Warwick Emanuel PR

A tale of two Twitters

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:36:00 +0000

I’ve previously written about why companies should be using Twitter to engage with customers and I’ve recently had a chance to experience two company’s twitter feeds in action, with both positive and negative results.

Since hearing that the Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s was coming to Cardiff, I’ve been following its Twitter feed. It’s unclear who is actually tweeting from the account, but the person is pretty active on the social networking service. The account publicises events and services without being pushy and also interacts with customers, whether they’re tweeting about positive or negative experiences.

This week was my husband’s birthday so we decided to head to Carluccio’s for dinner. During the day I tweeted that we were looking forward to eating there that night and was fully planning to tweet about my experience the next day – whether positive or negative.

I wasn’t particularly surprised, but still quite pleased when Carluccio’s replied with an offer to book us a table. I replied that we’d already booked but thanks and thought that would be the end of it.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were waited on by the manager, who immediately asked if it was my husband’s birthday. I hadn’t mentioned this when we booked, so wondered if whoever was operating the tweets had mentioned it to the restaurant. The waiter was extremely attentive all night, sent us a complimentary chocolate fondant (delicious) and told us our teas and coffees were also on him. Later that night we were both tweeting in abundance about what a wonderful night we’d had.

Whether our experience was down to my tweet, it is difficult to say but the two services combined were impeccable. A relative, who lives in Canada, even saw the exchange on Twitter and is determined to visit on her next trip here.

In contrast, I recently went for a family weekend away at Bluestone Park in Pembrokeshire, another company whose twitter feed I am following. Their twitter service does react to customer comments – but it seems to acknowledge the positive ones in the main. We had a lovely weekend overall, but possibly the worst meal we’ve ever eaten in one of their on-site restaurants. Myself, my husband and sister all tweeted about how awful the food and service was, yet Bluestone didn’t even acknowledge our tweets, let alone apologise. It didn’t put us off going back (everything else there was lovely), but did leave somewhat of a bad taste in our mouths.

Over half of Fortune Magazine’s 100 largest companies in the US now use the micro-blogging site Twitter to engage with customers and stakeholders, according to a study from Burston-Marsteller PR and Proof Digital. And UK companies are also coming around to the idea of using Twitter to engage with customers. But the lesson here is that purely having a Twitter feed is not enough. You need to use the service to interact with your followers, whether their experiences are good or bad. Customer service is now a big part of web 2.0 and if your company isn’t doing it, you need to be. And you need to be doing it well.

- Katie Chappelle, digital media manager

Should parent smokers’ nasty habits go up in flames?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:46:00 +0000

You may have seen the advert with the kids singing ‘I’d do anything’ from the musical ‘Oliver’. That advertisement is part of a long running campaign aimed at convincing parents to curb the amount of cigarettes they consume. As we all know, it has long been proven that passive smoking can be just as harmful as sticking the actual thing in your mouth. But the advert’s tagline ‘Your kids would do anything for you. Why not give up smoking for them?’ has been criticised by parents who smoke - claiming the media are piling guilt onto them and blackmailing them into quitting.

Recently, more research has been carried out into the relationship between second-hand smoke and the numerous ear-related infections and asthma cases diagnosed amongst children. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) argue that parents are being ignorant about the connection between their habit and their children’s health problems, hiding behind the excuse that if they smoke outdoors or when children are not in the room, then the risks are eliminated. This is not the case however as the damaging smoke lingers for a long time after the cigarette has been put out.

Individuals in the medical arena are now calling for a complete ban on smoking in vehicles transporting children. This week, the RCP are taking things a step further, by proposing drivers must never smoke in cars, regardless of children’s presence, which (surprise, surprise) has riled up the parent smokers again. Certain parents argue cars are an extension of the home, and thus interfering in this part of their daily routine, in their eyes, is viewed as an unnecessary intrusion into their private sphere.

Personally I cannot see why parents want to see this public information service advert removed, or want to argue against a ban on smoking in cars with children; why remove something which is trying to prevent their children from inhaling chest-damaging smoke? Besides, all advertising is a form of persuasion anyway, so I am glad that so far the advert has been allowed to remain on our screens. Hopefully it will be enough to convince one or two parents that their lifestyles can and do affect their children’s well-being.

