Scott Sinclair's media blog

The Guardian’s X Factor miss

2011-12-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

A newspaper is an argument on the way to a deadline.

So says the ex-editor of The Times and Sunday Times Harold Evans in his brilliant, compelling autobiography My Paper Chase. And he should know.

Fast forward to now and I wonder just what the argument was on the way to The Guardian’s front page this weekend.

Under the headline ‘Celebrity culture fuelled the riots, says Duncan Smith’, the paper reports the work and pensions secretary’s claim that a “get rich quick” celebrity culture is creating an unbalanced society.

Part of the blame, he says, is that shows such as The X Factor celebrate luck over hard work.

He is quoted as claiming: “Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is The X Factor. Luck is great, but most of life is hard work.”

So far, so predictable. Unfortunately, slap bang above the front-page masthead in bold red print is a trail banner for a Suzanne Moore article on pg 44. It reads: ‘How my daughter taught me to love The X Factor’.

I can almost hear the subs saying ‘ouch!’.

Of course awkward juxtapositions of stories and messages are a fact of newspaper life, but especially on the front page they are fair game for a gentle dig.

Business South goes into bat at the Rose Bowl

2010-03-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

The home of Hampshire cricket opened its doors to the fifth annual Business South B2B expo today.

Around 100 exhibitors were at the Rose Bowl to showcase products and services. They included universities, chambers of commerce, local authorities, charities and an A to Z of business sectors.

I was at two of the debates facilitated by the Wow Company’s Peter Czapp. The first was on internet marketing and in particular how to get to number one on Google. We discussed the basic proposition that content is king so it needs to be refreshed, dynamic and of real benefit to users. In more detail, we looked at the value of inbound links, page ranks, meta tags, writing a wikipedia page, using Google Analytics and local listings, and adding your location to key search words.

The other debate was on improving customer relationships with a specific focus on ensuring existing clients know the full range of products and services you offer. There were some really helpful tips on devising opportunity matrices and customer surveys – great stuff for small or indeed any business to know about.

The event was supported by Business Link, Hampshire County Council, Southampton & Fareham Chamber of Commerce, BH1 and Kinnarps. The chosen charity was the Jubilee Sailing Trust. For more information visit www.business2businessshows.com.

The billion dollar brains who keep our digital identities in touch

2010-02-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

You’re in your 20s and you’ve built a successful internet business out of your coding skills, drive and imagination.

Someone is so impressed they offer to buy it from you for a mind boggling $1 billion, a sum way beyond the wildest dreams of most mortals.

At a stroke you could live in luxury for the rest of your life, provide for your children’s every need and still donate vast sums to worthy causes.

What would you do?

If you were Mark Zuckerberg and the business was Facebook, you’d say no.

Such extreme decisions fill the pages of a brilliant behind-the-scenes look at Silicon Valley businesses by the famous tech journalist Sarah Lacy.

The Facebook Story is a guide to the start-ups, the founders and the egos behind the innovative social networks and online communities that have fundamentally changed the way people communicate.

It’s Geekville alright with tales of all-night coding sessions, dressed down business meetings and bottom-up applications that supplanted the original web establishment.

Lacy, who writes for Business Week, TechCrunch and Yahoo! Finance, spent 18 months researching the book and interviewing such pioneers as Max Levchin and Marc Andreessen as well as Zuckerberg.

It has taken a tenacious journalist to get the visionaries, executives and venture capitalists to open up on how the Valley community turned pipe dreams into megabucks reality.

The result is a compelling book full of great insight and very human anecdotes.

Photo - ©Falko Matte - Fotolia.com

Journalism versus corporate PR at the heart of the Rolling Stones

2010-02-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

There are some fantastic anecdotes in ‘Under their Thumb’, the journalist Bill German’s account of life inside the Rolling Stones bubble.

As the editor of Beggars Banquet, the official Stones newsletter, Bill can lay claim to more insight on the band than any other member of the media.

Early copies of the fanzine were must-reads for Mick, Ronnie and Keith who invited their devoted follower to interviews, parties and exclusive gigs.

For many years, the business arrangement worked in that Bill paid his way on tours, was allowed to write objectively about the various goings on, and sold the newsletter to eager fans across the world.

But as ever money - or more accurately the corporatisation of rock and roll - got in the way.

Access can be given and it can also be taken away. As time went on, it became the tour managers, promoters’ publicists and other PR types who called the shots. One of the fascinating aspects of this book is how the various managers rather than the band members themselves decided who got backstage, who could take photos and who could say what in print. It seems that being in the band only gave you so much clout in the pecking order.

On the Steel Wheels tour, Bill recounts his desperation at being barred from taking potentially great photos for Beggars Banquet under an edict laid down by management that photographers could not shoot past the first two songs of a concert.

