On the right track – which train companies are derailing negative press? 

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Alongside a prolonged increase in coverage related to industrial action, train companies have been generating more national coverage in other topics too — year on year since the end of COVID-19 lockdown.

National events and crises, like the SNP leadership election and ongoing inflation, have been strong drivers in this increase of transport-related media discussion. As a result, general media interest has grown in lesser known services and smaller, company-related stories that were not otherwise generating national awareness prior to 2021.

According to the International Union of Railways, the British train sector only managed to ‘get back on track’ from COVID 19-related losses in 2022 — the Department for Transport (DfT) reported ridership as high as 95% against pre-lockdown figures.

Key Takeaways

  • Throughout Q1, Merseyrail received the highest positive and lowest negative coverage compared to competitors.
  • Avanti West Coast were a prominent feature in two of the top five news stories so far in 2023.
  • Tourism acted as a consistent source of positive coverage for Eurostar, with a particular focus on money-saving tips from families visiting Disneyland Paris and Germany.
  • When not reporting on industrial action, media interest gravitates towards examples of ‘value-led’ customer service that reflects sustainability, diversity, and inclusion.
  • ‘Reliability’ has been the most-used term used in national headlines since 1 Jan, with significant attention around Avanti West Coast and the companies that make up Govia Thameslink Railway.

Despite this slow but steady success, new challenges are arising — particularly in regards to climate goals, industrial action and ticket costs — that could quickly undo the state of economic recovery that was lost throughout the pandemic. According to independent watchdog Transport Focus, less than half of passengers feel railways deliver value for money, meaning coverage around fares and customer service will continue to be in the spotlight.

Share of Voice

 

*Data shown above was collected between 1 Jan – 1 Apr 2023 and reflects all national news coverage mentioning UK train companies in the headline or body of text. The final six companies above received the highest volume of coverage overall.

Throughout the measured period, Merseyrail received the highest positive and lowest negative coverage compared to competitors. The company’s most popular positive story was in relation to its long-awaited , which was covered by national news outlets between 22 Jan and 2 Mar 2023.

However, coverage took a slight dip between 3 – 14 Mar when all new trains had to be temporarily withdrawn due to a ‘software issue’, but negative coverage remained lower than the initial, positive response to the launch. Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director at Merseyrail, was quoted in 57% of regional and local coverage on this story, commenting that the introduction is ‘going well’ and that it’s ‘not unusual to have to make some adjustments’ with new trains entering service.

Overall coverage for Avanti West Coast, Caledonian Sleeper and ScotRail was more negative than not, while Eurostar had a relatively balanced sentiment score across the board. Over 85% of Eurostar’s positive coverage was accrued between 23 – 28 Jan, when new Brexit-related passport rules created delays that meant trains were ‘forced’ to run with empty seats. Eurostar bosses were quoted stating how this doesn’t align with the ‘huge demand’ the service now gets as the ‘greenest form of travel’ – a descriptor used in 52% of coverage.

 

Top Themes

*Data shown above was collected between 1 Jan – 1 Apr 2023 and reflects all national news coverage mentioning UK train companies in the headline or body of text.

Between 1 Jan to 1 Apr, industrial action wasn’t always the most popular topic of media interest. But in the second week of January, health and safety became the leading concern due to an attack in Paris that took place near the Gare du Nord Eurostar railway hub, though the company was mostly mentioned in headlines rather than the body of the text.

In the third week, national discussion around record-breaking fare prices was introduced and stayed of interest until the first week of February. UK rail minister Huw Merriman was quoted in 69% of this coverage, stating that the rise was ‘capped well below inflation’ and was ‘delayed’ coming into force. ScotRail was the most-mentioned company in relation to this theme, but in a more positive light when it was announced that peak fares are to be ‘axed’ for six months to encourage train travel.

During the last week of January, Brexit-related travel complications became of interest due to the aforementioned Eurostar passport incident, while the topic as a whole became a wider point of international journalistic study in the four weeks that followed.

Tourism coverage was consistent throughout the study period and supported Eurostar in diluting negative coverage each month. The most common story type was money-saving tips for families who are planning trips to Disneyland Paris or Germany.

Top Stories

*Data shown above was collected between 1 Jan – 1 Apr 2023 and reflects all national news coverage mentioning UK train companies in the headline or body of text. Top stories are calculated by volume and unique visitor reach combined.

Avanti West Coast was the only company to appear twice on the top stories chart throughout the study period. Both were closely linked, with the first covering cancellations tied to ‘record-low’ reliability ratings in an analysis by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The term ‘reliability’ has been used negatively in 468 national headlines since September last year, but saw a significant peak between 21 Jan – 5 Mar 2023. Southeastern, Govia Thameslink Railway (which consists of Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express) and TransPennine Express were also mentioned as being ‘unreliable’ in a collective 82% of this national coverage.

The second story covered a statement released on 20 Mar by the DfT on the government website, declaring that Avanti West Coast (AWC) was granted a six-month contract extension after seeing ‘significant improvements’ in service, with cancellations falling from almost 6% to 4.2%.

Between 20 – 26 Mar, 102 national and regional news sources and 58 train and transport media outlets covered this announcement. While trade publications were relatively neutral towards the news, national sources were 42% more negative. The term ‘rewarding failure’ was used in headlines by ITV and The Guardian, which was paraphrased from public statements given by Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, and General Secretary of the ASLEF union Mick Whelan. On the other hand, Financial Times and The Telegraph did not expose the more critical perspectives and chose to only focus on the successful statistics.

Transpennine Express

Around the same time, issues around contract termination were also of peak interest for AWC’s sister company Transpennine Express. This followed announcements by PM Rishi Sunak that the service was also at great risk due to high cancellation volumes. This coverage spanned much further than AWC, as the first article on the matter was released on 25 Jan but the conversation didn’t die down until 6 Mar.

Caledonian Sleeper

Between 24 – 28 Feb, the Caledonian Sleeper made headlines following an announcement by Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth, stating the train service will soon be switched to public hands — like ScotRail only last year.

This story emerged not long after a highly syndicated piece by The Telegraph, which reported an analysis showing that every passenger on ‘Nicola Sturgeon’s Caledonian Sleeper’ was costing taxpayers approximately £95. These statistics were repurposed in 122 other local and regional articles following this report, over 85% of which were across Scotland and Wales.

The most effective ways of demonstrating value for money

It’s no surprise under the current economical climate that the term emerging across all coverage is ‘value for money’ and relative dissatisfaction across the British Government and public. When not reporting on industrial action, the media appears to most often opt for coverage related to better fares and ESG topics — primarily sustainability goals, staff treatment, and health and safety.

Leveraging any achievements in these areas can be a great way to build positive media awareness at a type of prolonged industrial crisis. Benefits pay off even when the achievement is not relative to the issue at hand— for example, when Eurostar used the passport crisis to comment on how it’s the ‘greenest’ and most sought after way to travel, overall sentiment evolved from mostly neutral to positive until the story died down.

Between 27 – 31 Mar, South Western Railway (SWR) got a brief but highly prominent peak in national, well-received coverage when it proactively announced the launch of the UK’s ‘first ever Intersex-Inclusive Pride train’, a design that was created to ‘show support and solidarity for LGBTQIA+ customers, colleagues, and community at large’. As a result of this press release, SWR produced the most positive and prominent national coverage related to train service compared to competitors for the entire five-day period that followed.

Both examples demonstrate how positive contributions to ESG topics, primarily in sustainability, diversity, and inclusion, are a sure-fire way to overshadow negative coverage even briefly. While these investments may not be a long-term solution to crisis-related media discussions, they do bring awareness to the value-led service customers over the course of 2023.

Want to know more about this data or how media insights can support your PR and communications? Find out more.

The future of the media

What PR and comms needs to know about the future of the media

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The media industry is constantly changing – to prepare for the future, PR and comms will need to change alongside it.

How is the UK media looking to the future? Here are key takeaways from The Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Conference – panels covered the importance of investing in mental health, rebuilding trust with audiences and holding power to account.

1) Mental health coverage matters

Journalists are under increasing pressure, with smaller editorial teams with responsibilities across a variety of formats. This, combined with the topics and issues that they have to cover, can put a real strain on their mental health.

Headlines Network founder and co-director Hannan Storm advised the creation of a culture in newsrooms where journalists feel safe to talk mental health.

Suggestions included regular ‘town halls’, where colleagues can share resources, or Google hangouts. Leaders were advised to openly share any problems they have faced themselves to show empathy and vulnerability with their staff. Also, wellbeing workshops or sleep clinics can be a big help at relieving stress and fatigue from the job.

2) Rebuilding trust with audiences

The rise of misinformation has caused audiences to lose trust in news providers and outlets – the future of news depends on rebuilding this. Sky News deputy head of newsgathering Sarah Whitehead shared the broadcasters’ introduction of more Q and As in an effort to open the door to the audience. Welcoming audience involvement via social media allows to public to tell their truth and call out disinformation.

Freelance journalist Abbianca Makoni shared that there is more trust in local reporters, as people see them out in their communities regularly covering local stories. Young people are keen to see more collaboration between the national and local press as a result.

It was also advised for newsrooms to be as transparent as possible about their procedures and processes, admitting when a mistake has been made.

As shared by Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) chief executive Charlotte Dewar, journalists value being held to account. There is a willingness to learn and change, and hopefully regain trust and respect as a result.

3) The future is multi-channel

Publishers now offer print products, a website, a podcast, newsletters, a YouTube channel and much more besides.

Polis founder director Professor Charlie Beckett believes the future of news will be found in data, which will be passed to journalists to distil down to what will interest and engage their audience most.

This increase in the number of places that publishers are sharing their content means there is a huge amount for audiences to consume. Professor Beckett said that abundance could therefore be the biggest problem for the media and possibly result in news avoidance. Ultimately, though, it will be a good thing for people to have a healthy news diet that they are in control of.

VICE World News senior news reporter Sophie Smith-Galer feels it is important that the media adopts a future proof ethos. VICE has done this by focusing on more agenda setting stories and building expertise in silos/fields that aren’t being covered by the bigger news outlets. The audience are therefore more likely to seek this out as it is content they will not find anywhere else.

How PRs can help with this? Give journalists something they can use to retain and build their audiences, rebuild trust and make the most of all the channels at their disposal.

For more on how PRs can help journalists in the fight against misinformation, read our previous interview with Polis’s founder Thomas Barton: ‘The fight against misinformation, disinformation and fake news is just beginning‘. 

Media attitudes towards AI journalism

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Following the rise of ChatGPT, Metaverse and NFTs, the ways in which publishers engage with AI and other tech innovation has rapidly evolved over the past few years. While profit and data preservation are some of the proposed benefits, job security and misinformation are some of the biggest concerns in the sector.

Key Takeaways

  • Among the 2.5k articles analysed over the study period, 38% mentioned job losses and 32% mentioned concerns around misinformation.
  • Several trade and regulation bodies from around the world have released media statements around the risk of revenue loss tied to AI.
  • Approximately 12% of coverage explored how the Metaverse can pose several profitable opportunities for publishers, whereas 15% mentioned how AI bots run the risk of overriding paywalls.
  • The publications discussing AI in relation to publishing were wide-reaching: 36% were general news outlets, 30% were tech outlets, 20% business and finance and 14% publishing.

In 2021, Microsoft president Brad Smith told a US congressional hearing that tech companies had ‘not been sufficiently paying media companies’ for the news content that helps fuel search engines like Bing and Google.

Flashforward to 2023 and Microsoft’s ChatGPT competitor, Sydney, is under as much scepticism as other AI chatbots in the publishing industry. Trade and regulatory bodies are sharing their concerns with the press on a global scale — Danielle Coffey, VP at News Media Alliance, described the launch of such services as ‘highly problematic for [our] industry’, adding that there’s ‘no revenue coming back to news publications’ unless specific agreements are to be put in place.

What themes are leading the conversation?  

*Data shown above was collected between 1 December – 20 March 2023. 100% equates to all content discussing progressive technology in relation to the publishing sector (2,433 articles). Publication types focused on general/PR news, tech/publishing/business and finance publications.  

Over the past four months, the leading topic of conversation across all publication types has been AI-generated content. Forbes predicted ‘AI in the publishing industry’ as one of the major trends of 2023, while What’s New in Publishing (WNIP) reported that AI as a whole will become ‘an essential and necessary media tool’ that could ‘significantly improve efficiency and effectiveness’.

Another common theme has been Web3. As the core concept of Web3 is decentralisation, discussion in the press has been largely focused on how journalists can use this to get more direct recognition and reward for the work they produce.

NFTs play a central role in the structure of Web3, which has already been adopted by several publishers. Pearson, Time, Le Parisien and The Economist are some of many to have received international coverage last year for their successful experimentation with the digital currency.

AI models in publishing

The second-highest topic of conversation across all publication types has been the launch of ChatGPT, the new OpenAI model, as well as the competitor bots that followed.

The vast capabilities of such technology has taken the potential of AI-generated content to a whole new level – an opportunity that has not been discussed positively across creative trade publications.

Job Losses and fake news

Among the 2.5k articles that the Vuelio Insights Team analysed over this study period, 38% warned the risk of job losses that could come from AI in publishing. Coverage has remained consistently high since 22 Dec 2022, with a slight increase when OpenAI released Jasper in February — a business-specific, subscription-based model that can be tailored to strategic needs.