- Abigail Ray, work experience student

Brown – shameful bully or stressed out boss?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:51:00 +0000

The charity at the centre of the Downing Street bullying scandal reopens today after raising serious questions over the Prime Minister’s suitability to lead the country.

Bullying in any capacity is vile but it has to be asked that in the work place, especially one as high pressure as Downing Street, is there a fine line between bullying and being an irate boss?

Gordon Brown is accused of shouting at his staff and shoving them aside, and while nobody can condone this, what exactly did these so called victims of Mr Brown expect when accepting jobs in Downing Street? Is it conceivable that they went into the role without having considered the high pressure environment that would naturally exist in such a place?

Now, I don’t want to seem callous, I have been the victim of the aforementioned shouting and shoving and I know that it can be thoroughly upsetting (I should point out now this was while waitressing in a restaurant a VERY long time ago and not in the lovely WEPR offices). However, if restaurant bosses and head chefs can get so worked up about an overdone steak what would they be like facing economic meltdown and bomb threats?

Surely if you work in an environment such as Downing Street you must expect that the atmosphere will occasionally lead to angry outbursts. Why is Gordon Brown facing this media scrutiny when another famous Gordon, Chef Ramsey, can say what he likes to his staff without a national bullying charity singling him out for criticism?

The problem is that Gordon Brown is an easy target. Despite shedding the occasional tear to Piers Morgan and having a very popular, media-savvy wife, he can seem cold and aloof and claims like this just stick too easily.

You can’t imagine someone making similar allegations about the silky smooth Blair, but I would hazard a guess that around 9/11 or 7/7 he wasn’t above the odd outburst. Personally, I wouldn’t have relished the thought of having worked in Downing Street in the Thatcher era either. The nickname the ‘Iron Lady’ hardly conjures up images of a boss to confide in, does it?

On a serious note, it must be awful to feel like a victim in your own workplace and if people do feel that they are they are being treated unfairly they should contact organisations like the National Bullying Helpline. However, it might be worth changing your boss’s name, just in case...

Katherine Williams-Davies, account manager

Fashion goes social

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:10:00 +0000

We are currently in the throes of London Fashion Week (19th – 23rd February 2010). What has struck me so far about this year’s event is not the continuation of the big shoulder trend (its here to stay ladies), nor the emergence of leather socks (thanks very much, Paul Costello) – but it seems that this year, social media is the big trend that’s emerging.

‘LFW’ was once viewed as the fashion event of the elite – attended by glossy magazine editors, industry insiders and skinny models only. Now the runway information is instantly available to everyone who wants it, thanks to bloggers, Twitter posts (follow #LFW for all updates) and even London Fashion Week’s own website.

This year, the official site is offering online streaming videos of the runway shows and a newly launched blog portal listing the bloggers who are following LFW. These include Times Fashion and Liberty London Girl – bloggers who are sure to be tweeting and posting updates, photos, videos and gossip - directly from the front row.

The fashion world’s grasp of social media is not new. Last year, Burberry linked up with Facebook to launch artofthetrench.com – a social networking site enabling fashionistas to upload pictures of their favourite trench coat, creating a community of wearers of the Burberry classic. Fashion-related iphone apps such as Shop Style and Chanel Haute Couture are also growing in popularity.

The female social media market is simply one that cannot be ignored. Facebook says its approx. 350 million users are split evenly between females and males and websites such as Cardiff Geek Girl are springing up across the UK as a way of bringing together female bloggers and social media enthusiasts.

Social media and online networking is the big trend from London Fashion Week 2010 and, unlike leather socks, it’s a trend that a lot of women are going to follow.

- Katie Chappelle, digital media manager

Do you itrust your other half?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:19:00 +0000

Do you want to donate some money to the people affected by the Haiti earthquake? There’s an app for that. Want to have a baby? There’s an app for that too. Want to stop your partner checking your text messages and emails? You guessed it. There’s an app for that as well.

For only 59 pence, the itrust application takes a screen shot of your iphone and when the phone is locked, mimics that homescreen. It means that the phone looks like it always does, but no one except you is able to access it. When you return to unlock the device, the application uses fingerprint recognition to tell you if someone tried to access your phone while you were gone – and will even playback a video of the buttons they tried to press.