Showing up without exactly the right backstage pass meant Bill would have to argue with publicists and security guards to be let in. Many were not Stones fans and had never heard of the fanzine. He was accused of being a ‘delusional psychotic’ when he told one gatekeeper that Keith and Ronnie had personally invited him to the show.

Despite his undeniable credentials in promoting the Stones to thousands of fans over many years, Bill couldn’t get permission to interview the band on radio as tour promoters had auctioned off all rights to radio interviews. The various managers and PR gurus also sought to steadily restrict what went into written copy.

Rock and roll is a mammoth business and with vast sums of money invested in tours, studios and honing the right image, obviously PR has to play a role. In Bill German’s case though, it’s just a shame he was under such pressure to stop being objective.

Under their Thumb, published in 2009 by Aurum, is brilliant. Bill provides an update on more recent Stones’ shenanigans on his blog at www.billgerman.com where you can also order the book.

Chamber urges businesses to add ‘more networking’ to their New Year resolutions list

2010-01-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

Southampton & Fareham Chamber of Commerce launched its programme for 2010 with a call for businesses to make more use of its networking and marketing services.

Representatives of more than 50 businesses and charities were at the events preview, held today at the snowy East Horton Golf Club at Fair Oak near Eastleigh.

Director General Jimmy Chestnutt said the Chamber had designed its diary to offer as much support as possible for members who, he recognised, had experienced a challenging 2009.

He said this year’s Chamber membership offered increased business opportunities through more networking events, seminars, training courses, research projects, promotions and sponsorship.

Mr Chestnutt specifically referred to the Chamber’s telecommunications scheme which had saved one member a total of £6,700.

He also highlighted the Chamber Passport offers that enable members to achieve discounts on a variety of business services.

Today’s event, sponsored by Intelligent Marketing, attracted a wide range of organisations.

The charities Hampshire Autistic Society and the Wessex Cardiac Trust were represented while other market sectors included insurance, legal services, property taxation consultancy, banking and hospitality.

For more information on Chamber events, visit www.soton-chamber.co.uk.

Social media - don’t get cut on the bleeding edge

2010-01-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

Lots of companies without social media PR experience are feeling under intense pressure to try it out.

They quite reasonably don’t want to be left behind by competitors whose online engagement appears to be growing.

The explosion in popularity of Twitter, YouTube and Facebook might make it seem compulsory for a company to start a social media presence.

Certainly, persuasive marketers have been keen to advocate social media tools, but do you really need them as part of your communications strategy?

I’ve come across some wise words from both the Chartered Institute of Public Relations here in the UK and the President of SiteLogic.com, Matt Bailey, in a video interview on WebProNews in the US.

The CIPR say that there is no single magic wand that can fully evaluate the effectiveness of social media – there are a number of ways based on analytics, trends, traffic and so on.

Key to it as always is defining clear objectives at the start of your activity and what success will look like at the end. Any activity has to be set against your business strategy and demonstrate value as with other parts of the PR and marketing mix.

The CIPR reminds members and their clients that openness and transparency are key elements to being successful and that, used correctly, social media can have a real and positive impact on business.

Matt Bailey also talks about using social media correctly and counsels against throwing your brand onto Twitter just for the sake of it.

Speaking to technology correspondent Abby Johnson on Web Pro News, he describes delving into social media without a proper plan as “surgery without diagnosis”.

He says the underlying business strategy is always key and that you have to choose the medium that suits your company. “It’s very easy to get distracted from your message by focusing too much on the medium,” he says.

Good points. Social media provide a direct, personal and global way to communicate, and PR pros ought to be up to speed.

But for companies who don’t have to be at the bleeding edge of technology trends, there are plenty of other PR tactics and strategies to pursue. They can engage when it is right to do so but should also not be afraid to say no.

Government agrees first ever mandatory standards for measuring PR value

2010-01-06T01:17:00.000-08:00

PR agencies who supply communications services to government are to evaluate their effectiveness against a mandatory set of metrics issued today.

The government’s marketing and communications procurement arm, the Central Office of Information, has circulated the ‘core standards’ advice to all suppliers on its PR framework following a recent industry consultation.

The aim is to set out clear definitions for the terminology and methods that can be used to measure PR’s value where evaluation is an agreed part of the campaign brief.

Most of the standards are already well-established. On a basic level, suppliers should calculate the actual number of pieces of coverage generated including through syndication.

Another key element is ‘reach’ expressed as a percentage and quantity of a target audience exposed to one or more mentions.

There is also a new cost per impact metric, a helpful way to try to establish value for money and return on investment.

