Name And Fame
I am aware several posts on this blog carry a 'them and us' theme.
In fact an earlier article of my own comments on the lack of knowledge within the PR industry regarding how newspapers operate.
During my time on the newsdesk of a national newspaper I more than had my fill of picking up the phone to be talked through PR dross which wouldn't have made the paper in a million years.
So I can see where freelance journalist Kevin Braddock was coming from when he controversially 'named and shamed' PRs who he claimed sent him irrelevant press releases.
Not long after that the much talked-about 'Inconvenient PR Truth' campaign provoked debate when it emerged British and American journalists receive 1.7 billion irrelevant press release emails each year.
And to be honest, I'm not surprised.
As editorial director at 72Point I am still bombarded on a daily basis with poorly written press releases, which are over-branded, carry embargoes (on which my colleague Jay Williams blogged last week) and feature endless, but incredibly tedious Notes to Editors.
Okay, so now you're thinking; ''Here we go again, old hack banging the 'PRs don't know anything about papers' drum''.
Well I'm sorry to disappoint you. I am, for once, going to buck that trend.
Admittedly, I never thought I would utter the following statement, but - I have to admit it... some of you guys are very, very good at what you do.
Knowing what makes a story and how to write good strong copy and deliver the finished product at the right time is an art.
But it is an art which, in my opinion, a handful of outstanding PRs have mastered.
Some of these PRs we at 72 Point work alongside regularly, others we admire from a distance.
These are people who have caught our eye and who are clearly at ease with how to create impressive exposure within an area of PR which is perhaps still the most elusive - the national news pages.
So to everyone who made the 72Point Hall of Fame, I take my hat off to you:
OUR TOP 40 (in no particular order)
Simon Horne - Camelot
Jenny Hill - ZPR
Lisa Penny - Bounty
Shakila Ahmed - Travelodge
Gareth Lucy - Kellogg's
Kelly Davies - Confused.com
Jo Roberts - Confused.com
Asia Yasir - Esure
Kat Taylor - Mischief
Rich Turner - House PR
Kathryn Crawford - TheBabyWebsite
Frances Browning - RBS Insurance
Adam Vincenzini - Paratus Communications
Nicola Andreasen - Paratus Communications
Lindsay Wilson - Speed Communications
Mark Perkins - Cow PR
Carol Richardson - Confetti
Brandon Stockwell - Citigate DR
Chris Webb - Pegasus PR
Alex Clack - Ogilvy PR
Matthew Coy - Tonic Life Communications
Rebecca Mann - Public Group
Victoria Etaghene - BSkyB
James Crawford - Citypress
Helen Doyle - Biss Lancaster
Kate Howe - Biss Lancaster
Justine Allister - Mothercare/ELC
Noella Dixon - Mothercare/ELC
Gemma Harris - McKenna Townsend
Anna Harris - Murray PR
Nina Hands - Brahm PR
Gemma Walters - Brahm PR
Alison Moss - Fleishman Hillard
Carrie Knowles - Fleishman Hillard
Mira Ryness - Frank PR
Danielle Carter - Frank PR
Fiona Robinson - Frank PR
Lucy Hart - Frank PR
Bethany Tang - MediaHubb
James Newman - Finn Communications
Written by Doug Shields
Embargo the Embargo
Today I read a plaintive tweet from Martin Bryant, UK Editor at the popular tech blog The Next Web. I could almost hear the beseeching in his voice as he begged: "Seriously, can we just scrap news embargoes? I'm happy to honour them but it's clear they don't work when not everyone follows them."
That's the problem. It just takes one journalist to decide not to toe the line and the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. As a PR, you instantly lose control of the flow of your message. As a journalist, you may win a very temporary feather in your cap for ‘breaking' the story, followed by heaps of opprobrium from more obedient rivals who suddenly find themselves scooped.
As one of those poachers-turned-gamekeepers, I meet hundreds of PR professionals in a consultative capacity every year, and the subject of embargoes invariably comes up. So here's my 10p's worth.
Don't use them.
