#BroadcastPRBunny 2015 As a company, the Relations Group consists of some brilliantly creative and fun, PR people. We needed to devise a way to show this creativity whilst reminding PR agencies in the UK that we are here! As a company, we have spent many years promoting brands across radio, TV and online - but aside from a few long running adverts in trade press, we haven't fully used this creativity to promote ourselves. That all changed last Christmas with the #ShamelessSanta campaign, followed in January by our #BlueMonday stunt. The next logical time to create a fun campaign was Easter - and the #BroadcastPRBunny was born. How it worked: Phase 1
Richmond Towers
The team devised a well structured two days of delivering Easter cakes to selected PR agencies in London. A giant, lovable bunny was drafted to pop in to the reception, with a member of the Relations Team, to deliver a shareable cake (or two) to certain contacts identified by the team. Whilst delivering a cake, the bunny had 'cuddles' and a picture for some Social Media sharing. As always, the team and agencies were happy to oblige and the results were obvious! The team, armed with 4G, tweeted the pictures immediately to twitter under the hashtag - whilst agencies really got involved for some selfie fun with the bunny!
Phase 2
Competition Image
An ongoing, pinned retweet and win post was available on Twitter for each individual in the agencies to have the chance to win prizes of their own. These include a star prize of £150 in experience vouchers and several bottles of Champers - all which will be delivered to their offices after Easter. Why did we do it? The Relations Group work in partnership with PR agencies all over the country, offering free consultation as specialists in Broadcast PR and then offering excellent, effective campaigns for the agency's clients. We wanted to show, as with all of our campaigns, that we have the ability to tap into excellent creativity, dedicated hard working teams and deliver cross platform results. Did it work? We think so! If nothing else, everyone seemed to have a really good time and it was a great way to enter into the Bank Holiday weekend.
A massive THANK YOU to all of the agencies who kindly accepted our bunny this Easter!
I am now in my 30s, I have a social media profile on every platform. I use each one daily, if not daily then the minimum is every other day. I excuse myself for this because I commute 2+ hours to work every day.
But, it has made me realise...there are people working in the PR industry who evidently have lived like this, the "social media lifestyle", the majority of their adult life. These aren't just juniors anymore, they are upcoming account managers and more senior influencers. How will this affect the industry? I don't know. As an agency, my employer does not have a dedicated team of social media buffs...simply a digital campaign exec and my grubby little paws on occasion, working across several media platforms. However, some agencies have built teams of people who, since leaving university, have carved themselves a little niche of 'social media in PR'. Granted, they are an intelligent and frankly integral part of the team. But upon review now, we have upcoming PR people who can operate a social media site with their eyes closed, hands tied and under the influence of alcohol. I couldn't, when I was their age, even be trusted with emails on my mobile. But, this new generation allow friendships that start out as likes, followers and Facebook friends. They may have a wide social circle, but a smaller real-life peer group. So, looking at this, do we have a potential shift in the way that we all work with social media? Will the dedicated team fade away with a sole 'Director of Social Media' overseeing all PR people that can now understand and utilise the power of these platforms to deliver their objectives? In my head, that looks like the cost-effective, logical, profitable way that social media will progress. PR people, at least the ones I know and have the pleasure of working with, relish a job with variety where they can utilise their multitude of skills to achieve results for their clients. I know I am one of those.
Are you? I am interested to see how this progresses in the next few years.
The #Eclipse2015 has been utilised to the max today, not least by people (like us) sharing awful statuses recommending a certain track by Bonnie Tyler. But, in the midst of all the chat were a couple of favourite biscuits - sorry "biscuit and cake?" brands.
Firstly, #JaffaCakes made what appears to be an unplanned mark on the Twitter world as, once seen, we all reminisced about this amazingly retro advert...
But it appears this was simply 'random fandom' as their twitter feed is not referencing PR activity as we would all expect - a just very lucky social media coop by the orangy snack!