Data sources will continue to involve JICREG for local press and the National Readership Survey for national press and magazines. On the broadcast side, there is BARB (Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board) and RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research).

While there is no single comprehensive measure for digital, the advice mentions data sources such as comScore, Google Analytics and Nielsen.

The COI says that a consistent approach to evaluation will make it easier to compare results across PR campaigns and other marketing disciplines.

Standardisation will help to ensure accurate measurement and to benchmark results for future planning and evaluative purposes.

Election countdown prompts rise of the political campaigning website

2009-10-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

Fresh from their party conferences, MPs returning to Parliament today will be ramping up general election plans.

And with both main parties using digital PR to get their messages across it looks like 2010 will truly be the UK’s first ‘internet election’.

Will they be as successful as Barack Obama whose social media campaign team famously stopped tweeting the day he won office, indicating ‘job done’?

In the blue corner we have the campaign site MyConservatives.com, which crashed on launch due to the surge in interest.

It encourages both Tory party members and non-members to take part in campaign activities and social action.

You can donate directly to individual campaigns and you can find out what is going on in your area through a postcode search for local activity.

The site includes YouTube videos and you can upload ‘something about you’ to appear as your profile (so be careful what you say). You can also set up fundraising events and access online ticketing help.

PR Week has already reported industry comment on the ‘cultural challenge’ of getting UK voters to donate to parties online, so that will be a litmus test of the Conservative site as the election countdown gathers pace.

Labour was ahead of the game in launching MembersNet as its campaign website more than a year ago.

Party members and supporters can use it to stay in touch, share opinions and organise and promote events.

Unlike the media splash surrounding the Conservative site launch, MembersNet had a more incremental birth through Labour blogs and word of mouth.

As of today, you can read 8,192 event descriptions, 25,868 blog entries and 67,073 comments – a level of interest that should satisfy even the most ardent political junkie.

Over the next few months it will be interesting to see which of these sites claims victory in the battle of cyberspace campaigning – and whether that success reflects what happens at the ballot box itself.

How to regain the reputation of a national park

2009-10-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

It’s had a torrid time at the wrong end of public campaigns led by dog walkers and horse riders, but has the New Forest National Park Authority finally turned the corner in PR terms?

The Authority has a difficult job in seeking to preserve one of western Europe’s most precious heathland areas given the huge weight of often competing interests and ever growing visitor numbers.

Trying to close off areas from dogs and horses to protect precious species of plants and animals angered some local residents and led to all manner of hostile comment and press coverage. It even saw the resignation of the former chief executive.

Now though there seems to be a new approach. Local press reports report a comms shake-up designed to portray a more “supportive and engaging approach”.

New CEO Barrie Foley says the move is about helping more people understand the benefits that national park status can bring to both nature protection and recreation.

The strategy involves more emphasis on education among various stakeholders – internal and external.

The Authority is working alongside dog owners to encourage responsible ownership rather than seeking outright bans.

There is also a new equine forum to bring horse riders into the decision making process behind new guidelines on recreational horse keeping in the Forest.

In addition, the Authority is seeking more opportunities to communicate the economic benefits of Park status. These include the availability of investment funds for underground rather than overground pylons and schemes to improve land management and environmental protection.

No doubt there will continue to be many competing and conflicting pressures but let’s hope the new CEO and his team can continue to square the circle.

New-look magazine for Bournemouth businesses

2009-07-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Business and civic leaders were out in force at a magazine launch in Bournemouth tonight.

Chamber Matters is the redesigned publication of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade & Commerce.

The new monthly mag, which will have an online edition via the Chamber website, follows a thorough revamp by print solutions company Copyplus Publishing.

Chamber President Nigel Hedges performed the launch by tearing the ribbon and gift wrap from an A0-size front page replica of the first edition. He was watched by more than 150 invited guests on the terrace and lawn of the Miramar Hotel.

Mr Hedges encouraged Chamber members to share their news through the magazine and keep it “vibrant, vital and exciting”. He said: “The printed word on paper still has a vital part to play.”

After the speeches and the canapés were finished, the waiters brought out trays with - what else? - copies of the first edition.

A good read it was too, with informed comment on the Town Centre Master Vision, the Bournemouth Air Festival, the importance of reputation building in tourism, and many other topics.

With so many councillors and officers attending, tonight’s event clearly demonstrated the strong ties between the business community and Bournemouth Council, a relationship that must be successful for the town to continue developing as a major resort.

Seawork International 2009 makes a splash

2009-06-18T05:25:00.000-07:00

Renewable energy and maritime security have been key themes at the Seawork International commercial marine event in the Port of Southampton this week.

