if I can get one of them to offer to cook me dinner, I’d never turn it down! In the summer we usually go to the pub and enjoy the nice weather.

What’s your favourite anthem suggestion for Friday’s Whiteoaks Power Hour?

I’m a HUGE Oasis fan, so anything by them would give me that Friday feeling. If I had to choose one track it’s probably Supersonic – lyrics don’t get much better than “feeling Supersonic, give me gin and tonic”. Genius.

If you could be any character in any film, what would you be

Angelina Jolie in Mr & Mrs Smith for three reason: 1) She’s gorgeous 2) She gets to kiss Brad Pitt and 3) She’s probably the biggest badass female going.

What’s your ideal getaway location?

I love sunshine so anywhere that’s hot and sunny is idea. My dream place to visit would be the Raja Ampat Islands just off Indonesia. As well as being beautiful it is also the last place in the world where the marine life remains untouched, and the variety of different species living there is unheard of. I’m a qualified scuba diver so would love to go diving and experience the exotic underwater magic.

What’s your go-to party trick?

I can make my eyebrows dance… like the Cadbury’s advert.

And finally, cheesy chips?

Always, anything with cheese is a yes from me.

Ever heard the phrase ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’? Maybe at one point in time that held some truth, but as communication and information sharing evolves, some companies, organisations, and individuals have unwittingly put it to the test, proving the phrase to be wrong through their own reputational mistakes. However, what brands with strong integrated marketing and PR teams are able to do in today’s landscape is turn a negative into a positive, and when this is done well the results can be truly impressive.

Take Innocent Drinks for example. Innocent Drinks has long been known for having a conversational, engaging and funny social media presence, and its wider marketing approach is no different. So when the company launched a new blue smoothie with an arguably green tint to it, an opportunity arose to pre-empt and harness the discussion that was about to ensue. From the get-go, the marketing surrounding the smoothie played on the colour blue, conjuring laugh out loud images of whales in double denim through social media graphics. As anticipated, Twitter users were quick to debate the true blueness of the drink in a scenario reminiscent of that dress saga (definitely blue and black by the way).

That was all the ammunition needed. From using its brand personality online to engage with its audience, to full bus stop adverts insisting the drink is blue, the Innocent Drinks team nailed a viral marketing campaign. Other brands also saw the opportunity to involve themselves, with Dulux’s social media team weighing in with ‘it looks like Crushed Pine 3’, one of the paint company’s green shades. Bravo.

Cast your mind back to the launch of Greggs’ vegan sausage roll for another great example of steering into the skid. Most brands would not take too kindly to having one of their products publicly slated by someone of influence, particularly when that someone presents one of the biggest morning shows on national television and has 6.7 million Twitter followers. When Piers Morgan denounced Greggs as being ‘PC-ravaged clowns’, the company had a quick response at the ready.

As anticipated, other Twitter users were more than happy to voice their own opinions about the new baked food, but the Greggs social media team were ready to go with witty comebacks, much to the delight of their loyal fans and followers.

What does it look like when an organisation tries this out and fails spectacularly? A very recent example of this would be the Conservative Party’s ‘JFC’ meme. Following Boris Johnson’s description of Jeremy Corbyn as a ‘gigantic chlorinated chicken’, a meme of Corbyn in a chicken suit stating ‘JFC. Totally Spineless Chicken’ started doing the rounds on Twitter, created and put into circulation by the Conservative Party. The party tagged in KFC to up the ante, which clapped back fast with a brilliant response: “This is KFC not LBC don’t @ me”.

KFC was applauded for a funny and cutting reply, while the Conservative party faced an overwhelmingly disapproving response across the board (including from other Tories). Political opinions aside, the creative was sloppy, didn’t make sense and certainly didn’t paint the Conservatives in a good light amidst the biggest political challenge faced by the nation in recent years. 1-0 to KFC.

Regardless of intentions, one thing is clear. Companies stand to benefit if they’re able to anticipate any potential pushbacks they might receive, whether that’s from a consumer or business audience. Being prepared, authentic, conversational, creative and willing to push certain boundaries are all key components to this, and that’s where having a trusted PR, content creation, digital and marketing agency will be the difference between failure and success. Your agency should be bringing ideas to the table on how to elevate your brand both proactively and reactively, across a range of situations and to a range of audiences so that you are always prepared to take lemons and make margaritas. We’re ready when you are.

