Posts Tagged ‘PR’

Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.  This was the reaction of my University friends when I told them that I was venturing into the glamorous world of PR.  As I had already done a period of work experience with a PR firm I knew that this was not the case, however I was more than happy to play along with the stereotype.  And with a certain level of smugness I tell them that I am a Junior Account Executive.  This is because executives stroll round in pin striped suits, slam doors and shout, “Come on, we need the Japanese report done by six o’clock.”  It is amazing how deceptive a job title can be.

It comes as quite a shock when you first realise how ignorant you actually are to the industry you have been appointed to work in.   Not since my first day at primary school when I managed to get myself locked in the toilets have I been so out of my depth.  But, there is light at the end of that long and murky tunnel.  My head has finally stopped spinning and some of these abbreviations that fly around the office actually make sense.  All going to plan, I will be an Account Executive before I know it.  So when people in the pub ask what I do I can sound just as obnoxious as I tell them that I am an Account Executive.  That is unless they work in PR and actually know what that means.

John Lydon enjoying some margarine

Much of my PR experience has been in business technology so the opportunity to use a celebrity to endorse a product/service has been thin on the ground. However, I am fascinated how brands choose celebrities and what effect they then have on awareness/sales/buzz and also on why public figures choose to endorse certain products – apart from the filthy lucre of course.

There have been two recent advertisements that have really surprised me - John Lydon for some margarine or t’other and Iggy Pop for a car insurance firm. Two of the most anti-establishment figures around in their seventies heyday and possibly the least likely people to pop up on TV advertisements - who would honestly have picked them as brand ambassadors? Yet both ads have attracted a lot of attention, and according to Brand Republic the John Lydon one has been hugely successful, with an 85% increase in sales. If you had said to Johnny Rotten in 1977 that he would end up hawking margarine on TV he would have had some choice words to say to you. And he would no doubt defend his right to do so now, but he remains an unlikely brand figurehead despite the campaign’s success.

The same goes for Iggy Pop and whatever car insurance it is he is flogging. I am not even sure that Iggy Pop is famous enough to do an ad like this. Anyone that had heard of him and knew his music would be vaguely appalled at the thought, whilst everyone else would be wondering who that weirdo is, ranting about the ‘gift of time’.

It is rare to see credible celebrities doing work of this nature but if it works I guess the brands aren’t complaining. Are these former punks really so short of a few quid though, that they are willing to compromise their musical legacy? Do John and Iggy really use the products they are endorsing (I think Iggy’s insurance premiums would be off the scale, what with all the, ahem, lifestyle choices he has made)? In a way it seems unfair that say, Eva Longoria can advertise ice cream and people don’t think any less of her (not that she looks like a choc ice has come within a yard of her) but for musicians and/or ‘edgy’ personalities it seems much more of a sell-out.

Or maybe other people aren’t as sensitive about punks in adverts as me.

A quick look through my feeds and it seems like everyone turns into Nostradamus this time of year… Rather than cobble together a post on what I think the business world will hold for us in ‘09 (as I have no idea to be honest) I thought I’d jot down my business (PR) resolutions instead.

We know it is going to be a tough year and this is how I plan on dealing with it.

1. Work flexibly — Be as productive as possible, limit travel to absolute necessity and get through the most work I can during working hours

2. Reduce evening working — Often just because I haven’t been as productive during the day as I could be but it leaves me feeling peed off if I work late all the time

3. Service, service and service — Clients HAVE to come first in our business but I intend to ask for a lot more input into how we are doing, where we could improve and continue to make sure our service is impeccable this year

4. Ramp up new business — Keep networking both on and offline, look at new services we can offer and continue to be competitively priced in 2009

5. Don’t look for the answer to “How’s business?” in spreadsheets — Continue as I always do to get out there and speak to clients, participate in campaigns, direct programmes and be a partner for clients.  The numbers only tell you so much….times like these mean you need to keep your head up and get out there

6. Keep hiring — New business was great for us at the end of last year so we are in a good place.  In the past, I have seen agencies try to squeeze FAR too much work out of people when the economy is bad, it is essential to keep hiring within your means, be fair to employees, reward loyalty and make sure people aren’t ground into the floor or you’ll lose all your good people the minute the economy picks up

7. Keep listening and learning — Whilst it might be tempting to offer the safe old campaigns and ideas in PR this year, that is not where the results will come from in many cases or where the budgets will be….need to keep improving, trying new stuff and measuring it as we go because nobody’s an expert unless they keep learning

8. Keep collaborating and helping out — Last year really was the year of community for me and I want to keep that spirit up this year

Cross posted at www.beckymcmichael.com

John Sergeant and dance partner

There are two stories that have dominated the UK media today. My colleague Nick has addressed one of them in the post below and I am going to turn my attention to far less weightier issues - John Sergeant pulling out of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition.

A few months ago he was a respected but straight-laced political correspondent, famous mostly for being the reporter shoved out of the way by Maggie Thatcher’s goons when she announced her resignation. Fast forward a few months and he is approaching national treasure status thanks to his comically bad dancing, chubby-faced charm, way with a quip and position as the nation’s favourite underdog.

The manner of his departure was exquisite too; it was dignified and timed with a perfection he couldn’t quite manage on the dance-floor, as he realised that his continued presence on the show was starting to grate. He has left with reputation not just intact but hugely enhanced and it’s an exit strategy that people from many other walks of life would be wise to follow.

Good on you John!  And good luck to Christine Bleakley, my personal strictly favourite on the show.

At the time of writing there were around 1,000 articles about this on Google News and Bruce Forsyth had just been on the Six O’Clock news to talk about John’s decision. If this story is worthy of the media frenzy it has generated is another matter entirely, but it has to be said that the whole thing has been an absolute PR triumph for John Sergeant.

Just stumbled across a really useful post for PRs wanting to follow and interact with journalists on Twitter by Stephen Davies.  Lists like this always make me a bit nervous but here’s hoping people respect Twitter as a conversation medium and don’t just abuse the system, although the “unfollow” button is only ever a click away.