Conference sessions included how to exploit wave and tidal stream energy for generating electricity and how to install a concrete gravity base for an offshore wind turbine.

With piracy on the high seas in the news recently, there was a focus on security measures such as underwater detection and boat stopping devices.

Vessel builders and contractors were among 450 exhibitors at the event which seemed in pretty robust health despite the recession. This was my second visit and the buzz was just as evident comparing this year and last.

Somewhere around 6,500 potential buyers and delegates were due this week, offering great opportunities for Hampshire-based suppliers and manufacturers.

Many in the industry will have felt buoyed by February’s Marine South East report valuing the worldwide marine market at £2 trillion. And indeed, by the end of day one of Seawork 2009 news of fresh deals was coming out including a £2 million European military contract to supply engines for rigid inflatable boats.

The event has been another great chance for Southampton to host a worldwide conference and expo and the general mood was upbeat for the future.

The economy, the environment – it’s the same thing stupid…

2009-06-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

When the campaigning Bill Clinton pinned a note above his bed that read ‘It’s the economy stupid’ to remind himself of US voters’ main concern, climate change was not commonly seen as a bottom line issue.

These days, sustainability is a core business buzzword. Customers expect every company they deal with to be green – in everything from their supply chain to waste disposal. If you can’t do business without damaging the environment, you’d better have a good reason or people will go elsewhere.

I’ve been at a really good workshop today that highlighted the importance of environmental credentials in business.

It was run by the Enterprise Europe Network and hosted by Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

On the agenda were the key aspects every would-be supplier needs to get to grips with when responding to public sector tenders. Sustainability and ethical sourcing are vital if a bid is to be taken seriously.

The presenters pointed to helpful advice from Business Link that encourages companies to make environmental choices a priority.

On the public sector side, a clear statement of sustainability and innovation on a grand scale can be seen in the plans for the 2012 games in London, expected to be the ‘greenest’ ever.

The cover and upper tiers of the main stadium itself will be completely dismantled once the Olympics are over, leaving a very much smaller venue for longer-term use. Every bit of material involved in the construction will be recycled.

Now, that’s impressive – but the message today was that smaller businesses and organisations can be just as innovative in their own ways.

NHS supply companies braced for sector-wide commercial strategy

2009-05-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

NHS procurement managers and their suppliers are awaiting a new service-wide commercial strategy, due to be published by the Department of Health.

The operating model will guide how procurement works across the NHS at a time when government departments are expected to cut costs and be more efficient.

As a result, it will be of particular interest throughout the complex, multi-billion pound NHS purchasing and supply chain.

It was certainly being anticipated at a conference in Basingstoke today attended by 120 or so delegates representing the NHS and private sector supply companies.

The theme was about selling into the NHS via its ‘collaborative procurement hubs’. These are commercial organisations with a significant impact on how products and services are bought and managed by the Trusts within their geographic areas.

While some of the hurdles faced by SMEs in selling to the NHS are to be eased thanks to the Glover Review, it is clear that procurement hubs will be seeking to take costs out of the supply chain.

For the private sector suppliers, the message was clear: understand the market and appreciate the critical need to offer cost savings. Whatever level of engagement you have with the NHS, it is important to accept who is in the driving seat and what their definition of ‘value’ is.

There were some tensions evident today given the balance of power in what is a fiendishly complicated and competitive purchasing environment.

Let’s hope the new commercial strategy makes the best of what funds are available – for suppliers, NHS staff and ultimately patients themselves.

Could Southampton become the next Bilbao?

2009-04-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

A grand vision of an iconic building to grace the Southampton waterfront just as the Guggenheim Museum has transformed Bilbao - that was what guest speaker and former shadow chancellor Michael Portillo was advocating at the Business Southampton annual conference today.

He invited his audience of local business leaders at St Mary’s Stadium to consider whether Southampton could learn from the industrial Spanish city’s success in turning itself from a visitors’ gateway into a holidaymakers’ destination.

Like Southampton, Bilbao is a major port busy with commercial maritime traffic, so at the water’s edge you find dockland rather than beach.

As a result, the idea of British holidaymakers flying there was unheard of - until recently.

It all changed when the architecturally stunning Museum was opened and marketed well, prompting a low-cost air route from the UK to come into operation. Visitor numbers boomed and helped to put the city firmly on the world travel map.

Could Southampton build an equally iconic waterfront landmark as part of an urban renaissance?

Whether or not it’s a runner – and let’s not forget we do already have Ikea (!) – there was much to be positive about in the promotional work already being done by Business Southampton. Chief Executive Sally Lynskey outlined a series of developments the business partnership group and its city champions have achieved from events such as this year’s transport summit to promoting business involvement in local schools.

