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About this blog
The Firefly blog features news, views, buzz and ideas around the PR and communications industry.
Social trends, PR and social media tools, communications strategies, attention grabbing WOM campaigns, entertainment hotspots, running integrated and pan-European campaigns, safeguarding reputations and managing crises are just some of the topics we’re talking about.
A celebration, a mourning and a full decade of PR contrasts
This week, I was fortunate to pick up the PR Personality of the Year accolade at the PRCA Awards. The award was ultimately decided by public vote, following a PRCA shortlist (how I feel for those X-factor and Strictly celebs), so a huge thank you to all those industry colleagues and peers who kindly supported me.
Winning this award brought back memories and highlighted contrasts within the public relations industry from another highly memorable PRCA Awards ceremony. A decade ago, I picked up a similar award – for best ‘old’ PR professional at a PRCA event on September 11th 2001. Soon after collecting my award, at about 2pm, chaos began to erupt. Some “geeky” PR folk (largely tech PRs, ahead of the personal technology curve, as ever) were getting texts about the events unfolding in New York. News got around verbally, in the main; the awards ceremony concluded early and the room emptied fast.
It is incredible to remember that – just 10 years ago – texting was geeky and a relatively new phenomenon. By contrast, at this week’s PRCA Awards, everyone was texting and being tweet-tastic, with smartphones littered on every table. For these PRCA Awards alone, there were over 5,000 tweets including a live commentary on the night.
Going back to the 11th September 2001, we were glued to our monitors in disbelief, watching the repeats of the falling towers on CNN over the internet. It was the first time many people had watched video news over the internet. Bandwidth crashed and PCs froze under the strain.
What a contrast to today’s world, where we film, edit and upload videos for our clients (and ourselves) without hesitation, and anyone can develop and build his/her own video content channel.
And how the PRCA Awards have changed! In 2001, the ‘PRCA Frontline Awards’ was a relatively modest event – perhaps 300 attendees, mainly for frontline executives (the under-30s); definitely agency-only, no celebrity presenters, culminating in a few drinks and a light lunch buffet. By contrast, this week there were 900 PR industry people dressed up to the nines, at all job levels, in-house as well as agency, partying the night away at the London Hilton.
The champagne flowed freely on the night, although we are in a very different economic climate, and it seems the desire for gongs, recognition, celebration and a rip-roaring night out is as strong as ever. There were tables in the aisles and walk ways — it was packed. The ticket applications were over-subscribed with 100 people were on a waiting list, many of them short-listed entrants.
Personally, I don’t see the hunger for awards changing for a very long while, so the PRCA should book a bigger venue for next year.
Do you judge agencies by the awards they win? And if you don’t enter, or don’t rate industry awards, why not?
Ho, ho, ho! For PR consultants, it’s always an early Christmas
There may be a recession looming, but according to research commissioned by Give as You Live, more than half (57%) of Brits will be spending a total of £200 on Christmas gifts this year. Eight is the average number of people gift-givers will be buying for, making the average gift value £25. Not bad: this should go a long way towards avoiding the “worst-ever gifts received” which according to the GAYL survey, included used toiletries.
It’s a 21st century maxim that our economy needs Christmas. I imagine many retailers are already wringing their hands over some Christmas 2011 forecasts. But what’s the impact of Christmas for communicators?
The Consumer PR Juggernaut
I’ve worked with some great consumer public relations talent over the years, and I think most would agree that during the Christmas rush, preparation and an organised mind are just as valuable as the bright, shiny object you’re trying to place in Stuff, Stylist or Self.
Good PRs have gotten Christmas down to a science:
• The broad tactics will have been developed and agreed with the client in the first half of the calendar year
• Consumer tech product launches will be optimally timed for the period between CES and spring, to make that product the must-have item come Christmastime, following an aggressive product review programme
• Late summer is when the Christmas countdown will officially start, when longer lead publications are sent gift guide ideas to run in October/November issues
• “One hundred days ‘til Christmas” is another popular wrapper for seasonal pitches and events
• And right about now is when PR folks are revving up the gift guide engine once more, in time to reach weeklies, nationals and onlines
And this is just a partial list! The devil is in the detail: everything from product photography, to the user guide, to the international pricing details must be pitch perfect weeks and months in advance.