An additional 32% of media coverage expressed concerns over misinformation and lack of transparency if human journalists are replaced; Toby Walsh, Professor of AI at UNSW Sydney, was quoted in a WNIP article warning publishers that excess discretion has been a ‘trigger for bad behaviour in tech spaces’ many times before.

Similarly, Paul Deegan, President and CEO of Trade Body News Media Canada, was quoted in a high-reaching Wired article, saying that they and other trade groups are ‘very concerned about the role this revolutionary technology, which has the potential to do good, can play in the exponential proliferation of misinformation’.

Profitable Opportunities

Approximately 12% of coverage explored how the Metaverse can pose several profitable opportunities for publishers, whereas 15% mentioned how AI bots run the risk of overriding paywalls.

What are the top stories?

Specific to publishing, the leading story since December has been about job losses as AI evolves. Coverage has been consistent over this time, as new studies looking into the reality of the risk begin to emerge.

Coverage peaked between 27 February – 4 March when German media group Axel Springer publicly announced its belief that AI will be making ‘major cuts’ to journalism in the near future. Several quotes from CEO Mathias Doepfner, in an internal letter to employees, were mentioned in 62% of the 93 national and regional articles that covered this story. One of which described AI a having the potential to ‘make independent journalism better than it ever was – or simply replace it’.

Within the body of the text, approximately 90% of these articles referenced how Buzzfeed have been trialling AI as a content creation tool. This came after the news publisher was widely mentioned in the press between 24 – 28 January, declaring AI will ‘enhance’ both its content and quizzes.

AI-Narrated Audiobooks

Slightly more unique in comparison, Apple made national headlines between 4 – 8 January when it ‘quietly’ launched its new audiobooks read by text-to-speech AI software.

The term ‘quietly launched’ was used in 79% of coverage across all publication types, while an additional 10% mentioned it in the body of the text. Apple describes the new ‘digital narration’ feature on its website as making ‘the creation of audiobooks more accessible to all’, by reducing ‘the cost and complexity’ of producing them for authors and publishers.

Alongside Buzzfeed’s content ‘enhancements’, this was the only other top story to have a high positive/neutral sentiment and a low negativity score.

Excess Submissions

Between 21 – 26 February, prestigious science-fiction magazine, Clarkesworld, was mentioned across national and international news headlines when it had to close writing submissions due to unprecedented volumes of bot-authors. 92% of this coverage mentioned that in February alone, it banned nearly 500 bot-authors from submitting again.

Where is this discussion happening?

Between December 2022 and March 2023, the pros and cons of AI in publishing has been widely discussed across general news, publishing and tech publications.

WNIP drew on the widest array of topics and demonstrated the largest diversity of authors, while Fintech Times came closely behind but focused most of its efforts on Web3 and NFT content.

Overall, 36% were news outlets, 30% were tech outlets, 14% publishing and 20% business and finance.

What does the future of AI journalism look like?

On 20 December, shortly after the ChatGPT launch, Bloomberg described the service as ‘just another Silicon Valley effort to churn out mediocre, disposable content’. Between trade regulation bodies and international news outlets, the overarching opinion towards AI as a tool for content creation appears largely pessimistic. We can see this reflected in the sentiment of the top stories, where 3 out of 5 have a negative sentiment score above 70%.

A few months later, on 9 March, Press Gazette was one of many to continue echoing this opinion in an article that started with ‘ChatGPT just got fired’. The piece outlined the extensive misinformation that emerged when AI chatbots were tested as a journalist replacement.

Given that most of the technologies leading the conversation are in their early stages, the ways in which they will impact the publishing industry will likely continue to be of interest in the press as major innovative steps emerge within each of them. For example, OpenAI officially connected ChatGPT to the internet only six days ago, taking its learning abilities to a whole new level.

Tech publications are strongly encouraging investors and other media sources to begin thorough research into Metaverse and Web3 at the very least. While both may lack the necessary software right now, it is widely speculated that more evolved models of the future will generate ‘substantial economic value’ for all media types.

Want to know more about this data or how media insights can support your PR and communications? Find out more.

What has the UK media been requesting from PRs

How are national press and broadcast news using the Journalist Enquiry Service?

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The headlines across national newspapers and news broadcasts have been dominated in recent months by the cost-of-living crisis, numerous strikes in different sectors, the Russia/Ukraine war and the fallout from Prince Harry’s book ‘Spare’. However, plenty of other stories have made their way into the UK news cycle, and many start with a request sent by a writer via the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service.

What exactly have national press and broadcast journos been looking for recently? Below we take a deep dive into the main categories that our users have been interested in and the keywords that we are seeing most frequently. Read on to see how you can get your expert coverage or the best place to get that case study out.

Sign up to start receiving requests from the UK media direct to your inbox with the Journalist Enquiry Service.

Firstly, we will have a look into national newspapers as journalists from these titles use the service more frequently than broadcast – 26% of all requests in 2022 came from national press. Outlets like The Daily Express, PA Media and The Daily Telegraph also regularly feature in our top ten outlets sending requests from month to month.

We looked at all the requests sent from the start of November until today and the category with the most enquiries was Women’s Interest & Beauty, representing 11% of all national press requests. This proves particularly popular with the tabloid papers as The Sun, The Daily Express and The Daily Mail all feature in the top five outlets sending requests for this category.

National press enquiry types

In terms of what they are looking for within this category, it tends to be for products to review or feature on their website. This varies from lipsticks and eyeliners to new beauty treatments and jewellery and fashion accessories. There are also requests around men’s beauty and grooming including requests for face creams and beard shavers. This presents a great opportunity to get client products featured in national newspapers or on their websites.

Often picked alongside the Women’s Interest & Beauty category is the Health category, which was the second most popular and made up 10% of the total requests from national newspapers. The Daily Express was again among the top senders with journalists from The i paper and Metro also sending numerous requests for health stories.

The trend here is more for spokespeople and experts and for case studies. A lot of requests are for doctors and GPs to give medical advice on certain conditions and there are frequent requests as well looking for case studies for people with certain conditions or illnesses. Both provide avenues to get clients and experts national press coverage.

The Health category also features several strongly performing keywords with ‘fitness’ appearing in 4% of all national press requests, ‘diet’ in 2% and ‘wellbeing’ in just over 1%. Again, this is often linked to enquiries for experts such as nutritionists, psychologists, mental health experts and sleep experts. This also links to the strong performance of both the Food & Drink and Leisure & Hobbies categories as they both received around 6% of the total national press requests.

Men’s Interest finished as the third most popular category. As we touched upon earlier, men’s grooming and beauty were part of these requests along with many around men’s health and also fashion too. This also links into the strong performance of ‘fitness’ as a keyword with requests for personal trainers and male gym instructors.

Fourth on the list for national press categories is Personal Finance which links into another key phrase that we have mentioned often in our monthly reports, which is the ‘cost of living’. This appeared in just over 3.5% of all national press requests with associated words like ‘energy’ on 3%, ‘bills’ on 2% and ‘mortgage’ on 1%.

This category attracted different national press outlets with both The Daily Telegraph and The Times featuring in the top ten. The type of enquiry did vary but a lot were looking for finance experts to give advice on ways to make savings during the cost-of-living crisis. There we are also enquiries for energy experts to provide analysis of the rising gas and electricity bills. Plus, mortgage experts to provide suggestions for what first-time buyers should do and those looking to renew their mortgage during increasing interest rates.

There has also been requests from the national press looking for case studies to find out how families are coping during the tough economic times and also to provide information on what businesses can do. This gives lots of scope to push out information and experts around personal finance.

The bigger news stories over the last few months have created a bit of traction on the Journalist Enquiry Service. ‘Strikes’ appeared as a keyword in 1% of all national press requests as papers like The Independent and Daily Mirror looked to cover the issue by getting case studies. ‘Royal’ was in around 3% with The Daily Express and The Guardian among others looking for royal experts to cover news around Prince Harry and Meghan and the Royal family in general. However, there have only been a handful of requests around the Russia/Ukraine war.

The focus for broadcast journalists using the service has been quite different with the most requests going to the Business & Finance category. 7% of the total requests from broadcast were for this category with 5 News and ITV News sending the majority.

These have tended to be for case studies and most often looking to speak with businesses that have been affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Just over 8% of the total requests in broadcast included the key phrase ‘cost of living’ and over 7% were for ‘energy’. This shows a much greater need from broadcast outlets to cover this issue and a great chance to get your clients featured on television, speaking about how their business has been impacted – especially in regard to rising energy bills.

Broadcast media enquiry types

They have also dedicated more coverage to the strikes as well and ‘strikes’ as a keyword appears in 9% of the total requests from broadcast. This also links into the strong performance of the Public Sector, Third Sector & Legal category which was the fifth most popular for broadcast journalists. All three of the big broadcasters (BBC, Sky and ITV) appear in the top five outlets here.

These enquiries were again focused mainly on getting personal case studies and seeing how businesses and people were being affected. The majority of requests were for the rail strikes but broadcast contacts were also covering the nurses strike, the teachers, Royal Mail, ambulances and buses. With more strike action likely in the coming months then this should present more opportunities for television coverage.

The more consumer related categories of Food & Drink and Women’s Interest & Beauty both received 6% of the total broadcast requests, placing them second and third overall. The Food & Drink category was used quite frequently for Steph’s Packed Lunch, whereas the Women’s Interest & Beauty category had several enquiries from This Morning.

Again, several requests were for case studies, providing opportunities for people to feature on the show. However, we saw more enquiries looking for products. This varied from health and fitness gadgets to make up and fashion items to new chocolate and sweet brands. A good chance to get products featured on two well established daytime shows.

The Health category had around 6% of all the broadcast requests and finished as the fourth most selected. ITV and 5 News were again sending regular requests in this category along with GB News and BBC Radio 4.

Personal case studies were the main focus of requests looking to cover issues around social care and also around illnesses such as Strep-A. There were also several requests for experts as well, looking for medical experts to give advice and information.

Overall, while the media coverage may seem to focus on certain issues, there is room and opportunities for products, experts and case studies to get coverage on both national press and broadcast media for a variety of topics and matters. The news cycle is difficult to predict but the cost-of-living crisis looks set to rumble on, along with strike action. We are also starting to see more requests around ‘TikTok’ which as a keyword appeared in 1% of all national press requests and just over 1% of broadcast requests. Therefore, any experts or info around the media app could be vital to journalists in the coming months.

For more on how the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service can help with getting your stories into the UK media, read our previous how-tos: 

No PR budget? No problem – using the Journalist Enquiry Service to gain coverage as a small business

How to tackle vague requests from journalists

6 reasons to stop searching #JournoRequest and try the Journalist Enquiry Service

 

Are delivery companies seen as ‘green’ in the press?

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Alongside many other major industries, such as pharma and public transport, delivery and logistics companies are having to amend the structure of their operations in the face of the climate crisis.

British news outlets have recently started looking into the green strategies of established companies like Evri, while newer and more sustainable companies such as CitySprint are emerging in response to the call for action. 

Over the past few months, several new service developments have launched across the delivery and logistics sector that demonstrate clear, target-based initiatives in support of climate action.

National media sources have expressed continued interest in reporting on the sustainability efforts of well-known companies, while recently picking up stories from smaller start-ups too.

Key Takeaways

  • Deutsche Post DHL group have produced the highest volume of positive coverage throughout Q1, while coverage for Freightliner and Ocean Network Express (ONE).
  • P&O Ferries had the second-highest Share of Voice, but several negative stories made national news and ultimately diluted positive coverage.
  • Two leading delivery and logistics companies reaped the benefits of partnering with Sky Media.
  • Alike to the pharma industry, companies with additional environmental accreditations and awards are proving to have more of a positive relationship with the press than otherwise.

Which companies are getting the most climate-related coverage?

*Data samples were collected from 1 Jan – 14 Mar 2022. Coverage represents all national/regional online news and trade-related publications discussing climate action from delivery/logistics companies functioning in the UK (663 articles in total).

Throughout the first quarter of 2023, Deutsche Post DHL Group received the strongest share of voice overall in relation to sustainability coverage. This was due to several national headlines in relation to climate efforts, which often cited the ‘record sum’ that the business invested in digitisation and sustainability.

ESG targets were heavily praised in 46% of its coverage, with some headlines claiming they ‘walk the talk’ in green-focused growth. The group has also been significantly mentioned within the conversation about CO2 parcel labels, a net zero initiative in Germany that the UK is considering adopting.

Significant highs and lows for P&O Ferries

Whereas Deutsche Post DHL group coverage was over 80% positive, P&O Ferries have had much more significant highs and lows.

Between 10-14 January, the company’s press release about saving ‘85,00 tons of carbon emissions’ performed well across trade-specific publications.

In March, the company were left ‘red-faced’ when they discovered hybrid ships could not be plugged in at Dover or Calais ports. This was the most prominent and high-reaching story for P&O Ferries, leaving their reputation in a much more vulnerable state than its competitors.

Industry partnerships with Sky

Between 28 February and 8 March, Royal Mail and Unipart Logistics both reaped the benefits of climate-related work with Sky Media.