But, the GOLD MARKETING campaign and the OWNERS of #ECLIPSE2015 from a brand perspective definitely goes to... ...who have clearly not only spent a LOT of time and MONEY on this campaign but clearly have been in planning for weeks to develop one of the most amazing real-time campaigns of recent times. Here is a few pics to show the power of the work that they undertook to take ownership of this rare event...
Live advert timed beautifully to the affects of the #Eclipse2015 in London Flash cover of The Sun depicting the Oreo Eclipse image!
That entrusted phrase that if you once mentioned within an
agency or to a client, would instil excitement and thrill. Over the 13 years I
have been in and out of broadcast PR, I have witnessed hundreds of radio
campaigns; some good, some bad. But the truth of the matter is, I can tell with
all of my old, current and hopefully soon to be clients, that the passion for a
radio campaign is dwindling.
Before I continue, I would like to point out that this blog is not meant to be offensive, but constructive. The views are my own and not that of my employer.
WHY?
An obvious but somewhat misunderstood reason is lack of
change. The media landscape has changed; online and mobile media are growing at
a speed nobody could predict, the need for PR professionals to understand
content and social media is demanding. We all have new things to learn and
frankly, broadcast has been put to the back and is somewhat forgotten. With all these demands on agencies from clients and leaders
of in-house teams, a lot of trust has been placed on the companies that ‘Radio
Days’ (which I much prefer to call Broadcast Campaigns) are a speciality. Is
that trust misplaced? Are you feeling that you cannot ‘trust’ that partner to
deliver what is required to appease your client/boss? Worse still, do you put
trust in them and then have to ‘fire-fight’ to repair a lack of coverage and
message delivery. Something you have promised to deliver. That last paragraph is a statement I have heard too many
times, and much to my dismay as somebody with a real passion for the power of
broadcast and what it can do for you and your brands. I have spent much of my
time of late, analysing the way that I work, the way that the agencies I have
worked for work, but more importantly, looking at the broadcast industry - to
try to understand why it is slowly becoming a less respected and utilised
commodity by public relations. I thought you might like to hear the outcome of my hours of
deliberation on this subject. It certainly has changed the way that I work, and
may just do the same for you.
CHANGE...
I am going to give you an example of a typical client
approaching a broadcast agency for a campaign:
“Hi, I want to book in a radio day. I need 15 items of
coverage. I have got research that has gone to field, will be regionally
focussed on TV regions, gender and age. I’ve got professor Blah from Blah from
8:30 until 1pm. I’ve got £Xk. Can I book this in for [DATE].”
Sound familiar? It sounds all too familiar to me! Ok, let’s break this down
and analyse where we are going wrong…
“I want to book in a radio day” – Ok, so just
radio. Have you thought about TV? Do you have a story that is even worthy of a
‘day’ of interviews?
“15 Items of Coverage” – since when is items of
coverage a measurable in the grand scheme of things? Is it not about targeting?
Reaching the widest possible audience within pre-set targets; Gender, Age,
Locality? How do you even know if 15 broadcasters exist to interview your
spokesperson? Do you have that much knowledge at your fingertips?
“I have got research that has gone to field…” –
I hear this endless times. The research makes the story, granted. Your messages
and hooks will be in there. But what about messages and hooks that will work
for broadcasters? You have to remember, the results of the research have to
formulate an interview, with a presenter that delivers the results you need.
Not only that, but your spokesperson will need to have a firm understanding of
the results. In various forms based on locality, gender and age. Would it not
be better to have discussed this before sending out your questions and spending
huge amounts of money doing so?
“…focussed on TV regions” – at what point are TV
regions a geographic breakdown? Radio stations, strangely enough, do not fall
into TV regions, EVEN BBCs! Stations have regulations from OfCom on their
content – to be local to their transmission area. Regionalise it, OK. County,
OK too. Cities and large towns…now you are talking! Would you have known that
before you sent the research to field if I hadn’t told you? Perhaps! Would you
have thought about it when under deadline and pressures, possibly not!
