Spreckley pledges support for Stirling City Deal

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London-based PR agency Spreckley, which recently opened a satellite office in central Scotland, has pledged its support Stirling’s new City Deal, to further position the city as an economic powerhouse.

Nick Bird 1

Nick Bird

Spreckley opened a satellite office in order to capitalise on the exceptional growth currently taking place within the digital sector in Scotland.

The city’s new Digital District is a significant part of Sterling’s City Deal, which aims to position Stirling as an economic and cultural powerhouse, both in Scotland and globally.

Stirling is already home to more than 70 tech companies, and it was the growth of the digital and tech sector which encouraged Spreckley to open an office in the region.

Nick Bird, Spreckley’s Stirling-based account director, said: “The City Deal represents a fantastic opportunity to solidify Stirling’s position as a progressive tech hub of the future. If you look at what is going on in the city, the foundations are already in place; notably, its excellent geographical position, with easy access to other cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, a continual flow of graduates that are educated to both a degree and a Masters level within core digital tech subjects, as well as access to a talented workforce skilled in qualifications above the national average.

“The creation of a Digital District will only excel this further and ensure that the city is able to, not only retain its best and brightest, but also attract new talent and investment into Stirling.”

Johanna Boyd, Stirling council leader, added: “Stirling is an area with genuine opportunity for rapid growth in digital innovation and technology. Our plans for a Digital District in the heart of Stirling are a key part of our successful bid for City Deal funding, and can help secure transformational change for Stirling and its surrounding areas.”

Opinion: Is PR a science or an art?

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The rise of data has certainly helped PRs get messaging to the right people, in the right place, at the right time, says Splendid Communications’ head of performance, Gavin Taylor. But, he argues, instinct and intuition still have a role to play when creating stories that can really travel.

Gavin Taylor

Gavin Taylor

The definition of PR is ‘relating to the public’. So it’s not limited to press releases and news rooms, but encompasses a wide range of spaces and invites a creative freedom. PR is now a sizeable task, as you have to take into account different behaviours and environments in which the public play.

We need to take into account the following:

Brands need to consider these points when they build their comms plans.

In addition, the growth and diversity in consumer touch-points means that traditional practices will no longer cut it. That being said, the old rules still apply. You have to hit the right people with the right message in the right place at the right time.

Data has certainly enhanced a marketer’s ability to tap into the right people in the right place at the right time. The evolution of capabilities in data, analytics and technology means that we know where, when and who consumers are.

So, when there is such a wealth of data available, why would brands go out on a limb and challenge an insight that has proven to resonate with your target demographic at a certain time?

However, all of your peers have access to the same third-party data as you, and sometimes your product USP is not quite enough to cut it with today’s time poor audience. How to make them care is just as big a challenge as always was.

So, how do you get cut through? Intuition.

Using intuition to find that “real world truth” will unveil territories to play in that may not have been visible from pure data. At Splendid we believe that accessing the “real world truth” will provide a gateway to tap into the conversation between two friends, or those shared memories from childhood or an internal point of view or opinion of an aspect of the world.

Once you have that insight, you then have to bring it to life. The only way to connect to real people is to tell the story in real world terms. Having the right insight at the root is a great foundation to growing a story that travels.

There is, however, a need for consistency, which is where data has another role to play. If your concept is to travel, it should not be confined to one communications discipline. PR is not always as measurable as other channels. However, if we’re relating to the public, then understanding how that story resonates with people within the environment they choose to consume it within is imperative.

So is PR an art or science? The answer is both, however the role of the art should not be diminished due to increasing capabilities of the science.

Developing a story that travels can be data driven, however thinking of PR as ‘relating to the public’ will unlock creative routes that span across multiple touch points. Data most definitely has a role in planning how to amplify the idea, but discovering the ‘real world truth’ will help find an idea that will resonate.

IFC Advisory advises Warpaint London on AIM IPO

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IFC Advisory has advised Warpaint London on its successful AIM IPO.

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The W7 cosmetic brand

Warpaint London is a colour cosmetics business based in Iver, Buckinghamshire. Its flagship brand is W7, which includes more than 500 products which are sold at high street retailers and independent beauty shops across the UK, Europe, Australia and the US.

In today’s (30 November) IPO, Warpaint London raised £23m with a market capitalisation of £63m.

The cosmetics firm announced its plans to float earlier this month.