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

My career is still in its relatively early stages. I graduated from the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham in 2018. While studying I completed a work experience placement with Heat magazine and volunteered as a press officer for a London-based charity called Endometriosis UK, before starting my B2B PR career in the technology sector here at Whiteoaks around seven months ago as a Junior Account Executive.

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

While I was studying, I worked as a waitress/barista in a riverside café for four years. Working in a kitchen was by far the most challenging! Working in a small café like the one I was in, you get thrown into completing a variety of different job roles, from clearing tables to cooking and serving up eight full English breakfasts as a time. In my experience, nothing compares to the stress of having a constant queue of 20 or so food cheques on at a time and a small window in which to prepare, cook and serve them!

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

I couldn’t live without my phone or the handsfree system in my car! It sounds silly, but as someone who spends quite a lot of time driving, I like to take full advantage of my car’s handsfree set up so I can catch up on errands and have a chat with family and friends. It’s also handy for when I am running late – which in my personal life I often am!

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

As an avid Winnie the Pooh fanatic, my favourite advice is that given by Christopher Robin to his silly old bear. “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

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

I guess for me, the thing that gives me a sense of satisfaction is knowing that I achieved something great in the day. Whether that is a kind word from a member of the team, or an email from a happy client, I think everyone will agree it’s nice when you can see all your hard work pay off.

6. Do you personalise your workspace?

I have to admit that my workspace really isn’t that personalised at all! But I do have my Winnie the Pooh mug that I received from my team for my birthday.

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

The first thing I do is check my emails and pop up my daily ‘to do’ Post-it note list in preparation. After that, it is a nice cup of coffee (having worked in a café for so many years as a barista – I can’t cope without a morning cup!), and then crack on with my tasks for the day.

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

Currently, I am binge-watching the crime drama ‘Whitecollar’ on Netflix – which I would highly recommend if you are into that kind of thing! I also really enjoy a good story, so I am just finishing the Game of Thrones books and have treated myself to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s ‘Good Omens’ ready for my holiday that’s coming up.

In the last few years, the financial services industry has seen an influx of challenger banks including Monzo, Revolut and Starling, all looking for a slice of the pie that has been traditionally held by ‘The Big Five’ made up of Nationwide, Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS.

In 2016, research firm KPMG published a report in response to the emergence of the ‘new breed’ of banks. The report revealed that challenger banks had been able to far outperform the Big Five between 2015/16 with regard to return on equity, achieving 17% in comparison to the Big Five’s 4.6%. In addition, lending assets for challenger banks was up 31.5% in stark contrast to the 4.9% decrease seen by the likes of Nationwide and Barclays.

The leading cause of the changing landscape is credited in a large part to the increased functionality and simpler, streamlined offerings that the challenger banks provide their customers, with many finding and exploiting niche gaps in the market. And the absence of legacy technology, coupled with increased regulations created a window of opportunity for challenger banks to exploit.

Which they have.

A recent article by our Fintech client, Fraedom, provided further insight into changes in the banking industry, expressing that challenger bank popularity has come as a direct result of their ability to address customer pain points more effectively – and as a result, provide frictionless services.

Many similarities can be drawn to the recent trends we have seen in the retail industry, with a heavy focus placed on the importance of enhancing the customer experience in order to both attract new customers and ensure the loyalty of existing customers.

In my role as Marketing Executive and Designer, I am fascinated by the clever marketing and branding techniques that have been deployed by the challenging firms to disrupt the financial services industry – recognising and exploiting trends and pain points to meet the needs and wants of increasingly large segments of the market.

With my design head on, the influence of branding has been central to the new players’ success.

Are customers really drawn by the ease of use, apps and real-time data provided? Or is it the fancy, colourful and textured cards such as Monzo’s ‘coral’ card or N26’s brushed metal card that are causing the shift?

There appears to be a shift towards credit and debit cards that increasingly are a fashion statement. A trend started by Egg over 10 years ago, a card that people are proud to take out of their pockets appeals to many. To that end, the bright colours act as a constant advertisement and visual cue for the banks, sparking interest from those without.

If any evidence was needed to prove the influence of these fashionable cards in the banking industry, look no further than Apple recently introducing its ‘Apple Card’. The titanium card is infamous for coming with its own set of storage instructions to prevent damage from leather or denim… Because who doesn’t carry their credit card in a wallet or purse? Right?