There is a place for the embargo. But it's very specific. The most valid circumstance is when police impose a news blackout because of an active investigation. One of the most memorable examples of this was the notorious Stephanie Slater kidnap in February 1992; all media knew about it but adhered strictly to the blackout imposition because to have broken it would have seriously impeded the police work and could have had fatal consequences.
In the world of PR, the word ‘embargo' has been cheapened in much the same way as the word ‘exclusive' has in journalism. And when an account executive slaps an embargo across a press release about the launch of a new air freshener, he or she might as well be waving a red rag at a bull.
Mark Templeton, Assistant Editor of the South Wales Argus, agrees. "We get 10-15 embargoed press releases a week. The first reaction, as a news person, is to instinctively think ‘this may be good'. Then you read it and it's just nonsense.
"It's quite insulting a lot of the time because many releases are embargoed for 1pm in the afternoon, so they're clearly aiming it at the lunchtime news, without a thought for print media.
"But this is a 24-hour news environment now and like every other newspaper we have an online product.
"Embargoes make many press releases look more important than they are, and that's intensely annoying."
Martin Bryant's desperate tweet was prompted by another organisation breaking an embargo.
He sighs: "When someone else breaks an embargo, there's a panic. You have to rush to print with the article that you had been working on.
"I can understand why companies do it - to achieve a co-ordinated run of coverage - but the effect can be counter-productive, with people rushing to print rather than spending time producing a fuller piece.
"On the other hand, an embargo can be useful because it gives us time to get the story together properly. But if just one person breaks it, then it's panic stations."
Martin's point about a "co-ordinated run of coverage" is valid. But a tried and tested way of achieving the same thing without winding up legions of journalists (who may be less disposed to look kindly on your offering next time) is to release your material freely, to everyone, at the same time.
Distributing a piece to the regional and national print media, for instance, in the morning, does not mean other media will ignore it throughout the day - in fact quite the opposite. The days of media pooh-poohing a story because it has appeared elsewhere are long gone. Media owners know that the fragmentation of the market means people take their news in many different forms and may take a ‘repeat prescription' throughout the day, as conversation and opinion grows around a story.
Putting an embargo on a press release (if it's a good one) is like telling a journalist a really, really funny joke, watching them laugh, and then announcing: "Oh, by the way, you can't tell anyone else that joke until 1pm on Thursday March 4."
Annoying.
Written by Jay Williams
Doom, Gloom, Blame & Outrage
Oh to be British...
Have we always been such a wretched lot?
The UK press continue to fuel our misery with gloomy weather reports and inflame our rage with tales of broken Government promises, delinquent youth culture and cheating celebrities.
And let's not forget the damaging impact of foreigners on Britain. The Daily Mail have today published an image of a Somali woman "standing proudly with her arm draped over a 36in television". To think she should have a television at all. Let's have her stoned to death. Oh hang on a minute, isn't that what they do to women in Somalia?
This negative disposition extends to Twitter. Seldom will a day go by without some proud exclamation of outrage, a complaint about customer service or over-dramatic use of the #FAIL hash-tag. And when the UK Twitter mob congregate in fury there is an air of vitriolic self-righteousness I had not witnessed previous to joining the social network site.
Those in the PR industry will be aware of the struggle to achieve positive brand messages within a bleak media landscape. Negative stories achieve bigger shows and many of us have to go down that route to create an impact with a client story.
And with the general election looming, I expect to see many more stories of woe and despair. I expect to see more of David Cameron blaming Labour for everything and, rather than focusing on his own policies and positive plans for Britain, I expect to see him leap on every opportunity to bring Brown down. Cameron's recent response to the Brown Bullying allegations was predictable to say the least.
But in an untypically British manner, I am going to stick my neck out and say that on the whole, I am very fond of this country.
Yes, we pay high taxes, but in return we receive a decent standard of living.
We have a free health service which we were quick to defend the minute it came under attack by US Republicans and amongst other Labour achievements we have record numbers of police in England, Scotland and Wales.
Yes changes have to be made. Education is key and I'm not denying Cameron could be the right man to take us forward.