Harvest Fund Management hires Peregrine Communications

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Chinese asset management firm Harvest Fund Management has hired Peregrine Communications to help build its brand with international investors.

Anthony Payne 1

Anthony Payne

Peregrine’s remit includes strategy, design, messaging, media relations, thought leadership, digital media and events.

Ashley Dale, chief business development officer and chief marketing officer at Harvest, said: “We are delighted to be working with Peregrine Communications to help us as we begin to expand our global presence.

“We have a strong story to tell with an excellent track record and a sophisticated, effective approach. Peregrine will help us tell that story.”

Anthony Payne, chief executive at Peregrine Communications, said: “We are very excited to have been selected by Harvest.

“Working with Harvest is an extraordinary opportunity to help tell a compelling story, and position Harvest as top-of-mind with investors as they review their allocations to China. China is the world’s second biggest economy and is a centre of innovation. The next mega company is as likely to emerge from Shenzhen as Cupertino.”

Harvest has an investment team of more than 200 people and manages $100bn (£80bn) for over 30m clients.

Former press secretary Graeme Wilson joins Tulchan Communications

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Tulchan Communications has hired former press secretary Graeme Wilson as a partner. He will join the firm on December 1, 2016.

Graeme Wilson 1

Graeme Wilson

Wilson recently worked as press secretary at 10 Downing Street, for PM David Cameron. Prior to that, Wilson was deputy political editor of The Sun. He has also worked for the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.

Wilson will provide clients with strategic advice around policy developments, and their representation in the media.

Wilson said: “I am very pleased to be joining Tulchan, which has a well-earned reputation as a market-leading advisor on strategic corporate and financial communications. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to Tulchan to ensure that it continues to offer the best possible advice to its clients.”

Andrew Grant, senior partner at Tulchan, added: “We have been successfully building our policy advisory practice over the past few years. Graeme’s expertise and experience, particularly his many years in political journalism, will enhance our advisory capability and accelerate our continued growth in this increasingly important area.”

Knauf appoints Threepipe

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Knauf, a market leader in the construction product industry, has appointed Threepipe to help deliver its 2017 UK digital marketing activity.

knauf threepipe

Knauf

In 2017 Knauf plans to “reset” its marketing activity to become more digitally focused, as the business looks to build its presence in new product areas among trade audiences.

Threepipe will maintain an ongoing paid search strategy for Knauf and overlay this with brand campaigns to support new product launches and key industry events.

Amrik Sanghera, marketing campaigns manager at Knauf, said: “We were impressed by Threepipe’s strategic approach to building targeted awareness of our brand and new products in 2017. We are looking forward to working with the team as we build out a new marketing approach for the business.”

Jim Hawker, co-founder of Threepipe, added: “It’s a pleasure to be working with one of the most admired companies in the construction sector. It has a great vision for where the business is going and is digitally transforming its approach to marketing, so it’s an exciting time to be involved.”

B2B Case Study: GenMobile

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WE Communications and Aruba used a research-based campaign to make the benefits of networking technology clear to a wider business audience. The GenMobile campaign focused on amplifying the advantages of flexible working, mobile devices and maintaining good security practice.

Aruba 1Campaign name: GenMobile
Client: Aruba, a HP Enterprise company
PR Team: WE Communications
Timing: 24 month campaign

Objectives
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) company – known as an expert in networking technology -needed to extend its messaging beyond IT managers to establish a more business-focused perspective. This would capture the attention — and therefore the support — of the C-suite, giving IT managers the backing they need to establish smarter networks that would allow employees to securely exchange information, wherever they are. However, broadening the conversation was just the beginning.

After conducting global research, WE Communications unveiled a key behaviour that ultimately laid the foundation for its progressive campaign: people’s desire to stay mobile.

Because the global workforce is always on the go, workers are constantly sending confidential information from mobile devices, such as smartphones and laptops. Thus began Aruba’s #GenMobile campaign: the beginning of a three-part (and running) launch that shifted the conversation from tech talk to a business-centric dialogue.

Strategy and implementation
Phase one was focused on building awareness around how employees were working online when outside the office, and the sacrifices they were willing to make in order to maintain the convenience of working while on the go. For example, research revealed that the majority of employees would take a 10% pay cut in exchange for the ability to work from home just one day a week.

