At Startup Speed

International spotlight: At Startup Speed

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At Startup Speed is a new blog, which was recently launched by Treeline in the US. Covering startup innovation and featuring a huge talent pool of writers, including Jake Knapp of Google, Cecilia Tham from Makers of Barcelona and Bart Oats – NFL Alumni President and three-time Super Bowl champion, At Startup Speed is living up to its name as it makes waves across the blogging scene.

We caught up with the blog to find out what makes it different, the current state of innovation and the future of At Startup Speed.

What’s the blog all about?
In a nutshell —innovation. The who, what, when, how, I guess even the why, of innovation.  We aim to create a dialogue on the people, ideas and methods for innovating, particularly in a corporate environment which often has the talent and tools to innovate, but nonetheless manages to have structures in place that make the creation of the next big thing rather difficult.

Ideas die tragic deaths in legacy organisations and they don’t have to. So, we try to bring all these issues to bare and, hopefully, At Startup Speed inspires people and organisations to dream big, execute quickly, and ship —getting those dreams to market where they can change the world.

What makes your blog unique?
There are a lot of places to go for tech news and see product proposals and releases, but there wasn’t a place that we at Treeline could find to have a dialog with innovators — so we made one. At Startup Speed currently has interviews, articles and graphics to mine the process of innovating and to talk about what’s working and what’s not among a range of people who are trying to change things. So, we might have a corporate innovation lead for a piece followed by a designer trying something completely new, then throw in a college professor who wants to flip the entire corporate hierarchy model on its head and after that give advice for running a good brainstorming meeting. We try to not let anyone get comfortable or create a pattern, so there’s an effort to keep alternating the material and the perspectives as best we can.

Also, the design. People love our design and the great artists we have been using to amplify the interviews and articles.

How do you select the people you work with, the contributors and guest posters?
We try to make it rather random and again explore the concept of innovation in a lot of ways.  We have a huge list that was developed of hundreds of innovation leaders and just interesting people. There are designers, professional athletes, authors, CEOs, union officials, professors – complete weirdos to be honest.  Its constantly being added to and every week or so we discuss internally at Treeline what an interesting topic or person might be to chat to or get an article from and we reach out.  We have been pleasantly surprised by how many have said yes, and also how many of the people we ping who have already read At Startup Speed.

How do you measure your audience and how important is this when planning content?
When it comes to audience, we look to the unique visitors, newsletter signups and additional feedback we receive. We really have been blowing away our initial projections. It’s funny because we were like, ‘If we can just get 500 readers a week that would be awesome because they would be the perfect 500 people deeply invested in innovation’. As it is, we have been toping 20k most weeks recently and its starting to just take on a life of its own.

To be honest we don’t adjust or even discuss how to make the content fit the audience. Like not even in the slightest bit. We plan our topics and who to approach purely by what we like. If we think it’s cool, we go for it. That’s the joy of not having to worry about advertisers or trying to be this huge media property that appeals to a massive audience.

We value the importance of having a strong POV which comes from the culture at Treeline and trusting in it. So, whether it be a topic or a design choice, we just follow our gut and trust that others will gravitate towards its authenticity.

How does the blog feed back into Treeline?
It would be disingenuous to say we don’t care how it feeds back, but in a way we don’t care. The ideas the blog raises were things we wanted to hear about and questions we wanted to ask of folks out there who were changing things and doing cool stuff. So, its biggest means of feeding back is it creates ideas for our team and certainly the greater community of readers. It also educates us on new techniques and things happening out there among innovators.

And, since our team has developed several of the pieces, it has also made us sometimes commit things to paper that were in our head and actually share them internally and externally.  The piece Carter did recently on focusing on one thing, for instance, is something we do already in the office, but it gave us time to ponder its effects, question if its working, discusssng among the team what impact it’s had and changes we might make.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that we have gotten clients from it. It’s certainly raised Treeline’s profile among a group of leading innovators and its certainly injected us into a lot of key discussions on technology and innovation.

How do you see the blog developing in the future?
We want to continue to push boundaries as far as topics go. We don’t want it to get stale. There is certainly a drive to creating more content, potentially growing into something that has unique pieces daily at some point. We also want to evolve the content beyond just copy and involve more audio, video, infographics and that sort of thing. Perhaps build a platform out for the community to dialogue more. Also creating real world moments like events and webcasts.  So, we hope to see it expand into a lot of new areas over the next year or so.

You cover innovation – what’s the next big world-changing technical innovation we should be aware of?
The more we look at innovation the less we realise we know. We are entering an age, or more precisely ‘we are in an age’, where the world around us will provide a whole other degree of context whether that be vast sensor networks, AR, assistants and bots, and other related technologies. Today we still experience the world through our phones, laptop screens and iPads, which is rather limiting. Society is on the cusp — for better or for worse — with being even more immersed in real-time information. Alexa, smart cities, digital assistance in cars and the workplace, etc. And this level of immersion creates a dialogue on what it all means for us as people to live this way. There is this ever-accelerating pace of change that is underway that eclipses our ability to ponder and reconcile the change before the next change occurs. So, perhaps the next innovation is ‘us’ not just our tools.

Do you accept new contributions or collaborations with brands/PRs?
We have been approached by a number of companies and PR reps as of late. And the quick answer is we absolutely are interested in hearing their ideas and adding it to the mix for consideration. We have already run a couple pieces after getting contacted and we certainly have more in the works. Getting pitched like that challenges our notions and keeps us nimble and again, avoiding staleness and stagnation. So innovators, PR folks and publicists, we welcome your ideas.

One caveat is, we aren’t interested in running a ‘commercial’. We are interested in the core notions of At Startup Speed, which are to create a place to talk about innovation and bring together a community that challenges assumptions, tinkers with new ideas and methods, and tries to change the unchangeable.

What blogs do you read, and do they inform your own content?
All of us on the team have our favorites and draw a great deal of inspiration and ideas from them. Personally I am a huge fan of FastCo’s Co.Design, Hackster.io, Mirador, Vox, Ars Technica, Splinter and BoingBoing  — which I have been following forever. Those and Twitter, LinkedIn and some of our shared channels on Treeline’s Slack really create an amazing churn of concepts and inspiration.

 

 

Worlds 50 best restaurants

Relevance International becomes The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ first retained global agency

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Relevance International has been named The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ first retained global agency of record. This follows an initial engagement covering global strategy, media and influencer relations, and event support for the 2018 awards ceremony earlier this year.

Relevance will provide a global communications programme from its London and New York offices, covering a huge range of brand activity – including promoting The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ #50BestTalks programme taking place in San Francisco on 12 September. It will also support the highly regarded awards ceremony, with the 2019 location due to be announced at a dedicated event in London in October 2018.

Alongside global press office activity, Relevance will also support the development of the brand’s status as a celebration of culinary excellence across a diverse, international audience.

Hélène Pietrini, director of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: ‘During Relevance’s time working with us in our initial engagement, the firm achieved greater media exposure than ever received in the brand’s 16-year history.

‘From the beginning, we’ve found the Relevance team to be engaged, passionate, intelligent, dedicated, strategic and, above all, a pleasure to work with. For the next phase of our story, we’re looking to them to bring fresh and innovative ideas that translate into successful campaigns and build strong engagement with a wider audience. We see Relevance International as a natural extension of our team, primed to achieve these goals.’