On 1 March, Sky announced the purchase of 11 new Mercedes-Benz eVito electric panel vans, as part of its net zero 2030 drive. As a repair and customer service partner for the company, Unipart Logistics’ Head of Fleet Rob Hannam was quoted in 62% this coverage – which mostly spanned across auto and other trade publications. Even though Unipart were not the core focus of the coverage, this has been its highest quality brand coverage in relation to climate efforts this year.

On the other hand, Royal Mail recently gained coverage around its ‘Footprints’ campaign encouraging UK consumers to send parcels in greener ways. The advert was a product of winning £250,000 in broadcast coverage as part of Sky’s Zero Footprint Fund. Sonia Sudhakar, MD of Marketing and Digital at Royal Mail, was cited in 38% of this coverage stating how they’ll continue to ‘campaign for the entire industry to empower customers and help tackle climate change’.

While Royal Mail have launched several green initiatives this year alone, coverage appears to fall short. Compared to other organisations in this sector, the service has published less sustainability-focused press releases to the public; which could be a contributing factor towards its smaller media presence than competitors.

Growth of ESG discussion in general news sources

References to ESG in news sources has grown rapidly since the pandemic, which in turn speaks to the growing interest in this term from the wider public, as shown in the Google search data — as web searches grow, so have media mentions and vice versa. We have seen this in the pharma industry, where the public demand for better sustainability comms has been widely discussed over the past three years.

Last week, WSJ reported that companies working to promote ESG in the workplace have proven to outperform their peers through improved innovation, higher sales growth and profitability, while those that are slow to adapt will face increasing regulatory and reputational risks.

Top Stories and Sentiment 

*Data samples were collected from 1 January – 14 Mar 2022. Coverage represents all national/regional online news and trade-related publications discussing climate action from delivery/logistics companies functioning in the UK. Sentiment figures represent all coverage generated in relation to the relevant brands.

While Deutsche Post DHL Group maintained the strongest share of voice, Freightliner and Ocean Network Express (ONE) achieved the strongest ratio of positive coverage overall. This was due to a partnership between the two companies that allows Freightliner to travel using biodegradable oil, purchased by ONE.

This headline was widely distributed across national news publications from 22 to 28 February, while 68% of trade publications cited ONE Director Simon Parsons as ‘hopeful’ to further expand green networks throughout the UK moving forward.

Over 90% of coverage was due to the release of research detailing opportunity in the UK to electrify 95% of rail freight operations by the 2040s. While volumes were low against competitors, CILT received the most prominent media mentions; mostly discussed across transport-specific publications, CILT was mentioned in 96% of headlines.

Despite being one of the biggest public delivery services in the UK, Evri has had the least positive coverage in relation to climate efforts. The company has been active in its sustainable initiatives, such as e-cargo bike deliveries, but overall media interest has been low. This is likely due to the onslaught of negative coverage that emerged at the same time in other areas of the business. During this analysis period, media attention was focused on concerns around labour rights; which massively overshadowed positive initiatives.

The company has shared several climate-related press releases, but were released during or after negative news emerged. When enduring a PR crisis, our research suggests that timing is key — the media are much less likely to pick up positive stories following a negative spike.

Sustainability is no longer an optional investment

Overall, it seems that the media consensus is that sustainability is no longer secondary to profitability across delivery and logistics. Rather, it is ‘viewed as a driver of future growth’ as cleaner transport options are being taken ever more seriously.

Nancy Hobhouse, Head of ESG at Evri, reported to the press that ‘businesses who have a sustainable purpose, or a robust sustainability strategy, are outperforming competitors’, while Richard Cook, Fleet Director at DHL added that “customers are increasingly environmentally conscious and will hold businesses to high standards of sustainability, making it a critical focus”.

Media interest around net zero targets are not going away any time soon and journalists are particularly interested in reliable claims. Deutsche Post DHL Group, which has outperformed competitors in the way of sustainability coverage, has recently joined the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) which helps companies to make clear and actionable climate strategies.

Across Vuelio Insights’ wider crisis research, we have found that companies who have additional accreditations, awards and initiatives (i.e., SBTi) are more likely to maintain positive media interest than those who have not, all the while reducing the risk of greenwashing allegations.

In recent years, sustainability has become a necessary investment that could greatly impact shareholder prices if neglected. From e-scooters to hybrid ships, efforts across the sector are clear and are more abundant than ever.

Want to know more about this data or how media insights can support your PR and communications? Find out more.

Access Intelligence

FT names Access Intelligence one of Europe’s fastest growing companies

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Vuelio parent company Access Intelligence has been recognised as one of Europe’s fastest growing companies in the FT 1000, a yearly ranking by the Financial Times and German data platform Statista. The FT 1000, now in its 7th edition, ranks the 1,000 companies in Europe that have achieved the highest percentage growth in revenues.

Access Intelligence is an AIM-listed tech innovator, delivering high quality SaaS products that address the fundamental business needs of clients in the marketing and communications industries.

‘Understanding audiences has become essential for organisations across industries and geographies: we’re seeing that need grow every day, as more and more of our clients put media insights, reputation and audience intelligence at the center of their strategy,’ said Joanna Arnold, CEO of Access Intelligence.

The group powers the world’s most relevant brands across regions and industries: with over 6,000 clients worldwide, Access Intelligence helps clients like Apple, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, the UK House of Commons, HSBC, Twitter, and the Australian Government understand their audiences and monitor the media landscape.

The evolving Access Intelligence portfolio includes Isentia, the market-leading media monitoring, intelligence and insights solution provider; Pulsar, the audience intelligence and social listening platform; Vuelio, which provides monitoring, insight, engagement and evaluation tools for politics, editorial and social media in one place; and ResponseSource, the network that connects journalists and influencers to the PR and communications industry.

PR Club

Should you speak up or shut down in a PR crisis?

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A reputational crisis is on the horizon for your brand or client – what do you do next? Should you set up a press conference to get ahead of any criticism heading your way, or wait for things to blow over? Should you address the matter at hand, or draw attention elsewhere?

In the Vuelio webinar ‘Speak Up or Shut Down: The Value of Proactive PR in a Crisis’, we explored three examples of short, medium and long-term crisis to uncover PR approaches that are proven to work.

Watch the full webinar here. 

Read on for insight on why timing is pivotal in a crisis, the necessity of being proactive over reactive and data on what worked for brands including FIFA, Coca-Cola, Hyundai/Kia, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Samsung Biologics.

Approaches to short-term crisis: 2022 FIFA World Cup

A recent much-reported crisis was the Qatar-based FIFA World Cup of 2022, which was surrounded by political controversy and human rights concerns. As a result, brands and public figures who chose to participate in the event were met with widespread disapproval from the public and even boycotting of products and services.

To measure this, Vuelio Insights compared how each partner for the event handled the evolving crisis and their overall performance in the media throughout November and December of 2022.

FIFA World Cup 2022 brand coverage

This Share of Voice chart for the FIFA partners shows how proactive each was with their write-ups in the UK media.

Throughout the event, Adidas, Hyundai/Kia and Visa were the most proactive, utilising a diverse range of messaging tactics. While they addressed human rights in public statements, they drove more awareness towards positive ESG actions that were unrelated to the event.

Hyundai/Kia’s ‘Goal of the Century’ campaign focused on sustainability, becoming one of their strongest sources of coverage throughout the event. Why this worked so well – this was also the time of COP27 and tied in to positive ESG efforts.

Not quite as successful was Coca-Cola, which released its ‘Believing is Magic’ campaign very early on, only vaguely referencing social solidarity and human rights. This did not make any significant reference to the crisis itself and therefore resulted in much stronger negative sentiment in related reporting.

Timing is key with proactive outreach – Coca-Cola’s messaging was released so early that related media interest died down by the time the company started to receive event-related criticism.

Qatar Airways, Wanda Group and QatarEnergy were almost silent throughout the entire period and it shows in their volume of coverage. Not only is their Share of Voice lowest, the reporting that did focus on them mostly consisted of passive criticisms on who they are and what their ethics may be.

Wanda Group’s approach was interesting. The brand had previously released a successful ‘Women First’ campaign for the 2018 World Cup. For 2022, in contrast, it released nothing, and positive sentiment for the brand dropped by 56%. Coverage this time around was ‘who are Wanda Group and do they even care about human rights’, without any public statements to mitigate negativity.

Staying silent will not always reduce media awareness of problematic issues and can mean less control for a brand when crisis arises.

A diversity of brand positive messages, addressing the crisis and perhaps other ESG concerns, can be a powerful tool for diluting negative press.

Approaches to medium-term crisis: 2022’s UK airline strikes

The airline industry took a hit last year due to strikes, cancellations, oil prices and the war in Ukraine.
From January to June 2022, the Vuelio team explored how UK airlines responded to the extended criticism across print, online and broadcast media. Here are the common threads among those who performed well in the press:

Airline crisis coverage in 2022

This chart demonstrates the peaks in coverage for travel brands throughout this period – BA and Ryanair, who were the least proactive and most reactive, had the least control over negative peaks in coverage.
Similar to Coca-Cola during the World Cup, TUI demonstrated mid-range control over negative coverage by pushing proactive statements from its executive Fritz Joussen, but were otherwise less vocal when it came to press releases and social messaging.

While most brands here faced significant peaks and falls in crisis coverage, Virgin Atlantic maintained a ‘low and controlled’ approach throughout – despite being equally effected by all of the same issues.

Virgin Atlantic successfully navigated this crisis with regular, proactive campaigns and diverse messaging tactics and it shows in the resulting consistently low and controlled coverage.

Lessons from this: time your press releases and ensure their messages are diverse, and do not rely on reactivity – the media are much less likely to pick up on positive efforts after negative news has surfaced.

Approaches to long-term crisis: Pharma and net zero targets

Net Zero targets within the pharmaceutical industry are a long-term crisis in the making. At COP27 in November 2022, pharma companies were tasked with putting visible and actionable climate strategies in place or risk their operational licences.

The Vuelio Insights team measured all international climate-related pharma coverage between 1 Nov 2022 – 9 Jan 2023 (approx. 13,700 articles) – here are the commonalities in in coverage among the most prominent companies.

Pharma net zero coverage

These Share of Voice charts show that the UK produced the strongest volume of coverage throughout this period.

Due to such a large event, most brands were generating international media interest as journalists sought out their climate strategies leading up to and following COP27. The reality of pharma-related carbon footprints was a huge discussion in the media, which created urgency throughout the industry to begin communicating green initiatives.

The top stories and sentiment were largely positive among the majority of the most prominent brands – most of their top stories are positive or neutral.

Pharma net zero coverage

While 13,700 articles surfaced throughout our study period, one specific headline emerged again and again as a top headline – ‘Seven CEOs announce effort to curb emissions in healthcare’. This emphasises the benefits of partnering up with other brands who may be suffering under the same crisis. This approach served the seven pharma brands involved in diluting negative coverage about pharma’s carbon footprint.

Showing just how impactful accreditations can be for brands also was Samsung Biologics – its top story during this period was its Terra Carta seal of approval for sustainability. This displayed a tangible and reliable effort backed up by external recognition – negating any possible accusations of ‘greenwashing’ or ‘wokewashing’.

Doing research on how you can enhance your reliability as a trusted brand – be it via awards or accreditations – is really worthwhile for boosting media awareness in a crisis.

Want to know more about Vuelio Insights and media monitoring? Find out more here and here. 

Getting ready for Web3

Getting ready for Web3: Interview with Citizen Relations’ deputy managing director Jules Day

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Web3, ChatGPT and all-things AI-assisted and generated are big news in the communications and creative industries right now, and the Citizen Relations team has been paying attention to changing needs in the sector:

‘The volume of work that we’ve been doing in influencer marketing, community building and management and SEO has been growing exponentially,’ says deputy managing director Jules Day on the launch of the agency’s new ‘dComm3’ digital practice.

‘Our clients have experienced the power of integrated digital solutions and there’s a growing appetite to respond to, and prepare for, evolving consumer behaviours’.

Ready to reach the next step of PR and comms evolution? Read on for why brands need to be ready for the metaverse and which companies are already making the most of the opportunities it offers.

Why do brands need to be ready for Web3?

Simply, brands want to be where their consumers are. We’re in the business of helping them create awareness and consideration and, of course, generating and harnessing advocacy. Increasingly, we also play a role in driving people to purchase.

We see three consumer behaviour shifts that brands should be preparing for:
● The dynamics of communities will change as they shift to more niche, topical and emerging community platforms.
● Web3-forward digital experiences will include extended reality and modern AI integration.
● The dynamics of value exchange are changing and we’re helping brands understand how to work better with the next generation of creators, commerce and exchange online.

How will the international team be working together?

It is a straightforward model – a centralised, specialist function. The 15-plus team comprises digital comms experts in performance content, technology, analytics and experiences. Our account teams will continue to lead their integrated programmes, drawing in specialist support where relevant. We’ve been working closely together for some weeks now, and the beauty of today’s heavy reliance on video conferencing is that we’ve built strong working relationships very quickly.

Why is Web3 more than just a flash in the pan for comms?

I remember launching mobile video technology at Mobile World Congress about a million years ago and the spokespeople working so hard to convince people that we really would watch TV on-demand on our mobile devices. How we humans do things evolves – we’ve already had two iterations of the internet and you can be confident that our expectations of what the internet can deliver, and our role within it, will continue to advance.

From a Citizen perspective, our team sees Web3 shifts in AI, XR and anonymity as substantial drivers of new opportunities for brands.