There’s no getting away from the fact that online safety and social networking privacy is a huge issue. The importance of keeping certain details out of the public domain is clear. But keeping them secret from your loved ones is perhaps another matter.

According to the app’s blurb – 67% of women check their boyfriend’s phones regularly. But surely, the very action of downloading this app marks you out as having something to hide and negates the point?

If you do want to keep your texts and messages private, you might be better off using the phones passcode option. This is, after all, completely free. And less glaringly obvious.

- Katie Chappelle, digital media manager

Twixtmas - five days to change your world ....

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Ever heard of Twixtmas? Apparently, 'Twixtmas' is the five days between Christmas and the New Year holiday and PR consultant Andy Green wants to use it as a period where everyone would ideally do five small things to make our world a better place.

The Twixtmas campaign has been developed by the Flexible Thinking Forum, a not-for-profit organisation promoting flexible and creative thinking skills in business and the community, encouraging people to challenge set ways of thinking.

Andy, who is a member of the Forum, says it's not money making in any way, it's being done because it seems a good thing to do.

Although we live in a 'time-poor' age, during Twixtmas many people will be bored, fed up with sitting in front of the telly or shopping so five small things shouldn't be too strenuous should it?

But what sort of thing is being suggested? Each of the five days of Twixtmas is themed to offer a way of making the most of each day where people are invited to celebrate themselves, do something unselfish by celebrating others, and do something for a friend, for the planet, or for their future.

Check out www.twixtmas.com for ideas or partner organisation www.helpfromhome.org which shows you how to carry out home based micro volunteer activities and "change the world in just your pyjamas"!

Is it too late to do anything? It's never too late and as anthropologist Margaret Mead said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Happy Twixtmas to you.

Jackie Sinclair
Account Manager

Being social, yet secure

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:36:00 +0000

It was announced this week that lessons in internet safety will be taught in schools from 2011.

Facebook has an age limit of 13 – but with much younger users flouting the rules and cases of teenagers posting their mobile phone numbers online, there have long been calls to make the site’s security measures more robust.

And Facebook itself seems to have woken up to the fact that to reduce bad press for its security measures, it must review those often complicated settings. Which is probably what prompted the recent open letter to members from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

In it, he acknowledges that when Facebook was first developed, it was used primarily by students who wanted to share content with other students in their online university network.

Facebook then grew and began to include networks for companies, regions and even full countries, with users perhaps not realising that anyone in the same network (eg Wales) could see your profile, even if you were not ‘friends’. With almost 50% of Facebook users belonging to a network, the social networking site now acknowledges that “this is no longer the best way for you to control your privacy.”

Zuckerberg goes on: “The plan we've come up with is to remove regional networks completely and create a simpler model for privacy control where you can set content to be available to only your friends, friends of your friends, or everyone.”
Even more exciting is the fact that you’ll now be able to control who will be able to see each piece of content you upload to the site, making it simple to control what goes into the public domain.

So, not everyone has to know about what you got up to at the office Christmas party, and your dignity - and perhaps your safety - could remain intact.

- Katie Chappelle, digital media manager

Trial by Twitter

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:06:00 +0000

It’s well documented that Twitter is growing in popularity. Data from Comscore shows that over 58 million people are now using the micro-blogging website – that’s an increase of 949% in just twelve months.

Twitter is perfect for dealing with breaking news, with the most tweeted subjects quickly becoming trending topics. Just try and avoid finding out who’s become the latest X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing casualty on a Saturday night – it’s impossible if you’re on Twitter!

But Twitter has another side too. It’s great for creating a sense of community and with that community comes ease of sharing information. When readers were understandably outraged after reading Jan Moir’s article about the death of Stephen Gately in the Mail, people quickly tweeted about their anger, making the journalist and the newspaper trending topics in their own right. As a result, people who’d never normally have read the article were logging on, to find that they were also upset and angered by what they read and going on to write about the piece on Twitter. Moir claimed she was the victim of an ‘orchestrated campaign’ and while this wasn’t ‘organised’ as such, Twitter quickly became a place for the lynch mob to vent their anger and drum up support. It didn’t take long before tweeters were calling for her resignation and the Press Complaints Commission received a record number of complaints.