World 50 Best Restaurants 2

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is among the first major transatlantic hospitality projects that Relevance has worked on as an agency. Relevance International planned the media management of its 2018 event programme, overseeing more than 200 media attendees during The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards week in Bilbao, Spain, with nearly 50,000 pieces of coverage achieved as a result of the overall campaign.

Suzanne Rosnowski, CEO and founder of Relevance International, said: ‘Our work with The World’s 50 Best Restaurants showcases our strength as an agency with a boutique offering and global sensibilities.’

Formerly known as Relevance New York before adding the London office, Relevance International’s team has over a century of PR experience representing the very best in real estate, luxury goods, hospitality, design and corporate clients. With both a dedicated social media strategist and crisis communications expert on staff, the firm offers a seamless boutique level of client service on a global scale.

Influencer Marketing

Is your influencer marketing ethical?

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Influencer marketing is bigger than ever, but more attention on the latest marketing craze means more scrutiny. Are you getting influencer marketing right? And why does it matter anyway?

Influencer marketing already attracts huge budgets – with some influencers able to charge thousands of pounds for a single post – but a recent study from the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) revealed that 65% of multinationals are looking to spend even more on influencers over the next 12 months. Although booming, the industry lacks dedicated regulation and instead relies on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to create new rules as it evolves.

This has led to unethical practices becoming rife, propagated by both sides of the collaboration. At Vuelio, several influencers have told us how some PRs insist that they do not disclose collaborations or incorrectly label links. Similarly, some influencers allegedly break the rules, whether by buying followers or mislabelling social posts in order to increase engagement.

The two highest-profile issues are undoubtedly the purchasing of fake followers and the lack of disclosure of paid-for collaborations, both presenting myriad issues for the PR industry.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently announced an investigation to determine whether celebrities and social-media stars are correctly disclosing their paid-for collaborations with PRs and brands – throwing the future of influencer marketing into question.

Disclosure
While it may seem advantageous for your content to fit seamlessly alongside an influencer’s organic posts, people know when they’re being sold to and can easily spot paid-for endorsements. Ads passed off as organic are therefore more likely to produce a negative backlash.

Even though people don’t like being tricked into consuming advertisements, they generally don’t mind being advertised to if it is clearly labelled, fits with the influencer’s typical editorial line and is of value to the reader. If your influencer marketing doesn’t tick all three of these boxes, then you need to rethink your campaign.

Should the CMA conclude influencer marketing is regularly breaking consumer law, it can take enforcement action and impose strict new rules.

You need to get out ahead of the investigation and ensure your disclosure practices are already ethically sound, so you’re not caught up in future regulation repercussions.

Faking it
If your influencers have bought fake followers, the results they return will either be lower than expected or completely fabricated. It would be the equivalent of a TV broadcaster paying people to tell the BARB that they watched certain programmes.

While headline stats – so many million people saw the post, liked and replied to it – may be worth reporting, if there are no tangible benefits to your social campaign it isn’t worth your time or money.

Scott Guthrie, former Ketchum digital director of influencer relations and now an influencer marketing consultant, has recently researched fraud and spoke to Vuelio about his findings. Not only did he discover that purchasing fake followers could be a crime, he also found that many stakeholders are not prepared to deal with the issue.

Guthrie highlights five signs of potential follower fraud, which you should incorporate into your vetting process:

  1. Sudden spikes in follower numbers
  2. Low-quality followers
  3. Low engagement rates
  4. Followers in surprising countries
  5. Bad ratio of content published to number of followers

At Vuelio, we measure the influence of every individual in our database to produce the Influencer Score. We use more than 40 data points to measure the quality of each influencer, which takes the hard work out of the process and allows our users to focus on building quality relationships with individuals.

And, as with all PR and communications, good relationships produce the best results. Lloyd and Yaya, the bloggers behind the Vuelio Blog Award-winning Hand Luggage Only, agree: “We always see collaborations as a two-way conversation – not just one party telling the other what to do or not do – which helps when working with brands.”

Leading lifestyle blogger Paula Holmes, of The LDN Diaries, added: “I love it when I can put my own spin on the collaboration to make it work better for both parties and create something great for our audiences.”

This article originally appeared in PRWeek.

Vuelio

The Blogger Ballot is OPEN

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The Blogger Ballot for this year’s Vuelio Blog Awards is now OPEN. 

The Vuelio Blog Awards are back! Now in their fourth year, the Vuelio Blog Awards are the biggest celebration of bloggers in the UK (possibly the world!). Hundreds of bloggers come together for a night of fine food, top entertainment and partying till you can party no more! Taking place on 30 November at the Bloomsbury Big Top in London, top bloggers will win the industry’s most respected accolades across a wide range of categories and topics.

The Blogger Ballot is the only place for content creators, from bloggers and vloggers to Instagrammers and YouTubers, to enter for a chance to get free tickets to the most incredible night of the year.

Enter the Blogger Ballot here

There is always such a huge demand for complimentary tickets from bloggers and, unfortunately, we just don’t have room for everyone. The Blogger Ballot will be drawn randomly, but you have to be in it to win it.

AND, for the first time in 2018, we’re giving you the chance to bring a friend! We know bloggers want to come together, so you can now apply for a plus one ticket.

If you’re free on 30 November, between 7pm and midnight and are a content creator of the highest order, enter the Blogger Ballot today.

Good Luck!

Please note: the venue’s rules mean only over 18s can attend.

PRCA

PR and communications industry believe Bell Pottinger expulsion had positive impact

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One year on from the PRCA’s expulsion of Bell Pottinger, the association has revealed that a majority of the PR and communications industry believe that the expulsion had a positive impact on the reputation and ethics of the industry.

On 5 September 2017, the PRCA announced that Bell Pottinger’s membership was terminated, the most serious sanction the PRCA could impose. This move followed a complaint from the Democratic Alliance, which led to an investigation into the agency’s work for Oakbay Capital in South Africa.

The PRCA asked the industry what impact, if any, the decision has had on the reputation of our industry and profession; 63% of the PRCA Members agreed the expulsion had a positive impact.

Only 16% said that it has had little impact, while 14% thought it had no impact at all.

A further question, asking what impact the decision had on the importance practitioners place on ethical practice, revealed that 63% thought it had a positive impact.

Ethics is undoubtedly on the agenda across the PR and comms industry, evidenced by the recent ethics code agreed by global PR associations, and more broadly in the application of AI in the sector.

Francis Ingham MPRCA, Director General, PRCA, said: ‘Last year’s PRCA decision to expel Bell Pottinger was a defining moment for the industry. In taking the decisive action we did, we made clear that the industry expects and enforces the highest of standards. A year on, we can see that the reputation of the industry, and the value it places on ethical practice, have both been raised. There is more to be done, but the last year has been one of progress and change for the better.’

Just Do it

Nike, Kaepernick and reputation

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Nike has launched a new campaign, celebrating 30 years of ‘Just do it’. While some of the stars in the campaign, such as Serena Williams, are unsurprising, the inclusion of Colin Kaepernick has sparked huge conversation, and in some cases backlash, online. The campaign asks a bigger question of all communications professionals: how much should you be pushing your business or clients to make political stands and talk about the issues that matter to the public?

Colin Kaepernick is famous for being the first NFL star to kneel during the national anthem, exercising his first amendment right to free speech to protest police brutality against African Americans. His protest angered many in the US, including President Trump, but other players followed suit and the issue continues to divide the nation.

As reported by the BBC, Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since last year and is suing the league, arguing that team owners have deliberately frozen him out because of his activism.