If you think this is all a bit much, consider that many companies count on a massive spike in revenues during the 9-12 week run-up to Christmas to make their annual numbers.
BSOs: Not the Only Path to Success
Savvy PRs have also mastered the art of working up pitches into eye-grabbing headlines. My favourite so far has been, “how to create an alternative Christmas”, which is intriguing enough to make you want to read further, without appearing totally self-serving. Media resources like Response Source or Gorkana Media Requests also give you an insight into angles that float the editor’s boat and are generally a great, complementary resource for the opportunity-hungry PR.
Even if you’re not promoting this season’s bright shiny object (BSO), there is hope for using the winter holidays as a reputation-booster for business-to-business brands. Sometimes, it’s a question of timing and opportunism.
“Christmas is a mixed blessing for us. Our main sectors, as reflected in the business and legal press, are a lot quieter mid December-mid January, yet traditionally this is a time when we sign big international contracts for the coming year,” said Andy Rogers, director of communications at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), who provide professional mediation services to private and public sector clients. When communications are timed around the holiday season, Andy cautions that above all, PRs should be buttoned up and as organised as possible, to secure the best outcome.
“Over the holidays you have to be well-prepared for your activity. Whether a mailing or a press release, if you have really thought ahead, you can still successfully undertake most marcomms activities. You might not hit everyone but you will certainly be competing against less activity. On New Year’s Day, a story which might not make it on to page 23 of a national can stand a chance getting on to front page with the right sell-in.”
Last but not least, if you’re in a business that dispenses advice to consumers or other businesses,
or work in a generally forward-looking industry, having your 2012 predictions published in a relevant title can be a great way to demonstrate industry thought leadership. Just make sure they’re not a blatant pitch for your wares; and instead, offer insights into 2012 trends that will impact your customers or industry at-large, and communicate what you’re doing that relates to these future developments.
How PRs can be savvier about leveraging email marketing
I recently celebrated the 40th birthday of a friend that shows no sign of slowing down (despite the advancing years) and I probably spend more time with them than my wife. This friend saves a lot of time, but sometimes bombards me with unnecessary information. A friend who I see every day at work and sometimes pops up offering vouchers, coupons and all sorts of tempting deals. This friend is often verbose, at times to-the-point, occasionally coarse and at other times tone-deaf. Can you guess who this friend is?
If you guessed email – or as it was then called, “electronic mail” – you’d be right on the money. Of course, commercial use of email hasn’t been around that long. This anniversary marks the date the very first email was sent by MIT graduate, Ray Tomlinson, over a network used by the US military. The first ever email message read, “QUERTYUIOP” and didn’t travel far, going from one computer to another one right next to it.
Tightly woven into the fabric of life and business
Since then, email has evolved into one of the most ubiquitous communications tools for personal and professional use. Pingdom reported that in 2010, 294 billion emails were being sent daily. The reason for its success is its sheer simplicity: the ability to send a communication in real-time to multiple people with full reporting capabilities.
Email has also evolved into a preferred marketing tool, appealing to the hearts and minds of receptive audiences. It has become an integral and essential part of the marketing mix, undergoing many changes over the years, including sophisticated designs, personalised content and user-friendly formats. By delivering email campaigns that convey the right messages, at the right time, to the right audience, email marketing can drive a reliable return on investment. It has also helped marketers move on from the ‘batch and blast’ approach.
This evolution has parallels with the public relations world, where gone are the days when PR consultants would “email blast” irrelevant press releases indiscriminately to hundreds of journalists. With the advent of highly customisable platforms like email marketing, not only can you reach the masses; but you can segment, inform, entertain and more effectively engage them.
Email maturity helps with ROI
As marketing budgets for digital channels such as social media, SEO and paid search fall, citing lack of return on investment, email marketing has actually seen growth in its investment levels. Its success, measurability and fast turnaround make it the most effective and preferred channel across campaign phases – from customer acquisition, retention, loyalty, up-sell and cross-sell, through to news, education and brand awareness.
Asked whether email would stand the test of time against social networking and other forms of digital communication, Ray Tomlinson (founder of email) commented: “I suspect possibly we’ll see a morphing of email and other, more instant methods. But there will always be a need for people to be able communicate asynchronously – that is, send messages that won’t be read or replied to immediately, and that’s what email allows you to do.” In today’s information-overloaded society this is probably more critical now than ever before.
Email marketing has come of age and as we continue to innovate, there are no limits to the possibilities. It’ll be interesting to see what the next 40 years hold. Love it or hate it, email is not going anywhere and is one of the most effective forms of communications.
Illustration: Dondy Razon
PR top tips to reach Screenagers – the hyper-communicative generation
On Thursday 3rd November, we attended a mashup* event about effective public relations with “screenagers”.
Screenagers, generation Y, millenials, digital natives…this group of savvy young communicators have been given all sorts of catchy titles. In short, these are the people who know more about social media than media, more about social networking than networking.
One of the presentations, from a pre-university student, Eleanor Berney to a room full of media and marketing professionals largely in their 20s, 30s and 40s, summed up one of the key topics of the discussion: should we teach screenagers, or should we learn from them?
Certainly, as PR consultants, effective communications with different audiences is our most important tool. These are our top five take-outs for future success.
1. Social media is never anti-social
As social media is the ultimate way of connecting, sharing and consuming, it should be incorporated into all experiences. For the screenagers, what’s anti-social is to not constantly communicate. Tweeting during conversations with friends and Facebooking pictures throughout an event is a way of life and ultra (not anti) social. This is why you’ll never find a screenager in a room without mobile network coverage for long – proprietors, take note.
2. Screenagers do have awareness and discretion
Screenagers know their social media and how to use it. So it’s no surprise that social media is neatly compartmentalised:
- Facebook is for personal usage
- Linkedin is for business usage
- Twitter is for everyone
- Google plus is for no one
Screenagers consider their audience. They are fully aware that they are putting themselves in the public eye and are confident that they know how to best represent themselves on the right resources.
3. Advocacy may be even more important than we realised
Public relations agencies have long been talking about the importance of advocacy and of brand advocates; communicating with the most influential media, the most influential bloggers and driving conversation. But when communicating to screenagers, we need to take this to the furthest possible extreme. The screenagers we talked to, take to Twitter to ask a question, then might try Facebook, and only then might they try Google. They don’t trust newspapers and their motives; instead, they get their information from friends or followers – whom they trust. Plus, when they’ve got so much going on in their world, Twitter’s 140 characters is way more digestible than a Sunday broadsheet’s 140 pages.
4. The restrictions that brands and marketers need to be aware of
Screenagers are not massively concerned about “their” data being sold for money, but more so about people knowing information that they shouldn’t. As a result, they make it their business to stay on top of changes in privacy settings – which Facebook is renowned for. With their confidence high in their own abilities online, screenagers are more concerned about their families revealing all on social networks. They see themselves as the digital angels, who help those who are not so tech savvy to change privacy settings.
5. For effective public relations, digital is the “D” in DNA
These bright young things wouldn’t take a job that doesn’t involve social media. But what PR agency job wouldn’t, now, offer just that? (On which matter, what client brief doesn’t appreciate that digital PR is at the heart, not just a part, of any campaign now?) These days, shared experiences drive consumer communication – and shared experiences happen mostly via social media. A leading public relations agency is one that converges digital and PR for its clients; let’s allow the screenagers to help us keep ahead of the curve.
PR – is it a woman’s world?
I am delighted but somewhat surprised to be the only woman (out of a shortlist of five) nominated as PRCA PR Personality of Year. According to the UK’s PR Week/PRCA census, the industry is two-thirds female (20,000 women in total work in PR). Over the years it’s always amazed me to see how many men attend the PR awards ceremonies; where do they hide during the day?
My gender throughout my career has been more of an advantage than a disadvantage. I howl with laughter at the letters addressed to Mr. Clive Walker. Do I look like a ‘Clive’? A greater hindrance is a surname starting with a ‘W’. Name lists that go in alphabetical order by surname are not my friend.
PR is a career choice I have never ever regretted. Only this week, with one of our clients trending globally on Twitter from a campaign we conceived and ran, the rush of adrenaline, the buzz and the excitement was as fresh as it felt on my first day as a junior PR exec in 1985.
I founded Firefly 23 years ago, in my mid-20s. Aside from delighting my clients, I had two crucial personal motivations:
1. Family: I wouldn’t have to negotiate with anyone over my own maternity cover (an unnecessary thought for the next seven years, as it happened) and I would fully support my colleagues in their balance of work and family life.
2. Learning: I would put myself on courses to develop my own potential, and I would ensure that all my colleagues would have the same opportunities of continual training and development throughout their career with Firefly. Talented people, high performers.
These motivations and beliefs are still at the crux of Firefly’s culture today.
Here are my 25-year PR career highlights in 10 points:
1. Founded Firefly Communications – 1988
2. Runner-up for PR Week Best New Consultancy – 1989 and 1990
3. First PR agency to be an Investor in People – 1991
4. Launched the first UK internet press centre – 1999
5. Joined the PRCA Board of Management – 1999 to-date
6. Won PR Week Consultancy of the Year – 2000
7. Named Best Old PR Professional – 2000
8. Became Chair of the Professional Practices Committee (Ethics) – 2002 to-date
9. Listed in The Sunday Times Small Companies Best Places to Work – 2003-2007 (highest rank achieved: no. 3)
10. Nominated for the PRCA PR Personality of the Year – 2011
Over a 25-year agency career, my lows of being a woman in PR are:
1. The late night taxi ride with a client who thought my role and responsibilities on his account also stretched to nocturnal activities.
2. Being mistaken by a hotel concierge for an altogether different kind of ‘PRO’. Note to all PR professionals: be aware of how a series of male visitors to a hotel suite may appear to the outside world (not everyone knows they are journalists and that your spokesperson sits behind that door).
3. At the age of 48 – by then a wife, mother of three, and having run my own agency for over 23 years – being introduced by one client to another client as, ‘Claire, our PR girl’. Grrr!
Nowadays, women are (or should be) so much better protected by their employers, and respected by their colleagues and clients. With nearly 50% of the PR industry aged between 25 and 34, and 60% of this age range female, a big challenge is still juggling a career with family commitments. I have seen and heard of too many talented women PRs give up on their careers post-maternity. It should not be difficult to find a way for women to find a balance and have it all. We have a shrinking talent pool – and a growing industry. We have to find ways to support and keep people.
Being nominated has prompted the LinkedIn posts you will see below, and I hope the discussions about preserving our evaporating talent pool gives employers a few ideas to think about, and our shrinking talent pool more reasons to stay in PR.
Comment on my discussion in the Network of PR professionals group in LinkedIn
Keep Mums. I’ve seen too much PR hot talent (Mums2b or Mums) leaving our industry. Our talent pool is shrinking. Got any tips for how to ‘have it all’?
Comment on my discussion in the PR Professionals group on LinkedIn
Stay or go? The economy and rapid technological changes have caused many people to flee our profession. How can we keep our (shrinking) talent pool?
Of course, I hope that the hundreds of current and ex-Fireflies, current and ex-Firefly clients, and the many thousands of people I’ve lectured or trained over the years, will vote for me; but if you like what I believe in and stand for, then please vote for me as the UK’s PRCA Personality of The Year. And like all good PR deadlines, you’ve not got long – just until Monday 14th November. Here’s the link.
Thank you.