Earlier this week AA Gill became the latest Twitter villain after he wrote in an article for the Times that he had shot a baboon, because he “wanted to get a sense of what it might be like to kill someone”. The columnist quickly became a Twitter trending topic as people voiced their shock – invariably leading to comparisons with Moir and pledges from tweeters to boycott Gills column in future and calling for his column to be dropped.

There’s no doubt that these articles contained comments which were offensive and upsetting to many. Whether Twitter-notoriety is something that the writers were consciously aiming for remains to be seen, but the lynch mob mentality can leave a bitter taste in the mouths of users. While it is clear to see why these articles are seen as outrageous and may have deserved complaints, surely Twitter is better used for drumming up positive support - as seen in the ‘We love the NHS campaign’ – rather than jumping on the lynch-mob bandwagon....

- Katie Chappelle, Digital Media Manager

‘Don’t let the sun go down on me...’

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:51:00 +0000

The Sun newspaper made its own headlines this week with the announcement to ditch Labour in the run up to the next general election. So should Gordon Brown really be worried?

Many political commentators see this as a massive blow for a Labour party already suffering in the polls believing that The Sun has the power to swing public opinion towards one party or another. But, can the opinion of one newspaper, even if it has the largest circulation in the country, really affect the outcome of a whole general election?

Certainly in 1992 and 1997 The Sun claimed that they had played an important part in first the defeat and then the victory of the Labour party. Famously, in 1992 they showed their colours with the headline, “If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain turn the lights out”. In 1997, they announced their about face with the declaration, “The Sun backs Blair” just before the party’s landslide victory in May.

However, can it truly be said that The Sun sets public opinion or would it be more appropriate to say that it is led by it? Surely, a newspaper’s main aim is to sell papers. Therefore, they are unlikely to try and alienate the majority of their readers by going against their political feelings.

A potentially telling sign is the fact that The Sun’s announcement came a day after Ipsos Mori announced that their latest opinion poll had seen Labour drop into third place with 24% of the vote behind the Conservative’s 36% and the Liberal Democrat’s 25%. This would indicate that Labour is already in a pretty weak position.

If history is an indicator, Gordon Brown should perhaps be a little worried. While a newspaper, especially with today’s declining readership figures, may not be capable of swaying the opinion of a nation, The Sun, like rats off a sinking ship, knows when a battle is already lost. In Gordon’s own words, "It is people that decide elections, not newspapers” and it seems The Sun believes the people already have.

- Katherine Williams-Davies, Account Manager

10 tips for businesses using Twitter

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:05:00 +0000

My top ten tips for businesses using Twitter;

1. You only have 140 characters (including spaces) so keep your message tight.
2. Provide helpful information others can use.
3. Monitor what people are saying about you.
4. Use outbound links as much as possible.
5. Put your website address on everything.
6. Survey your competitors’ messages.
7. Update your account regularly.
8. Keep your message simple.
9. Be human.
10. Don’t just transmit, take part.

- Katie Chappelle, digital media manager

Consumers make the most of multimedia

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:43:00 +0000

There was a time when the only champions fighting for consumers were the Trading Standards Association or BBC Watchdog, but the rise of the internet has allowed an increasing number of individuals to don the gloves and come out fighting.

Consumers with a gripe are no longer limited to sending off an angry letter, fruitlessly visiting a customer services desk or ringing a ‘helpline’ where nobody can actually assist them.

Instead, an increasing number of individuals are choosing to blog about their frustration, rant on Twitter, air their grievances on a forum, link up with others on social networking sites or take on corporations single handed via a range of online outlets.

Networking sites, such as Facebook, offer the perfect opportunity to ‘meet’ other individuals who share a similar interest and create groups to discuss music, television programmes, or an enemy in common.

Easyjet found this to their detriment after a group of passengers became stranded in Corfu earlier this year and a law student on board created Facebook group to take legal action against the airline. To date the group has over 80 members and resulting news coverage has been seen throughout the world. The passengers’ fight to receive an acceptable level of compensation continues, but whatever the resulting payout may be it is likely to cost less for the company than the damage to its reputation in the process.

American Airlines found themselves heavily paying the price after incurring the online wrath of customer Dave Caroll who aired his homemade video complaint on Youtube.