The Nike campaign has caused a backlash from some online, with the general protest against Nike’s advert being to burn or destroy Nike clothing owned by the protester:

Many others have pointed out that this form of protest is particularly illogical as it is actually protesting someone’s right to protest:

It’s also burning clothing you’ve already paid for and explicitly making Nike true to their campaign words; Nike believes in something – even if it means sacrificing everything (or some customers).

The Nike campaign arrives on the same day as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s new research tracking public attitudes towards business.

The Everyone’s business tracker: Public attitudes report reveals 92% of the public want businesses to speak out on key issues impacting society. The report suggests that in UK, an increased focus on gender pay reporting, GDPR and Brexit has encouraged businesses to speak more openly about the challenges they face.

The CIPR has welcomed the report, with President Sarah Hall linking the news to Nike’s Kaepernick campaign. She said: ‘There is a clear demand for business to operate with social purpose. Just today we’ve seen Nike launch an advertising campaign with the former NFL player and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick.

‘Public relations professionals have a key role to play in guiding these decisions and encouraging businesses to align their interests with their audiences. We have the opportunity to ensure clients and businesses operate ethically and responsibly with the beneficial outcomes that result in terms of reputation and brand loyalty.’

The research also warns of the impact of high profile failures, which has tarnished the broader reputation of business, with 56% of the public believing the reputation of business is good, down 9% since October. The report suggests the collapse of Carillion and the Cambridge Analytica scandal have had a negative impact on the reputation of business and highlight the need for firms to commit to corporate governance and fulfil their social responsibilities.

 

Ready to fulfil your social responsibility? Or perhaps you just want help managing your reputation? Either way, Vuelio has you covered. Find out more. 

BBC Radio 2

Chris Evans leaves Radio 2 for Virgin Radio

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Chris Evans is leaving Radio 2 after 13 years with the station. The presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show is rejoining Virgin Radio, the broadcaster he left in 2001.

Evans announced on his Monday morning show that he is to depart, with his last broadcast for Radio 2 set for December. However, the news was quickly followed by rumour and then confirmation that the star will be joining Virgin Radio.

The Radio 2 Breakfast Show is the most listened to radio show in the UK, with a weekly audience of over nine million. This compares with the Virgin Radio breakfast show’s 413,000 weekly listeners.

Evans is one of the BBC’s highest-paid stars, earning in excess of £1.6m a year, however the Mirror suggests the move will lead to a significant pay increase.

On leaving Radio 2, Evans said: ‘As Sir Terry said before me, there’s never a right time to leave something you love but there might be a wrong time if you hang on too long. I honestly think The Breakfast Show is currently as positive, useful, sunny and inclusive as it has ever been. In fine shape for its next custodian. Whoever that turns out to be, I wish them all the very best, they are in for an absolute blast.’

And on joining Virgin, he said: ‘In many ways Virgin Radio is my spiritual home. I see nothing but exciting and ground-breaking opportunities ahead. In a medium that is changing so quickly on a daily basis, the potential for growth is unprecedented. Our plan is: to give it all we’ve got, see where we can get to and have the most possible fun along the way. It makes me smile every time I think about it.’

His time at Radio 2 has been marked by many highs, not least a peak audience of 9.91m in 2014. Evans has raised millions of pounds for Children in Need with his annual CarFest events and other fundraising activities, and he launched the 500 Words children’s story-writing competition that, this year, received over 130,000 entries.

Lewis Carnie, head of Radio 2, said: ‘Over the past eight years on Breakfast, Chris has built an incredibly close relationship with the Radio 2 audience. I’d like to thank him, on behalf of them all, for becoming their friend via the airwaves. We look forward to launching a brand-new Radio 2 Breakfast Show early in the New Year.’

His first stint at Virgin Radio was tumultuous at times, with a 2001 Telegraph article quoting Evans as saying: ‘It looks like it’s all over – £600 million has come off the share price of the company and they have to blame someone and it looks like it’s me. I haven’t been sacked yet but it looks like it’s going to happen.’

Now Virgin is welcoming him back with open arms. Scott Taunton, CEO of Wireless, which owns Virgin Radio, said: ‘We are beyond thrilled that Chris has chosen to come back to Virgin Radio. He is the biggest name in radio and is synonymous with the brand. He has the most exciting Breakfast Show in the industry and has an energy that captivates audiences.’

Evans is not the first big name BBC Radio star to join a commercial station. Chris Moyles famously departed his Radio 1 Breakfast Show, which had a regular audience in excess of six million, and joined Radio X, where he has a weekly audience of 859,000.

All eyes will be on listening figures to see if Chris Evans has the star power to draw a significant audience or if his replacement at Radio 2 will be able to keep the audience.

Elton John

What PR did on its holidays – 6 inspirational campaigns from the summer

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Summer is over, the Hogwarts Express has departed Platform 93/4 and it’s time to go back to school. But getting back into the swing of things can be daunting after the holidays, and it is often difficult to find the inspiration for an excellent end to the year.

Not everyone was on holiday this summer and many PRs have been truly outstanding while creating brilliant campaigns. We’ve rounded up 6 of the best to give you the inspiration you need to have a killer year.

1. The celebrity campaign – Snickers and Elton John
Snickers has bagged one of the biggest names in pop (ever) as part of its ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry’ campaign. The video features Elton John in a rap battle, singing his own song, until he eats a Snickers and turns back into the rapper he actually is. It’s simple, it’s consistent with the existing campaign and it’s quite funny. The agency is AMV BBDO – check out the video below:

 

2. The reactive campaign – Kit Kat’s proposal
Back in June, Kit Kat inadvertently became the subject of a viral tweet:

Kit Kat – and its agencies Ketchum and Anomoly – got in touch with the boyfriend and together they planned a Kit Kat-themed marriage proposal using a custom-made Kit Kat ring box. Thankfully, #SheSaidYes, and the campaign was completed less than a month after the original tweet:

 

3. The undercover campaign – Will Smith, JUST water and Boots
Will Smith working in Boots. No, really. Will Smith dressed as a Boots employee and promoted his son’s JUST water brand in the Westfield branch. The campaign generated a heap of public attention within the shopping centre and an amazing video.

Boots has partnered with the eco-friendly water brand for its UK rollout and benefitted hugely from the celebrity connection. Obviously, this campaign is easier if your dad is one of the most famous actors on the planet.

 

4. The stunt – NOW TV’s #JurassicJeff
This campaign was fairly basic in its creation and execution but, as is always the way with communications, simple is best. NOW TV placed a giant statue of seductive Jeff Goldblum next to Tower Bridge to celebrate 25 years of Jurassic Park. The oversized model hit social media during a quiet news spell and managed to generate lots of coverage in the mainstream press. Not bad considering NOW TV were just promoting the fact they stream the film:

 

5. The print campaign – Stabilo’s highlighters
Print campaigns sometimes trend on social media for all the wrong reasons, but Stabilo’s ‘Highlight the remarkable’ campaign went viral for all the right ones. The simple campaign displayed historical photos with a yellow highlighter picking out a significant woman from a massive human achievement. The campaign hit all the right buttons, championing amazing women from history who are so often overlooked, while showing the simplicity of its product. The agency was DDB Germany, and the ads can be seen on PR Examples.

 

6. The political statement campaign – Trump balloon
The campaign from 13 July already has its own Wikipedia page. The ‘Donald Trump baby balloon’ was flown above Parliament Square to protest the visit of the American president in the UK. Paid for through crowd-funding (raising £16,000) the six-metre tall Trump blimp (Trimp?) drew a massive amount of attention online and in print, extended by the fact it followed the President to Scotland as he took a rare break to play golf.