But is Britain really as "broken" as we like to think? I recently read an article in The Economist debunking that notion. The article looks at statistics which show, for example that crime overall has dropped by 45% since its peak in 1995, domestic violence has dropped by a staggering 70% and the total number of homicides recorded by the police is at its lowest in 19 years.
But that isn't what we want to hear because it doesn't fit with our deep-rooted yearning for misery and discontent.
Ooh is Eastenders on tonight?
Written by Harriet Crosse
PR Emails - What the Papers Say
I've been following the recent PR spam debate and the "An Inconvenient PR Truth" campaign with some interest.
Although I feel a "Bill of Rights" is perhaps unnecessary, as I work in the national news industry I was interested in gauging the thoughts of editorial level newspaper staff regarding the issue of PR emails.
So today I posed the following question to senior staff on The Telegraph, Sun and Metro:
"As an editor on a national news publication, what are your thoughts on press release emails and what tips would you give to PRs looking to achieve national coverage?"
This was their response:
Chris Pharo. Head of news. The Sun:
‘'We are bombarded with badly written press release emails all day. It is about time PR people spent a bit longer reading the newspapers to try and get more of a grip on what sort of stories we run on a daily basis. We are often called just before conference, a time when myself and everyone else on the desk has much bigger fish to fry''
Jane Hamilton. Consumer Editor. The Sun:
DO:
• Sum up the story in the subject line.
• Send ideas early - not at gone 11am when it is too late for conference.
• Know the publication, which days it has certain sections etc.
• Enjoy the job, try hard and be more creative. Journalists love really good PRs as you help us come up with great stories - but there are not enough truly excellent PRs around.
DON'T:
• Send a completely irrelevant idea - think whether you can honestly see it in that publication first.
• Send huge attachments or press releases in a word document. We don't have time to open them up - just put the details in the email.
• Never ever send a press release as a PDF as we cannot cut and paste from it.
• Ring and ask if we got the press release. If it hasn't bounced back to you then we have. We will contact you if you like it. I have over 40 calls a day from PRs asking if I've received the release which can take up to an hour of my time.
• Do boring surveys and call them 'quirky'. We know supermarkets sell a lot of BBQs in the summer - that is not news.
• Just send statistics - think of the story behind it. Why have sales gone up, what does it mean, is it a new trend or celeb-led?
James Day. In Focus Editor. Metro:
"While I appreciate PRs have a very stressful job role and are expected to get results, trying to hoodwink journalists with lazy tactics such as entitling releases as 'breaking news' is neither original, inspired or in any way inventive.
"Honesty is always the best policy and if what you are trying to plug is strong enough or of interest we will take notice and give it the coverage it deserves.
"If we've not spoken before don't act like you're my best friend or make jokes about the weather. Keep things tight and professional and direct it personally. Do your research and make sure what you're sending is relevant to the publication and warrants coverage in a particular section.
"Finally, calling my landline, mobile, landline, mobile then landline again in quick succession won't make me want to pick up the phone any quicker. I'm probably busy, so please leave me a message or send me an email. We do pick them up and more regularly than you would imagine."
Andy Bloxham. Daily Telegraph newsdesk:
‘'I would advise PR people to call first and say something like ‘I am calling with a story for tomorrow's paper' - not "Hello, My name is Shanice from TinPot PR" or whatever.
‘'Please get to the point. Also it's better if you don't try and explain to me what your client wants the story to say as I'm not interested in that.
‘'Give me a good intro or a nice fact which will make a headline. You have to remember I am not interested in products, I am interested in stories.''
Written by Harriet Crosse
PR Spam
The PR spam row has seen a heated debate between journalists and the PR industry about the etiquette of issuing press releases.
After various bloggers named and shamed the PR people who have ‘spammed' them, a campaign has now been launched to try and stop the inboxes of hacks and bloggers being flooded with a PR's ‘breaking news'.
As someone who has worked as a newspaper journalist and a PR account manager, I have actually quite enjoyed keeping up with the argument, especially as I can see both sides.
How Newspapers Work
Two and a bit years ago I took the plunge and moved from a job on a national newspaper newsdesk to the fluffy world of PR - or 'the dark side' as it is known in the world of print media.