Apple’s attempt to challenge the financial services industry supports the notion that design and branding is a key factor in attracting customers – and of course, it’s absolutely in keeping with Apple’s zeal for visual simplicity. However, its shortcomings and bad press, albeit for a product in its infancy, confirms that design and branding fall flat in the absence of functionality.

This is something that Starling got right when launching its new turquoise card. In its own blog, Starling explained that the distinguishing look of the card reflects its entire approach to banking, a move that marked a ‘challenge to old methods and a response to cultural shifts’.

Will the traditional banks or the older payment providers respond? I’d argue Mastercard already has by boldly removing the company name from the brand identity.

Another technology-driven cultural shift is the transition towards app-based banking. In the UK, there was a 17% reduction in the number of bank branches between 2012 and 2018 (House of Commons Library). This further evidences the importance of branding and design as a new differentiator. People banking with their local branch or venturing slightly further afield for a better service has been replaced by their ability to bank from their mobile phones.

To conclude, it becomes clear that getting the balance right between functionality, services and branding is what has enabled challenger banks to appeal to customers and disrupt the banking industry.

I believe it would be fair to say that the majority of our working and personal lives now revolve around convenience. And the reason for that is quite simple, technology has made everything faster, easier and more accessible. Technology has changed the way businesses think, but more importantly, it has changed the way that employees think.

You can compare this change in human thinking to the consumer shopping experience. For years we have been hearing that consumers are demanding more from retailers – from in-store technology to even basic smartphone app features – and they simply couldn’t keep up.

Fast forward to today’s customer experience playground and you’ll find the pendulum of power swinging back to the brands we buy from on a daily basis. This is thanks to the power of data, analytics and AI. Brands have not only been able to listen to their customers and take action, but they have been able to improve the customer journey at every stage. A client of ours, Feefo, does this expertly for some of the world’s biggest brands, and I can see that those brands have a distinct difference in service levels than those that do not employ a similar technology.

Now, if you take the hot topic that is the future of work. You’ll find a number of similarities in how we, as employees are demanding more from our employers, and how businesses have had to catch up to retain, engage and keep talent.

The future of work is quite a simple concept and it ranges in meaning from person to person. For me, it comes back to convenience. My thinking as an employee has evolved; I now expect to have access to technology that will enable me to produce a higher quality of work, be more productive, stay engaged and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

However, the expectations a business has of you as an employee hasn’t changed. All of the above outputs are common and fair expectations. The challenge organisations now face is how they build a culture that their employees can thrive in.

This takes us back to technology. There isn’t a magic bullet technology that will solve this conundrum. But there are solutions out there that will help change business thinking. These enabling technologies are vital to creating an engaged workforce.

Take another of our clients, People First, a company dedicated to creating a better way of working. And a company whose very name should resonate with the approach boardrooms and the C-Suite should now be taking. Management teams gain access to a wide array of intelligence and analytics that can be used to provide a better working atmosphere – from improvements in talent management to more engaging social learning.

Collaboration and remote working are referred to together because, in the past, an issue with remote working is that it negatively impacts collaboration and teamwork. Slack is an example of technology that has made this argument null and void, by positively enabling smarter collaboration it is making having a fixed-working location a thing of the past. The same can be said of cloud tools that allow teams to work in real-time on the same project, like G-Suite.

Coming full circle, this comes all the way back to the way in which our thinking as humans has changed as a result of technological advancements. We are able to provide a better and more convenient working experience for our staff because of technology. Everyone (hopefully!) has an example of a great manager. Nowadays, a great manager can become an exceptional manager because of the insight and tools at their disposal to manage their staff. Likewise, a great employee can transform into a more engaged and productive member of staff with the augmentation of technology supporting them in their career.

The summer months are always a great time to take some time out and me and my fellow specialist Content Creators have definitely made the most of it this year with trips to the US, Belgium, the south coast and relaxing staycations. While the weather in the UK has certainly been unpredictable, being stuck indoors during a sudden downpour could be worse when there are so many good books and TV programmes to catch up on.

So, if like me you’re packing your bags to catch some late summer sun and are wondering what to take to keep you entertained on the flight or while lazing on the beach, worry not because here are our recommendations:

Ollie

I’m currently reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. It’s an inspiring but often horrifying story of people coming together to help each other out in the face of great adversity. The fact the story is embedded in real-life events makes it an incredibly sobering read.

Parks and Recreation is my current go-to show. While I love comedy, it’s not often TV shows actually make me laugh out loud. But Parks is certainly delivering the goods. On a bleaker note, I’m eagerly anticipating the return of The Walking Dead which is due in October. The last few seasons haven’t had great reviews but I for one have really enjoyed the show’s slow evolution from all-out blood ‘n guts horror to a story of survivalism in a post-apocalyptic world.

I’m currently addicted to the soundtrack of the TV series Better Things. I’ve not seen a single episode of the series (although I’ve heard great things about it) but was recently introduced to the soundtrack by a family member and I’m discovering a lot of great artists both new and old.

Susan

While most of us with a Netflix addiction have been enjoying the third series of Stranger Things (I’m a fan, don’t get me wrong), I binge-watched the entire first season of The Umbrella Academy. Fantasy, but in a different way to ST, it deals with complex (and well-written) characters, time travel, the apocalypse and family, all tinged with a bit of darkness that never quite lets the story fall into self-pity. The soundtrack is amazing as well, so for me, the show has been the gift that keeps on giving this summer, even when I’m sitting at my desk.

I’ve also been reading Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. It may sound like a new age self-help book, but it’s really a fascinating insight into our first impressions, intuition and how we make decisions in (you guessed it) the blink of an eye without quite realising how or why we do it. The books uses some great examples to get its point across and it’s well worth a look..

Richard

I’m currently reading a book by Robert Macfarlane called Landmarks. It is an ideal book to read in the summer months, when you are celebrating the chance to spend more time in the great outdoors.

Macfarlane has written a number of books on the landscape and nature generally. He writes very elegantly but also with a real energy and passion for these topics. Landmarks is my favourite so far because it celebrates the language we use to describe the natural world but also shows how that language is shrinking as our green spaces vanish. While he was researching the book, a new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary was published. Macfarlane calls out that many nature terms were left out and replaced with technology terms; “Deletions included acorn, adder, pasture and willow…the natural displaced by the indoor and the virtual. For blackberry read Blackberry.”

Hannah

I’m a bit late getting round to this one, but I’m reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ahead of the film adaptation being released next month. It’s mainly set in New York and after having visited the city for a second time this summer I’ve really enjoyed being able to picture where the action’s taking place. I’m also working my way through the second series of Mindhunter on Netflix. It’s disturbing at times, but I love the true crime genre and this series is proving to be as compelling as the first. I just have to be careful not to watch it too close to bedtime!

My favourite thing to listen to at the moment is the Off Menu podcast in which comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster talk to celebrity guests about their dream meal. It’s the perfect antidote to my boring commute and always gets me thinking about what my dream meal would be – the answer to which changes all the time!

Hugh

Currently captivated by Breaking News – The Remaking of Journalism and Why it Matters Now. This book is by The Guardian’s former editor Alan Rusbridger about how he grappled with the paper’s future, as the 200-year-old model of journalism was pulverised by the anarchy of the web. What exactly is journalism is when anyone can publish anything and the web giants take all the money? While answering that question he was orchestrating some remarkable stories (WikiLeaks etc).

I’m not naturally drawn to The Guardian, but at that time I was in a much smaller newsroom simultaneously battling and embracing the web. Nobody really knew which way to go, and the people at the very top of the organisation were pretty clueless, so Rusbridger’s agonising holds great fascination. The Guardian appeared to have a clear sense of direction. In reality, the dilemmas he chews over have not gone away.

I’m not watching anything. August is rubbish apart from the cricket highlights. This week I’m mostly listening to old acid house mixes from raves I never went to and clubs I never entered.

My summer reading is Wild Swans by Jung Chang. I did read it over twenty years ago but it’s on my book club list and my memory isn’t that good! It hasn’t lost any of its shock and awe the second time around either. The book was hugely popular in the 1990s and tells the story of three generations of daughters growing up in China. It is hugely inspirational and in stark contrast to our lives. For example, while most of the team have enjoyed at least a few days off from work this summer, in 1950s China, officials were expected to work from 8 am until 11 pm, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

I’ve also been binge-watching The Affair on Now TV. It very cleverly tells the story of several characters from different perspectives, which often leaves you wondering what actually happened. I love a good drama that makes you think so I’m hugely excited to find out that there’s a new series starting this weekend.