The balloon upset many who believed it was disrespectful. A group crowd funded £58,182 to create a Sadiq Khan in a bikini copycat campaign, possibly expecting it not to be approved.  It was and Sadiq Khan even joked about it, so that campaign fell rather flat.

Whether this is now the new ‘floating something down the Thames’, remains to be seen.

 

How are you planning your campaigns? How are you informing the press, measuring your coverage and results, and presenting this to the board? Whether it’s a PR stunt, political campaign or reactive tweet, Vuelio has everything you need on one platform.  

Acuitas

Acuitas Communications joins the PRCA

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Acuitas Communications has joined the PRCA as its newest members. The finance and corporate communications agency, founded just three years ago, already has offices in Mayfair, Brussels and Mauritius – the only agency with such a global set-up.

Acuitas has built a client base of corporates, private equity, UNHWI and trade associations, with over a dozen blue-chip clients, including multi-office assignments. The agency specialises in corporate, crisis and financial comms as well as public affairs.

Simon Nayyar MPRCA, managing director of Acuitas Communications, said: ‘As a former member of the PRCA’s Board of Management and Chairman of its Public Affairs Committee, I have known the PRCA over many years and have the highest regard for its commitment to professional standards and development.

‘I could not be more thrilled that our own agency, Acuitas Communications, founded three short years ago, is now joining the pantheon of great names who already share in the PRCA’s benefits.’

Francis Ingham MPRCA, director general of the PRCA, said: ‘It’s a great pleasure to welcome Acuitas Communications as the PRCA’s newest Corporate Member. I admire Simon, whom I have known over many years and has held leadership roles in many large PR agencies, which are themselves PRCA members. Acuitas has made extraordinary progress in a short space of time. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this forward-looking and increasingly successful business join the PRCA’s fold.’

Five Things

Five Things: Trump vs Google, bullying, WPP, Bake Off and May dance

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This week, Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed includes Trump vs Google, three bullying stories, WPP’s new chief exec, the return of Bake Off and Theresa May, dancing queen.

1. Trump vs Google

TrumpThe President of the United States has attacked Google twice this week for ‘bias’. The first time, Trump said the search engine had rigged results to the search ‘Trump news’, so that they were negative against him. He tweeted: ‘96% of results on “Trump News” are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!’

He also suggested his administration might regulate Google – though this would likely violate the first amendment (free speech).

The second attack came with a tweeted video along with the hashtag #StopTheBias:

The video shows how the Google homepage allegedly linked Obama’s State of the Union address each year on its homepage but stopped when Trump came to power. Google hit back, saying that Trump’s first speech had been to Congress and was therefore not a State of the Union address and also provided evidence that the video was not accurate, as reported by BuzzFeed News.

Trump attacking negative views, opinions and facts against him is nothing new. Trump attacking businesses and companies is nothing new. But the most powerful man in the world attacking the most powerful search engine in the world could change the face of the internet as we know it. Though actually, this will probably go nowhere – with the midterms on the horizon, Trump has bigger fish to fry.

 

2. A trio of bullying

Now MagazineStacey Solomon, Tess Holliday and Kim Woodburn – all three are considered to have been publicly bullied this week.

Stacey Solomon called out Now magazine for its cover, which used tweeted comments to describe her as ‘boring’, ‘desperate’ and ‘cheap’.

Solomon’s response generated huge public support, leading to an apology from the magazine. However, this wasn’t good enough for Solomon, who rejected the magazine’s apology on Loose Women.

In the second bullying story, Kim Woodburn appeared on Loose Women to ‘reconcile’ with Coleen Nolan after the pair fell out on Celebrity Big Brother. With Janet Street Porter playing ‘judge’, the pair argued and Woodburn left the set, leading to over 3,000 complaints of bullying against her to Ofcom.

Finally, Tess Holliday, plus-size model, has appeared on the front cover of Cosmopolitan in what many are calling a huge step forward for body positivity. Tess received a swathe of negative responses, which were widely shared on social media, so Cosmopolitan followed it up with an article titled: ‘Why the feedback to our Tess Holliday shoot proves this is the magazine cover we all needed’.

 

3. WPP to appoint Mark Read as chief executive

WPPThe FT has reported that that WPP is appointing Mark Read, currently co-chief operating officer at WPP, as its new permanent chief executive after deciding against an external appointment. Read has been in charge of WPP since April, when Sir Martin Sorrell resigned. His appointment has not been confirmed by WPP but could come as early as Tuesday when WPP reports its interim results, or later in September.

The FT also reports that Roberto Quarta is expected to move back to a non-executive role, after he became executive chairman following Sorrell’s resignation.

In an April interview, Read said: ‘The key task is to restore growth in the business and that is what we will focus on’, though whether he can stave off competition from Google, Facebook AND Sorrell’s new S4 Capital, while streamlining the unwieldy WPP, remains to be seen.

 

4. Bake Off is back

Bake off

The Great British Bake Off returned on Tuesday with the same judges and hosts, 12 new contestants and overnight viewing figures of 6.1m. Though this is down on last year’s opening of 6.5m viewers, the programme managed to capture 57% of the 16-34 audience, making it the most-watched TV show for this age group in 2018 outside of the World Cup. That means it’s more popular with ‘young adults’ than Love Island.

Full consolidated viewing figures are yet to be released, but as more people now watch TV on demand or via catch-up, it’s very possible the opening show will be more popular than it was in 2017.

In terms of the content, the show stuck to a familiar format, though there was noticeably less innuendo from the days of Mel and Sue.

 

5. Theresa May: Meme-tastic Happy Feet

Prime Minister

Theresa May has been filmed dancing several times this week, while on her whistle stop tour of three African nations. Surprisingly, Twitter redubbed the videos to different music. Enjoy:

You get the idea.

 

Seen something we missed? Let us know on Twitter – unless it’s another version of May dancing. We’ve seen that. We’ve seen a lot of that.

Carl Thompson

Men’s Lifestyle spotlight: Carl Thompson

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Carl Thompson is a face and name known to many throughout the blogging world and recently ranked in the top 10 UK men’s lifestyle blogs. With his eponymous blog, Carl covers a broad range of men’s lifestyle but specialises in fashion following the success of his menswear label. We spoke to Carl about the joys of Brazil, the best grooming products for the men’s market and how he likes to work with PRs.

Carl ThompsonHow many different areas does your blog cover, and do you have a primary focus?
My blog covers quite a range, but all centred around my personal lifestyle and interests that still largely focus on fashion. This past year I’ve spoken more about travel, the drinks industry, e-commerce and the current state of the high-street. I can’t ignore what’s going on with British retail, it’s more addictive than any soap. Above all, I’d say that my interest in the car industry has been the biggest lure. It’s also been my favourite as I get to flex some creative muscles.

What are the main differences between men’s and women’s lifestyle blogs?
I tend to find women are more thorough. When they want to explain what works with an outfit they’ll back it up with proof and 1,000 different pictures. I think guys are more content with looking good, but not necessarily getting in the weeds with why an outfit works, or the qualities of different fabrics.

I generally find women have more hustle in the blogging sphere and perhaps that’s just nature, it’s a far more saturated market. I also feel that the women’s blogs that I read, for example Sophie Milner’s Fashion Slave and Beth Sandland xo, focus on real life emotions and experiences, whereas men’s blogs tend to be more explaining and product focused.

