Where do retail trade shows offer PRs value?

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Next week’s World Retail Congress and the recent Retail Week Live are just two of the many annual retail trade shows PRs can attend throughout the year. But is there enough value in attending or using the media value created by big retail events? Gorkana looks at the pros and cons with comment from Launch PR, Beattie, Escapade and Mason Williams.

Next week (12-14 April) the tenth annual World Retail Congress (WRC) will be held in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, with retail brands such as HMV, Levi’s and Disney attending. Last month’s Retail Week Live featured speakers from Walmart, IKEA and Starbucks. Each event offers a host of opportunities for PRs to learn more about what retailers and consumers are thinking and doing.

Speaking to experts at Beattie, Launch PR, Escapade and Mason Williams, Gorkana looks at how PR and comms professionals balance the need to acquire knowledge, particularly of retail, consumer and shopper trends, with cost and time pressures when considering to attend.

Pros

Lynne Goddard, managing director at Escapade:

“Retail trade shows offer an invaluable insight into a particular sector.  Future product trends, interesting brand positioning, innovation and industry expert commentary and networking opportunities are all there in one place.

“It is vital to understand how consumers buy, where they gather information and what or who are they influenced by. We regularly undertake our own research into shopping habits so we are better equipped to advise clients on the best tactics to reach their desired audience.

“There is a wealth of opportunities from meeting up with key channel journalists, to gaining your client a speaker slot, launching new trade initiatives, beta testing products with retailers and gathering retailer intelligence.”

Niki Wheeler, director at Launch PR:

“Trade shows can be a great opportunity to set clients up for interviews with media who are either partnering a major event or who plan to attend. However, as an agency, any time out of the office needs to be justified and quite often clients will staff interviews we set up and provide insights to us following a show which means we don’t always need to attend.

“From a PR perspective, it is critical to run brand building campaigns and press offices which support a client’s commercial objectives. Using customer insights when it comes to media targeting, supporting promotions with creative ideas or pushing elements of an assortment via product placement are a key part of this.”

Cons

Laurna Woods, group managing director at Beattie:

“There is value there, it’s just that people need to prioritise and time is squeezed. Also you can catch so much of it online, just like everything, internet has replaced the need for a physical presence at the event and it’s not at the top of the priority list. If an event is accessible a lot more PRs would turn up. If they tend to be in remote places it might not reap the rewards against the cost.”

Rita Rowe, owner and managing director at Mason Williams:

“In all sectors we have trade shows, and I think what you’ll find is that everyone is always so busy to achieve anything as a PR unless you are there with your client. For the brands that attend, like Disney (set to attend WRC) if they’re doing it to get distribution deals, for example, the last thing they want is to speak to PRs. So, it’s probably the wrong environment.”

Towergate Insurance hires Powerscourt

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Towergate Insurance has appointed Powerscourt as its retained financial and corporate communications adviser.

Towergate is the UK’s largest independently-owned insurance intermediary and is an important distribution channel for a significant range of specialist insurance products, including home, boat and caravan insurance. Its business offer to the UK SME market, ranges from care and medical to transport insurance.

The Powerscourt team comprises Justin Griffiths, head of financial services, Alex Rowbottom and Jack Hickey, supported by Haifleigh Shivers and Callum Junor.

Kelly-Ann Knight, director of corporate communications at Towergate, commented: “We’ve been very impressed with the Powerscourt team. They demonstrated a thorough understanding of our sector, the legacy challenges our business has faced and of the plans our new leadership team has to build on Towergate’s enviable market position, and realise this company’s full potential.”

Muggles on social media welcome the Wizarding World

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The news about the opening of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World  took social media by storm with posts from excited visitors at the opening when even the blazing California sun could not stop the muggles from feeling like they were in snowy Scotland as the wizarding world had been recreated in such exquisite details that it makes us all want to relocate there.

Social and mainstream media outlets highlighted how visitors can explore the mysteries of Hogwarts castle, visit the Hogsmeade shops and sample food from the Three Broomsticks – which is reportedly so delicious because J.K. Rowling approved it herself, and it is rumoured that she tested everything – so if it’s on the menu, Rowling liked it.

The Hollywood version of the Wizarding World also includes a recreation of the village of Hogsmeade with the Hogwarts Castle. The Forbidden Journey ride sits within the castle and uses 3D technology to bring a panoply of characters – from terrifying dragons to Harry himself – roaring to life.