“I’ve got Professor Blah from Blah from
8:30-1:00pm” – That’s fabulous. I am sure Professor Blah is really looking
forward to it. Especially if there is a fee involved! How much do the
broadcasters know about Professor Blah? Is he a good interviewee? Is he
credible in his field? Was he on 25 radio stations talking about something two
days ago and is frankly always doing broadcast for a quick buck. Also, again,
how would you know unless you are talking to these broadcasters every day? 8:30-1:00pm? Yes, that is the most likely timing for a traditional 'radio day' but how flexible can they be - broadcasters work all hours, programmes are all day, news channels are 24 hours. Should this not have been discussed before?
"I’ve got £Xk” – I think discussing budget before approaching the agency to book is a definite must. I am sure if I said to a PR professional, here is £Xk go get me 2 tabloids, 2 broadsheets
and 12 local press publications by this date, with a story they haven’t seen
yet, they would be a little nervous too? Right? A broadcast PR agency, is a PR
agency too. We think no differently to any other – we are just a little niche!
I think you may be starting to understand where I am coming
from. A broadcast agency, 95% of the time, is a project based company, only as
good as their last project. They will want to impress and deliver, just as you
do. The prolific difference is, unless you offer a working relationship that is
fair, open and trusting, they will be scrambling to do what they can for
coverage to please you, with a story they have never seen.
Evolution
The answer to the issue: EVOLUTION. It is time to evolve the
way that PR people work with broadcast PR people and the way we ALL work with
broadcast journalists, producers and presenters. With the right working
platform we can change the way we feel about broadcast coverage, the way that
we feel about broadcast media and the way that we feel about each other. How? This blog is becoming a thesis, so I am going to summarise a
few things that I have EVOLVED in the way that I work, the way that my employer
has EVOLVED, how services have EVOLVED and how the broadcast media have
EVOLVED. The power of Evolution – it could be the saviour of 'Broadcastkind'!
The EVOLUTION of BROADCAST PR
It’s a PITCH not a PROCUREMENT – Shop around for
creative not costs!
Effective Broadcast Partnerships – working
together from a seed of an idea to nurture and grow a project that flourishes
Trust, Honesty and Belief
Consultation, Research and Development
Proactive and Reactive
The Death of the CUE SHEET
Multimedia Pitching and Delivery
Personality and Presence
Pitch Perfect – All singing from the same Hymn
Sheet
Delivery – Right Place, Right Time in Excellent
Condition
Results – Expected and Respected, Quality not
Quantity, Targeted and Appropriate
These are buzz words or phrases that help to present why I
still love Broadcast PR and where I see the future. Maybe, in time, with more people working in a newly
structured, evolved way, we can re-instate the trust, excitement and pleasure
that comes from a cracking radio campaign. But we can only do this together!
Oh how the humble #HASHTAG can escalate a campaign - sometimes for all the wrong reasons. The lovely people at Penguin Books clearly thought that their #YourMum hashtag, which started trending yesterday, was a great way of communicating with their twitter followers in an engaging and fun way.
Then, our lovely friends at the Poke had a little play with it....
Slightly off topic for this blog…but I did promise a few opinions on the way!
It will soon be May and it will soon, once again, be time to sample the HORRIFIC delights that our neighbours across Europe throw at us for Eurovision. All for the chance to waste hundreds of thousands of pounds to host a European (oh, and Australia????) music event that frankly the world couldn’t give two hoots about!
2015 ENTRY:
Curiosity got the better of me when BBC One told me that some Eurovision news was on the Red Button. You know, all films tell you, you shouldn’t press the red button - now I know why!
Has anyone heard of Electro Swing. I am pleased to say that I have so a little glimmer of excitement over our Eurovision entry came over me. I watched a droll and unexcited Scott Mills tell me to expect to hear more about the song and artists, but first, in a monotone and frankly uninterested manner, he introduces the song!
ELECTRO VELVET: STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU
Our entry for Eurovision is a catchy, quite fun attempt at tapping into Electro Swing. For your reference, follow the link to Caravan Palace to find out why I am excited by this music genre.