I'm not the first journo to do so. Many before me have sought to duck out of the editor's cross-hairs to tread the well-worn path to the world of public relations
Paid Digital Content
The PCUK/Harris poll ran throughout the week and defined itself as "a warning to publishers considering a paid content strategy". The results show that only 5% of people would continue to use their current favourite news site if they were charged, whilst three quarters would switch to a free site. PCUK decided to interpret this data as "Brits would run a mile" and dwelt on the tiny 5%.
However, what I think demands more attention was the 12% in the "not sure" category. These are the people that are not going to instantly dismiss the idea of paying for content but will lean back in their chair, stroke their chin, and murmer: 'hmmm, I'm listening'. That there are 17% of people who would or might pay for their favourite sites begins to sound a bit less threatening to media entrepreneurs. In fact, it sounds encouraging. And, as anyone who has ever turned a stubborn Brit, with their arms crossed and fist firmly grasping their hard earned cash, into a smiling customer will know: people can't be sure what they might be convinced to buy. It's called sales!
The second part of the survey indicated that over half would prefer to pay a subscription rather than a pay per day, or pay per article (like an ITunes micropayment) . This would slot your news amongst your broadband direct debit, online dvd rental subscription, music streaming service, world of warcraft subscription, and many other online subscriptions which most people thought they would never pay for until they saw how good they were.
Next comes the amount people would be prepared to pay. The answer being (unsurprisingly) as little as possible. What I don't imagine the survey allowing the respondents to answer was "I would pay what I thought it was worth". We pay different prices for different news: 30p for the Sun and £1 for the Guardian. Obviously we wouldn't want to pay 25p for an article on Jordan, but we might for a researched anaylsis of third world debt.
The survey concluded today by saying that people would pay for a digital service "in tandem" with print; that a paper would work with its online content, because "touchable products command tangible economic value but, divorced from physicality and its associated costs, that digital content should manifest itself cheaper." Quite an extreme conclusion in my opinion, as it suggests that people are naive morons who are obsessed with ownership. Just look at the emerging success of spotify to see that people aren't too concerned with ownership. I'm not dismissing the conclusion in it's entirety, it is just that I think it is more likely that people are just used to things the way they are.
But, as anyone who even slightly watches the web develop will know - the internet changes constantly. Technology is paving the way for paid media and technology doesn't care what people think. In fact, technology changes the way people think! Look at Googles Fast Flip. Is this the first step in a Google/News relationship working towards a paid model? Check out the future of e-readers - I am of the opinion that soon everyone will have one of these, and it will sync with your phone, music etc. Maybe you could get a subsidised e-reader as part of your news subscription (hope you're reading Murdoch). It may sound like science fiction, but science fiction does become fact. Furthermore, newspapers entail a massive waste of tree resources, and it would reduce our carbon footprints if we all switched to digital - the Marriot hotel chain think so anyway and are investigating ways to use digital media by limiting the amount of newspapers they deliver in the mornings.
It is uncontestable that newspaper and magazine sales are declining and online readership is increasing, however, charged digital content is going to face a lot of challenges. Personally, I like the fragmented nature of the way I recieve news online, surfing from news provider to news provider and following the links of friends. Will paid content mean that I won't have as much freedom? Will this radical change delimit the freedom of the internet? Will only those that can afford it be able to utilise the net?
Murdoch IS going to charge for content and has already begun to do so. The BBC have responded by refusing to ever charge for its content (what do I pay my licence for?). A battle is about to begin, and it will undoubtedly lead to innovation and change. How do you get people to pay for online news content when they are quite happily enjoying it for free? For want of a better analogy, I suppose you could compare it to the transition from watching TV, using the internet, enjoying hot water for free at your parents to moving out and having to set up direct debits to pay your bills. It is all about growing up. At first it is an unwelcome shock, but in the end, infinitely better.
Written by Oli
Twitter Start Up Guide
Unless you've been hiding away in the mountains, it is pretty likely you have heard about Twitter! Whilst you may not know what all the fuss about, or what good it can do for you; this guide will quickly take you through the basics and show you how Twitter can help you make the most out of OnePoll; and make spending time on the internet more fun and informative!