Phase two presented another reality: employees weren’t following best practice when sending sensitive information from their mobile devices. In response, employers often restrict online access, blocking sites and preventing staff from logging on when away from the office. But that makes for a very poor employee experience. Aruba offered an alternative: keep the information flowing and simply monitor traffic through a secure network.

Businesses that choose option two see a high return on their investment with a more productive, loyal and motivated workforce than those that restrict access. That was the message delivered in phase three. When you keep your employees happy, your company thrives. And with the help of The Economist Intelligence Unit, Aruba had a comprehensive report to prove it.

Results
Equipped with a new brand voice and an integrated campaign driven by an informative and compelling narrative, Aruba quickly made a name for itself in the tech world. So much so that, even after being acquired by HPE, it continues to invest additional resources into the ongoing development of its powerful narrative.

To date, the campaign has earned Aruba over 420 press clippings worldwide. That, combined with a five minute interview with CNBC Europe, successfully reached a captive audience of well over 300 million people.

Aruba also saw impressive results from a business perspective, generating 6,000 new sales leads, 260 of which were qualified with a potential value of $9,500,000 (£7,600,000). Ninety of these (so far) have generated a total of $1.8 million in additional revenue. And, for every $1 spent, the return on investment has equalled $11 in confirmed sales.

Nigel Miller

PR talent of the future: nothing and everything is changing

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By Nigel Miller, Chief Human Resources Officer, Edelman

People often ask me what it takes to be a successful communications professional in an industry that’s changing constantly and unpredictably. While it’s true that employees need to know about things like new digital skills, platforms and channels that didn’t exist just a short time ago, some of the most vital communications skills are the same as they’ve ever been.

I joined agency panellists recently at Gorkana’s PR Agency of the Future event to share how we’re adapting to a profession that’s being turned on its ear by the world around us. For example, search is the most trusted news source, according to Edelman’s Trust Barometer. People are just – if not more – likely to get their information from bloggers, YouTubers and brands themselves than they do from traditional media.

This shift has given way to an era where facts are more fluid and peer-to-peer influence has supplanted talk from the top. To get the results our clients expect, our talent must have a deep knowledge of how to reach stakeholders across a landscape that’s changing every day.

However, while there’s undoubtedly been a revolution in terms of “how” PR is done, the “what” remains much the same. Wikipedia defines PR as “the strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organisations and their publics.” I’d argue this is what Daniel Edelman set out to do for clients when he founded his company more than 60 years ago.

So, while the scramble for great talent in our industry often feels like the search for a pink unicorn, a few core skills and one critical attribute remain as important as ever:

1. Writing
Modern communications programs may encompass a much wider range of written and visual content. These often require short sound bites versus long paragraphs to deliver a message. But the ability to craft and use the right words to create impact are potentially even more important at a time when you can no longer demand attention. You have to earn it through compelling content.

2. Research
Insight and analytics have become core to almost all campaigns at Edelman, making research skills and the ability to ask the right questions another core enabler to career progression. Although research sophistication and integration has come a long way, the ability to correctly assess business context, audience and stakeholder dynamics has always been key to a good PR program.

3. Project Management
Without project management, a great idea rarely has the chance to see the light of day. In-house or agency communicators find themselves spinning many plates at once, so having the ability to fall back on a plan – all the way from insight and strategy to implementation and evaluation, with contingencies built in – can provide a campaign the best chance of achieving its objectives.

4. Presentation
Like project management, a great idea or argument isn’t likely to fly if it isn’t presented well. And being personable still matters. Sometimes referred to as impact and influence, persuasive verbal presentation skills have always – and will always – be a factor in career progression for the professional communicator.

And that critical attribute? Curiosity. I doubt there is any other profession where this behaviour is more important. At Edelman, where curiosity is one of our core values, we expect our employees to have an almost insatiable appetite for news and perspective.

Curiosity helps fuel the business acumen, the counsel and the creativity that our clients expect from us. We must be at the vanguard in a world where people are downloading their news like they download their music, avoiding what they don’t like. To ensure communications are relevant, they need to be more targeted. This means professionals must constantly seek perspectives different to their own.

Finally, with growing concerns that robots will usurp much of the work we do as communicators, I find myself agreeing with the sentiments of Geoff Colvin. In Humans are Underrated, Colvin argues that robots will never have the skills that define us as human beings, like expressing ourselves, sensing the thoughts and feelings of others and building relationships. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Toucan appoints The PR Office

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The PR Office has been appointed by Toucan, a support network for small businesses in the creative industries, to raise its profile. 