Who is your favourite designer?
Tom Ford. Has been for a long time and still remains tip of the sphere for me. Every outfit exudes luxury.

What’s your favourite grooming product or service?
My favourite grooming product right now is the Panasonic ER-GB86 clipper. I’ve been waiting ages to find one that can tackle a thicker, unruly beard like mine, this comes with a high-torque motor so does the job nicely.

I’m road testing the Lab Series Oil Control and I think they’ve done a great campaign – got a lot of the right influencers onboard. Right now, I’m using the American Crew Boost Cream to control my slightly dry, frizzy hair that I apply on wet hair and blow-dry with my new Dyson hair dryer.

Fragrance-wise I’ve been experimenting a lot lately blending different scents and I’m going to share my two favourite combinations. The first is by Jo Malone: Oud & Bergamot combined with Honeysuckle & Davana; the second is by Tom Ford: Tuscan Leather combined with Plum Japonais.

Carl Thompson

What’s the best night out near you?
These days my best night out is actually a night in with a Deliveroo on order, a tub of Oppo Ice cream in the freezer and a Netflix boxset! Of course, I joke, I’m still partial to a good night out although I’ve left my clubbing days behind me and enjoy bars that serve good spirits and great food more.

Near me, I tend to spend most of my time in a bar called No32, the atmosphere is great, always busy on a weekend and most importantly the music is set at a level where you can still have a conversation. A good night out is always followed by a great roast dinner the next day and there are a few near me namely Trinity in Clapham Old Town, The Nightingale, The Avalon in Clapham South and The Grove in Balham.

What’s your favourite travel destination?
Ibiza is still king, holds a lot of nice memories for me. Although I’ve been to Morocco this year and the hotels and resorts in Marrakech are just sublime. Perfect for decompressing, fine food and most importantly, great Instagram pictures. A few off-the-beaten-track travel destinations that I also love are Los Roques in Venezuela, Fernando de Noronha and Jericoacoara both in Brazil… just google them and you’ll be booking your next trip away.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
They should know I’m very hands on. I like to be involved with every level of the campaign and have a vast amount of experience in what works and what doesn’t. I execute my deliverables to the highest possible quality, hiring the best videographers and photographers, often at my own expense.

I’m sometimes guilty of being quite curt with emails, but that’s only because I want to optimise time for all parties. For example, if there is no budget for a campaign that will monopolise a lot of my time, it’s best to get those discussions out of the way in the first exchange.

I remember a friend once telling me he asked his future wife if she wanted to have kids on the first date. It sounds nuts but his argument was he wanted kids and he didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. You can apply that logic to a lot of things I think.

What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on recently?
I have to compliment the team that put together the Menabrea Beer press trip in Milan last week. The itinerary was engaging, the deliverables were clear and transparent, and they really showed off the best parts of Milan. Some bloggers have a myopic view of Milan; complain about the energy, or lack of. It’s really getting to know where the locals hang out.

I’ve also had a lot of fun working with Mazda. I’m really proud of the videos we put together for their marketing campaign and I know it really resonated with some people, which is great.

Mazda

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
I’m not sure. Ultimately, I don’t know what it will achieve. How will it be regulated? I think we could do with some kind of independent body. I had a recent case where an agency owed me, and a lot of other influencers, money. They ghosted a lot of people, stopped returning phone calls, answering emails etc. They eventually released a statement declaring themselves insolvent, which happens in business (all too easily) but hundreds of bloggers were left in no man’s land and out of pocket just because an agency decides to disappear from the face of the earth. That’s where bloggers need help.

What other blogs do you read?
I actually read quite a few. Fashion Beans is a decent hub, Mr Porter Journal is something of an addiction and I like Pete Brooker over at Human Research. He runs his mouth a lot, he’s just given up pampering to brands. If I need grooming advice, I read Man for Himself by Robin James and finally, for the best visuals, I love browsing Fashitects by Toni Tran.

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Dapper Chapper

Talking men’s lifestyle with The Dapper Chapper

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Adam Tanous is The Dapper Chapper, leading men’s lifestyle blogger who recently ranked in the Top 10. Grown from a style blog, Dapper Chapper now covers everything from bars and travel to fitness and interiors. We caught up with Adam who told us about his favourite designers, what PRs should know before they contact him (and not just his favourite tipple), and the evolution of bloggers.

How many different areas does your blog cover, and do you have a primary focus?
We initially started as a style blog but have since diversified to add other sections including Grooming, Lifestyle, The Dapper Chapper Bar and Places to go. Lifestyle is again quite broad and within it we cover things for the home, interior design, fitness, and cars.

What are the main differences between men’s and women’s lifestyle blogs?
Regarding content and aesthetics, I’m not sure there is much difference these days as boundaries are constantly being blurred. What is clear is that there are far fewer active men’s lifestyle blogs compared to women’s, which is probably why we’ve had access to so many amazing collaborations.

Dapper Chapper

Who is your favourite designer?
Tough one because different designers tick different boxes for me. For Summer probably Orlebar Brown and Autumn maybe Private White V.C but easily my most blogged about brand is Clements and Church, who are a bespoke tailoring label. They have a high-profile client list and most of the tailoring that I wear now is by them – tailoring’s best-kept secret.

What’s your favourite grooming product or service?
Perhaps a bit obvious but Aventus by Creed is perhaps the fragrance that I get most comments on when I’m wearing it but that said, all of these are good too.

We’re also a big supporter of BEAST in Covent Garden which is a male-focused grooming destination. They are fantastic curators of interesting male grooming products and worth visiting.

What’s the best night out near you?
I’m a few miles from Stamford Bridge, so I’d probably say an evening watching Chelsea. Team colours aside, these days we spend most of our time socialising at either The Hospital Club in Covent Garden or one of the Soho House venues.

The Ned is also a good shout because you’re likely to find whatever you’re looking for there.

What’s your favourite travel destination?
Tough one, but Costa Rica still just about leads the way. It has everything; tropical climates, the rainforest, wildlife, unbelievable beaches and interesting cultures.

I’ve also had two European trips recently that I’ve been raving about. Firstly, driving around the lakes and the north of Italy and secondly, to Northern Ireland. Both produced great food and spectacular scenery if you’re looking for something a little closer to home.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
If you email me (or anyone at TDC for that matter) without writing our first name at the start of the email, it won’t be read. If you’re too busy to look up who we are then we’re too busy to open your email.

More crucially, I like whisky and gin – this is good to know.

What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on recently?
We’re lucky to regularly work on interesting campaigns. We’re collaborating with the Crown Estate to showcase everything that’s going on around St James’s which presents some fun activities.

One of the most interesting trips I’ve been on since I started blogging was out to the fabric mills in Biela, Italy with Clements and Church. It was incredible to see what goes into the fabrics and something I want to write more about.

Dapper Chapper

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Blogging is going through an interesting time at the moment. For us, the blog is still the heart of The Dapper Chapper brand and every piece of content we put out on social links back to something we’ve written for the blog.

Now, online influencers can create content for social channels without necessarily writing a blog post but to remain at the forefront I believe it’s important to be active on various channels.

I think an industry association would be helpful to provide a place to guide bloggers through the continued evolution within the world of blogging.

That said, Vuelio does a great job of creating blogging debate along with championing the blogger, particularly at the annual awards!

What other blogs do you read?
We work a bit with the guys at Menswear Style so I’m always checking in with them. I also appreciate the content by Robin James. I like the way it helps people practically, which is something we want to work towards.

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ape to gentleman

Interview with Ape to Gentleman’s Chris Beastall

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Ape to Gentleman recently ranked second in the Top 10 UK Men’s Lifestyle blogs. Written by Chris Beastall and his team of experts, Ape to Gentleman primarily focuses on grooming and style but also covers cars, tech and drink.

We caught up with Chris to chat about the best travel destination, the need to stay on brand and his recent whisky trip.

What are the main differences between men’s and women’s lifestyle blogs?
I feel as though the men’s blogs are more factual and educational, whereas the women’s blogs tend to be more inspirational. For example, we wrote an article on the best aftershave balms. Whereas the women’s blogs I follow might focus more on the influencer editor, and how to get her look. Very much a sweeping generalisation here!

Who is your favourite designer?
Currently, Alexandre Mattiussi of AMI for modern classics. For all-time, it’s Ralph Lauren.

Ape to gentleman

What’s your favourite grooming product or service?
Favourite grooming product would have to be my Philips beard trimmer. Great build quality and keeps my stubble the right length.

What’s the best night out near you?
Sheffield – mainly because everyone’s so friendly. It’s a big enough city, but with a small-town feel.

What’s your favourite travel destination?
The South of France. A bit cliched but it’s sophisticated, has good weather and is old school chic.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Everything has to be on brand for Ape.

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What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on recently?
A recent trip to the Isle of Jura for Jura whisky was great – full of interesting creative types, and great whisky of course. And ‘Barbershops of America – Then and Now’; Rob Hammer, a photographer, documented barbershops old and new across the US and his images just ‘feel’ emotional. They conjure thoughts of all the stories shared in these places.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Probably. It would legitimise the category. There’s a lot of bloggers creating some seriously good and original content out there.

What other blogs do you read?
Honestly, I don’t. We have an extensive editorial schedule which we stick to and therefore, don’t need inspiration from others. I tend to read or view photographers stories and work. And, of course, scroll through Instagram to check in on the people I follow.

Chris Beastall and Ape to Gentleman are both listings in the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other blogs, vlogs, outlets and opportunities.

The Everyday Man

Spotlight on leading men’s lifestyle blog: The Everyday Man

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John Robertson is The Everyday Man, and recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Men’s Lifestyle blogs. Covering a huge range of topics, from travel to cars, The Everyday Man has been supplying readers with the latest men’s lifestyle content since 2012.

We caught up with John, who told us about premium high street brands, the lovely people of Glasgow and working with PRs and brands.

How many different areas does your blog cover and do you have a primary focus?
I have eight subsections from Art & Design to Travel but my main focus is lifestyle, which more or less can encompass anything really.

What are the main differences between men’s and women’s lifestyle blogs?
I don’t think there is a massive difference if I’m honest, in fact about a third of my readers are female. I guess some of the experiences and products may be geared more directly towards men but with lifestyle topics they are generally relevant to everyone.

Who is your favourite designer?
I prefer premium high street brands to high level designers. My favourite shops that make up the bulk of my wardrobe are Reiss, Cos and H&M.

What’s your favourite grooming product or service?
I love getting my hair cut and struggle to go more than two weeks without having the sides trimmed. It’s a tad OCD I know, but I always feel great after a fresh trim!

What’s the best night out near you?
I live in Glasgow, which is a great city for a night out. The people are the friendliest probably anywhere, so you can always be guaranteed to have a fun night no matter what you decide to get up to. My ideal night out would probably be a nice meal while catching up with mates followed by a refreshment or two.

What’s your favourite travel destination?
I love Amsterdam as a city break destination. I’ve been there lots and never tire of it. I love that it’s small enough to wander around and has lots of cool and quirky shops and bars to have a nosey around.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I hate phone calls. I’d much rather just communicate over email as I find it easier to manage and keep on top of things when I have it all written down.

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What are the best campaigns you’ve recently collaborated on?
I worked on a design focused campaign with AC Hotels recently and really enjoyed it as I had lots of freedom to interpret the brief on my own and create content that worked well for my channels.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Yes, it would be great for the industry. I hear horror stories about people not getting paid for jobs or people being ripped off all the time. A collective to support people would be a great thing.

What other blogs do you read?
I don’t read that many nowadays to be honest as I struggle to find the time. I try to keep an eye on Hypebeast (is that a blog?) as they always share the coolest sneaker releases and I’m a bit of a sneakerhead.

John Robertson and The Everyday Man are both listings in the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other blogs, vlogs, outlets and opportunities.

Ethics in PR and comms

Global PR associations agree new ethics code

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A task force of public relations and communication management organisations has identified 16 principles for ethical practice that they deem to be universal and fundamental to the practice of PR and comms.

The organisations, which includes the UK’s PRCA, based the principles on an analysis of the most prominent codes of ethics in public relations and communication management to build on the 2003 global protocol on ethics, the recent Helsinki principles and the IABC code.

Francis Ingham, of the ICCO and PRCA, said: ‘Less than a year ago, we expelled one of our most high-profile members from the UK Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) because of a breach of ethics. Building on that decision, the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) developed the Helsinki Declaration – our global principles of ethical practice. We warmly welcome these complementary principles from the Global Alliance. Seen together, our collective work represents the new gold standards of ethical public relations practice.’

The principles are split into two parts – guiding principles and principles of professional practice:

Guiding principles

  1. Working in the public interest
  2. Obeying laws and respect diversity and local customs
  3. Freedom of speech
  4. Freedom of assembly
  5. Freedom of media
  6. Honesty, truth and fact-based communication
  7. Integrity
  8. Transparency and disclosure
  9. Privacy

Principles of professional practice

  1. Commitment to continuous learning and training
  2. Avoiding conflict of interest
  3. Advocating for the profession
  4. Respect and fairness in dealing with publics
  5. Expertise without guarantee of results beyond capacity
  6. Behaviours that enhance the profession
  7. Professional conduct

Jose Manuel Velasco, chair of the Global Alliance, which represents more than sixty organisations, said: ‘We are happy to announce that the members of the Global Alliance and IABC have agreed on sixteen principles that should be covered in every code of ethics for our profession. We are also happy to announce that these principles have the support of ICCO, the PRCA UK and PRCA MENA.

‘Our combined efforts will help elevate the profession and promote ethics from a position of strength.’

Project lead, and GA past chair Jean Valin said: ‘As communicators and public relations professionals, we have the potential to influence economies and individuals. This carries obligations and responsibilities to society and to organisations. Ethics must be at the core of our activity. In our world of fake news and concerns over privacy as artificial intelligence ramps up, we are at an ethical crossroads. There is no public relations/communication profession without ethics.’

All members of the Global Alliance (sixty plus organisations) will be reviewing their codes of ethics to determine if they align with the new global principles within six months. The Global Alliance has updated its own 2003 code to reflect the new global principles.

Members of the task force included representatives from:

  • Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
  • Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS)
  • Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ)
  • Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA)
  • International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO)
  • International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
  • Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) United Kingdom and Middle East North Africa

Recognising the importance of putting principles and codes into practice, the task force has also assembled a repository of critical resources such as case studies, podcasts, newsletters and advisories culled from the members of the Alliance and other organisations, which is available here.

If you’d like to add anything to the resource list, please contact Jean Valin directly.  

Five Things: BDC, Netflix, Dec, Brexit and Fabricant

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This week’s five things includes the Corbyn’s proposal for a BDC, Netflix acquiring the rights to the Bake Off, the new Ant, pick your own Brexit and Michael Fabricant in a whipping.

1. BDC

Corbyn

The Edinburgh International Television Festival is on at the moment, which always throws up a multitude of gems. For example, Ian Katz, director of programmes at Channel 4, today revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who Is America? is the first Channel 4 series to have a bigger audience on All4 than live TV.

However, the story from the festival that has grabbed all the headlines is Jeremy Corbyn’s Alternative McTaggart lecture. The leader of the opposition used his speech to propose a British Digital Corporation (BDC), that would, as reported by The Guardian, ‘commission online TV, offer easy access to archive material held by public sector institutions and operate a social networking arm that could play a role in direct democracy’.

While his full speech explains some of the functions of the BDC, it’s unclear how it would be funded to compete with the likes of Facebook, Google, Amazon or Netflix (all would be direct competitors), nor how it would be different from the BBC (which presumably it would be sharing the licence fee with, or perhaps the aim is to replace the broadcaster).

The BDC is not Labour policy but the leadership is committed to the proposals as part of its plans to reform the media.

 

2. The Great British Baking Show

GBBO

Netflix has acquired the rights to air the Great British Bake Off in the US. The streaming giant will show last year’s series (the first from Channel 4) on 31 August, with this year’s series showing later this year. It has also secured the rights to a third future series, which will stream next year.

The show will be streamed under the title ‘The Great British Baking Show’, which is what it is known as in the US. The previous BBC series aired on PBS.

Let’s be honest, this story is included so I can remind everyone that this year’s Bake Off starts on Tuesday. Exciting.

 

3. ? and Dec

Ant and dec

Ant McPartlin will not feature on the next series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, as he is recovering from his addiction to prescription drugs. While it had been assumed Dec would be presenting the show alone, Kevin Lygo – director of programmes at ITV – has revealed at the Edinburgh TV festival that Ant will be replaced.

Different outlets are suggesting different presenters are favourite to fill the space, with Scarlett Moffat and Holly Willoughby the most likely frontrunners and David Walliams, Vicky Pattinson, Philip Scofield and Cat Deeley also in the mix.

 

4. Bloomberg’s Pick Your own Brexit game

Brexit

It’s hard to write a great deal about this, you really have to play it. Bloomberg has created a choose your own adventure game with two options for each round. Your aim? To get a Brexit outcome, whether that’s hard, soft or not at all.

 

5. Michael Fabricant’s whipping

Michael Fabricant

Michael Fabricant MP ‘hit’ the headlines after publishing a video explaining what the Government Whips are and do. Above is a picture of him whipping someone with a shoe horn. Below is the full video:

SocialBookshelves.com

Spotlight with leading literature blogger Dane Cobain of SocialBookshelves.com

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Dane Cobain is the blogger behind SocialBookshelves.com, the book review blog with a difference. Recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Literature Blogs, SocialBookshelves.com posts reviews where the word counts are determined by the number of pages in the book. We caught up with Dane to talk about his favourite authors and books, being a writer himself and why PRs need to cut through the noise.

What makes your blog unique?
SocialBookshelves.com is unique because each of my reviews has the same word count as the number of pages that the book has. On top of that, it’s a log of my personal reading and includes a review for every book that I can ever remember reading, as well as reviews for each book that I’ve read since starting it.

What’s your favourite book ever?
I get asked this a lot and I usually say Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, which is also known as The Golden Compass in the United States. It was my ‘gateway drug’ and the book that really cemented my love for reading as a kid. And the ending of The Amber Spyglass, the third book in the trilogy, is the only time a book has ever made me cry.

Who is your favourite author?
This one’s a harder one to answer and so I’m going to go for Terry Pratchett because he’s my most-read. Here’s the list:

  1. Terry Pratchett: 59 books
  2. R.L. Stine: 51 books
  3. Agatha Christie: 43 books
  4. Graham Greene: 41 books
  5. Stephen King: 40 books

Which new authors should we all be aware of?
Me! I’m a writer as well as a reader and have seven books out including my latest, a quirky cosy detective novel called Driven. I’ve also been really enjoying the Doris books by fellow indie author Charles Heathcote. They’re inspired by old comedies like Keeping Up Appearances and they’re hilarious.

What’s the best book you read in the last year?
So far, it’s The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I think it’s going to be tricky for anything else to top it, but we’ll see.

Have you ever judged a book by its cover?
I think we all do to some extent. It’s certainly a factor when I’m skimming through dozens of pitches from PR agents, but I also buy a lot of my books from charity shops and with those, I don’t really look at the cover. I just have a long list of books that I want to buy, and charity shops help me to find them.

What one thing should PRs/brands know about you?
I’ve been blogging for years now and also have a reasonably successful BookTube channel, which means I get a lot of requests for review. I don’t respond to pitches because I get so many of them, so please don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back from me. I also don’t accept many of the pitches (maybe around 1% of them), which means that if I do agree to accept your book, you managed to cut through the noise and attract my attention.

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What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve had with PRs?
Well the most recent highlights for me included a press trip to Latvia (with Abegail Morley from The Poetry Shed and some others) and sitting in the shadow panel for the Young Writer of the Year Award (with Clare Rowland from A Little Blog of Books and others). It was too to see both of their blogs on this year’s Vuelio list, too.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Probably not. I think it’s becoming more accepted as a subgenre of journalism these days and bloggers tend to be more informal etc. anyway. I personally wouldn’t join an association unless there were obvious benefits to it purely because I think I do okay without. But I’m sure it’s just personal taste.

What other blogs do you read?
Honestly, these days I tend to get most of my book news from BookTubers and there are too many to mention there, although one of them is Savidge Reads who was also in this year’s Vuelio list of bloggers. I also use Goodreads a lot and follow most of my blogger friends there as they usually cross-post their reviews. I know I do!

 

Dane Cobain and SocialBookshelves.com are both listed in the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other blogs, vlogs, outlets and opportunities.

Interview with Aaron Mark, editor-in-chief of Boyfriend Magazine

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We recently spoke to Aaron Mark, a fashion stylist and editor-in-chief at the recently launched Boyfriend Magazine. Aaron discusses the motivation behind launching the magazine, what sets it apart from other fashion magazines, why no two days are ever the same, and dancing for Atomic Kitten at Wembley Arena…

Boyfriend Magazine launched its first print issue in August. Can you tell us a bit about the publication and how it came about?
Boyfriend Magazine is a fashion forward publication that explores themes of masculinity and femininity. We pride ourselves on celebrating the works of successful creatives, while also showcasing emerging ones, and we believe this concept to be unique within the publication market.

I initially thought of the magazine and its concept when I was submitting my own work to publications, and I felt so frustrated at the lengthy process, which felt like a lot of work for little to no reward at times. I wanted to create a magazine that didn’t base its published works criteria on the CVs of the creatives, we simply wanted to publish works based on talent and creativity.

Boyfriend MagazineWhat sets it apart from other fashion magazines? Who is the target audience?
We believe our submissions criteria sets us apart from other magazines, getting us to focus on the stories themselves and not the individuals creating them, and that gives us some of the strongest content out there. Our target audience is anyone with a passion for fashion, and appreciation for editorial works, but we ensure we remain commercial in our approach by also including some great beauty product reviews, celebrity and industry interviews and features.

What are the main challenges when launching a new magazine?
I think the most challenging thing for us has been getting our name out there. We have been very lucky with the brands and PRs that have approached us who love what we’re doing and embrace working with us with open arms, and the press exposure we have received to date has been amazing – but marketing to a wider audience of people outside the industry is difficult, and is something we know will continue to challenge us.