Our Eurovision song is, however, more of a karaoke, modern day camp site attempt at creating something that could be so much more. In fairness; it is very catchy and my foot was tapping throughout. The lyrics are fun, but in reality could have been constructed by a group of 10 year old kids in the primary school playground.
The two vocalists; a male tribute artist with the personality of a bean-sprout and a The Voice reject (nobody turned!) female, who “is still pinching herself she is here”, both seem like ‘normal’ people - they should be; it was a public submission platform that found our entry. But, I feel that they have EVERY idea that this will do little for their popularity or fame!
CONSPIRACY THEORY: DOES THE BBC WORK HARD TO ENSURE WE NEVER HAVE TO SPEND THE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS TO PUT ON THIS TRIPE?
I would have even more respect for our BBC big wigs, if this is the case. Stick something new in and we have more chance of NIL POINTS!
The thing that worries me is, there is an emerging trend of Electro Swing that, I have to admit (again look at Caravan Palace) I do honestly have a real affinity for. A modern day take on 1920s, 1930s music, that the whole world can recognise. Britain was at the forefront of music in these days - as we always have been. Why then, put this genre into a competition where ladies with beards, horror car crash music and worse, win big? Why put a song, in a new upcoming genre, that has been written by the man that wrote the THEME TUNE for JIM’LL FIX IT, into a competition that defines nothing but political bias? Who knows?!
But, the one thing I do know - I feel sorry for the two artists who may just emerge a little more famous post Eurovision; I feel sorry for the genre that this is being put in;and I genuinely feel sorry that Eurovision has to be hosted by gay men, just to get the gays to keep watching and keeping the viewing figures up. This gay however, has given up!
Good luck Australia, you have no idea what you have entered in to!
One of the most famous interview blunders in political history came when Edwina Currie (the government’s Health Minister at the time) made a single word mistake, that led to her resignation and then an OUSTING by her constituency at the next general election. Do you remember Salmonella gate? Do you remember her immortal words “MOST of the eggs…”. 3rd December 1988 - a time I am sure, a now very successful broadcaster and novelist, will always remember. As will the thousands of farmers whose livelihoods were destroyed, catastrophically!
Coming up to the general election even Mr Cameron is avoiding all televised sessions except one, you would have thought politicians of all people, would be able to get through an interview or question time unscathed, right? Obviously not!
The Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett took to the air waves on LBC, with long standing broadcaster Nick Ferrari. She was there to discuss her OWN party policies - something you would have thought very important to her and moreover something she would be happy to discuss and with ease. When asked a simple question about her housing policy, she froze. She didn’t have an answer. She stumbled, coughed. Did you hear it? It has been labelled as a car crash - take a listen!
Her failing was not that she didn’t have the answer; but the way that she handled herself, fumbling around and faking a cough (“Sorry, I have been unwell” doesn’t really cut it, Natalie) to cover that she simply didn’t have the answer. In doing so, she flustered herself and left the door wide open for Nick to run in and batter her all the more. Shame! She has since hadmedia training; according to the article in the Independent - but what should she have done?
Media Training is not rocket science, it is common sense. But, we all know that common sense eludes us when the adrenaline and nerves kick in. If you are planning on putting yourself, a colleague, a client or a family member into a situation where they can be interviewed by a radio station, by TV or by a whole list of broadcasters and journalists;MEDIA TRAINING them is essential.
Remember, most interviews are not going to try to trip you up. The interviewee, however, normally has a raft of messages they need to deliver, a company to reference research or content to and deliver a website URL all whilst being a friendly, personable, likeable and educated guest for the broadcaster/journalist. It is not as easy as you think!
My job, most of the time, is to put people in these spots for brands and companies all over the UK. I feel that our one on one approach to media training, specific to message, topic and campaign, really works to alleviate this. I am not, however, immune to danger in this area. I once had the pleasure of working with an amazing professor, lovely lady, organised to do a series of very serious, health interviews to raise awareness of developments in disease treatment. Dry, but interesting and full of real fact but also lots of red tape. She was the perfect person - she knew it all! She was confident, friendly - everything you would need. What I didn’t realise was, even with my experience, there was a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth, she had sweaty palms and a pale, white face - evidence of a woman on the verge of breakdown. She entered the studio booth, popped on the cans, spoke about her breakfast in the microphone and was ready to run. First interview; BBC Radio Scotland, LIVE at 06:35. The station connected, the friendly female producer spoke in a warming Scottish accent to our producer, the producer put them through to the booth. SILENCE. More SILENCE. “Just say hello..” my producer said. “Hello….just say hello!” He repeated. I started to realise she wasn’t going to talk. Needless to say - she wasn’t going to do this interview. I had no choice, Jay Evans, her research partner from the organisation (I was thinking on my feet…I couldn’t think of a title!) was in her place as she was “taken unwell”. A very long 7 minute interview took place…I think I did OK. My client and guest seemed happy, although I am sure my client needed Valium). My spokesperson seemed elated as she knew I had the information and ability to do the other 22 interviews of that day! I did, I was exhausted, but I did it!
Morale of the Story: I had years of experience, my spokesperson had media and public speaking experience plus she had written ALL of the content for the interviews. I didn’t see any issues with that morning - in fact I was looking forward to coffee, croissants and chat with my client whilst she got on with it. I WAS WRONG! My client was WRONG! My guest was WRONG!
Nobody is impervious to nerves and it doesn’t have to be a difficult subject matter, you don’t have to be an MP and you don’t have to be getting a grilling from an over zealous presenter, to fluff! You do, however, need the tools in your belt to get yourself out of situations and appear professional. The important phrases of “Sorry, that is not what I am here to talk about”, or “I am sorry but that is not something I am qualified to discuss, I am sure there are people more educated in that, than I” could offer the difference between EGG and GREEN interview failings for YOUR spokespeople!
As the digital revolution appears to be making more and more strides forward, some of us are starting to feel like we are left behind. The traditional press release, cutting in the nationals or interview on the BBC, is now only a small fry in a sea of enhanced coverage that is starting to demand more ROI than ever. So, how do we keep up?
93% of the UK population in 2014 was using a mobile phone on a daily basis. 73% of those had access to a 4G network – anyone who lives in the country like me will know, this is usually a lot faster than your home broadband! 47% of the people with a phone use social marketing sites and 35% utilised their mobile to keep abreast of news. A huge shift in the way everyone is consuming.
What content do you have at your disposal?
Images
Infographics are a great way to sex up your research and really enhance your story. Whether you are looking for placement on the Independent online, or looking for targeted shares on twitter – this will make it visually more sassy.
Basic campaign imagery – Don’t make it an ad. Make it lifestyle, make it real to the story/your brand and allow the editors to put text to it.
Check the size; If you are marketing for twitter - make your content stream friendly - a consumer will only click an image to enlarge less than 10% of the time!
Videos
1.3 billion people watch an average of 162 videos per month – surely we all need to tap in to that? The content of the video is key – but there are a few options available, even for the ‘driest’ of stories!
Infographics can be animated to really bring your facts to life. Find a company that understands your needs. Voice it over to enhance the elements but VITALLY important; include ALL of the content in the animation. How many people do you see watching things on their phones on the train with no sound? Think of your audience and how they are consuming.
Video News Release: Can really enhance a campaign message, especially if you have a credible spokespersons time. Being punchy, interesting, educating, factual ensures you keep your audiences attention. Why not use your facts and figures in an eye catching and engaging way.
Vine: Why not create a small vine video to promote the longer video. Super twitter friendly!
Embed your videos on social media - forget the links to YouTube. Monitor your views via the likes of Facebook!
Don’t forget - LinkedIn is there for the professionals - video is not always for B2C projects!
Don’t forget though – make sure the videos are produced to suit all mobile or tablet formats. Use an expert for advice – don’t just assume!