The ‘song and dance’ over a broken guitar could easily have been settled for a couple of hundred dollars, but after the video received over 5million views in just two months and negative publicity followed the company’s share prices plummeted. Dave Carroll’s catchy revenge track reportedly lost American Airlines 10per cent of their share value - a staggering $180million. That could have bought a lot of guitars!

An increasing number of consumers are not only using ‘mashup’ sites like Tripadvisor to feedback about their holiday and hotel experiences, but also to research before they book. According to the 2009 annual Thomson and First Choice trends report half of holidaymakers surveyed use reviews for insight into their holiday or hotel destination, with 80 per cent of them mostly trusting the feedback that they read.

The rise of user generated content websites has satisfied an increased interest in ‘peer to peer’ recommendations which are often trusted more than the websites of the companies and information they have released themselves.

Whilst negative feedback on review sites may initially harm the reputation of a company and potentially dissuade a customer from making a booking, they do at least offer the opportunity to post a response if they wish to. Others may only be able to watch as their rating and share prices fall back down to earth with a bump.

- Victoria Whittal-Williams, Account Executive

Shocking drivers into saving lives

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:14:00 +0000

In an age where videos are increasingly used to convey important information, WEPR’s filmmaker Stephen Thomas, gives an insight into his role in creating a hard hitting film for the police that is intended to save lives.

We’ve all been there. We’re driving along in our cars, bopping to some tune on the radio when suddenly the mobile phone announces it has received a text. Someone outside the cocoon of the car is trying to communicate with us. Who is it? Is it important? Better just have a quick check to make sure. Everyone does it, don’t they?

Texting while driving is one of the biggest causes of traffic accidents in the UK and studies have found that it is more dangerous than drink and drug driving. Furthermore, 50% of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 admit to texting while driving. These frightening facts are some of the reasons why I jumped at the chance to work on a film tackling the issues for Gwent police.

The film, called Cow, shows how a trip in a car for a group of school girls ends in tragedy for themselves – and passing motorists – after the attention of the school girl driving is distracted by her attempts to send a text.

The director didn’t just want to wag his finger and give a lecture about the dangers of texting while driving, so he wrote a 30 minute drama. This is very important as the target audience - young drivers - are very much desensitised to blood, gore and violence, by the modern media. The audience needs to care and be given a chance to relate to the characters before their lives are destroyed - otherwise the whole film is in vein.

With its shocking visuals and striking message the film is intended for distribution within schools - but it is also already getting attention online. And undoubtedly, as more and more children are shown the film in school, the number of online hits will increase thanks to powerful social networking sites which children will use to share films.

I’m sure everyone that worked on the project - including the brilliant people from the emergency services who have to deal with these situations on a daily basis - will agree that if this film helps to save one life, all the hard work will be worth it.

There’s jobs in them thar valleys

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Given the current economic climate we can’t be surprised by an increase in UK unemployment to its highest level since 1995. But it isn’t all doom and gloom for those struggling to find work.

JobMatch, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department for Work and Pensions, is one example of a jobs initiative that is working. It can provide hope for thousands in the south Wales valleys, although we would say that (having promoted the project since its roll out last year). JobMatch has already helped over 3500 people from the Heads of the Valleys into work – fact.

The initiative is now well on its way to reaching its target of helping 10,000 people in the Heads of the Valleys area into employment by 2012. That’s no mean feat given the area’s background of higher than average unemployment and fewer job opportunities.

And, modesty apart, our promotion of the project has been a crucial factor in getting the initiative noticed by many job hunters - by generating numerous and varied media hits. The ‘I’m much better off now I’m working’ campaign focuses attention on the lives of people who are long term unemployed, highlighting the reasons why people would benefit from being in a job such as higher income, increased self esteem, more confidence and personal fulfillment, with real life case studies used to illustrate all.

With fewer jobs available, returning to work has got harder, so now more than ever hope must be maintained for jobseekers everywhere. The media can help by continuing to promote job successes. But so can we – if you’ve recently discovered for yourself the benefits of returning to work or know someone who has, take advantage of new media and, like me, get blogging.

Rachael Mullins, Account Manager, Warwick Emanuel PR

A different approach to ‘don’t do it’ campaigns

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:18:00 +0000

Advertising and advisory campaigns urging people to take action against something - be it drink driving, domestic violence or smoking are usually hard hitting, shocking and even scary. The aim is to leave a lasting impression and change behaviours. But the problem is that their effectiveness isn’t always easy to measure.