No-one today was in any doubt about the dire economic backdrop facing the city but there is solid work going on – the stepping stones Sally called it – to market Southampton and achieve the business growth and economic development that we all rely on. Mr Portillo said the aim of presenting a united face to the world would be attractive to inward investors. He said the reason an organisation such as Business Southampton exists is not for the good times when everyone can get business; it is most needed for finding solutions in the bad times.

On the wider economic situation, Mr Portillo put the recession down to “massive policy mistakes on both sides of the Atlantic” and was scathing about the lack of government response to warnings over the housing bubble and reckless bank lending. He did not agree with the current Chancellor or the IMF on forecasts for growth and fears the public finances are in even more of a mess than was indicated in the figures released with the Budget yesterday. He said: “There must be a danger that the government will not be able to borrow what it needs to borrow and that could lead to pension cuts and emergency tax measures. It is quite possible that there will be a real problem in financing the public debt.”

On the plus side, he said the recent G20 meeting had been a success and “the prospect of systemic failure in the world’s economy had been hugely reduced”. He detected a thawing in the financial markets with “a fair number of mergers and acquisitions happening”.

Overall, despite the economic crisis, today’s event was really enjoyable and the various discussions gave much food for thought on supporting Southampton’s future.

Bosses and learners take centre stage at Portsmouth awards night

2009-04-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Just as the government promises more training places for people out of work for more than a year, so Portsmouth businesses who champion work-based training have been honoured with awards.

Catch22 South East Training staged their inaugural awards bash to highlight the success of apprenticeships and other training support in childcare, business administration, health and social care, and sport and recreation. It was great to see such important work celebrated in front of more than 100 guests.

Employers picking up honours included the Co-op, Asda, Farlington Day Nursery and the Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, all of whom spoke about trainees and apprenticeships making a positive difference to the workplace and learning skills for life.

The achievements of young people aged 16-18 seeking to enter employment, college or apprenticeships on a training programme called SET4 Life were also recognised with awards.

Tasty treats on the menu at catering expo

2009-03-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

Businesses working in the hospitality sector were demonstrating their products and services in Bournemouth today.

The Hotel and Catering Show attracted hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs and an army of trade suppliers from coffee machine makers to commercial recycling companies.

Being such a broad subject, a walk round the stands could end up with a sampling of ice cream or a sales pitch about laundry services.

While trainee chefs were on view competing in a cookery challenge, there were ‘soundbite’ sessions with expert tips on staying in business during the credit crunch.

A show with fine ingredients indeed.

The Economic Voice: hearing you loud and clear

2009-03-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

If you think quantitative easing is another word for a laxative, you might benefit from the spirited online debates going on over at The Economic Voice.

Launched today, this site looks set to become a regular haunt for all those keen to argue the toss on financial issues and their political consequences. It’s more Joe Public than industry pundit.

The first posts consider whether the euro is being overvalued, how a Citigroup memo led to a global equity rally and how far banks will continue to dump toxic assets on the already besieged tax payer.

Thanks to the recession, much of the subject matter is bleak so far but the insights are genuine.

One of the more positive topics has contributors speculating on what mortgage holders should do if they have benefited from the latest Bank of England base rate cut.

Run up more credit card bills, seems the popular view.

Hey Pesto! BBC’s biz ed confronts his north east critics

2009-02-19T01:27:00.000-08:00

Did Robert Peston’s reporting of Northern Rock actually create the conditions for the crisis to get worse? That was the charge levelled against the BBC’s business editor when he travelled to Newcastle to meet people who lost jobs and investments as NR unravelled.

An item on last night’s Newsnight showed Peston’s obvious discomfort taking questions about it on regional TV and radio. He was accused of putting his ego over the public interest and causing the run on the Rock that saw people queuing up outside branches to withdraw savings.

While it’s often said that media commentators can talk us into recession, you have to feel sorry for the journalist here. No one can dispute the anxiety and stress caused to worried savers and staff of NR, but it wasn’t a single reporter who was responsible. NR failed because institutions stopped lending to it and the government was forced into a bailout. That itself led to anxiety, sure. But in the heat of reporting a fast moving story, you can’t withhold information because people might be anxious about it.

Peston made a good point. Whatever the government was going to do over the future of NR, the BBC reports and blogs were not ever going to be the deciding factor. A classic case of ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’.

Keeping pension plans on track

2009-02-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Don’t let this “multiple-whammy” recession derail your long-term financial planning - if you can possibly help it.

That was the key message to around 60 employers and business people at a networking lunch in Eastleigh today.

Nigel Odling from the stockbrokers and financial services experts, Charles Stanley & Co, gave an interesting talk on the importance of keeping an eye on pension arrangements during this tough economic period.