Basically, Twitter is a way for people to share information and communicate with one another. The possibilities of Twitter are beyond the scope of this article to discuss - but they are enormous. But specifically, twitter is a way for US to communicate with YOU on things that MATTER TO YOU as a OnePoll user! By following us on twitter we can send you links of our national coverage, let you know the moment surveys are available, send you money saving offers and many other fun and interesting things that our OnePoll tweeters find.
The first thing to do is to get a Twitter account. To do this, go to www.Twitter.com and sign up! It is really straightforward, just enter your details. After you have had a look through and added the people twitter recommends you follow, you are set to go. When you follow people you will be able to read their updates and follow the links to other websites they post, whether its what Jordan's saying about Peter, or headlines from the BBC - it's all on Twitter!
Next, I really recommend you download Tweetdeck from http://tweetdeck.com/beta/ - this is a way of using twitter which is smarter, quicker and more fun than the normal way. It allows a constant stream of updates to be fed directly to you - and this is where the benefits of following OnePoll really become clear. Go to http://twitter.com/onepoll and click on the 'follow' button underneath the Onepoll logo. Now, whenever we have a survey available, or if we have achieved some coverage using your answers, it will show up under 'All Friends' on Tweetdeck and you'll be the first to know. You'll never miss out on a survey again!
Now, for fun try using the search button in Tweetdeck - it looks like a magnifying glass - and type in something that interests you - the ashes, a celebrity, anything - and see all the messages appear with links to relevant websites. Follow the people with similar interests by clicking their name in Tweetdeck and before you know it you'll have a network of likeminded people and people that follow you!
Once you've taken the plunge and gotten started - I guarantee you'll be addicted!
Check out these sites for further more exploration of the phenomenon
http://news.cnet.com/newbies-guide-to-twitter/
http://tweetdeck.com/beta/help/beginners-guide-to-tweetdeck/
OUR SURVEY SAYS…
Ben Goldacre's rather unflattering opinion of survey-based news stories, in particular OnePoll which is, in his opinion, primarily responsible for an endemic problem within journalism, was published in this Saturday's Guardian.
His article raises a few points, none of which are particularly ground-breaking and certainly none I haven't heard before from "proper journalists" who love to bang on about how surveys aren't proper reporting.
Essentially his argument is three-fold...
"These articles are adverts."
No shit Sherlock.
We've been providing branded, stat-based news copy to the nationals for more than ten years now. Why do you think we do it?
Everyone is aware this is a branding exercise. We know it. The newspapers know it. The OnePoll panel members know it. Even the public know it, but they don't mind because they are entertained along the way.
Everyone's a winner. Apart from those who don't find survey-based articles interesting. My answer to those people would be simple. Don't read them.
"I couldn't possibly assess whether their results are sound, but I doubt it."
A heavy claim and entirely unfounded - however the point he is making does hold some weight.
We (as news specialists as well as market researchers) are frequently sent dubious looking "survey-based" press releases by PRs.
I've lost count of the number of "stories" our head of news has binned because he hasn't believed the credibility of the research.
It does happen. Some PR folk will try and dodge paying for proper research by doing a quick straw poll of the office.
But hacks see straight through these feeble attempts to jump on the survey bandwagon and material of this kind rarely achieves pick-up.
But a well-executed, robust piece of research, written in the style of the target publication can provide a golden opportunity for both PR and journalist.
With over 50,000 UK members , OnePoll is a widely respected and credible market research company which national news editors across the board have testified to.
"OnePoll is a well-respected and valuable market research source that provides not only ourselves, but the entire national news network, with excellent survey-led news stories and stats". Chris Pharo. Head of News, The Sun.
"We use Onepoll.com for surveys because they're fast and accurate. They give us page ready copy, written to our style - which is rare and very welcome in the fast moving world of national news."Ian Trueman. Assistant Editor. Daily Star
"An extremely reliable and professional agency with a solid reputation within the industry"Paul Eccleston. Ex Deputy News Editor. Daily Telegraph
"The team at OnePoll.com provide quick, reliable, and newsworthy market research, making them an invaluable source for national newspapers."James Scott. Deputy Editor, The Sunday Mirror.
OnePoll's panel base is representative of the UK population with its member demographics mirroring those of the general public. OnePoll members are generally web-savvy and strong online consumers. Age groups range from 16 to 56+ spanning 28 cities across 12 regions.
In addition to the hundreds of press offices and PR agencies who regularly commission research via OnePoll - our software is used by marketing and advertising companies to generate feedback on new products, services and potential ad campaigns.
I have as yet, not received one complaint as to how our stats have been presented - or indeed the credibilty of our reports.
"These stories are now ubiquitous, but they are not science...nor are they news."
This is my favourite argument - the one which "serious journalists" - usually from heavier newspapers love to emphasise, the argument that surveys are not proper news.
Ironically, even journalists who say this about surveys (my horrible friends included) still use them from time to time - when a stat makes them smile; or raise even half an eyebrow; or when they would rather have another hour snoozing at their desk than go out and find a real story.
Let's be honest here. No one is claiming the survey formula is cutting-edge, groundbreaking journalism. But it has a valid place.
If done properly, a survey story can be interesting, entertaining and frankly a welcome respite to all the misery.
I am thankful that as a newspaper reader (long live print journalism) I can be utterly depressed by pages and pages of murder, child sex offences, war, rape and government inefficiencies - but I can then turn the page to find that truckers and lawyers have emerged as the fattest professions. Brilliant.
Yes, at times it's futile. God forbid we should have a laugh.
I find the opinion that these stories have no worth elitism. It is journalistic snobbery which is insulting to the general public.
From as far back as human beings have had a voice, we have indulged in gossip. It may not be over the garden fence any more (we probably did that survey) but we still bitch about celebrities and argue over facts and figures. Women will always want to talk about shopping and men will always want to talk about football.
This is why our surveys get picked up daily by radio and television broadcasters, because they provoke discussion and provide talk value.
Goldacre himself, albeit disapproving of this news generation method, deemed it interesting enough to write an article on it, which is testament to the fact that these articles provoke a response.
They also, more importantly allow the public to play a tangible role within the daily news agenda.
They include the reader by allowing public opinion to be voiced within the national news arena.
Written by Harriet
GUESS SCHU’S BACK…
The return of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is a great PR coup for Ferrari and F1, but is it actually a good thing?
After it was revealed that Felipe Massa is out for the rest of the season following his horrific crash in the Hungarian GP, the rumours about his replacement soon started doing the rounds.
In the end, just hours after his manger said he was ‘’200%’’ sure Schumacher would not be making a return, the 40-year-old confirmed he would be driving in place of stricken Massa.
You can’t deny it will be great for the sport – and for the F1 bigwigs - especially after a year that has seen the sport plagued with bad press.
I have never been a fan of Schumacher – his smugness is far too much for me to bear, but his name is one which even those who aren’t fans of F1 are familiar with.
And I would like nothing more than to see Lewis Hamilton and Schumacher finally get the chance to battle it out on the track.
But he is going to face a huge amount of pressure – he is seen as a legend and the best driver of our time.
However, this season has proven you are only as good as the car you are in.
The last time Schumacher was behind the wheel, Ferrari were consistently at the top of their game - it was nigh-on impossible to get within passing distance of them, let alone beat them.
This year however has been a different story.
Ferrari, and even defending World Champion Hamilton, have been propping up the bottom of the championship table, and are only just starting to get competitive.
Instead, this season has seen Jenson Button and Red Ball ruling the track and battling it out for the top spot.
While he may have won an amazing amount of races, Schumacher isn’t a miracle worker.
He has bound to be rusty after several years off the track and to add to that, he’s in a car he’s never driven before.
It’s going to be a bit of a culture shock for him when he’s not fighting it out at the front, but simply making up the numbers at the back.
I also can’t help but wonder how his new team mate Kimi Raikkonen feels about the news.
It’s going to take a while to get used to going from the Ferrari No.1, to driving in Schumacher’s shadow.
Written by Gemma
72Point Blog
72 Point are national news PR & survey specialists. Achieving daily print & online news exposure for the UK’s largest brands and PR agencies.
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