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and other utility companies around the world have for many years taken this ‘don’t do it’ approach, giving people serious and useful advice on not throwing inappropriate items down the toilet and causing blockages. But there are so many similar campaigns, the challenge is how to make people take notice. So we thought we’d try something different.

The main long-term target for behaviour change is teenagers – particularly teenage girls. So we decided to enlist the help of Welsh teenagers to promote what we called the ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign. It’s a spoof cowboy film, starring pupils of Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg, Church Village, near Pontypridd.

The star is 16 year old Jay Worley, who acts the part of a tough sheriff determined to put a stop to the Dirty Dozen – helped by five fellow pupils. The film, set in an old style Wild West saloon bar (actually the pub next to our offices), is being shown on the large screens at the Eisteddfod and has been covered by the BBC, newspapers and radio stations across the country.

An effective campaign can be measured by newspaper coverage and in the number of hits to websites where the information is on show. But this is a very long-term campaign. Ultimately, it’s a long way down the line as to whether people respond and change their behaviour. So, will the Dirty Dozen be successful? Only time will tell, but according to a number of viewers this is certainly hitting the right buttons, is memorable and takes a refreshing approach to tackling a serious issue.

Nicola Roberts, Account Director, Warwick Emanuel PR

Wedding marches it's way to the top of the chart

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:27:00 +0000

By now you've probably seen the unique wedding entrance video that everyone's talking about - but if not, you can watch Jill and Kevin dance their way to alter here.

At the time of writing this, the film had 8,003,209 views and these numbers are increasing by the minute thanks to coverage in the Telegraph the Mail and many more news outlets across the globe. The video's already shot to number one in the viral video chart, so expect the couple to appear on Good Morning America, the Oprah Winfrey show and GMTV (via video link) any day now.

A similar phenomoneon happened with the couple who roped in their wedding party to perform a full replica of the Dirty Dancing final dance back in 2005. That film's had over 6 million views and the couple, who are originally from Cardiff, were even invited to re-enact their dance live on Oprah, complete with a cameo appearance from Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze.

When Jill and Kevin decided on their unique wedding march, I doubt they had any idea that it would be seen by millions of people all over the world. And perhaps what this clip proves best is that viral films don't have to be made by big companies, who spend hours brainstorming clever ideas and hiring professional film makers. This film shows that real-life and talkability can make a viral spread across the internet like wildfire.

Ten signs that you’re addicted to Twitter

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:26:00 +0000

1- You now think in sentences of 140 characters or less.

2- Whenever a big news item breaks, you can’t wait to log on and see what others are saying about it on Twitter.

3- You log into your Twitter account before checking your emails, or Facebook.

4- If something funny/annoying/ unusual happens to you, your first thought is how you’re going to tweet it.

5- You scorn any friends/colleagues who aren’t on Twitter….if they’re not on Facebook either, then they’re not worth talking to.

6- You break into a sweat when going on a plane/watching a film at the cinema/climbing a mountain with no signal – as you won’t be able to monitor your incoming tweets.

7- You’re considering getting an iphone - purely “because it’s so much easier to tweet on the move.”

8- You rely on Twitter’s trending topics to tell you what people are talking about, above BBC News’ ‘most read’ news items.

9- You discover a new comedian/singer /product and immediately log on to see if they have a Twitter page.

10- You tell your Mum to join Twitter, so that you don’t have to keep phoning her to chat.

Oh dear, I’m already displaying signs 1-9….. Mum, I’ll call you later, I promise (!)

- Katie Chappelle, Digital Media Manager, Warwick Emanuel PR

A-list drama unfolds live on Twitter

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:21:00 +0000

On the night of Sunday 21st June, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was at the Much Music awards in Toronto, where he was presenting an award. Perez, who’s an avid user of Twitter, was posting messages throughout the night, commenting on the performances - until the early hours of the morning when he simply posted;

I'm in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel now. Please.

Whether Perez had called the police himself or was just relying on his twitter followers to do that for him is unclear. His next post read;

I was assaulted by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.

He kept tweeting similar messages until the police turned up. Within an hour Will.i.am had opened his own Twitter account in retaliation and posted;

i just made a twitter account because it isnt cool for someone to blame you and blast you with lies...