Which big brands are already doing well with their Web3 strategy?

High fashion and luxury brands have jumped in head-first and generated a slew of programmes. They’re largely in testing mode but are succeeding in earning impressions and buzz.

Our team are huge fans of Nike’s acquisition and partnership with RTFKT in the creation of really interesting and meaningful ‘phygital’ activations. What works so well with their partnership is that it is already well-suited for the category, and plays into existing human behaviour, creating new ways to own Nike coveted products.

I’ve been watching H&M with interest for a while – since spotting my daughter dressing her avatar in H&M in Toca Life, the digital collection landed just ahead of the physical collection and really captured both of our imaginations. H&M has also partnered with Animal Crossing and Roblox, experimenting with virtual garments and, now, using the integrations to focus its comms on sustainability. I’m interested to see what comes next.

Which campaigns haven’t done so well with this so far?

It is hard to judge without knowing brand or campaign objectives – and we wouldn’t like to.

We’ve seen brands creating storefronts in the metaverse, launching Discord servers and adding augmented reality shopping experiences to retail, in many cases they’ve driven plenty of noise but it is difficult to tell if they answered customers’ needs or brought the brands into new demographics in any substantial way. Of course, if those campaign objectives were to test and learn, then the brands may well have found value in them.

How would you advise brands to start with Web3 and determining how it could work for them?

We’d advise brands to start by looking at their consumers’ behaviours to better understand where unmet needs exist. For example, doing a conversation map to show where people are looking for solutions online, or evaluating user intent in search to help determine where we could better show up based on new behaviours. From there, we’d suggest evaluating the wide array of new communities, tech and offerings to help test modern digital solutions to user challenges. Web-next ideas have what all great ideas provide, something of value to real citizens. That remains unchanged.

Metrics and measuring success can already be difficult in comms – how can success be measured with Web3-centred campaigns?

Some examples of the different impact models we’ve been building and leveraging:

● Content effectiveness: if you make no other change this year, start measuring the effectiveness of content by variable. If your influencer content includes a product or a CTA does it perform better? If we include a real person does it change the outcomes? Citizen’s dComm3 practice has built a content effectiveness algorithm that allows us to do better briefing, track outcomes and shift campaign results in a programmatic way.
● Earned SEO: search behaviours are changing for the first time in decades. Gen Zers leverage platforms like TikTok and Instagram for search more than Google. A weight of product searches originate in Amazon. Voice search has become something our kids do. Earned off-page search can drive significant value for a brand capturing share of search and driving inbound links. Start by getting a baseline of search performance and measure against it in earned.
● Earned attribution and econometrics: buzzy, earned-led campaigns don’t just drive headlines and impressions; they can drive demand. The dComm3 team is briefing in against demand and building tagging infrastructures to show the value of earned well beyond standard attribution.

What do you find particularly exciting about the Web3 space?

The possibilities. What will humans adopt versus reject? How will people evolve around the tech versus how the tech will evolve to human behaviour? This is perhaps the most exciting time in the history of the web and we are ready for the opportunities it poses. Tactically, we’re bullish on community evolution. People are going back to anonymous, topical-centred conversations and things like organic community are returning in a way that is truly exciting for communicators and brands.

For more on Web3, read our previous posts on the topic: ‘How to communicate in the metaverse… also, what is the metaverse?‘ and ‘Three reasons to get started with Web 3.0‘.

Interview with The CAN Group's Claire Powell on entertainment PR

‘Brief, brief, brief!’ – The CAN Group’s Claire Powell on providing premier PR for the entertainment industry

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‘I never set out with the desire to be in the industry,’ says media, PR and events expert Claire Powell, founder of The CAN Group.

Claire Powell

‘I started working with an events company, undertaking their marketing, when I was approached to work on a new group that were just starting off called Take That.’

At the forefront of the creative industries for almost three decades, Claire’s start with an 18-month tour with Gary, Mark, Robbie, Jason and Howard led to a series of magazine roadshow tours that gave bands like Boyzone, West Life, Ant & Dec and Peter Andre their big breaks.

‘I’ve had so many amazing moments over the years, and worked with many incredible people and businesses, but what continues to drive me is helping people achieve their dreams. My team and I sit with our clients regularly to discuss their ambitions and wishes, and we create plans to make this happen’.

Read on for Claire’s experiences in entertainment PR, the impact of social media on the industry and her thoughts on 2023’s awards season controversies.

How has the entertainment PR industry changed throughout your career?

To use the word ‘massively’ would be an understatement. Long gone are the days when you would create a plan with the media, because there are so many different platforms and outlets now – covering all is a huge task. Previously, you could make major announcements in special agreements with publications, but with mobile phones and social media, pictures can go all over the world in a matter of minutes which makes it difficult to control and secure an exclusive deal.

How has the growth of social media changed ‘traditional’ PR?

There will always be a need for some of the conventional functions that PR has always offered. Even with more digital approaches, traditional methods will be at the crux of the campaigns and keeping good working relationships with journalists is a must. These are the tools of our trade.

However, there has been change particularly with social media and the rise of influencers, and the general decline in readership of magazines and newspapers. So much news is readily available now at our fingertips, which is really sad for journalists and publishers as we see more and more conventional sources of information fold.

You also work in the beauty space – what are the big differences between the entertainment and beauty spheres, and what are the crossovers?

Entertainment is about creating big story lines and it is very picture-based, while beauty is about the products, the people behind the brand and finding a unique point of difference from your competitors. Both require forward-planning, creative strategy, and thinking outside the box to maximise opportunities and get the best coverage for your client – no matter the industry they are in.

It is never a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We work with our clients to create bespoke campaigns that are right for them, and their end goals.

Crisis comms is becoming even more important – what advice would you give to fellow PRs with clients in reputational trouble?

Brief, brief, brief! Be sure to research what they are walking into and only go to a journalist that understands the client you are talking about. It is about protection. Keep to the truth, the facts and guide your client though this critical stage. So many PR and management companies don’t do this in a carefully controlled way which can lead to more damaging situations later down the line.

What is your take on the controversy surrounding this year’s Oscars nominations – does the PR process for performers during Awards season need to change?

I’ve read about the celebrity guerrilla campaign to endorse Andrea Riseborough’s Best Actress nomination. The film didn’t perform well at the box office, but in the final weeks of voting for the 2023 Oscar nominees, it received endorsement from Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Winslet praising the performance.

It is a difficult one to comment about as nobody knows what happens behind the scenes – maybe these celebrities watched the film and really liked it! But with any award seasons, the nominees will campaign and appear on popular talk shows to discuss their excitement for the upcoming events. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if this activity is taking place prior to the nomination announcement.

However, I strongly believe awards should be given upon merit and would like to believe a good performance will prosper, and the award will be given to the rightful winner on the night.

What are the big trends the PR industry should be prepared for over the next few years?

I think the cost-of-living crisis will continue to be an important consideration for everyone.

Customers will be making more considered purchase decisions, and brand or spokesperson communications should be aware of this. You often see a lot of brands and celebrities making tone deaf comments with long-standing consequences to their reputation, often beyond the point of repair.

While agencies need to ensure that their PR strategies reflect their client’s business need, all PR plans need to be flexible and responsive to the client’s market. The past has shown all of us that things can change overnight, so you need to be willing to adapt too.

For more on responsive PR, check out our previous piece ‘Reactive PR: Turning something out of nothing‘. Want to connect with entertainment media? Find out more about the Vuelio Media Database here. 

What is happening in finance

Communicating with finance clients and consumers: Tank’s head of PR Martyn Gettings

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Financial services is heavy in responsibility and regulation – particularly in 2023, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to stretch budgets to breaking point and regulation changes hover on the horizon.

With experience working across the finance services sector – on behalf of mortgage brokers, financial advisers, crypto experts or debt advice specialists – award-winning PR and digital marketing agency Tank is preparing its financial clients for what is on the way.

Just a few of the challenges for this year – the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s new Consumer Duty, the boom of cryptofinance and the consequences of Brexit. Tank’s head of PR Martyn Gettings shares his insight on these concerns and how the industry should be communicating them.

How much has cryptofinance factored into your planning and work this year?

Martyn Gettings, Tank PR

The crypto market offers a real opportunity for PR and communications agencies, with market experts anticipating significant growth over the course of this year and beyond. With regulation on the way as well, crypto is likely to continue its emergence into the mainstream as governments, regulators and more investors get involved.

Tank is already working with businesses in this market, but as it continues to mature, there will be plenty of opportunities with crypto-focused organisations. Crypto is never dull – with so many creative businesses in the sector, it offers some really exciting prospects for agencies.

How are you ensuring your company and your finance clients are prepared for the FCA’s new Consumer Duty?

The new Consumer Duty adds extra considerations to existing rules and principles around treating consumers fairly – but for finance-focused PRs, the key message is that the principles of good, ethical communications remain unchanged. The sector must continue to encourage the highest quality support and guidance for consumers.

In the context of the cost-of-living crisis, it has never been more important for those operating across all aspects of the financial services sector to ensure that their customers are protected. This involves sharing accurate, reliable and useful information in a timely manner.

What will be the biggest potential blocks for companies working towards this, in your opinion?

As with all regulatory changes, the devil is often in the detail, so companies will need to ensure that they are keeping a close eye on updates to the new regulations as it develops through the various stages of consultation.

There is also an additional challenge of multiple regulators operating across similar sectors, which leaves space that could be exploited by inaccurate and misleading information, where firms are not bound by FCA regulations.

Another key consideration in the short-term is the cost-of-living crisis, which has only increased the importance of building trust with consumers – as well as heightening the risks of harmful practices or misleading information.

How can finance-focused organisations engage with audiences worried about their own finances in the current climate?

The key message to our clients is to show that they understand the challenges their customers are facing and make sure that their messaging and tone is building trust and integrity.

We have seen some high-profile examples of companies being exposed by failing to get their language and content right in campaigns about the cost-of-living, but the brands that can educate and inform consumers with relevant and helpful information will be the ones that come out of the current crisis with the most trust and integrity.

This is where clarity on brand strategy as a whole is vital – are the values and key messages at the heart of your brand still relevant in current market and audience expectations? The most effective PR campaigns are those that resonate clearly with your brand voice, so look at the source of the language and messages you are sharing in the media.

Which financial organisations have been doing a good job with their comms recently, in your opinion?

Neobanks is a great place to look for strong comms and the likes of Monzo are changing the game for the finance sector – with some of the more established players starting to adapt and modernise their comms strategies.

What big changes have you noticed in what is being asked for by your finance clients since your time in the industry?

Over the last few years, the rise of SEO-focused digital PR campaigns has become increasingly important for consumer-facing finance companies. Organic search will always be competitive, but digital PR campaigns are great opportunities for companies to build wider consumer awareness and increase engagement on a brand value level too.

We are also seeing more demand for awareness of changing regulations. This is becoming increasingly complex and Brexit has only added to these challenges for multinational organisations.

What are your go-to publications and journalists for keeping informed about changes in your sector?

It goes without saying that a broad reading list is the best way to keep on top of changes in the sector, as well as staying on top of consumer trends. The target publications of our finance clients range from broadsheets and broadcast media, to tabloids and lifestyle publications, as well as their key trade media as well.

It is also important to keep track of wider industry commentary and regulatory changes, from FCA and UK Finance reports and whitepapers, to The Conversation, which helps to distil the latest academic research into more digestible articles.

For more on emerging trends in financial services, download the Vuelio white paper ‘Communicating the new immediacy of finance’, featuring insight from industry experts on now brands can realise the potential of technology to build strong relationships with investors and consumers.

Want to connect with UK financial media? read our previous piece on how to pitch to finance journalists, find relevant reporters via the Vuelio Media Database and monitor your campaigns in the press with Vuelio Media Monitoring.

The fight against misinformation is just beginning

The fight against misinformation, disinformation and fake news is just beginning: Interview with Polis founder Thomas Barton

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‘It is the long-term threats that we need to be most concerned about – every day, we are feeling the corrosive impacts of misinformation, but its effect on society and democracy will only fully show in the longer term,’ believes Polis founder Thomas Barton.

Having founded Polis to empower people with awareness and fact-based knowledge of global politics, Thomas believes there is real opportunity in the fight against misinformation this year. As part of the Online Safety Bill, protections against the damages of untruths presented as fact will be put in place in law, but will the legislation be enough?

Why are efforts to fight misinformation so important this year in particular?

Research from Eurasia Group’s Top Risks forecast for 2023 found that disinformation is going to become even more pervasive due to disruptive technological developments, like ChatGPT. We have got to take action now to mitigate that threat.

From a public health perspective, while we are coming out of Covid, we have got to be ready for future pandemics. As part of building resilience, we need to be tackling disinformation and misinformation around vaccines – data shows that false information being spread online on vaccines has had a negative impact on uptake among young people. At the start of the pandemic hesitancy stood at 14% for younger age groups, falling drastically to 5% for over 30s.

If we want to be better prepared, we need to use 2023 to actually learn the lessons of the past and protect ourselves for the future.

Alongside threats to health, a US global trends report found that the biggest threat to social trust over the next 20 years will be an inability to agree on what the facts are – we will become more polarized as a society. How can we have a conversation if we can’t agree on what constitutes the truth?

There is real opportunity now because of the Online Safety Bill. This is the first time the UK Government has tried to introduce regulation in the online space.