He said that while the population was living longer there would be increased pressure on financing our retirements and it was more important than ever to make the right choices and not bury our heads in the sand.

More acutely, the “multiple-whammy” of the present recession signals reduced income for pension contributions, a contraction in fund values, and severe impact on people relying on annuities.

And while inflation may be low right now, any future rebound could affect the value of investment savings put aside for retirement.

Mr Odling said he believed confidence in the economy was something that takes time to nurture and he urged everyone, employers and individuals, not to neglect pension planning despite the current difficulties.

Using the analogy of a train entering a tunnel, he said you don’t stop in the middle and get off or start looking for your ticket – you stay on and wait for the light at the end.

Certainly, with final salary schemes disappearing and stakeholder plans perhaps only part of the final payment mix, more and more people will have to get pension savvy to remain on board.

Today’s event, held at the splendid Concord Club in Eastleigh, was hosted by Southampton & Fareham Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Awards night shows business innovation is healthy

2009-01-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of business people from across south east Hampshire enjoyed a great awards ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall last night.

The News Business Excellence Awards 2009 was a chance to salute companies and organisations that are being positive and successful amid the now official recession.

BBC South Today presenter Sally Taylor MBE guided us through the evening as master of ceremonies, a consummate professional as always.

Nine awards, including runners-up and highly commended entries, reflected the merits of team work, community involvement, innovation and high achievement. Forty-eight entries made it onto the shortlist across all categories.

Amid such an amazing range of local businesses, some of them world-leading in their fields, it must have been a difficult task for the judges to decide on winners, but I was particularly impressed by Havant firm Mindsheet who won the Innovation of the Year category for their robot spy – a remote control device that combat troops can send into enemy territory to scout for hazards. It’s already had interest from the MoD.

Technograph Microcircuits Ltd was named Business of the Year for a stellar success story. The team has gone from printing sheet music to providing the circuitry behind some of the world’s most critical hardware systems. Orbiting satellites and jet propulsion systems were mentioned.

Also deserving huge praise was Solent Carpentry Services who won the Small Business of the Year category for growing its market share in the face of a hugely difficult construction sector.

Award ceremonies are an ideal chance to raise cash for local charities and from the 400+ guests it was great to see a combined donation on the night of more than £2,500 for the Rowans Hospice at Purbrook.

Thanks for organising the event must go to the News and the many sponsors including Business Link and the Portsmouth Property Association.

Chamber event reminds us to keep talking

2009-01-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

You might expect a gathering of today’s businesses leaders to be full of doom and gloom.

But not the networking meeting I’ve just returned from – a lunch at the Rose Bowl hosted superbly as usual by Southampton & Fareham Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Representatives from around 60 businesses were there to chat, swap contact details and preview a series of Chamber events coming up in 2009.

I spoke with a wine merchant, a motor trader, various financial services directors, a head of business development and the regional sales manager for a thriving hotel group.

While everyone was sure this will be an extremely tough year – no one was making rash predictions of green shoots like a certain UK government Minister did this week – the mood was positive.

There was a feeling that firms would do well to keep talking in 2009, learn from each other and look to regional forums and other business groups for support and advice.

The message from today’s event was that if you can ride out the recession, now more than ever is the time to make friends in the business community and build relationships for the future.

Wake up and smell the fair trade coffee

2009-01-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

As we stumble out of the pit of winter fighting off colds and flu, it’s good to know that the first ever Healthy Living show is on its way to Bournemouth very soon.

Retailers, health therapists and nutritionists will be among the exhibitors highlighting a massive selection of brands including food and drink, natural supplements and other health products.

On show will be everything from ethically sourced and eco-friendly shopping bags to herb-based hair treatments and fitness foods.

Whether you go for fair trade, veggie, vegan or just look for the healthiest option available, there is bound to be something of interest.

Experts will be on hand to discuss food intolerances, diets and other health topics and there will be free demonstrations, tastings, and workshops.

One thing that’s great about the exhibitor line-up so far is the substantial amount of local businesses involved.

And with 5,000 visitors expected from far and wide, their spending should provide a healthy tonic to the local economy too.

The show is on at the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday 28th February and Sunday 1st March 2009.