Going the whole Hogwarts: The Flight of the Hippogriff is Universal Studios Hollywood's first outdoor roller coaster

The wisecracking Weasley twins contributed to the social frenzy as actors James and Olivers Phelps both went along to the opening.  James tweeted a photo of the Hogwarts castle lit up with the #hogwartscomestohollywood hashtag and Instagramed a photo of his “wand lesson”. 

Agency and in-house environments have much to offer

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Agency or in-house? This is a common fork in the road for careers in communications and Sarah Leembruggen, MD and owner of PR recruitment specialist and executive search business The Works, says both environments have much to offer.

There has always been an interesting dynamic between the demand for PR and comms professionals who want to work in agencies and those who prefer to be a member of, or running, in-house comms teams. Of course, many people have always been keen to experience life on both sides of the ‘divide’, and broaden their perspectives, but I’ve definitely noticed a shift in the last 12 months, with an increase in demand from people who are ‘agency-side’ wanting to explore in-house opportunities.

In fact, most potential candidates I’ve spoken to recently will often only consider an in-house move, which has only reinforced the need for employers to retain, as well as attract, the very best talent.

We hear that this increasing desire to move in-house stems from a perception that there is more respect, generally, for in-house teams, increased opportunities to learn and develop, shorter and more manageable hours and the chance to be at the heart of strategy development. Many are attracted by the opportunity of working for a single brand or business and a clear focus.

But I think this is only one side of the argument and, possibly, a simplistic view. Agencies, as employers, have a lot to offer. If PR is a key focus for the agency, the more an organisation values PR and, therefore, the more effective you can be. The key is how much value your role holds and this is often reflected in the budget and attitude of your stakeholders. For in-house comms professionals, working out internal politics, and how to manage your internal stakeholders, can be a challenge as well as a limiting factor on prospects of promotion.

I’ve also seen a few in-house to agency moves take place. This works for people who might want to work at a faster pace and have a desire to freshen up their skills. They also like the idea of being a ‘profit centre’ rather than a ‘cost centre’.

The market for corporate and internal comms roles and candidates has been particularly busy and, in the current market, I would suggest anyone considering a move from an agency to an in-house role, or vice-versa, considers all the implications as well as the wider perspective they might gain from seeing all sides of the PR and comms story.

Boxed Energy appoints Social Communications

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Boxed Energy, a specialist heating supplier to the social housing industry, has appointed Sale-based agency Social Communications to handle its PR.

The agency will help launch Boxed’s low-carbon communal heating systems to the social housing sector through media relations, case studies and social media.

Managed by Tim Niblock, Social Communications’ B2B PR specialist, the team will also provide support at industry events and create video content via its new in-house video department.

Mike Button, director of Boxed Energy, said: “Social Communications has demonstrated a thorough knowledge and understanding of the social housing sector, which we will find invaluable as we launch Boxed Energy to the market. Alongside a targeted PR campaign, we’re looking forward to benefiting from the industry connections that Social Communications has to offer.”

Boxed Energy uses an innovative Energy Performance Contract (EPC) model to provide installation, commissioning and long-term maintenance of heating systems for communal buildings, with landlords paying a fixed price for energy and equipment maintenance in the long term, but no fee up front.

John Quinton Barber, MD of Social Communications, said: “With ambitious plans for growth and a brand new concept, Boxed Energy is an exciting company that adds to our growing list of clients in the B2B sector.

“Using our social housing experience, our campaign will help the company stay on the radar of decision-makers and influencers, communicate consistent messages across all platforms and ultimately generate new business leads.”

 

GUNG HO buys Coffin on Cake

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Consumer sport and lifestyle PR agency GUNG HO Communications has acquired London-based Coffin on Cake PR for an undisclosed figure, in a move that will double the size of the agency’s team.

Coffin on Cake PR is a consumer-focused comms agency, which focuses on the fashion and lifestyle sectors. Its clients include Lee Cooper Selvedge, Farah and Roxy.

GUNG HO is based in Birmingham and specialises in retail, sport and lifestyle. Its clients include New Balance, Speedo and Garmin (across its fitness, outdoor and wellness portfolio).

Coffin on Cake will effectively form a division within GUNG HO, creating a combined 30-strong team. The Coffin on Cake team will remain in London; GUNG HO’s team will stay in Birmingham.

The London-based team will be led by Coffin on Cake co-founders and directors Dean Bennett and Alex Craven, who will report to Paul Phedon, MD of GUNG HO Communications.

Phedon said: “We have found a kindred spirit in Coffin on Cake. They are independent, entrepreneurial and their culture is about creating commercial, yet creative, solutions for their clients, just like us.

“This deal is born from a mutual desire to deliver breakthrough work and creates a new canvas of opportunities for us and our clients. Coffin on Cake’s reputation in fashion and lifestyle is second to none and we are delighted to bring that experience into the GUNG HO fold.”

Bennett said: “There’s an obvious synergy between Coffin on Cake and GUNG HO and our partnership will create a formidable proposition  in the market. Combined we have a truly compelling and unique offering that excites our respective client bases and will be coveted by our future partners.”

Brands2Life gets Tetra Pak account

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Packaging giant Tetra Pak has appointed Brands2Life to manage its B2B PR and public affairs in the UK on a three-year contract.

After a three-stage competitive pitch process, the agency will start work immediately on campaigns for buyers within the juice, dairy, retail and restaurant markets.

The team will report to Samantha Edgar, communications manager at Tetra Pak UK. She said: “We’re always looking at ways to increase the value we offer to customers and partners. Communications plays a critical role in this and we wanted an agency with the expertise and creativity to reach and engage with key audiences directly and via influential third parties.

“We were impressed by the Brands2Life team’s innovative ideas, energy and its approach to integrated PR and PA campaigns.”

Harriet Rich, MD of business communications at Brands2Life, said: “Tetra Pak has never been more relevant. Juice and dairy manufacturers have to bring new products, branding and formats to market all the time to keep up with consumer demand in an ever demanding market. Their choice of packaging partner is crucial as they balance the needs of cost, information provision, branding and sustainability. This is a great brief for Brands2Life and we’re thrilled to have been appointed.”

Blue Rubicon promotes Peter Fitch to MD

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Blue Rubicon has promoted Peter Fitch to managing director with immediate effect. He replaces Chris Norton, who recently joined Facebook as EMEA director of comms.

Fitch has been on the corporate and consumer PR agency’s board of directors since joining in 2014, after spending nearly four years as global head of communications at Lloyd’s of London.

Gordon Tempest-Hay, CEO of Blue Rubicon, said: “Over the last two years Peter has brought vast experience to bear on existing clients, as well as to securing significant new clients to grow our strategic communications business. He has quickly established himself as a trusted advisor, offering counsel to executive board members and leadership teams looking to sustain growth and achieve a competitive advantage.”

Fitch’s appointment comes three months after Blue Rubicon folded its consumer PR agency Surname & Surname back into the main agency. Surname & Surname director Lotte Jones has become creative director of Blue Rubicon.

Fitch said: “I am thrilled to take up the opportunity to drive forward Blue Rubicon’s exciting plans. We are increasingly working to help solve the most complex reputation challenges and have made a name for ourselves tackling large-scale reputation turnarounds. As business leaders increasingly demand joined-up services that add value, we can offer a rare mix of the highest quality strategic thinking coupled with the best in class reputation campaigning needed to protect and transform corporate reputations.”

Blue Rubicon’s clients include Tesco, Facebook, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Mondelēz and O2. Last July the agency was acquired by US-headquartered Teneo Holdings.

 

Gorkana meets… Northern & Shell Digital

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Jonathan Bown, deputy group director of digital content for Northern & Shell, talks to Gorkana‘s Grace Lee about tripling the number of OK! Online’s unique users, the power of a relevant celebrity, his surfeit of cupcakes and the publisher’s magazine portfolio online.

ok

Before your promotion two years ago to deputy group director of digital content at Northern & Shell, you were editor of Star magazine. How did you find the change?Nothern & Shell

I’d worked on weekly celebrity magazines for ten years and while we managed to build the circulation of Star, in some challenging conditions for weeklies, when I got the opportunity to lead the growth of the OK! brand digitally, of course, I leapt at it.

My primary remit has been to increase the audience of OK! Online and enrich the editorial offering. In two years, our unique user base has tripled, and our monthly page views are also up by more than 300 per cent. Our users are spending more time on the site – and they’re watching ten times the volume of video content they were two years ago.

While the subject matter is much the same – the lives of stars from the world of reality TV, soaps and music – as a former print editor I’ve had to park at least half of my skill set and develop new skills. I’ve swapped obsessing over flatplans and geeking out over typography for meetings about social strategy, user experience and writers’ workflow.

The most rewarding change for me is the fact that we have a two-way relationship with our readers. Social is at the heart of what we do and with 1.3 million people liking us on Facebook and more than half a million Twitter followers, it’s fascinating being able to communicate directly to such a large and passionate audience. 

Even two years in, every day is a school day!

Does the digital content team run across all of Northern & Shell’s titles? 

My remit is to look after Northern & Shell’s magazine portfolio online, although, from time to time, I’ll contribute on matters that affect the newspaper sites: express.co.uk and dailystar.co.uk.

As deputy digital group director for OK!, new! and Star, how do you juggle your responsibilities?

I’d say 90% of my time is spent on OK! Online. It’s by far the largest celebrity weekly site in the country and, as the team grows, so does the amount of time spent managing it. That said, my responsibilities are varied, and I definitely spend more time away from my desk than in my previous editor’s role.

Fortunately, I have a really strong team who know the site and our readers inside out. This means that if I spend the whole day in a planning meeting or with our developers then I know the site is in very safe hands.

How much is there a cross over in terms of editorial content for the Daily Express, Daily Star and OK! Online?

In many ways OK! Online doesn’t see itself as competing with the other celebrity magazine sites – we’re more like a newspaper’s celebrity section in terms of our scale and reach. As such there can be quite a crossover with the showbiz desks of dailystar.co.uk and express.co.uk.

We’ll alert each other when we have exclusive content that the other site could pick up and run, and we always go the extra mile to link back to one another’s sites, which has real advantages in terms of SEO.

From time to time, we’ll combine our spending power to go in for exclusive picture sets, which often allows us to run images our competitors can’t.

Oh, and we’ll always point PRs in the right direction if we feel a story isn’t right for OK! but may work on another of our platforms.

Tell us about your target audience.

It’s a surprisingly broad church and slightly younger than readers of OK! magazine. 80% of our readers are viewing our content on smartphones. They’re in their late teens, 20s and early 30s, predominantly female, and in need of up-to-date, ‘snacky’, celebrity news.

One thing that people tell us again and again is that they love the fact that we’re not judgemental or bitchy. I’m a strong believer that if you’re first with the news then you don’t need to over-spin it or push it too far. That said, we always try to approach things from a unique angle to offer our readers something fresh and improve our Google ranking.

Under your management the number of unique users for OK! Online has tripled – what is your user engagement strategy?

Growing a social audience is central to the site growth we’ve achieved over the last few years. Half of OK! Online’s traffic comes through Facebook and Twitter and so it’s vital that we keep this audience fresh and engaged. Right now we’re focussing on growing our social audience through shareable video content.

That said, while we’re social-first, it’s not at the expense of neglecting SEO best practice. We work very closely with MediaCom, which has a team that offer us in-house support. Our journalists are regularly audited and encouraged to use new tools to maximise their articles’ organic reach.

We’ve been very lucky over the last two years to have investment from N&S to grow the team and widen our reach, by introducing new content verticals rather than simply ‘celebrity news’. I’ve introduced a dedicated TV team and a lifestyle team concentrating on fashion, beauty, fitness and parenting content – all of which has a celebrity angle. We’re also working to create more features based around breaking news.

While we recognised that we’ll always be a celebrity news site first and foremost, we need to offer engaging, intelligent spins on this in the form of engaging feature content.

How would you describe your relationship with PRs?

While we generally work separately from the print team, OK! Online enjoys the same great relationships with PRs as the magazine.

In terms of celebrity news, we always play things with a straight bat. OK! as a brand has a good reputation with celebrity PRs and because we always make a point approaching them for comment, there is a lot of goodwill.

In terms of product PRs, widening our editorial offering to include more lifestyle content means that we’ve built some very strong relationships with a wide range of organisations.

How best can PRs help with content?

Recognising the types of celebrities our readers are interested in would be a great start. What may be a great celebrity ambassador, or a band, (which is relevant) for one outlet may be completely irrelevant for another.

Also just a general  understanding of what sort of thing we tend to write about. You’d be amazed at some of the calls we get asking if we’d be interested in running a story that’s a million miles from our usual agenda.

What are your top tips for PRs when pitching?

Please, no more cupcakes! Seriously, we get sent so many sweet treats that really, some fruit would go down a storm. Have a look at the site before you call us and don’t be surprised when we tell you that almost everything we do on the site needs to have a celebrity angle to it.

Finally, don’t ask us what our forward features list looks like. While we do have evergreen content that we’re working on, our primary focus changes from day to day as our features are always reactive to the news agenda.

Finally what are your plans for digital content for the Northern Shell publication this year?

New platforms such as Facebook Instant Articles, Google Amp and Apple News are a priority, as is strengthening our video offering.

We’ll be looking at improvements to the new OK! App we launched last year, launching the new OK! Online CMS and ‘replatforming’ some of our other mag titles’ sites.

Jonathan was talking to Gorkana’s Grace Lee

 

Pitching to the modern newsroom

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Newsrooms across newer titles such as Quartz, are moving away from ‘traditional’ ways of working which are commonly focused on set ‘beats’ and key, formal and physical, editorial meetings throughout the day. Comms experts from Mischief, Ketchum and LEWIS discuss what PRs need to know about pitching to journalists who have adopted new, more ‘fluid’ ways of working and have adopted new technologies like Slack.

The success of titles like Business Insider and Quartz – online publications that stray from the conventional breaking-news model and focus on niche yet topical stories – has shown that more and more journalists can find new technologies, such as Slack, and ways of working very productive.

This week, at a Gorkana briefing, Quartz’ senior European correspondent Jason Karaian described the title’s newsroom process as a “continuous conversation”. Its international teams communicate with each other, almost continually, on chat apps helping them cover unconventional news beats in different Time Zones. So, an education and parenting editor in London will be able to quickly exchange information with the initiatives editor in New York if they need to.

This ‘fluid’ way of working is not limited to young titles. This week Digiday revealed that The Times has gradually moved away from the breaking-news model. Its workflow has moved on from the structure which ensured just one daily edition was published each morning. Now there will be updates throughout the day.

It works, but it poses a challenge for PRs to know when is the best time to contact journalists, as deadlines get less predictable. When asked the best time to get in touch with Quartz, Karaian said: “When the story is happening is a good time, we have people everywhere we publish all the time on the web, there’s no shortage of interest there.”

Experts from Ketchum, Mischief and LEWIS tell Gorkana what you need to be aware of as journalists work in these new ways:

PRs should now pitch across media platforms

Mischief’s media and sport director, Kate Miller, believes that the industry should rip up the traditional PR handbook and navigate the global feed of news stories to keep in touch with journalists. She said: “There has been a significant cultural shift from a traditional news cycle into something more dynamic, forward thinking and live. Mischief has been prepared for a fluid news cycle and over the last 18 months evolved our mentality into a ‘Nowrooms’ – keeping our fingers on the pulse with traditional media, but also ensure we have a dedicated team sweeping social media channels so we can be reactive for our client’s needs .

“Journalists – like many PRs – have evolved with times. More and more are happy to be pitched stories via their social media channels. We often reiterate that a great story can be pitched in 140 characters, so this is actually a great way to go about pitching. Over recent months, we’ve even been asked to Whatsapp stories to media, but of course the traditional route of a phone call and email will always be handy and the leading way, but it’s refreshing to see both journalists and PRs moving with times.”

PRs should lean on established relationships with journalists

Darren Young, director of corporate, technology and public affairs at Ketchum, told Gorkana that the modern ‘newsroom’ means it’s harder than ever to establish who to get in touch with in the industry. He said: “Generally speaking, we’re now at a stage when even the term “newsroom” is difficult to use with so many publications made up of dispersed contributors. The use of new and emerging technologies like Slack is fairly commonplace and helps support a new type of working environment. The physical structure of the news teams, as well as timings and delivery schedules have simply evolved to meet consumer and market demand.

“I’d say, continue to get to know journalists the best you can before selling in a story – know their beat, know their style, figure out how they like to be approached with a story, know what annoys them, know what tickles them, and avoid mass pitching.  Get straight to the point when you get in touch and be honest with clients about what to expect and what is realistic.”

Pitches have to be more creative

Chris Green, LEWIS’ head of media services, said: “We’ve seen high-profile changes such as The Times moving away from things like breaking news. Such a change makes sense, particularly when you are behind a paywall, or regwall, as the editorial opportunity and value that you can convey to a subscriber base is more from engaging, original editorial, rather than being part of the pack chasing the same breaking alert with the same minimal information on offer. Moving to a fluid editorial model supports this strategy.

“We’ve seen that the traditional, rigid pitch is less effective than it used to be, simply because the news model it’s being pitched into is no longer rigid and compartmentalised. It requires more creative approaches to pitching, story telling and content creation on both sides of the fence. Don’t view a news opp as a “one-off pitch effort and move on” process – it’s a developing opportunity with the potential for multiple inputs from clients,” he added.