Cision clients bag 21 PR Moment awards

Cision clients bag 21 PR Moment awards

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Cision clients won almost two-thirds of the 33 available prizes at last night’s PR Moment Awards ceremony for the north in Manchester.

Smarts Communicate were the big winners on the night, taking home five awards, including the Cision sponsored Global Public Relations Campaign of the Year award for its World Class Bartender of the Year 2017 campaign with Diageo Reserve.

Havas PR took home three awards, including being named Mid-Sized Agency of the Year, while Weber Shandwick, Clearbox and Co-op Funeralcare were among the organisations to win a pair of prizes.

Smoking Gun, BIG Partnership, Co-op Insurance, Hull City Council and Social Communications were also among those recognised on the night, while LUX director Mhairi MacLeod was named Young Professional of the Year.

The ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester was the northern leg of PR Moment’s two awards ceremonies, with the south event taking place in London last month. A full list of last night’s winners can be found here.

60 Seconds with InterComms founder Ethan Spibey

60 Seconds with InterComms founder Ethan Spibey

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Ethan Spibey, founder of PR and comms LGBT+ networking group InterComms, discusses being named an outstanding contributor to LGBT+ life in 2018 and what the industry can do better for the LGBT+ community.

You’ve just been selected as one of the 10 Outstanding Contributors to LGBT+ Life in 2018 by the British LGBT Awards for your FreedomToDonate campaign, what was your reaction when you heard you’d been selected?

I thought it was spam. The title read: “Congratulations you’ve been short…” and being someone of a somewhat modest stature, I could only assume someone was making a height-related comment!

But in all seriousness, when I saw the people in that category, the genuinely inspirational work they are doing, I just had to text my mum and tell her: “Imagine what grandad would say”. I began the FreedomToDonate campaign to repay the donor who saved his life and to be nominated in this category is purely testament to the passion and dedication of the campaign team who have worked so so hard on this.

I feel a little out of place to be among such LGBT+ activist/campaigning giants but I’m looking forward to meeting them and celebrating all of our work.

What led you to founding InterComms?

A conversation in a friend’s kitchen. I’ve always worked in small-ish companies (between 20-50 people) and I knew from friends that across communications, whether that be PR, public affairs or in-house, although some larger companies have an LGBT+ network, there was a distinct lack of a network which brings that together.

InterComms is that network, serving the entirety of the communications industry whether you’re part of a charity in-house team of three or part of an already established LGBT+ network within a company.

What sort of work does the network do?

The network has three simple objectives; to provide an LGBT+ supportive network and a space for the whole of our industry, to champion and promote the people who work within our industry and to introduce a charter to offer a baseline of support.

To do this, we run events, workshops, senior roundtables, committee meetings and collaborative partnerships with a wide range of LGBT+ groups so we can bring together the best practice in the industry and introduce tangible benefits for those in communications.

Is the PR industry a positive environment for members of the LGBT+ community?

It can be, but it can also be a pretty lonely place. Long hours and a focus on delivering for clients can sometimes mean organisations forget about the people within. That’s exactly what InterComms is about, offering a hub and a network for those people and opportunities to partner with organisations that can affect real change for them in their day-to-day work.

What can the industry do better for the LGBT+ community?

Of course, there is good practice out there. We work with organisations with great schemes to support their employees, but too often, companies tackle LGBT+ issues in a one size fits all approach.

Ignoring the distinct needs of people within our communities, from trans employees facing daily unconscious bias in their role, to bisexual mums facing stereotypes from colleagues, it’s about recognising the individual challenges and tackling them in a collaborative way. This is exactly what we intend to do with our charter.

How important is PR and comms in helping to change attitudes to LGBT+ rights in society as a whole?

Vital. I’ve worked in comms for a few years now and I can see the real, tangible benefit people in comms can have, after all, it is our job. We all have a role to play, whether that be with our clients and customers, or external engagement with consumers.

Organisations like PrideAM do a fantastic job at advising the work of advertising and media, but on an individual basis, we can all make an impact if we recognise the benefits of collaboratively working together.

Finally, if you could enact one thing for the benefit of the LGBT+ community, either in PR or society as a whole, what would it be?

Bias. In 2018, when we still can’t walk down the road holding the hand of the person we love without people looking, pointing, or even worse abusing, we still have a long way to go.

This translates to the workplace and our social lives as many in our community face stereotypes and discrimination at the hands of bias. Together, we can change that, but it’s not going to be easy.

Meet the analysis team: Molly O’Connor

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Molly O’Connor

At Cision, we connect organisations to critical information and insight that enables them to control and manage their reputation across all media platforms.

Our analysis and insights team create the bespoke reports and coverage summaries that are crucial – and they’re recruiting for data analysts to join them. We talk to new(ish) recruit, Molly O’Connor to find out what happens in the world of Cision analysis…

How long have you worked here?
I’ve have worked at Cision since October, so have been here for around 6 months now.

Tell me about your current role?
The analysis team produce insights reports for brands, which allows them to better understand their place in the media landscape, and the impact of their PR campaigns. As a data analyst on the analysis team, I work on a number of accounts ensuring that the quality of media analysis is high, managing the external coders, and organising large data-sets, so that the data incorporated into the reports is accurate and correct.

How did your background lead you here?
Before coming to Cision, I had just finished my Masters in Psychology where I completed a research paper with a psychologist who specialises in research methods and statistical analysis. So because of this, I had become really interested in the application of research and data analysis, and how it can be used in different fields to produce insightful results, which can be used to drive change – so Cision was the perfect place to put my interest into practice.

What do you like most about working for us?
The people definitely make every day more enjoyable – everyone is really relaxed and willing to help! There are also loads of benefits you can take advantage of, like having 50% paid towards your gym membership, or getting a loan for your travel card!

Describe a typical day as a data analyst?
Tasks vary every day and depend on which accounts you have – their requirements, and the time of year. As a data analyst, much of the work revolves around checking the quality and accuracy of the vendors coding of media, managing the vendors on your accounts, and providing feedback on their work.

How would you describe the work environment?
The working culture is very collaborative, friendly, and dedicated. Everyone is really helpful and wants you to be able to do your best. There are also a lot of opportunities to take on different tasks and improve skills that you are interested in developing.

Tell me about a change or improvement you’ve had the opportunity to make?
I was able to be involved in the set-up of a new client account one month after starting my job here at Cision. This was really challenging as it was an incredibly complex account with various needs and goals, but despite this, I was given a large degree of ownership over certain aspects of the account which I have been allowed to exercise a lot of creativity over.

I now oversee the daily production of the DPS, and I am able to implement my own style of feedback which reflects the client’s requirements and has resulted in significant improvements in the relevancy of the content.

Name three things you think it takes to succeed at our organisation?
Clear communication, attention to detail, and taking the initiative to make improvements to processes where you can.

Does Cision sound like somewhere you would thrive? Have a look at the roles in more depth and apply today.

PR News in Brief

This week’s PR news in brief (23-27 April)

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Here’s a round-up of the week’s essential PR news, featuring Cision’s 2018 State of the Media report, a new initiative from Launch and 3 reputational risks facing the FMGC industry.

State of the Media

The majority of UK journalists may agree fake news is making people more sceptical about the content they read. But a startling 93% are unsure what it means for their publication – or think its impact has been “neutral”.

That’s one of the key findings of Cision’s 2018 State of the Media survey.

Cision's 2018 State of the Media report - fake news chart

Our findings reveal that most journalists think fake news will make people more sceptical about what they read

To find out how perceptions of the media and comms industries are changing, we polled 1,355 journalists from across the globe on the key issues from the past 12 months.

As the world’s leading media intelligence provider, we were able to leverage our unparalleled network of journalists to uncover unique insights from a broad cross-section of media professionals.

Thought leadership

PR measurement technology is as revolutionary as the invention of the printing press, argued PRIME’s Nadin Vernon at PR measurement in practice.

PR measurement in practice with Cision PRIME Research and AMEC

Panellists talk PR measurement at this week’s Cision panel event

With more than 25% of a company’s value linked directly to its reputation, protecting firms against reputational risks is the key responsibility for communicators in the industry – and 3 reputational risks facing the FMCG industry in 2018 will help you do exactly that.

It identifies the top three reputational risks facing the FMCG industry in 2018 and arms you with the insights to safeguard your brand’s reputation in the coming months and years.

Interviews

Thomas Hewitt speaks to Cision’s Simon Stiel about the challenges of working in journalism as an autistic person and how the industry can improve access for those with autism.

Meet the Journalist: Thomas Hewitt

Thomas Hewitt

James McLachlan, editor at Icon magazine, explains what makes a great front cover, who reads the magazine and how the brand works with PRs.

Account wins

Small batch gin brand Manchester Gin has chosen Clementine Communications to handle its UK media relations activities.

West Country bathroom brand Jaquar has appointed Empica to support its UK marketing programme.

Soho restaurant Bob Bob Ricard has enlisted Dovetail to deliver a series of tasting events and handle the launch event for its sister restaurant, Bob Bob Cité.

Shooting Star has added two East Midlands-based businesses to its client roster – adult home care provider Walnut Care and air conditioning firm Lynx AC.

Measuring the value of creativity

Launch has partnered with Dr Jon White, a member of the CIPR’s Professional Practices committee, to unveil Creative Value, an evaluation model and pricing structure for comms professionals.

The model is designed to improve the reputation of PR and comms, help in-house teams “apply a balanced science” to the pitching process and ensure agencies are paid fairly for “ideas which shift the commercial dial”.

Agency news

Diffusion has launched its second US office. Based in Los Angeles, a seven-strong team will implement campaigns spanning traditional and social media.

Talker Tailor Trouble Maker has been appointed to handle creative communications in the UK for the launch of restaurant Bagatelle London.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Cirkle has become an employee-owned business, placing 60% of its shares into an Employee Ownership Trust.

People news

Instinct has appointed Laura Nelson as fasion account director. She has eight years’ PR experience and joins from fashion and beauty retailer VeryExclusive.co.uk.

Barnaby Phillips, Al Jazeera’s former senior correspondent in London, is now director of comms for conservation group Elephant Protection Initiative.

Consumer journalist Rob Goodman has left The Sun Online and joined Experian as a PR manager.

Prova has appointed of Environmental Bioscience Masters’ graduate Charlotte Ward as junior account executive in its envirotech division.

 

PR measurement in practice with Cision PRIME Research and AMEC

Why PR measurement is as revolutionary as the printing press

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Demand for PR measurement services is booming.

According to industry analysts Burton-Taylor, analytics is the fastest growing segment within the media intelligence sector.

What’s more, the technology driving this measurement revolution is having a transformational effect on the media as a whole, as Nadin Vernon, strategy consultant at PRIME Research, highlighted last night.

“Just as 500 years ago the technology of printing revolutionised the way people communicate,” she said. “Technology today is revolutionising the way we communicate.”

She was speaking at PR measurement in practice, a panel event celebrating the coming together of Cision and PRIME Research – combining the world’s two most awarded media measurement firms into a single intelligence powerhouse.

Measuring results is the key to securing budget

Paul Hender, Cision’s head of insight referenced an Outsell survey of over 1,500 marketers where the vast majority said earned media is as effective as, if not more effective than paid media.

Even though marketers grasp the value of earned media, it’s paid media that gets the lion’s share of marketing budget.

“85% of new ad spend is going to just two sources, and we all know who they are,” said Hender. “The reason it’s going to Google and Facebook is because these are platforms that offer data.”

He added: “The lesson is that for earned media to earn more resource and more budget, it needs for get better at measurement.”

How you measure PR depends on your goals

Vanessa Wilson, UK Sport’s director of comms, revealed how she enlisted Cision to tackle a media crisis and provide the analytics and evidence to prove her crisis strategy was working.

“It was actually quite revelatory, because one of the first things was just putting some context around it,” she said. “It’s great for the morale of the team, in terms of saying that we’re doing the right thing.”

Jenny Caven, head of external affairs at Slimming World, added that the company weaves PR measurement into the fabric of its annual January weight loss campaigns.

She said: “We were able to show the value of all our comms and PR activity in driving traffic to our website, as well as accounting for more than 50% of all the members who joined the local groups in January in 2017.”

Why the ONS cares about more than just positive coverage

As the Office for National Statistics discovered, the specific objectives of your organisation can have a huge impact on the way you go about measuring your PR programmes.

Martin Nicholls, head of strategic communication at the ONS, outlined how PRIME Research helped them develop accessible KPIs for understanding the quality, relevance and authority of earned media coverage.

“As a business, we used to rely on sentiment an awful lot,” he said. “We’d target ourselves to keep under 2% negative. Does that mean the other 98% was positive? No. It actually means about 90% of it was neutral.”

“Going forwards, I’m trying to remove the extreme volatile positive and negative approach and focus more on the neutral,” he added. “Our business model isn’t about generating positive coverage. It’s about informing debate and producing the statistics that help Britain make better decisions.”

How technology is helping measure PR ROI

The challenge many communicators run into when trying to measure the success of their campaigns is that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ metric to turn to. How you measure a PR campaign depends on its goals.

“What you’re trying to do in terms of understanding your goals really should dictate how you should go about measuring your work,” Hender explained. “PR can do lots of different things.”

Applying the AMEC measurement framework when planning your PR campaigns is a great way to identify the best metrics for what you’re trying to achieve. You can then combine this framework with the latest tools and techniques to measure the business impact of your earned media initiatives.

“What we do for the Museum of London is track their media coverage against their visitor numbers,” Hender explained. “We can see directly when there’s a campaign about a particular exhibition and track those visitor numbers, and you can see the direct correlation between the two.”