Demand for world’s biggest atlas defies credit crunch

2009-01-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Given the perfect storm encircling the economy right now, it’s comforting to know there is still demand out there in at least a few sectors - including, it seems, the market for luxury atlases.
Despite a price tag of £2,400, up from £2,000 on its initial release, interest remains healthy in the world’s biggest and most expensive atlas.
Dubbed the “ultimate book about our world”, the limited-edition Earth weighs in at more than 66lbs, heavier than most airlines allow for individual baggage allowances.
Lying closed, it takes up a third of a square metre with four gatefolds opening out to two square metres each.
There are 355 maps and 800 photos across 580 pages, all contained in a hand-bound leather cover with gilded edges and silver plated corners.
More than 100 cartographers worked on the project over two years using detail from a continuously updated world database of digital mapping.
The core audience here includes private collectors, libraries, map enthusiasts and armchair travellers. The print run is only 3,000 copies with just 200 earmarked for the UK. It is already proving a good investment opportunity with a copy selling at an auction in Dubai recently for nearly £5,000.
Earth is being distributed here by the Northamptonshire firm Global Mapping whose cartographic experts were part of the worldwide production team. The company have done well with trade marketing through the Frankfurt Book Fair and pitching to consumer media via a launch led by TV presenter and environmental campaigner David Bellamy. His words sum up the appeal of the atlas: “It is a fantastic production. The book shows that we live in a wonderful world and serves as a reminder that we must stop trashing our soils, rivers and fisheries. If we don’t, what are we going to hand on to our children? The atlas presents a detailed picture of what our planet’s natural beauty could continue to look like. It tells me that nations should speak peace and conservation to each other.”

Online marketing in the recession

2008-12-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Good to see there is some robust independent research going on into the impact of the economic downturn on sales and marketing through the internet.
A comprehensive survey of business leaders in the south west should help to reveal some interesting findings about how much store they put on having a strong online presence.
The research is important given that in the last recession access to internet resources was still some way off for most organisations trying to build a public profile.
Back then, ad budgets didn’t consider search optimisation, offline and online synergies or reaching the influencers in social networks. Now, there are lots of ways that online brand building and advertising can generate sales, but will the recession reduce or increase spending on this given ever tightening budgets overall? Just how cost effective do decision makers see online as opposed to offline?
The survey is being conducted by Southampton-based web design, hosting and consultancy company Belmont Internet Marketing and will cover a range of sectors including financial services, utilities, publishing, leisure and transport. Results should be available early in 2009. It’s worth reading the blog of the company’s Murray Cowell on search, conversion rates and other internet marketing issues.

So just what does PR stand for these days?

2008-11-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here’s a thought, which I’ll happily attribute to blogger and social media guru Neville Hobson: PR stands for not just “public relations” as we’ve always known but also “personal relationships” – especially, in today’s connected world, those relationships enabled through web 2.0.

That was the theme of a masterclass given by Neville at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in London today.

Delegates from agencies and in-house communications teams discussed the merits of twitter, friendfeed and yammer in reaching influencers and commentators as well as spectators.

We looked at the growing credibility of bloggers and the emergence of a new “digital information commons” where everything is online. Although it’s driven by technology it’s not about technology – it’s about having conversations with people at a time when channels of communication have fragmented in all directions.

There’s a lot of terminology to get your head around involving social bookmarking, file sharing, feeders and so on, but the straightforward message is that listening and talking to customers using these online tools is a PR practice that will only become ever more mainstream.

Will Obama stop the fear and loathing?

2008-11-05T01:25:00.000-08:00

Better than sex! That was how the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson described his obsession with US political campaigning.

I wouldn’t go that far but watching the election results unfold on television in the early hours of this morning was compelling viewing.

Both Obama’s victory address in Chicago and McCain’s concession speech in Arizona were delivered with tact and vision on what was undeniably an historic night. The scenes of jubilant and despondent supporters couldn’t have been more contrasting.

One key PR message from the marathon election campaign was the power of engagement through the web. The blogosphere was a completely new battleground while Obama talked of a world connected through science and imagination. Certainly his campaign team used new media and the internet to great effect. Anyone logging on to find out more about Obama was met with a host of online options and different ways to get involved from supporter to donor to activist.

It will be interesting to see to what extent the new President can bring new media to bear on keeping people interested in politics and involved in the workings of their government.

It is no small challenge given his other immediate priorities – two wars, a faltering economy and disenchantment with America around the world – but change is in the air. Perhaps the fear and loathing that Hunter S. also spoke about can pause for a moment. As has been said elsewhere, things can only get better – can’t they?

Credit squeeze prompts Ministerial briefing

2008-10-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Restoring business confidence during the economic downturn was the key theme of a meeting between John Denham MP and the Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce and Industry today.

More than 50 Chamber members, including accountants, solicitors, property agents, office suppliers and motor dealers, attended the lunchtime briefing at St Mary’s Stadium, home of Southampton FC.

Mr Denham, who is Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills as well as a local MP, said it was critically important that small- and medium-sized businesses had the best available independent professional advice to keep going.

And he said it was a challenge for both government and the private sector to ensure there were sufficient lending opportunities around for fundamentally sound business propositions - hence this week’s meetings between the Chancellor, the Business Secretary, banks and other lenders.