I understand that you are also a stylist. Can you tell us a bit about your work as a stylist? How do you juggle your various roles? Does your work as a stylist give you a different perspective when creating content for the magazine?
I think my work as a stylist gives me a different perspective as an editor – I look at the wardrobe first and that’s a typical stylist trait – whereas my Beauty Editor will go straight for the make-up – and ultimately you need that balance on the editing panel to really build a beautiful product. It’s my understanding of future trends and commercial opportunities within retail that help me build the magazine into something that not only tells a beautiful story, but ensures it’s supporting the industry in its endeavours.

I have worked with various industry professionals and seen all the aspects of how the industry works, from photoshoots to runway shows and working with brands on their route to market. That gives me a well-rounded approach to my work.

I would certainly say that the word ‘juggling’ is appropriate when describing how I manoeuvre my way around my various roles, but I wouldn’t change it for the world and I think that’s what makes me appreciate my down time even more.

Boyfriend magazineCan you describe a typical working day for you? What do you enjoy the most about your job, and what are some of the more difficult aspects of your work?
A typical working day for me starts at about 6am. I usually spend the first half hour of my day answering emails before getting myself ready for the day. I then find my days to be very diverse, some can be spent working with retailers operationally as this has been a strength of mine even before I was styling, or I could be on a photoshoot, or even running around the city between PR appointments and editors meetings – no two days are ever the same and that makes it even more exciting!

I do, however, have a routine of getting home and for the last hour or two of the day, I will go over the graphic design elements and layouts of the upcoming issue and any online exclusives we’re releasing, and I’ll make notes of any amendments etc. I find this is the best time of the day for me to do this for some reason.

Do you have a good relationship with PRs? What top tips would you give to PR professionals who want to work with you?
We have some great relationships with some fab PRs, but we know there are even more relationships to build and we look forward to expanding our network even further.

I would simply ask any PRs that want to work with us, to really consider our magazine’s concept, and be open to collaborations that you normally wouldn’t have thought of, because that’s the beauty of our focus on talent and not credits.

What type of press material are you interested in receiving?
We are currently receiving a variety of press materials to create some diverse content for our readers, which includes but is not limited to beauty and hair products, fashion products, lookbooks, news and updates including fashion, beauty, lifestyle and entertainment, and anything else that you feel may be relevant to our zine – we will always strive to get back to you and let you know if it’s something we feel will work for us so get in touch!

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Aaron Mark and his new magazine are both listings in the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other blogs, vlogs, outlets and opportunities.

Elder

How to manage public relations at a tech start-up

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Elder is a tech start-up that aims to revolutionise the way people age through accessible live-in care. Rebecca Watkins is the PR manager at Elder. Previously a journalist in the US, Rebecca came to the UK four months ago and has hit the ground running. 

We spoke to Rebecca about how Elder can change the way we age, how she builds and measures brand awareness and her simple advice for other PRs.

Can you introduce us to Elder?
Elder was started two years ago by the founders of Mopp, a home cleaning service. Mopp was very successful and was eventually sold to an American company. While this sale was being negotiated, one of the co-founders was struggling to find his nan suitable care; she wanted to stay in her home rather than go into a care home. They could not find anyone to do live-in care, so they created Elder, a service that allows you to match live-in care by personalities and what health issues carers have worked with in the past, so there’s a perfect match between carer and the person receiving care.

It sounds like a dating app…
It’s funny you say that, I do actually compare it to a dating app, so that’s a very accurate description. If we use dating apps as an example, the way live-in care currently works with a lot of providers, it would be like a dating app where you have to date the person closest to you. With Elder, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Skye and your perfect carer is in Bournemouth, we’ll put you together.

It’s amazing hearing stories back from the carers, they become such a big part of the family and some of them become the best of friends too, because they’re properly matched to each other.

Elder care

How are you building brand awareness?
We’re using partnerships to raise awareness at lower levels, that’s with people like physios and lawyers who have direct contact with our potential clients. On the PR side, it’s about reaching out to journalists, so that key decision makers can learn who Elder is and what we do. We are trying to set up meetings with various MPs and hospital discharge teams. And we’re creating relationships with a lot of medical papers and universities, so people can learn about us that way. Who we are and what we’re trying to do is so important to show and that it’s not just all about money.

What is your day to day role?
The biggest part of my role is making sure people know who we are. We aim for media contacts at every level: local, national and international. My role is a lot of reaching out to journalists to build relationships, and also meeting charities to build awareness. Typically, charities don’t partner with businesses, but when I call charities, they’ll say they don’t partner with businesses, and I tell them what we’re doing and suddenly they’re really excited.

What’s the biggest challenge Elder is facing?
Positioning ourselves as the alternative to care homes and making people care about that. It’s about changing opinions, getting the idea across that we’re trying to be a force for good and we want to give control back to the person receiving care.

For example, we’re trying to tackle bed blocking. Right now, 20% of people who take up hospital beds have dementia – they could be at home, they just need care. That would free up 20% of beds for the NHS, as well as all the time, money and resources that goes along with hospital care. You end up in a horrible cycle – people stay in hospital and then get sick. Also, councils are being crippled by how many seniors they have to care for and they have nowhere to put them. We need those people to understand us, and help us make the changes the country actually needs.

We also want journalists to consider us as reputable source for comment. We deal with everything from dementia and diabetes to cancer – we care for so many different areas and we have opinions and ideas to improve all of those different sectors.

An issue getting media coverage is that I never realised quite how much what we read in newspapers and see on TV is paid for. So, trying to find opportunities that we can actually afford to do that is difficult – we’re a start-up so we can’t afford £12,000 for five minutes on a news show.

Bex

Have you ever used an agency?
Before my time, Elder did have an outside PR agency – but decided to bring it in house. It’s difficult for agencies to do PR, because they tend to have so many different accounts to work on, they can’t necessarily have one person dedicated and focused on one business and that’s what Elder needed.

How do you measure your work?
We’re still trying to work out how we measure brand awareness. At the moment we’re seeing that people are starting to recognise the name, and people get really excited about Elder. So, we can measure things like how many journals contact us, how many journalists and editors come back to us and ask for a pitch. In future we’d like to be able to ask customers, ‘How did you hear about us?’ so we can work out what’s working or not working. More than anything we want to make sure we’re getting to the people who need us.

What advice would you give other PRs?
Be nice – that’s the best advice I can give. So many people I’ve spoken to have said I’m really nice to talk to because I make the conversation upbeat. People don’t get enough nice, and they really engage with nice. Give people a second to tell their stories and you meet incredible people. Be nice and it can unlock so many doors.

 

Ready to take your PR and public affairs to the next level? Vuelio is here to help. 

The Press Release Bluleprint

4 Simple Steps for Writing a Killer Press Release

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Despite the rise of digital and social media, the basic principles of a press release still hold true more than 100 years after the first PR communication was composed.

In our latest guide, The Press Release Blueprint, we outline the four essential steps that you should take every time your write a press release in order to gain coverage and get results.

Stephen Waddington, industry influencer, blogger and partner and chief engagement officer at Ketchum, believes there are good reasons why the press release has endured in a changing media communications landscape. He said: ‘The reason press releases continue to be used despite a multitude of alternative formats is that they are well understood by organisations. It’s a common format, created through a process of iteration and approval, for communication with external publics. Everyone knows how they work.’

As the first step in our guide is to get to the point, we’ll keep you no longer. Download the guide here, and start writing the best press releases of your career.