What initiatives have Polis been working on?

Polis has taken a two-step approach to the campaign we are running on misinformation and disinformation.

The first is to raise awareness. Even though this issue poses huge threats to our democracy – Russia has used disinformation in Ukraine with deep fake technology, for example – it is not high on the political agenda. Rightly, people are focused on the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis here in the UK, but misinformation poses systemic challenges to our society.

We are also promoting solutions for tackling misinformation. Alongside talking at universities to engage young people in the conversation, I’ve been meeting with members of Parliament and the House of Lords with amendments to improve the Bill. We will be delivering briefings, policy papers and our own research to political stakeholders.

We have had encouraging results – Polis was one of the only contributors to the Online Safety Bill pre-legislation scrutiny committee that spoke about this issue and we made an impact. 66 of the committee’s recommendation made it into the Bill.

But the Government did not adopt all of our recommendations – there is far more work to be done.

Will the Online Safety Bill do enough?

The short answer is no. This is clearly a landmark legislation and there is opportunity to be more ambitious.

We believe that online platforms should be bound by similar conditions to ‘traditional’ broadcasters – the licensing terms of the Broadcasting Act around impartiality and ensuring factual information is put forward. If we can do it for the BBC, we should be able to copy and paste that model and apply it to the online space.

The Online Safety Bill is at an advanced stage in Parliament, so we have got one window of opportunity for someone in the Lords to table those amendments and make sure they get debated in the House of Commons, at which point we are hoping that MPs we have briefed agree that they need to be passed. Right now, the Bill is pretty lackluster when it comes to fighting disinformation.

What do PR and comms people need to be aware of?

Obviously, the job of a PR is to protect the reputation of their organisation, or the organisations that they work with – corporations are not going to be immune from the onslaught of misinformation.

We cannot escape conversations around ChatGPT at the moment – any activist or online troll could use that technology to spread all sorts of content on social media to trash the reputation of a corporation. If you are a bit more sophisticated, you could use deep fakes to impersonate senior figures in business to create a PR disaster. For a listed company, bad actors could move their share price.

And I am not making this up. The Eurasia Group has forecast this as a possibility in 2023. PRs must be aware of the reputational challenges posed by actors harnessing tech for malicious ends. Misinformation touches everyone.

How much responsibility falls on social media platforms and publishers?

We have been relying on voluntary action from social media companies so far, and look where we are.

According to Full Fact, only 1/5 of social media users who encounter misinformation on their feeds actually do something about it. Our civic duty means that those of us who have the necessary digital literacy skills to identify mis and disinformation online should actively take action and report the content to protect others.

I remember Mark Zuckerberg saying Facebook wouldn’t be ‘arbiters of truth’ – this is not what we are asking. We are asking for information to be taken down when it is blatantly fake and is causing damage to society, and that you have a responsibility when you have unleashed the floodgates and have given billions the opportunity to freely publish.

And ‘publishers’ can be individuals. Anyone can be a publisher if they have a social media account. We have a civic duty, in my view, to make sure that before we share content online, that we have read the content first, that we understand it, that we have looked into the source, that we do not just publish something on our feeds before we even engage with the content.

Along with regulations and legislation that comes from the ‘top-down’, you also need individuals – from the bottom-up – to take responsibility.

What is coming up over the next year for Polis?

At the moment, we’re in the weeds on the Online Safety Bill, but we need to think about life beyond it.

The EU’s Digital Services Act is robust, but there is nothing it, or the Government, can do about misinformation being shared on WhatsApp.

However, if the person receiving false information there has the media literacy and critical thinking skills to question what is coming through – to look at the validity of the source and whether it has been produced with malicious intent to mislead, or is accidentally misleading – we can inoculate against misinformation and disinformation; people can protect themselves.

The situation with education on this is dire. A report on the digital literacy of school children found that only 2% can tell fake news from legitimate news online. The next generation is not equipped with the skills they need to protect themselves.

We will be campaigning for major changes to the curriculum in schools – young people are not getting their news by watching the BBC, they aren’t picking up a copy of The Times or The Guardian on the way to school. The sources of information young people use the most for news are Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. If that is where they are getting their news, they need the skill set to use them.

I don’t want to live in a society where we can’t agree on what basic facts are.

For more on the Online Safety Bill, the Digital Services Act and other UK and EU regulation changes to be aware of this year, click here. You can also download the Vuelio white paper ‘Medical misinformation: How PR can stop the spread‘ for a closer look at the situation within the health sector. 

Logistics Business interview

Automisation, digitisation and decarbonisation: Logistics Business’s Peter MacLeod on what is ahead for the logistics sector

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‘Our readers are looking at ways to improve the way they run their businesses, so are interested in the technologies and strategies used by their peers,’ says Logistics Business editor Peter MacLeod.

Covering subjects at the top of the agenda in logistics right now – the labour shortage, how to counteract high energy prices, and meeting environmental targets – Peter and his team are focused on keeping the sector informed of any potential trouble ahead and helping them to move forward:

‘Improving the bottom line is always top of the list for the logistics field, so anything that optimises their operations – whether that’s increasing automation levels or finding smarter ways to better utilise available space or reducing vehicle movements – is of interest to them’.

Read on for trends you need to be aware of when planning logistics-related campaigns and how you can work with Logistics Business.

How has the logistics sector changed since you’ve been covering it?

Peter MacLeodWhen I first started writing about logistics in the early noughties, the warehousing sector was dominated by the forklift truck and racking manufacturers. The majority of operations were performed manually – automated fulfilment systems were only really aimed at high-volume retailers. The advent of ecommerce changed everything, with the big warehouses that were previously configured to send pallets of goods to retail stores having to reshape their operations to satisfy the demands of individual consumers. This is where automation really took off, giving birth to a sub-sector called intralogistics – the technology of warehouse fulfilment. Believe me, there’s considerably more complexity required in a warehouse sending a single item to a single recipient than one sending a pallet of identical boxes to a supermarket.

How do you see the impact of supply chain issues evolving over the next few years in the UK and beyond?

Logistics businesses have been knocked by a series of situations beyond their immediate control – the ash cloud, the ship blocking the Suez Canal… as well as those issues affecting all sectors, such as the war in Ukraine and the shortage of chips (no, not those chips!). That has led them to invest in ways to increase their resilience to these factors, including deploying automated and robotic solutions with greater flexibility. Among the most popular strategies is to look at the supply chain from end-to-end rather than its individual functions, with a rush to digitisation offering unprecedented insight using previous trends as a model for coping with future disruption.

What are the other big trends for the logistics sector this year?

The aforementioned challenges are driving businesses to be increasingly sophisticated in supply chain planning. Another area where vast gains can still be made is the last mile – the incredibly vital link between the supplier’s depot and the consumer’s front door. There are huge challenges here, and a more collaborative approach in this area is certainly on the cards – surely we’ve all seen rival courier vehicles running up and down the same streets at the same time? Soon, we’ll be saying ‘What were we thinking?’. And, of course, there’s a huge drive towards decarbonisation driven both by upcoming legislation and consumer demands.

Are logistics companies doing enough to incorporate net zero goals into their planning, in your opinion?

Any business ignoring the impact they make on the environment will soon be driven out of business, so the simple answer has to be ‘yes’. However, logistics is a really difficult sector, as it is heavily reliant on transportation such as shipping and HGVs. Many in the sector have pledged to reach net zero ahead of legislative targets, but many others are unable to make significant progress due to infrastructural restrictions.

For example, a central European delivery company has just ordered a huge fleet of diesel lorries because the majority of its country’s electricity is generated by burning coal, and so it figured it would use more carbon to go electric.

What information from PRs is useful for the magazine and the website, and how would you prefer they get in touch?

It’s always a challenge for PRs to give every editor what they want when they want it in the way they want it! I am not alone in spending a good part of the day going through emails, some of which are nothing to do with logistics, and it’s sometimes hard to pick out what’s relevant and what isn’t – nearly everything is now described using terms such as ‘leading’, ‘game-changing’ or ‘unique’!

For the magazine, I’m looking first and foremost for something exclusive to us that will offer readers genuine insight, and which is not just a plug for a particular product or service. It’s a pleasant – but increasingly rare – surprise when my phone rings and a PR is pitching an idea to me, wanting to learn more about the audience, wordcount, deadline, imagery, etc. Of course, the magazine is restricted in size by its physical proportions, so we will always give priority to those companies who are willing to engage with us commercially – we offer an incredible amount of options to suit every marketing budget – but if an article is strong enough to stand up on its own, then let’s talk.

What do PRs need to know about the logistics industry that is unique to the sector – does it have big differences to other industries?

I think the same values apply to all industries – businesses want to know how they can be more profitable, how they can attract and retain staff, how they can reduce their environmental impact, and how they can gain an edge on their competitors. With logistics, the challenges are sometimes a bit more complex, as they seem more susceptible to disruption from geopolitical influences as well as changing consumer habits. I believe the logistics media plays a part in helping them keep abreast of these challenges and helping them stay competitive.

How far ahead do you plan content?

I come from the good old days of magazine publishing, when a monthly magazine would have pages and pages of news. Today, if it’s news, it goes up on the website. Being a quarterly publication, I effectively have up to three months to plan each edition; in reality, with all the other activities I’m involved with such as podcasts and webinars, the window is much narrower. Every issue we cover all aspects relevant to our sector, and therefore do not publish an editorial calendar. If there is a customer referenced in an article, then it can often take a while to get their approval, which shreds the nerves around deadline time.

You also co-host the Last Mile Prophets podcast with Marek Różycki – what extra subjects does the podcast give you the space to cover that Logistics Business Magazine perhaps doesn’t?

Logistics Business and Last Mile Prophets are two unconnected, separate entities. I am a freelancer, so treat them both as valued clients. Last Mile Prophets is a venture where Marek and I chat about the challenges faced by parcel carriers in fulfilling the last leg of the delivery chain. Readers of Logistics Business are not too interested in delivery lockers at the end of your street, whereas Last Mile Prophet listeners don’t much care for fork lift trucks! It’s great fun – Marek and I have good chemistry, and we are building a good following so far. We both feel there is more to come from this brand than a podcast or webinar, so we could be moving into very interesting places in the future.

Which logistics brands are doing a good job when it comes to sustainability and environmental considerations?

I am loath to name specific companies, as some are much better at shouting about their success in this area than others. But there are certain businesses where you totally believe that environmental issues are taken into account with every step they take, whereas with others it seems like tokenism or a last-minute addition – almost as though someone in marketing has barged into the boardroom and said, ‘Oh, and where’s the green angle here?’

Find out more about Peter MacLeod and Logistics Business on the Vuelio Media Database.

Want more from the logistics industry? Read our interview with Logistics UK’s Matt Harrington here.

Trends in food and drink for 2023

Food & drink forecast: 2023’s biggest trends

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This is a guest post from Hatch Group’s senior account manager Emily Boswell.

At the start of a new year brands, marketeers and other industry professionals all start to look towards what lies ahead. At Hatch, we have already seen a whole host of predictions for 2023 trends focused on AI, the economy and across different sectors and the food and drink industry is a sector with plenty of opportunity to adapt, change and grow in 2023.

Unfortunately, as we enter a predicted recession, the cost-of-living crisis looks set to have a huge impact and specifically upon the Food & Drink sector, with rising costs and less disposable income to treat ourselves. With this in mind, we can expect this to underpin many of the trends across all industries. Consumers will not only be looking to save money, but with the climate crisis ever at the forefront of the news, they will also be considering more and more the impact that their choices have on the planet.

As experts in the food and drink sector, Hatch is here to forecast some of the key trends we expect will shake up the food and drink industry this year.

Value for Money

With the cost-of-living crisis going nowhere fast, value for money is key in 2023. We anticipate that people will be eating out less, and instead opting for homecooked meals.

Therefore, we expect to see people prioritising more affordable meals and ingredients, as they look for ways to reduce the cost of their shopping basket.

It doesn’t stop there though, through our work within the consumer tech sector we’re seeing that consumers are increasingly looking at their cooking products too and considering how they can save money on their ever-increasing energy bills. For example, slow cookers and air fryers are flying off the shelves thanks to their low energy usage credentials.

The tinned fish revolution

Yes, really. With the cost of living making consumers rethink their usual habits, shoppers will be constantly looking for ways to spend less on their weekly shop. One of the most expensive items in consumers’ shopping trollies is protein, meaning shoppers will likely start to look for cheaper alternatives. The answer? Tinned fish.

This is a trend that is also being driven by TikTok. In 2022, we saw an increasing number of videos going viral on the platform, showing aesthetically-pleasing fish charcuterie boards, which many are recreating at home. In fact, sales of canned seafood shot up by 10% in the US last year – something we expect to see here in the UK this year.

Conscious choices

Consumers are moving more and more towards planet conscious and sustainable choices and we’ll see a greater focus placed on plant-based and environmentally-friendly options in the coming months

At Hatch we work with food and drink producers across a range of different products from frozen peas and cheese, to wine and rum and we’re seeing lots of consumers making changes with their diets, to opt for products that have lower carbon footprints that are better for the environment. For example, smashed peas on toast has become a popular alternative to the traditional smashed avocado, as consumers have become more aware of the impact avocados have on the environment.

With this shift we will continue to see more plant-based food alternatives on the shelf. However, these won’t be confined to just supermarket shelves – we’re seeing an increase in the number of plant-based fine dining restaurants, and an increase in Michelin stars being awarded to restaurants for their plant-based meal innovation.

New alternatives for non-dairy milks

Following on from these conscious choices comes a new wave of non-dairy milks.

Non-dairy milks such as almond milk and oat milk have been soaring in popularity in recent years. However, with consumers awareness around the massive environmental impact of almond milk, we’re likely to see more non-dairy alternatives becoming popular in 2023.

In fact, we’ve already seen new milks such as sesame milk and pistachio milk becoming popular. Pistachios require half the amount of water to grow than almonds, and sesame milk requires an astounding 95% less water – the perfect alternative for environmentally-conscious shoppers!

A nod to nostalgia

90s fashion isn’t the only thing set to make a return. With consumers facing challenging times currently, there’s going to be a greater demand this year for nostalgic foods that consumers can find comfort in. We constantly see posts on social media clamouring for the return of chocolate bars that are no more (R.I.P. Mars Delight) and original recipe Sunny-D and it looks as though brands are starting to pay attention.

Think back to the favourite foods from your childhood, such as hot dogs, old-school cereals, or pick and mix sweets – these are the types of foods we expect to see returning to supermarket shelves this year.

And over in the US, we’re even seeing the likes of McDonalds introducing Adult Happy Meals, to cater to this nostalgic consumer.

English wines

English wines have been soaring in popularity recently, with sales doubling in the last two years alone and English wines starting to be recognised at wine producer prestigious award ceremonies.

At first, it’s all been about English sparkling wines, however now that people are trusting that we Brits do in fact know how to make good wine, we’ll see more demand for English still wines too.

This year in particular is likely to see an increase in English red wines. 2022 saw England’s joint hottest summer in records going back to 1884, leading to an excellent harvest for Pinot Noir, and generally creating excitement from many winemakers across the country.

Plant-powered pasta

Pasta is universally loved, and a staple for many home-cooked dishes. However, as consumers look to make healthier choices with their diet, we’re likely to see shoppers exploring healthier pasta alternatives. Enter, plant-based pastas.

The perfect option to increase our vegetable intake, plant powered pasta is expected to be a big trend in 2023, and while everyone’s heard of courgetti, expect to see the likes of sweet potato pasta, spaghetti squash, chickpea fusilli and even yellow pea penne becoming popular this year.

Paper drinks bottles

As consumers look for more sustainable products, they’re holding brands to a higher standard than ever before.

The environmental impact of glass bottles is coming more into focus for consumers, and brands are having to respond. Thankfully, some drinks brands, such as Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin, Green Man Wildwood Vodka, Gyre & Gimble Coastal Gin and Avallen Calvados, have found the answer in paper bottles. Usually made from recycled paper, these bottles have a considerably lower carbon footprint compared to their glass equivalents.

Emily Boswell is a senior account manager at Hatch Group, with over six years’ experience working across a number of food, drink and FMCG brands. Experienced in both B2B and B2C press office, social media, and activations, Emily’s client portfolio has included brands such as Fentimans, Black Sheep Brewery, Puerto de Indias gin and Yes Peas!.

For more from the Food & Drink sector, read our previous posts on how the big six UK supermarkets are faring with their cost-of-living messaging in the media, as well as how to pitch to journalists writing about food and drink with related stories and information. 

6 tips on fighting medical misinformation

6 pointers for PR professionals tackling misinformation on the front lines

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Misinformation, disinformation and fake news is highly contagious and harmful, especially in the field of health. Effective PR and communications can help fight the spread and protect the public from its impacts.

Our latest white paper ‘Medical misinformation: How PR can stop the spread’ features guidance for comms professionals tasked with educating and informing, with advice from medical, healthcare and pharmaceutical practitioners working in-house, agency-side and within the media.

Take note of these six pointers from the paper, and download the full report here.

1. Be vigilant with AI tools

‘A key challenge this year will be the threat of generative AI and combatting misinformation, particularly online. However, it is an area for opportunity and growth – the harnessing of tech to provide data rich intelligence that can underpin PR activity.’

Matt Wilson, media and public affairs manager for the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

2. Stay transparent

‘Transparency of production, transparency of bias, transparency of any kind that goes into news organisations’ production or production values should be better communicated with consumers.

‘When you go into a shop, you pick up a piece of food and it has the nutritional information on the back so that you can decide whether or not you want to eat it. If we had better signposting within news organisations to help us understand how the piece was created and why it was created, it would help us better pick quality content as consumers.’

Jodie Jackson, founder of the News Literacy Network (find out more about the network in this ResponseSource interview)

3. Allow open conversation to avoid mistrust

‘Although witnessing medical misinformation being spread can be frustrating, especially as a healthcare professional, it is important to remain understanding as to why some people may hold irrational beliefs. Mocking them for having these views, or suffocating any conversation around them, can lead to a further level of distrust between the general public and professionals within the pharmaceutical industry, which can further fan the flame of misinformation.

‘It is important to target misinformation with education and critical thinking – after all, social media regulation will not stop misinformation from being spread in the long-run, as people will find other ways to do this. Changing the way people take in information and educating them on how they can validate information before believing it directly must happen, too.’

Carolina Goncalves, superintendent pharmacist at UK pharmacist Pharmica

4. Pay close attention to inequalities and bias still within the health sector itself

‘As a health journalist, I’ve become increasingly interested over the last five or so years in issues around health inequalities, gender bias and medical misogyny.

‘In 2018 I started my blog Hysterical Women to bring together women’s stories and experiences in one place. It particularly explores some of the dismissive and disbelieving attitudes that women can encounter when seeking healthcare – the idea that we’re being “hysterical” or “hormonal”, or that our symptoms are “all in our heads”.

‘I hope to move that conversation forwards – beyond simply curating experiences to actually looking at the underlying reasons, highlighting some of the campaigns around the gender health gap and exploring what the solutions might be.’

Sarah Graham, writer and author of ‘Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution’ (read more about Sarah and her work in this interview)

5. Go beyond the physical to gain and retain the attention of your audience

‘Re-evaluate your assumptions about what people will engage with. Mental health is a big concern, for example – so consumers may be more likely to engage with content about mental wellness, compared to physical wellness.’

Helen Fitzhugh, associate director, Healthcare at Kaizo PR

6. Be responsive to international events to fight fake news

‘One advantage we have on misinformation is that it rarely falls out of the blue – it tends to spike in response to unfolding events. Extreme weather events, global conflicts and public health crises are all areas where misinformation can thrive. We’d recommend keeping an eye on countries that have elections coming up, too.’

Shayoni Lynn, founder and CEO of Lynn

Download ‘Medical misinformation: How PR can stop the spread’ here.

 

10 ways energy suppliers can enhance their crisis comms

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The causes of the energy crisis have been an international debate for almost a year, though gas and electricity suppliers are often first in line to carry the weight of public outrage – which was only exacerbated when claims of profiteering began to surface in 2022.

With several independent/large scale suppliers  set to reveal ‘bumper’ results in the coming weeks, comms teams need to be prepared for any potential onslaught.

Since 1 Feb, 102 national news sources have commented on the projected elevation of PR crises for energy suppliers. Speaking on one of the biggest profit scandals of the past year, Investec analyst, Martin Young said comms in this sector has ‘arguably gotten harder’.

Similarly, a former business analyst at E.ON was quoted extensively in an FT article earlier this week, stating that suppliers actually lose money through household energy and that the  ‘limelight should be on the producers’ instead.

Now more than ever, it is vital for suppliers to be closely monitoring industry news and measuring media presence, building preventative and reactive strategies based on the results.

Here are 10 tips to enhance your crisis comms process:

1. Measure regularly and efficiently

Whether internal or external, the diversity of crises in the energy sector is high and the ability to reflect on performance can feel limited. Making an effort to monitor your media presence comes with high rewards, primarily the ability to refine and target your strategic goals.

Fortunately, there are several ways to achieve these results with a quick and high-level analysis.  Check out our four-step guide to learn more.

2. Define your key messages

Sentiment alone isn’t enough to ensure that you have successfully diverted a PR crisis. When the entire industry is affected, you need to know that the value of your positive/neutral coverage is stronger than your competitors.

While there are a few ways to do this, a strong set of key messages is one of the most effective ways to ensure that you are delivering highly relevant and reactive attitudes.

Key messages also allow you to measure your brand reputation against competitors within the specific crisis at hand. To get started, try the following:

  • Establish 3-5 key messages – what do you want to say?
  • Set your parameters – where do you want it to be heard?
  • Assess your coverage – what messages landed best? How did competitors perform?
  • Build out KPIs – how can you improve on messages that were not received well OR performed poorly?

Check out this five-step guide to learn more about creating key messages that actually land with your target audience.

3. Prioritise personability

Key messages in a crisis are as crucial as the tone set within them. Suppliers who maintain an approachable attitude with their customers maintain a much stronger ratio of prominent and positive coverage than those who do not — Octopus energy is a leading example of an energy company that holds a consistently strong relationship with the British media.

That being said, knowing your audience is key for drawing the line between personability and ignorance. OVO has been applauded for lessening its corporate tone across PR publications, but has also previously been called out for diluting the severity of the energy crisis by advising Brits to ‘cuddle pets’ to stay warm.

4. Produce more content

Among the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers, better owned content equates to better earned content. In other words, those who publish regular blogs, newsletters and press releases have a much more valuable media presence than those who do not.

Another huge benefit of having a strong owned-media readership is that it presents an open opportunity to plug key messages and drive the brand attitude towards current crises.

5. Know how to apologise

When Shell was called out across international press for purchasing Russian oil in March last year, it rapidly resurrected some respect by following what Pink Elephant Comms refer to as the ‘Three R’s’ – Regret, Reason and Remedy.

While the story peaked around the world between 6 and 15 March 2022, the supplier’s negative sentiment rate dropped from 89% to 68% after it released an extended apology on 8 March 2022.

6. Prevention over cure

When the entire industry is baring the impact of an extended crisis, the biggest names are likely going to be in the media spotlight on more than one occasion.

In preparation for this, building early-onset preventative strategies is a much stronger method than trying to dilute a negative peak in coverage. For example, Octopus Energy’s electric blanket campaign is an ongoing success that has leveraged nationwide positive coverage throughout Winter over the past couple of years.

7. Don’t go silent

In a world where activism and ethics are at the forefront of consumer interest, the adage that ‘the best PR is invisible PR’ has become a risky perspective.

Throughout the 2022 World Cup, FIFA partners who promoted messaging in favour of human rights a few weeks ahead of the event demonstrated much more control over negative coverage throughout the competition than those who said nothing at all.

8. Explore the meaning of authenticity

Greenwashing, woke-washing and alike are some of many ways in which the media are capable of fishing out those who are authentic in their actions versus those who are not.

Fortunately, with some research, there are several visible ways to enhance legitimacy in a way that also generates media interest. For example, since COP27 in November, STEM companies that are part of the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) have seen a stronger positive Share of Voice in relation to net zero coverage than those who are not.

9. Internal alignment

Among the UK-based PR publications talking about crisis comms over the past month, approximately 62% mention the importance of internal alignment between comms, public affairs and legal teams.

A crisis comms committee with executives and key members of each department is an effective way to achieve this from a top-down level.

10. Managing misinformation

Since the start of the energy crisis, PR publications have demonstrated consistent interest in which suppliers are working with external agencies. While this coverage in itself is relatively neutral, it falls in line with ongoing accusations that PR agencies are to blame for promoting misinformation for energy clients.

Once again, prevention is the best method here – work closely with your crisis committee and agency to ensure total alignment and authenticity. Agencies are now much more cautious of how they choose to support energy suppliers, as their reputation is at stake too; total transparency from the start is the best way to mitigate any media allegations for all parties involved.

Want to know more about this data or how media insights can support your PR and communications? Find out more.

Trends in financial journalism PRs need to know about

Trends in finance journalism PRs need to know about

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Everyone in the UK has been impacted in some way by the cost-of-living crisis that has rumbled on for nearly a year now. From energy bills to mortgage payments to the interest rate; it has all been increasing in price. This has put a massive strain on households and forced people to look more closely at their budget and savings.

It has also, understandably, gained a lot of attention from the media with national newspapers, broadcast media and consumer titles all keen to cover the impact on the general public and give advice on how to cope during these difficult times. We decided to find out what journalists have been researching within this area by looking at requests for the Personal Finance category on the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service over the last few months.

Personal Finance has really increased in popularity. Between October and November, we saw a 27% increase in the number of requests for this category and between December and January, an even bigger rise of 39%. Overall, over 3% of all requests have included the Personal Finance category in the last four months.

It also corresponds with ‘Cost of living’ being a regular top key phrase. Since September, at least 2% of all enquiries on the service each month have included these words within their request. If we look at requests just within the Personal Finance category, then 11% of all enquiries from journalists have included this phrase.

Many requests have looked to get case studies, with several of those coming from broadcast outlets such as 5 News and ITV News. One looking for a single person struggling to pay the bills due to the cost of living and another wanted to find out the impact of the crisis on students. If you have any clients with first-person accounts of how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting their daily lives, then there should be plenty of opportunities to get these featured.