I enjoyed today’s briefing which was a great chance for business people to communicate directly with a senior politician who sits on the National Economic Council. Mr Denham promised to take on board the various points made and to report back through the Chamber.

Today’s event is just one of a number of Chamber initiatives to help local businesses concerned about the credit crunch and risk of recession. Members are also being canvassed for their ideas on rebuilding confidence which will be passed on to the Chancellor for consideration in his Pre-Budget Report this winter.

In praise of jargon

2008-10-07T04:06:00.000-07:00

If you thought “stakeholder engagement” meant agreeing to marry someone who aids and abets the killing of vampires, then there is good news today from Harrow council.

Such jargon is to be banned from the council’s communications with the public and replaced with plain English expressions such as “asking people what they think”.

Acronyms such as “CPZs” (controlled parking zones) will once again just be “double yellow lines” and terms such as “civic amenity sites” will be revert to being “rubbish tips”.

Local government does incredibly complex work and a lot of its jargon was foisted on it by central government dictat so I don’t think we should blame council officers for confusing language, but it’s great to see Harrow tackling the issue head on.

Every job has its jargon. The newspaper trade is full of it – sidebars, crossheads, widows and so on - and I recall a military expression that made me chuckle. Covering a territorial army exercise as a reporter, it was explained to me that the most important items of kit a soldier could ever have were MPCs or mobile personnel carriers. On closer enquiry this turned out to mean a sturdy pair of boots.

Later a cartographer told me how he had spent much of the 1960s involved in LSD, by which he meant “large-scale development” maps.

It’s obviously good practice to avoid confusing terms and stick to plain English, but I suspect jargon just has a way of creeping into any line of work and it will be with us for a long time to come.

A healthy eating promotion with the taste of success

2008-10-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

You’ve got to feel a bit sorry for TV chef and celebrated geezer Jamie Oliver.

His heart is in the right place by attempting to promote healthy diets but his new show has clearly upset some of the good people of Rotherham.

And pardon the pun but the recipe for PR fall-out was there all along. Take an aspirational Southern do-gooder, throw in an expose of unhealthy eating habits in a northern town, mix with the perception of being lectured to, and hey presto, angry community representatives.

I’m sure Jamie will survive and continue to do good work, even if that northern sage Michael Parkinson thought it was all a bit exploitative when speaking on the Andrew Marr show.

For an example of a local health promotion that worked and was non-controversial, go no further than Sandwell in the West Midlands. In an initiative called Eatwell, partners including the local primary care trust identified all the homes that were more than ten minutes from a supermarket by public transport or on foot.

The partnership then looked at what shops there were in these spaces and encouraged them to stock fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices if they were not already doing so. The aim was to prevent so-called “fresh food deserts” where people have little or no access to health eating choices.

It was sensitively handled, promoted locally and as a result more than 40 retailers came on board to join the initiative. No-one got upset and it didn’t leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Shaping a reputation

2008-10-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to a personal blog on journalism, media relations and PR.

I'm Scott Sinclair and I’ve been working as an account director at a media relations consultancy since May 2008. I love my job and I’ve wanted for a long time to set down in a kind of diary mode some random musings about what I do and the feelings I have about the way the media is changing.

My boss and colleagues at Deep South Media are happy for me to blog about all this but I want to say upfront that I’m talking from my own experience and nothing is being vetted by anyone else – though you’re welcome to contribute like anyone else, guys!

I’ve no idea how this will go! Maybe you’re a journalist, a press officer who was a journalist, someone in-house moving to an agency, going from public to private sector – I’ve done all of the above. Maybe you’ve done none of them – that’s fine too. Please feel free to leave comments (no spam please) and maybe we can get into some discussions.

Certainly, we’re all seeing strange times right now with the credit crunch affecting people’s livelihoods and causing serious loss of confidence in financial markets. How this will pan out for businesses and other organisations seeking PR services over the longer term is unclear but I guess there is always a need to communicate. Maybe we just ought to hunker down, focus on what we’re good at and continue to come up with those brilliant ideas.

By way of a first thought I confess to being bemused by this week’s Tory plans to cut down on “town hall promotion”. No surprise that local authority press officers are less than pleased. If you stop telling people what their council stands for, they will be less likely to know what services there are locally and what their council tax is being spent on. Ignorance is hardly bliss. When the LGA commissioned MORI to look at this, they found that while services have seen steady improvement, very few people attribute that to councils themselves.

There is some excellent LGA advice on building local government reputation as we move towards comprehensive area assessments and “place shaping”. It is no time to stop talking – community consultation and involvement will be ever more important.