He went on to link to his video statements on dipdive, to which Perez responded on Twitter;

@iamtherealwill There are multiple witnesses. You can deny all you want. The truth is the truth and I am telling the truth.

Perez then went on to record his own video statements on his blog.

The incident is now said to be in the hands of the authories…..but this just shows how powerful social media is for getting your message out there, and how quickly you need to respond if you find yourself in a crisis situation.

What happens next in the Perez/Will.i.am drama remains to be seen, but it’s likely to be played out very much in public - and you can bet Twitter will be the first place to see the latest developments.

- Katie Chappelle, Digital Media Manager, Warwick Emanuel PR

Trust me – I’m on Twitter

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:45:00 +0000

There has been a steep rise in the number of professionals using social networking sites for work as well as play, and now other groups are catching on to the benefits of getting online. But how trustworthy are these sites really for sourcing accurate information or getting your message across to the masses?

Earlier this week it was reported that after security forces in Iran blocked telecommunications and email to limit dissent, protestors made the most of access to micro blogging site Twitter to issue ‘cyber warfare guides’ to confuse the government.

Whether this was successful is not known, but it is suggested that false accounts were set up by government agents during this period to spread disinformation and thwart the protestors’ plans.

As with much of the content of the internet, it can be difficult to know if what you are reading is actually true or placed there for alternative reasons. The reliability of Twitter was undermined by an article in Metro this week which states that the website has been voted ‘Britain’s least trustworthy website’ by polling specialists OnePoll, as users are essentially able to assume any identity.

Most trusted website is deemed to be Martin Lewis’s moneysavingexpert.com. However, OnePoll’s proud declaration to be voted ‘top pick’ on the consumer advice website suggests that their poll results may not be entirely reliable themselves….

Victoria Whittal-Williams, Account Executive, Warwick Emanuel PR

Facebook frenzy?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Expect a bit of a scrabble if you’re trying to log on to Facebook tomorrow (13th June 2009) at 05.01am GMT. The social network is launching its custom usernames service, which means you can now register www.facebook.com/yourname as your own, rather than being given a random jumble of numbers, which is what happens now.

This will of course, increase your profile’s shareability - much like Twitter and MySpace - and could increase your branding strategy. But some users are concerned about cyber-squatting. This is seen regularly on Twitter where people set up fake accounts pretending to be celebrities or companies and then post tweets supposedly to be from them. But these are often obvious and soon get found out. It is not easy to pull the wool over people’s eyes in the world of social media, and I expect the same thing will happen with Facebook usernames!

But it could be a worry for brands and trademarks – someone squatting on your company name could reduce your searchability and compromise your message. Our advice; if you really want to make sure no-one can compromise your brand, get on there at 5.01am. If you already have all the Facebook friends you need, stay in bed…….

- Katie Chappelle, Digital Media Manager, Warwick Emanuel PR

Susan Boyle – where virals go wrong?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:55:00 +0000

So tomorrow (Saturday 30th May) is the final of the reality TV show Britain’s Got Talent.

A large part of the show’s coverage this year has been thanks to 48-year-old Susan Boyle – a church volunteer from a village in Scotland who told the judges she’d “never been kissed”.

She became an instant hit when – despite her frumpy appearance – she belted out a pitch-perfect version of the song ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables and was soon dubbed the ‘Hairy Angel’ by the tabloid press.

The video of Susan singing soon became a viral smash – becoming one of the most viewed films on YouTube. A-listers like Demi Moore were soon Tweeting about Susan’s performance and she was even invited to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show in the US, among others.

But the backlash soon started in the media – stories slating Susan for changing her appearance began to emerge after she dyed her hair and was snapped wearing a new outfit. Last Sunday the nerves were clearly getting to Susan during her performance of ‘Memory’ from Cats and her initial shaky notes were soon picked up and run with by the media. But still, she made it through to this weekend’s final.

Then this week. an article in the Mirror claimed Susan was caught shouting a 4-letter tirade, following judge Piers Morgan’s comment that Swansea singer Shaheen Jafargholi gave "pound for pound the best singing performance in the semi-finals".

Today the headlines continue – with some even saying she may quit over the media attention – although that’s being strenuously denied by Britain’s Got Talent.