There are more ways to mention to make the most of content marketing but I will always remember this little gem of a phrase: Does my campaign have…
I am pretty sure you have all thought it, or said it when we hear someone on the radio? That boring, uninteresting, monotone bloke from the Association of Blah de Blah?
I know I have! More than once! But is it the Radio Stations fault? Have they sourced the right person? Is that person the right person for the interview?
Or is it us PR people getting it all wrong… Probably!
We all know Joe Bloggs, Marketing Manager of Blah de Blah is probably the most knowledgeable person to talk on the subject - but we all know he's is perhaps not going to be the most effective. Plus, they inevitably suffer from (forgive the phrase) Brand Tourettes, Frankly, most are about as exciting as watching paint dry in a dark room!
Sadly, we sometimes can't blame the interviewee but the subject they are talking about. I don’t mean don’t talk about it but…
MAKE YOUR INTERVIEW INTERESTING TO THE LISTENER - NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE FOR THE BRAND
Advice is always available - gather consultancy, ask the experts and choose wisely!
On deciding to return to Public Relations, the first and only serious question I have been asked; WHY BROADCAST PR?
I have decided to write a series of “straight-talking” posts to explain why I love Broadcast & Digital PR and why I think it may not be used the most effectively - I welcome any feedback!
"Why not traditional PR?" "You are a creative person, why hamper yourself with a career that you cannot harness your abilities?"
I have worked in Broadcast PR for over 8 years in the course of my life, across three very different agencies. Each with their own merits and each with their own failings. Each, however, provide clients with some great awareness building campaigns that I know has bolstered the efforts of the PR manager, Marketing Manager or the clients PR Agency. Those campaigns were not down to the agency chosen - but the people working on the campaign.
The key to a good Broadcast PR campaign? People//Relationships//Creativity - all traits of a good PR agency, right?
Treat it as a PITCH not a TENDER
A Broadcast PR company is an agency, just like a PR agency. So, why call and ask them “How much for a 15 interview Radio Day?”. We can all quote for that - but does that really deliver your objectives? Does that really give you the power to know that those 15 interviews/that agency are going to be providing you with anything that you are comfortably going to present to your client at the end of the project? I doubt it! Why not just send out a 5 question form and pick the cheapest!
Treat it as a pitch: Pick three agencies and create a pitch situation - if only on email/phone. Provide them with the concept of your campaign - what angle you have taken, what research you want to do/have done, what you hope to achieve and, presuming you have already pitched and got approval from your client/decision maker, what you have said you could achieve. Allow those three companies to revert with what THEY think is the best approach for you, how it is going to work to deliver the strongest results. You will obtain 3 very different responses no doubt, but from those three you should be able to ascertain who you feel understands the brief and objectives the best. 99% of the time, one of them will stand out for you - but remember if they are PROMISING coverage, they may not be the most trustworthy partner to work with!
How to get the most out of your Broadcast Agency
OK, the above was based on approaching a broadcast agency when you have already decided, pitched to your client/boss what you would like to include and have to now ensure that this happens. But there is a better way. Best get your NDA templates at the ready!
A broadcast agency is only as successful as their last campaign. Plus, they only get a fee when they win a project with you - so they need you to book with them. Make the most of this in several different ways - trust me it pains me to say this!
Involve them early: It’s free creative! Use them to bolster your creative. Use their knowledge of the industry to provide you with ideas. Include what you like best in your own briefs and budget accordingly.
Build a Rapport: A broadcast professional is like an extension to your team - at least that is how it should be. They should be the account exec on a clients team in an agency that happens to have a particularly good skill in one area. Have a relationship with them so that this is the case. Keep them in the loop on how the traditional “sell-in” is going. Let them know if one angle is working better than another. Allow them to do the same!
Be Flexible: The agency should always be open and honest with you at all times, if they have been getting feedback from the media and have ideas to get the most out of it for your client/boss - then listen. You may find its the difference between a quality interview and 2 minutes of “slot filling” garbage!