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Shimon Cohen

It will implement a media relations campaign to position Toucan as an expert and leading commentator on relevant issues.

Rasha Khawaja, founder and CEO of Toucan, said: “As a talent spotter and cultivator of financial support, professional mentoring and partnerships, Toucan takes an all-encompassing approach to supporting start-ups. The PR Office will help raise our profile through its unique experience working with top business media.”

Shimon Cohen, chairman at The PR Office, added: “Toucan brings a fresh take on supporting start-ups from the early stages, which is different to a standard incubator. It goes above and beyond to develop businesses and works with them for as long as they need the help. We are delighted to be working with such a unique organisation which will help drive the start-up ecosystem and support our economy.”

Toucan supports start-ups through a mentor and investor network, which specialises in food and beverage, lifestyle and retail sectors.

 

60 Seconds with Buzzoole MD Victoria Luck

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Victoria Luck, UK MD of Naples-born influencer marketing platform Buzzoole, talks to Gorkana about moving from international advertising at Hearst Magazines into influencer marketing, why PR and media are merging and which brand she thinks has nailed its Christmas campaign this year.

You joined influencer marketing platform Buzzoole in February this year. Tell us about what the platform does and what attracted you to the role.

Buzzoole

Victoria Luck

Buzzoole connects brands to their ideal audiences through our data-driven, automated platform. Influencer marketing platforms are a bit like the programmatic of the influencer space; using automation makes finding the right influencers and running campaigns easier. Automation offers transparency, efficiency, accountability and all important scalability.

What attracted you to the role?

After working in traditional display advertising for 17 years, I was keen for a new challenge in an exciting, emerging space.

You previously headed up the international advertising division at Hearst Magazines and then international sales at ad tech business InSkin Media before joining Buzzoole. What made you move over from advertising to influencer marketing?

I’d started to notice more of my clients asking about working with bloggers. Back then “influencer” was only just becoming a buzzword, and I wanted to stay ahead of the curve.

The chance to grow a business from scratch was a big draw for me too. I’d built international divisions from the ground up before, and heading up Buzzoole’s entire British offering was an amazing opportunity.

What do you see as the core differences between advertising and influencer marketing?

First and foremost, advertising and influencer marketing have the same goal. Brands need to reach their audiences – but traditional display advertising is something that consumers are actively resisting. As more of us turn away from traditional media, using adblockers for instance, brands are starting to realise they must find new ways reach consumers.

Influencer marketing offers a more organic, authentic approach. It hinges on real people, promoting brands they love to a following that will listen.

What role do you think influencer marketing plays in the PR industry?

For PRs, the power of influencer marketing hinges on amplifying their message. And engaging with an influential figure’s audience can significantly boost a campaign’s reach.

Up to now influencer marketing has been almost exclusively run by PR agencies with a focus on celebrities. Right now, however, we’re in a transitional stage where PR and media are merging. Automation is accelerating this and making the influencer marketing industry more accountable, measurable and scalable.

What’s your favourite part of your current role?

The best part of my role has been seeing the business in the UK expand. From humble beginnings (just me and my laptop) to a team of six and growing, we’re on the verge of building something first-class. And of course, going to Buzzoole’s amazing head office in Naples isn’t bad either.

What’s the dream brand you’d most like to work with?

I’d love to work with Burberry. Fashion goes hand in hand with influencer marketing and Burberry’s presence on Instagram demonstrates this to a T. What’s more, it’s founded on really smart marketing strategy.

We’ve already worked with other fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger, with outstanding results, and Burberry really would be a dream client.

Which brand do you think is running the best Christmas campaign so far?

Nostalgia is a powerful tool and Barbour really nailed with its Christmas campaign this year. It’s hard to believe Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman is almost 30 years old now; Barbour did well to take a delicate approach to such a classic.

To find out more about influencer marketing, download the free Gorkana Guide to GorksWP alertInfluencer Marketing, which launched this month. The Guide analyses how an “influencer” is defined, what impact influencers have on PR, whether an influencer campaign can really be determined as earned media and what PRs need to think about before trying to find the right person who can positively impact their brand.
Download your free copy here.