However, bookies are still placing Susan as 10/11 favourite to win the show and the support for Susan on social networking sites continues.

So, whether Susan wins or loses, she’ll always have the coveted title of being one of the most popular singers on YouTube – which could never look too bad on your CV. Not bad for a frumpy 48-year old church volunteer who likes to sing.

‘Oldest person on Twitter’ – Cynical PR stunt?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:47:00 +0000

‘just had my tea now its a game of dominos with my friends’ and ‘had a very nice lunch going to watch a film this afternoon i think we are watching the sound of music’ – just some of the tweets recently posted by 104-year old Ivy Bean, also known as ‘the oldest person on Twitter’.

The story of ‘IvyBean104’ micro-blogging about life in a care home was featured in The Telegraph and The Sun, amongst others, and at the time of writing this, Ivy had 13,122 followers on the social networking website.

But there was outrage from some media outlets, when it was found that the whole thing was part of a publicity stunt – set up by technology support company Geek Squad. Social media is often seen as an outlet for citizen journalists, ordinary people giving their opinion about events, who don’t seem to like it when companies hijack the conversation in disguise. And normally this is right – pretending to be someone you’re not in social media is just misleading and leads to a lack of trust. But the Geek Squad made it obvious that the press release had come from them, and it generated mentions in the daily press – as well as countless online magazines and blogs.

It’s been called a ‘self-serving, cynical PR stunt’ but Ivy Bean – who claims she is using Twitter because she is bored of Facebook – now has a worldwide reputation for being the Grooviest Granny in town.

- Katie Chappelle, Digital Media Manager, Warwick Emanuel PR

Quote of the week

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:19:00 +0000

On a BBC trailer vox pop for a BBC radio programme:
Reporter to member of the public “Do you know what the Privy Council is for?”
Reply: “No, we’re from Southampton.”

Nominated by Wynford Emanuel, Director of Warwick Emanuel PR

Fancy a trip to Queensland?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:51:00 +0000

So, was the ‘Best Job in the World’ the best PR campaign we’ve seen so far this year?

While many are full of compliments for its simplicity, there have been quite a few newspaper and online articles questioning its effectiveness in attracting people to Australia’s Queensland.

It was certainly well-focused. As the UK is a prime target for potential tourists there was a lot of PR activity here. And is it much of a surprise that a Briton won, resulting in massive UK publicity?

But here’s the clincher: we all know about it, many of us have discussed it and you’ve been reading about it. There’s not much more you can ask for. And only in about a year’s time will we know whether it had the desired effect in these belt-tightening times.

And as a Queensland fan, it reminds me that I’d love to go back. So it’s a thumbs up from me.

- Wynford Emanuel, Director, Warwick Emanuel PR

Could public relations help in a recession?

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Business people do some funny things in a recession. All of us need to cut costs and eliminate waste – but sometimes it’s hard to fathom the logic.

Where does the axe often fall first? On the marketing & PR budget! The average spend is down 15 per cent so far this year, apparently. It’s hard to understand. You cut your marketing budget to save money and then fewer potential clients and customers notice you. It can accelerate a downward spiral.

But there is a different way, and it’s all to do with spending smarter. You could divert some budget to non-traditional approaches – ones that get you talked about. It’s all about New Media. There are great opportunities to reach audiences via low cost films and podcasts that reside on your website, and even on YouTube.

A short but well-crafted film can get your message over brilliantly. It is inexpensive, long-lasting and brings a human touch – and also helps people think they know a bit about you. And if you make it entertaining, your video can spread like wildfire. Remember Cadbury’s viral of a drumming gorilla? A huge success.

More modest budgets may focus on simple case studies showing what you can do, like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEd3ls-BwIY

Or this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP7cqhVgEfM&feature=channel

And if you want to get your message over in a totally different way, you could take this approach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0DEq94KYV0

And you can back these up with well-designed ezines, podcasts and blogs. But that’s another story.

- By Wynford Emanuel, Director of Warwick Emanuel PR

Marketing in a recession

info@wepr.co.uk (WarwickEmanuelPR) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:25:00 +0000

Whatever the description, using digital, social or new media to communicate effectively with customers is fast becoming big news for business and Warwick Emanuel Public Relations is ahead of the game.

Click here to watch our film and see how using new media could help you and your business; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuPVNcpVoq0