It’s the best feeling in PR. That first glimpse of some eagerly anticipated coverage which demanded heaps of time and hard work. It’s the incentive that gets a PR out of bed and into work every morning and sets our profession apart from others. I got my latest fix of coverage adrenaline a couple of weeks ago when watching All Star Family Fortunes on ITV1.

The scene was set, I retreated to a desolate corner of the living room during a baby shower and told the excitable, broody females around me to move their in depth conversation about cute little socks to another part of the room. This was my big moment, over seven million people were about to witness my efforts to gain the cheesiest game show exposure for our client ViewSonic and its 3D projector.

After enduring Stacy Solomon and her equally annoying sister for what seemed like an eternity, the spot prize noise went off and the projector’s 30 seconds of fame began. A video was played of Vernon Kay throwing popcorn at people while watching the a film on the projector with a ViewSonic logo at the bottom of the screen. Stacy’s brother did what was required and reacted like he’d just scored an FA cup final winner. Job done.

With this being my first successful piece of ‘prime time’ product placement, I was interested to hear this week that Coronation Street is set to become the first British soap to use product placement. The unbranded prop ATM machine in the corner shop has been changed to a bright blue Nationwide cash machine. Deals like this were made possible by Ofcom’s decision to relax product placement rules in February. This has opened up a whole new range of coverage opportunities which the PR industry should be aware of.

Peter Beck

Living in the UK, my knowledge and to be honest, overall awareness, of football has grown exponentially. While I have learned never to refer to it as soccer (unless I’m deliberately trying to annoy my Aussie husband or desk-mate Pete) I am slowly gaining interest.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a woman who loves sports, specifically American college football, but the other kind of football seems too big and complicated for me to fully wrap my head around.

However, that changed this morning when an interesting story flew across my Twitter, flagged by our director Paul, about a football team in Mexico. The team had replaced their player’s names with their Twitter handles and the handle of their biggest sponsor, which, I love this part – is a Mexican beer company.

I think this type of clever, in-your-face integrated marketing, advertising and PR is necessary in our world of saturated media. To get noticed you have to do something different, like Berkeley PR’s tagline, helping companies stand out from the herd. I’m not saying that Twitter handles on kits is the future for all sporting teams, but there is something to be said about thinking outside the box.

The unveiling caused quite a kerfuffle in the sporting and media world and the club even released a statement about the team’s new kit, “In football as in life, 140 characters are enough to decide which side you’re on.” Well, I think that sums it about up.

Olivia Calvert

One of the things I adore about working in PR is that every day is different. I don’t think I could cope with a “boring office job” where the highlight of my day is home time. Last week I got to spend the day monkeying around in the woods at Moors Valley Country Park, Bournemouth with our client, Go Ape!

It was a particularly joyous day for everyone involved as Go Ape! was launching its first tree-top adventure for under 10s, Go Ape! Explorer. It is an exciting time for the business as it is now able to meet the demands of many families with younger children who for years have watched their older friends and relatives release their inner Tarzan on the ‘adult’ course. It was also an exciting launch for the Go Ape! team at  Berkeley PR .

The team did an absolutely fantastic job in getting journalists along to the open day, with journalists from Zest, netmums, Sainsbury’s magazine, Baby World in attendance as well as Matt Rudd from The Sunday Times. It was lovely to give journalists the chance to bring their families along to take part.

I was able to some great photographs which I tweeted to help create a buzz around the launch. At one point I was also asked to be chief sound engineer and presenter for the cameraman and got some footage of a 76 year old grandmother completing Go Ape! Explorer with her grandchildren – proving that Go Ape! is suitable for all from 4 to 104!

The review that The Sunday Times’ Matt and his son Freddie gave Go Ape! Explorer this weekend was so amazing that we couldn’t stop smiling for the whole of Monday morning. We also secured a piece in The Independent on Sunday prior to the launch.

Louise

Recently, Donna and I attended a Media Masterclass evening in Westminster for a chance to hear from leading travel journalists.  Staged at the illustrious Central Hall (just opposite Westminster Abbey), the event was a perfect opportunity to find out how to build stronger relationships with the travel press, and discover more about the major PR gripes that affect journalists on a regular basis.

With presentations from consumer, trade, broadcast and freelance press, the event covered all corners of the travel media, with some useful hints on how to develop your ideas and achieve coverage. Berkeley PR currently has a growing pool of travel/tourism clients, so we both sat there like sponges, trying to absorb as much as we could.

Apart from the usual PR no-nos, there was some really valuable information on how to approach journalists, which could be useful for any PR interaction with the travel, business or technology press. Below are a few particular hints that I picked up:

• Read the publication – All delegates agreed that PRs often try to place square pegs in round holes by not reading the intended magazine or newspaper first. It makes sense to read the publication and work out where an article or feature suggestion can be placed before you pick up the phone.
• Make it topical – Success rates can be raised with a journalist if what you are discussing has a topical angle. Keep an eye on news channels and websites, watch developing trends and try to be reactive to the latest updates, linking in how your client can add something further/different.
• Social media – Especially in fields such as travel and technology, journalists are often on the move. To ensure that your news doesn’t slip through the net, social media is a great way to keep in touch and build relationships.
• Timing is everything – There were plenty of examples of classic PR mistimings the other night. When a major news story breaks it might not be the best idea to contact a journalist to discuss something completely irrelevant. Keep your wits about you, be aware and choose your moments.

Liam Sherry

One of my favourite aspects of working in public relations is liaising with journalists, so when one of our clients wanted to exhibit at Digital Winter 2011 I was thrilled! Digital Winter and Digital Summer are events organised by IDG Communications, at which leading technology companies are invited to showcase their latest products to more than 100 of the top consumer tech, national, lifestyle and prosumer press. They represent a fantastic way to promote product messages to a vast number of press in one evening.

The PR goal of these events is to create a pipeline of media opportunities for the remainder of the year, particularly as many publications plan their Christmas issues in October. This year’s Digital Winter event saw more than 120 journalists attending, and between the client and ourselves we spoke to no less than 63 of them! The journalists who attended represented publications such as Red, Men’s Health, ITV Daybreak and the BBC Click.

The event was held at the Northumberland Hotel in London.  Each vendor gets a very small table in a confined space, usually surrounded by competitors, so it is vital to make the most of the space.  It is important to think about what products and messages you most want to communicate to the press, and it is a good idea to get hold of the guest list ahead of time if possible. Once journalists start to arrive, it’s surprising how far a smile can go to attract someone over to the table. As soon as you have their attention, it’s time to communicate the planned and succinct pitch, enlivened with a dab of wit and humour (commenting on the canapés is always an ice breaker.)

PR agencies can really help companies to be more proactive at events such as this. Being shameless and carrying a clipboard gets you everywhere  – there is no room for a shy wallflower at a show with so much potential!

When I came into PR, I alway thoughts that relations would turn out to be my strong suit.  Now, having been to various events such as this one, I know that it is also what I enjoy the most!

AmyKStevens

The annual Web 2.0 Summit has just concluded in California.  As in previous years it brought together leading internet influencers with senior executives from the worlds of technology, media, finance, telecommunications and entertainment to consider the fluid, complex and ever-changing landscape of the internet economy.  The Times entertained readers with double page spreads on the summit that focused mainly on the competitive sniping.

However, for me the most incredible aspect of the summit was – and is: The Map.

The 2011 Web 2.0 Summit focused on data.  The assumption is that whoever makes the best use of data will win, so the Summit set out to explore who is doing what in each of a number of pre-determined ‘Points of Control’: location, mobile platforms, gaming, content, social etc.

The Data Frame Map, which you can see in its full multi-layered glory on the Web 2.0 Summit website, complements this theme.  It seeks to achieve the near-impossible: to visualise the new Internet landscape, highlighting the Points of Control territories and the ongoing battles and overlaps between companies, technologies and applications for the future of the network economy.

If you can overlook some of the grim punning (App-ipelago or PoliSeas anyone?) the Map is thought provoking and enlightening and worth spending some time over.

As a proud representative of the digital generation I have of course printed off a hard copy and pinned it on the wall with a drawing pin.

Tilly Travers

ITV1’s This Morning’s viewers had a bit of a shock when they tuned into Monday’s show to find a feature demonstrating the latest in vibrator technology and sex positions for the over 60s.

Twitter was soon inundated with comments from viewers shocked at the content of the feature and the sight of two OAP’s demonstrating sex position. The Daily Mail featured the story drawing on the Twitter comments to give the piece more kudos.

This shows the power of social media and how a interesting story can escalate online with images. The PR’s of those sex gadgets got twice the bang for their buck as the story continued online following national TV exposure (no pun intended).  Thinking out of the box in PR and positioning your product in a different light or to a different audience to create controversy can prove highly beneficial and can cast a much wider net for a PR campaign.

Rachel Bampton

In one of the most intense clashes in the Loddon Valley League’s distinguished history, Berkeley FC faced stiff competition from fifth placed Meadow Rangers. A win would see Berkeley FC rise to the dizzy heights of midtable – a feat thought impossible just a few weeks ago. As we gathered just before the 7.40pm kickoff, a team spirit like I have never seen overcame the team. Perhaps it had to do with the Captain’s decision to dedicate the match to our team manager’s new baby, April Theron. But like so many of our previous games, our slow start meant we were down 3-0 within minutes of the whistle. Confidence was low… again…

Then, out of nowhere, a 20 yard screamer from man mountain Chris Bullpit hit the back of the opposition’s net.  BOOM! This proved to be the catalyst for something quite extraordinary.

Within minutes, two more goals from Paul ‘Crouchy’ Deller and Captain Liam Sherry levelled the game. Suddenly we were going into half-time at 3-3, and feeling dangerously confident. But again, the slow start after the short break didn’t help. We went 4-3 down and all knew this was probably going to go the way of so many previous games. After some encouraging shouting from the captain, “Let’s win this for Emma’s baby,” Berkeley FC went forward with Chris ‘the man mountain’ Bullpit bundling over an opposition player rugby style, before scoring….4-4, with one minute to go.

Even the referee looked nervous. Then, with just 10 seconds left on the clock, Billy ‘Jokes’ Boakes did what he does so well: score from two yards out. Final score – Meadow Rangers 4 – 5 Berkeley FC.

The IT world was rocked last week with the news that Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, had passed away after a seven year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jobs revolutionised the music industry with the launch of the iPod in 2001, and then the mobile industry with the iPhone in 2007. And they were just two of his many great inventions. He had a unique ability to second guess the market and be one step ahead of his competitors. Jobs was once quoted saying, ‘You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.’

One of Jobs’ lesser known achievements was Disney Pixar. I did not know about this until he formally resigned as the Apple CEO in August 2011! He bought The Graphics Group, which he later renamed Pixar, in 1986. The company began working with Disney to produce computer-animated feature films and, in 1995, Toy Story (one of my all-time favourite films) was brought to the big screen with Jobs credited as the executive producer. The partnership went on to create the likes of A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and many more. Pixar was later bought by Disney to become Disney Pixar.

Tributes have come flooding in since Jobs’ death and it has already been reported that Sony has bought the film rights to his biography.  The official statement from Apple simply reads: ‘Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.’

I think the one of the best comments comes from President Obama, who said, ‘there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.’

Writing this blog post has been really interesting because I have found out a lot about Steve Jobs that I did not know before and it makes me respect him even more. He was an inspiration to all, not just those in the IT industry. He was an example of what can be achieved if you set your mind to something. He leaves behind a great legacy and one thing is certain, he will not be forgotten for many years to come.

Carolann Bara

Over the last few weeks I have been immersing myself in the world of social media monitoring.  With online chat increasing exponentially in terms of both volume and influence, many companies have realised that social media has the power to make or break a brand, product, service or reputation – and it’s about time they started to listen and interact with what was going on.

This is a new area for me and it took me on a journey from social media ‘dashboards’ (computer screens full of lovely colour-coded charts and graphs and tables), through complex text analytics and data processing (the powerful engines that underpin those nice charts and graphs and tables) and on to interactive engagement consoles (enabling us to join the conversation) and the use of social media intelligence to inform business strategy and decision making across an organisation .  Along the way I discovered a fluid and turbulent competitive landscape – which according to Gartner’s Hype Cycle is just about to hit the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’, after which it is due to enter the so-called trough of disillusionment and a period of market and product consolidation when everyone is expected to get their act together and sort themselves out.

I still feel a little dizzy; but also rather excited.  For us in PR, understanding what is being said about our clients online and helping them to build strong and positive relationships with their online audiences is becoming essential.   It also represents a wonderful opportunity for our industry to energise and re-invigorate itself.   It is a chance we shouldn’t miss.

Tilly Travers