National newspapers like The Sun, The I paper and The Daily Star have also sought to cover this topical issue. These enquiries have been more for general information covering budgeting for a wedding, free fitness activities and what customers can do to help pubs avoid closing early, to name but a few. Meanwhile, trade titles such as HR magazine have wanted more practical advice, like how to avoid payroll issues in the cost-of-living crisis.

Despite ‘cost of living’ being such a popular phrase in the media and on the enquiry service, the top keyword within the Personal Finance requests in the last four months has been ‘finance/financial’ appearing in 21% of all the enquiries.

Requests with these keywords have tended to look more for a spokesperson or expert and covered both consumer and trade titles such as Raconteur, Money Marketing, Closer, Global Finance and Money & Finance magazine. They have looked for finance/CFO expertise, personal finance experts, financial advice and for a money/finance expert. All of these give a great chance to get clients who are experts in their field featured in leading magazines and websites.

One of the words mentioned in those requests above, ‘money’, also performed well in the Personal Finance category between October and February, featuring in 19% of all requests. Again, numerous requests were looking for experts but there was also a focus on getting information about saving money. These varied from saving money on a renovation, saving money when doing laundry plus general requests around saving money over Christmas and in the January sales.

‘Saving/savings’ also performed well as a keyword too, appearing in 7% of all Personal Finance requests. National titles like the Daily Mirror and Daily Express submitted requests with these keywords as well as consumer titles such as Woman’s Own and Real Homes.

Within the cost-of-living crisis, one of the major concerns for people has been the rising energy bills and that has been reflected on the service with ‘energy’ as a keyword in 8% of all Personal Finance requests.

The Express.co.uk looked for an energy bill expert to report on gas boilers possibly being banned while The Daily Mirror wanted a case study of someone that invested in green energy years ago and is now seeing the benefit.

The other issue that has arisen over the last six months or so has been with mortgage rates increasing. ‘Mortgage’ as a keyword was in just over 3.5% of the enquiries between October and February as journalists look to get information on the latest rates as well as expert opinion from mortgage brokers and advisers. Requests came from titles including City A.M., The Daily Telegraph and Property Investor.

There has also been a lot of concern over pensions and the triple lock and with the cost-of-living crisis, some people have been forced to come out of retirement due to financial uncertainty. ‘Pension’ and ‘retirement’ both performed well as keywords at 7% and 2% respectively. Titles including Pensions Expert and The I paper were looking for experts and advice on pensions while Law360 and The Sunday Times asked for case studies of people coming out of retirement.

Keywords such as ‘banking’, ‘insurance’, ‘investment’, ‘inflation’ and ‘interest rate’ were all present in at least 2% or more of all Personal Finance requests. This shows there is plenty of opportunity to get clients featured in prominent outlets, whether they specialise in mortgages or pensions or insurance.

Overall, within the Personal Finance category, 46% of all the requests in this period were looking for a spokesperson or expert. Personal case study was the next most popular choice at 27%, followed by information for an article in third on 24%. The requests were dominated by National Newspaper/Current Affairs outlets with 46% from them and Consumer Media second on 29%. Trade/Business/Professional Media was third on 14% with Radio and Television fourth on 5%.

With energy companies due to hike their prices up in April, the cost-of-living crisis is unlikely to be going away anytime soon. That means journalists will be covering this issue closely, needing advice and experts to comment on what this will mean for consumers. The knock-on-effect is that people will have less money in their budget and will need to make savings, meaning these keywords will continue to appear in requests and provide more chances to get clients out in the media.

To receive relevant requests from the UK media straight to your inbox, find out more about the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service. 

For more, find out why it can be more effective than #JournoRequest and the right way to reply to journalist requests. 

Food waste

Waste Not, Want Not – How brands can help combat food waste with effective PR and social media campaigns

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This is a guest post from Alex Halls, account director at Hatch.

Food waste is a huge issue in the UK, with an estimated 10.2 million tonnes of food ending up in the bin every single year. That’s enough food to feed the entire population of London for a whole year. Of this, it is estimated that 7.3 million tonnes are ‘avoidable’, meaning it could have been consumed had it been managed better and let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of it.

It’s not just a waste of perfectly good food, it is also a drain on resources and terrible for the environment. It is estimated that the carbon footprint of food waste in the UK is equivalent to that of 18 million cars on the road. According to the United Nations, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States.

With an increasing number of environmentally-conscious consumers and an ever-worsening food waste problem, it is important that brands use their platforms to step in and help combat the issue. One of the most effective ways to do this is through PR and social media campaigns. These campaigns can be used to raise awareness about the issue, share information about the impact of food waste on the environment, educate and encourage consumers to make changes in their own lives.

Education

The key to any change is through education and it is no different in the fight against food waste. According to a report by WRAP, households are responsible for 60% of the UK’s food waste, so it is clear there is an issue that starts at home.

An effective way to combat food waste is by utilising recipes that incorporate leftovers and help people make the most of food they have in the fridge by providing inspiration and techniques to use up and preserve food.

The rise of subscription services like Hello Fresh and Mindful Chef have meant that people are only getting the amount of food they need in, and menu planning is a great way to reduce food waste. But we’ve all been in the shop when we’re hungry and bought far too much.

In a cost-of-living crisis, it is even more important that we plan meals, and brands have a real opportunity to create inspirational content that can help give people the tools and techniques they need to fix the issue at home.

We’ve seen over the last few years the sheer amount of food-related content on social media and that’s growing even more with the rise of TikTok – so my number one tip, if you’re a brand in this sector and you want to do something to combat food waste, is to get your apron on and start inspiring your consumers with tasty, easy-to-follow and engaging recipe content. If you wanted to take this on the road, you could look at doing a zero-waste street food van or pop up café to get your tasty dishes in the hands of potential customers and engage directly with your target audience. There are loads of ways you can expand on it, but at the heart it is about education and inspiration.

At Hatch, we work with the British Growers Association on the Yes Peas! Campaign to promote the benefits of frozen peas and shine a light on the industry. It’s tempting to just whack peas on the side of your plate and have done with it, but what Yes Peas! does so brilliantly is hero the ingredient and make it the star of the show through recipes. It’s needed as well, as the average person eats around 9,000 peas every year.

Yes Peas! also educates consumers on the wider environmental benefits. Peas are by far the most environmentally-friendly veg in the UK; we’re 90% self-sufficient as a nation, there’s little to no waste as the pods are utilised in different ways and any that don’t fit the grade are used in animal feed. Peas go from field to frozen in around 150-minutes, meaning little supply chain wastage.

But it’s not just recipes that help to educate the consumer. Research, white papers and other helpful content e.g. downloadable meal planners and weekly menus can also play a huge role. Simple tactics like this can be an incredibly cost-effective way to make a difference.

Shock Tactics

A tried and tested strategy when it comes to affecting real change through marketing strategies is the implementation of shock tactics. By highlighting the staggering statistics of food waste and the impact it has on the environment and global food security, brands can create a sense of urgency and use it to motivate consumers to take action.

Images of overflowing landfills and the devastating effects on the planet can be a powerful way to get people talking about the issue.

You may remember a campaign a few years ago when WRAP showed how much food a household wastes in a year:

Jonathan Hordle/PA WRAP campaign on food waste

This has worked in the past for other environmental causes like littering, plastic waste, ocean pollution and so on. People find it hard to visualise numbers and figures in their head, so showing them in a simple way can make a big impression and make for a great impactful stunt (the only issue is make sure all the food doesn’t go to waste just for the sake of your own stunt, or you’re just adding to the problem).

Partnerships

Another way brands can look to target food waste through their PR and social media activity is by partnering with like-minded charities, organisations and people. This not only helps to support a good cause but builds a positive reputation for the brand. Food waste charities redistribute nearly 50,000 tonnes of food each year, making them a crucial ingredient in the fight against food waste, and well-known chefs and food writers have been campaigning for years on the issue.

A fantastic example of this in the UK is the food waste reduction campaign ‘Too Good To Go’, which is supported by major supermarkets, restaurant chains and independents. This campaign focuses on reducing food waste by making surplus food available to consumers at reduced prices through an app, and has helped to divert tonnes of food that would have otherwise been heading to landfill.

Partnering with influencers and celebrities who have a vested interest can also help elevate your PR and social campaigns. However, it is important that you remain authentic and seek out partners who genuinely care. At Hatch we often say consumers have the best bulls**t detectors around and with growing skepticism around influencers, you don’t want to get it wrong.

People like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who has been a prominent campaigner against food waste for many years, would be the perfect face of a food waste campaign for a brand looking to gain additional cut through, utilising his name, expertise and genuine passion for the cause would prove a beneficial strategy.

Sustainable Practices

That said, it is not just about raising awareness and educating consumers, it’s also about encouraging them to take action themselves. One way brands can do this is by using their own supply chain to reduce food waste. According to a report by the Carbon Trust, food waste in the supply chain accounts for 33% of all food waste in the UK.

By implementing sustainable practices such as composting, reducing packaging, and using more efficient production methods, brands can help to combat food waste at the source and set an example for others in the industry to follow.

Setting sustainability targets and committing to achievable goals is a great way to lead by example and can form the basis of any key messages and strategy when launching a marketing campaign to combat food waste. A strong proactive and reactive press office function, which shares these key messages and utilises expert stakeholders to comment on these issues, is a brilliant way of raising awareness of your brand and its commitment to combating food waste.

After all, you have to get your own house in order and practice what you preach to be taken seriously. We’ve seen so many people accused of greenwashing or offering empty promises, so with any activity of this nature, it’s important it’s authentic.

Conclusion

A successful PR and social media campaign can have a huge impact, helping to raise awareness about the issue, educate consumers on how to reduce food waste at home, and encourage people to make changes in their own lives. By utilising data and insight, brands can make changes in their own supply chain that can reduce food waste and improve sustainability. There are loads more tactics brands could use as part of their strategy, but hopefully this sparks some inspiration and helps you in the fight against food waste.

Alex has over six years’ experience in PR working across a range of B2B and B2C clients in FCMG, Food & Drink, Sport and Lifestyle sectors. 

Which energy suppliers are leading the renewable conversation?

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At the start of what appears to be a long road ahead, the extent to which the energy crisis is being caused by net-zero policies has been highly debated across news and social media platforms for almost seven months.

Placing the blame on green levies is considered a ‘conservative’ perspective, shared by the likes of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), Nigel Farage’s ‘Power not poverty’ campaign and Jordan Peterson on the latest Joe Rogan podcast.

While The Guardian Australia’s environmental reporter Graham Readfearn has been one of the most prominent oppositional speakers, other UK news sources are taking a more neutral perspective. Rather, climate action is considered one of many root causes in a ‘deeply complex arena’.

Contrary to this international debate, the climate crisis and relative health concerns are pressing as inflation and public support for net-zero remains high. This, alongside the eventual reduction in overall costs, are some of the largest incentives behind why suppliers are choosing to continue investing in renewable solutions.

Key Takeaways

  • The impact of renewable energy is widely debated in the press, but British suppliers are retaining an overall positive reputation as the public continue to favour net-zero policies.
  • Shell was the most prominent in broadcast media, Octopus received the most valuable online coverage and EDF were the favoured supplier across print media.
  • Across all media types, Octopus has received the highest volume and most headline mentions compared to any other supplier.
  • Ecotricity Founder, Dale Vince, received a significant volume of biographical and interview-based coverage across both Europe and North America.

Since COP27 in November, UK media has been highly saturated with net zero energy coverage; climate-action press releases were 56% more likely to be picked up than others released by small and large-scale suppliers.

So, who is leading this conversation and what actions have earned the most valuable visibility?

Which media types are most common?

 

*Data samples were collected from 1 Dec, 2022 – 1 Feb 2022 and represent all UK news and industry publications discussing renewable energy in relation to at least one small or large-scale UK supplier(s).

Among the 2,268 articles measured by the Vuelio Insights team, 78% of coverage was digital, 11.8% was print and 10.2% was broadcast across television and radio.

Shell received the most broadcast coverage overall, with mentions on Countryfile, BBC Radio 4 and 5 live. Sentiment was mixed – the most prominent coverage was primarily negative, with an extended focus on how the company, at the time, had not paid tax in the UK for a number of years ‘in part due to significant investments in the North Sea’ (Countryfile, 18 Dec 2022). However, only a day later, Countryfile passively mentioned Shell’s ‘offshore wind projects’ in a positive light (Countryfile, 19 Dec 2022).

Online, Octopus received the highest volume of coverage due to extensive net zero efforts as an independent company and in collaboration with several other British suppliers, both in and out of ‘The Big Six’.

EDF was the most-mentioned brand in print media and had overall positive sentiment; the most frequent article being a passive mention on its involvement in the ‘demand flexibility service (DFS)’. However, the supplier’s most prominent coverage was in reference to its partnership with Luminous, which will create a ‘solar farm with battery’ in the East Midlands. This coverage reached 82 trade publications and 43 regional/local publications between 9 and 15 Jan 2023.

Who has the most prominent Share of Voice?

Octopus

Across all media types, Octopus has received the highest volume and most headline mentions compared to any other supplier. Its most successful story was both proactive and positive in sentiment: the decision to acquire a solar developer — which was a developing story from 1 Dec 2022 to 13 Jan 2023. Throughout this time, the media demonstrated continuous interest in the decision, the project development and the projected impact.

Ecotricity

Ecotricity’s coverage was much more specific in that the most prominent coverage generated was based on three significant stories, all of which placed a significant focus on the founder, Dale Vince.

Vince’s controversial statement that ‘greenwashing is a good thing’ created international media awareness between 2 and 6 Feb 2022, which came shortly after The Guardian referred to him as a ‘superstar’ that would be the ‘British Elon Musk if he didn’t detest Tesla’. Collectively, biographical and interview-based coverage consumed 75% of Ecotricity’s best-performing coverage, with some national/regional focus on its ‘super farm’ plans to power Gloucestershire, if turbine bans are lifted.

Good Energy

As the smallest supplier in the ranks, Good Energy generated significant local, regional and trade media awareness from 2 Dec to 31 Jan. The core focus was on several awards both nominated and won throughout this period, such as being shortlisted for a ‘Green Business award’ and maintaining its place at the top of the Which? Eco Provider ranking.

The company was also recognised within this coverage for being part of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), an environmental accreditation that is rapidly growing across multiple sectors. The Vuelio Insights Team recently found that being part of the net-zero initiative earns respect within scientific journalism and has a direct impact on the likelihood of generating coverage.

SSE

Similar to Ecotricity, SSE’s most prominent, positive and high-reaching coverage featured direct statements from CEO Alistair Phillips-Davies. In an article by the Financial Times, Phillips-Davies warned that the UK is ‘not moving fast enough’ on green economy, outlining specific calls for action to improve planning and consent times for renewables development. Between 17 and 21 Jan, this story was syndicated a further 51 times across regional and trade publications.

EDF 

With the strongest proportion of positive and neutral coverage overall, EDF also generated the widest diversity of coverage, with long and short-term peaks over time. The highest-reaching article with the strongest prominence was the supplier’s decision to build a 100MWh battery at its new Energy Superhub in Bedfordshire.

Much alike to Ecotricity, this localised effort performed well in small and regional news publications between 7 to 12 Dec 2022.

Shell

While Shell faced a high-reaching negative spike in broadcast coverage through the middle of December, this was quickly diluted. Only two days later, coverage peaked for 1.5 weeks as local and national media publications expressed interest in its climate-focused partnership with Octopus.

On 15 Dec, Shell announced plans to supply clean energy from Dogger Bank to Octopus as early as 2024. While Shell did not offer a statement, this could have boosted its positive coverage rate even further given that Matt Bunney, head of energy at Octopus Energy, was quoted in 89% of the 104 total articles. ‘If the energy crisis has taught us anything, it is that we need to move fast to an energy system based on cheap renewables – and Dogger Bank will help to get us there’, said Bunney in a public statement.

Top Stories

Among the top ten stories throughout 1 Dec 2022–1 Feb 2023 (measured by reach and replication), three were proactive and seven were organic. However, proactive coverage performed much better in terms of brand prominence, sentiment and article syndication, which indicates the significant benefits of being vocal rather than silent in an extended crisis.

A clear example of this is Boralex’s acquisition of EDF Renewables’ five wind farms in North America. This story created an international peak between 4 and 8 Jan 2023 following a press release from the Quebec-based energy supplier, which created 89% headline prominence for them but only 10% for EDF, who did not release a statement.

Throughout most of the winter period, the term ‘total darkness’ was a trending term in regional, local and national outlets as some Brits were . While the reasons for energy inflation are debated in the press, 42% of national news sources reported on this as a ‘net zero shift’ rather than a consequence of several causational factors.

Several suppliers were asked to comment on this coverage, but coverage with quotes from Octopus Energy were highest reaching overall.

Better in numbers

More often than not, British energy suppliers are maintaining a positive brand reputation around net zero policies. While Shell received some negative coverage in relation to taxes, this was quickly saturated by its partnership with Octopus Energy — which performed best overall in terms of volume, sentiment and prominence.

Octopus Energy’s decision to produce regular, proactive coverage as well as independent and collaborative climate efforts are tactics worth considering. Both have visibly supported the continuation of media interest and its overall positive reputation throughout the entirety of 2022.

Additionally, Good Energy’s positive media breakthrough is demonstrative of the desire for authentic green strategy in the press, given that coverage was entirely associated with its recent awards and commitments to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Furthermore, while organic and ‘controversial’, Ecotricity’s coverage on why greenwashing can be a good thing is a sign that statements from brand leaders are highly valued and have the potential to generate international awareness — even for a small-scale supplier.

Want to know more about this data or how media insights can support your PR and communications? Find out more.

Interview with Logistics Magazine editor Matt Harrington

An industry on the move: Logistics Magazine editor Matt Harrington on what is happening in logistics

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Supply chain issues, the cost-of-living crisis, fluctuating fuel and energy prices – the logistics sector is facing its share of challenges this year.

Helping to keep the sector informed of what is on the road ahead is Logistics Magazine, which goes out to over 23,000 Logistics UK members and senior businesspeople in the logistics sector each week.

‘In my seven years as Editor, I have never ceased to be amazed at the truly dizzying array of issues that interest our readers, from the Northern Ireland Protocol to tyre husbandry – and everything in between,’ says Matt Harrington, covering an industry that has had to be increasingly flexible over the last few years, with more change on the way:

‘Before COVID-19, Logistics Magazine was a monthly membership journal, which was chiefly distributed as a print title. Following the pandemic and the widespread shift to digital news consumption, it has evolved into a searchable online web portal. In its first two years, our digital portal received more than a quarter of a million visits, quickly becoming an essential repository for news and views on the industry.’

Read on for insight from Matt on the trends coming up for logistics – sustainability, shifting perceptions and innovation.

How has the logistics sector changed since you’ve been covering it?

Matt Harrington

In the seven years that I have been covering the industry, logistics has undergone a transformation. Previously something of an invisible sector, first Brexit and then the COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on the industry like never before, leading to a much greater appreciation by the general public of how integral the logistics sector is to their daily lives.

The other big development is decarbonisation – seven years ago it was perceived to be something of a niche or side issue. Now, with the deadline for ending the sale of petrol and diesel vans just seven short years away, I would argue that decarbonisation sits at the very top of the industry’s agenda.

How do you see the impact of supply chain issues evolving over the next few years in the UK and beyond?

The IMF recently issued a warning that it expected the UK to be the only major economy to shrink in 2023. So, we’re in very uncertain times, not just for logistics but every business sector in the UK economy. Logistics has a reputation for being adaptable and resilient, and given that many areas of the sector, such as food retailing or supplying pharmaceuticals to hospitals, are essential services it seems reasonable to assume that the industry will weather the coming storm better than most. However, logistics will not be immune from any wider economic slowdown, so it’s likely that it will not continue to grow at the same pace.

What are the biggest trends for the logistics sector this year?

The scarcity of skilled workers continues to be a significant issue for the logistics industry. While we may be on the cusp of a recession, the labour market remains extremely tight in the UK with a dearth of skilled candidates.

In the autumn of 2021, the sector faced an acute shortage of HGV drivers. Now that crisis has eased, but the problem has shifted to a shortage of mechanics and technicians. That’s partly because many mechanics have C+E driving entitlement so can command a higher salary as a driver. This follows the law of unintended consequences – where plugging a gap in one part of the sector leads to shortages elsewhere.

So, we must battle for talent with a number of other business sectors, many of whom may appear more superficially appealing to a younger demographic. That’s why Logistics UK, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, launched the industry-wide Generation Logistics campaign last year – to help shift perceptions of the sector.

Are logistics companies doing enough to incorporate net zero goals into their planning?

Getting ready for decarbonisation is going to be a key challenge for 2023. Businesses need to make it integral to their future planning and ensure they have the finance available to fund new vehicles, new technology and new infrastructure. If they need to upgrade the electricity supply to their depots, they also need to secure the necessary agreement with their landlord. And if they are thinking of taking a new warehouse, they need to consider whether it is futureproofed for a decarbonised fleet.

What information from PRs is useful to Logistics UK and the magazine, and how would you prefer they get in touch?

As the house magazine for a national trade body, Logistics Magazine is unusual in that it already has a ready supply of news stories and features on the key policy issues affecting the sector. For press releases to cut through, they need to be reporting something of wider significance, such as the key finding of a large survey or the launch of a landmark report.

What do PRs need to know about the logistics industry that is unique to the sector – does it have big differences to other industries?

Logistics is a fast-moving industry (both literally and metaphorically). It is also extremely responsive to whatever is happening in the wider economy. Technology and innovation have an increasingly large role to play in the industry’s transformation, particularly in the coming years as efforts ramp up to decarbonise and automate freight activities.

Which logistics companies are doing a good job when it comes to sustainability and environmental considerations?

Many of our 20,000 members place sustainability and environmental issues at the heart of their logistics activities, and many others plan to do so in the near future.

In 2021, Logistics UK launched a Route to Net Zero campaign and was delighted that so many of its members opted to join. They included high street retailers, local authorities, parcel couriers, utility companies, as well as more traditional haulage firms. Businesses of all sizes too – great to see.

Find out more about Logistics Magazine on the Vuelio Media Database – request a demo here.

The risks of social media

The role of social media in PR: Know its risks and how to tackle them

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This is a guest post from Mary Poliakova, PR consultant and co-founder of Drofa Comms.

PR and media professionals know the power of social media, with 93% of public relations professionals following journalists on social platforms and 83% of reporters leveraging Twitter for their professional work.

While social networks are accessible to everyone, they inspire confidence by offering a fast and straightforward channel of communication. However, there is also a flip side of the coin. Exploiting social media’s vulnerabilities can lead to massive disinformation campaigns, the rapid spread of fake news, as well as other dangerous trends.

Mary-Poliakova

Social Media’s role in an individual’s life

Before we dive deep into social media’s risks, it’s important to revisit its role in our lives and its four primary functions.

The first is the mass media function, which includes generating personalized newsfeeds through sophisticated algorithms. Social media is also a news-producing machine that serves as an information source for many.

Secondly, it is a powerful channel that can greatly influence different aspects of our lives. This aspect of social media is what empowers influencers, celebrities, and other well-known people with increased authority over financial markets and the economy. There are many examples of this phenomenon – from the relationship between Donald Trump’s Twitter-heavy days and stock price falls during his presidency to Elon Musk’s market manipulation allegations.

Thirdly, it is a huge book of reviews and suggestions. Thanks to feedback and suggestion functions, users are increasingly turning social media platforms into review platforms of different services, companies, websites, and more. In fact, while 51% of a survey’s respondents stated they trust other consumers more than they do brands, another 40% feel that an influencer’s promotional activity is the most likely way to convince them to purchase a product.

As the fourth function, social media is a communication channel with “powers that be,” as it is the easiest way to stay in touch with your favorite bands, artists, or political figures. Following a person’s pages and commenting on their posts makes you feel connected to someone who doesn’t even know about your existence. There is even a term for these one-way friendships with famous people called parasocial relationships.

Fake news and the algorithm dilemma

Over the 20 years I’ve spent in journalism and PR, I have learned that the power of media can be misused to manipulate others and change public opinion in important matters. Considering the easy accessibility of social media and the massive activity among its use cases, these dangers are even more substantial than for traditional media.

Fake news is a perfect example in this field. From the infamous US presidential election of 2016 and the UK’s Brexit referendum to COVID vaccine hoaxes, false and misleading information can spread like wildfire on social media platforms. And fake news continues circulating among users even in the current geopolitical turmoil.

Misleading information remains a problem despite tech companies like Meta‘s and Google‘s unsuccessful attempts to tackle this challenge. Below, you can find one of Elon Musk’s first statements after becoming Twitter’s new CEO and owner after buying the company for $44 billion. Even after 16 years of market history, combating the spread of fake news remains a core issue of the social media platform.

At the same time, the social media landscape has an algorithm dilemma. While platforms leverage state-of-the-art AI and ML for moderation and recommendation, bad actors can exploit their designs to promote extremist content or amplify one political side at the expense of its opponents.

PR and marketing specialists know firsthand how to manipulate the audience’s minds – targeted ads are a perfect example of that. And this issue is so substantial that many countries have launched their own initiatives to combat manipulation on social media (the EU has proposed one of the most advanced legislations in this field).

Thus, anyone with the necessary resources can control public consciousness, influencing consumer demand. And social media is a massive channel for manipulating consumers’ opinions. But what can be done about it? And who is responsible?

It is our job to combat misinformation

First of all, the one who stands behind a social network is responsible for its operation and all the problems and challenges taking place on the platform. Mark Zuckerberg’s opening statement before a joint Senate Committee in April 2018 serves as an excellent example.

That said, I firmly believe that journalists and PR professionals should also bear responsibility. Simply put, this means that it’s also our job to combat misinformation and fake news in the digital realm.

Every social network has its own rules. Now, the task of Public Relations professionals and journalists is to raise the issue of verification and fact-checking. As social networks are more than a cool PR tool, we need to develop uniform rules and norms.

As the collective consciousness is very easy to be manipulated, it is a task with a huge responsibility. Thus, we must dedicate more time to discussing this problem within our professional community and with our speakers.

Furthermore, we must treat all information critically. Before writing a story based on a Twitter post, review who shared it, when it was published, and under what circumstances. With only a little more work, we can effectively combat fake news, minimizing the spread of misleading information.

Mary Poliakova has more than 10 years of experience executing successful PR campaigns for FinTech companies, and more than 15 years of experience as a journalist.