PR Spotlight: Lisa O’Keeffe, Day Out With The Kids

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Lisa O’Keeffe is the brand manager at Day Out With The Kids, the family adventure planning service and network. The site aims to make it as easy as possible for families to find great days out near them, from the biggest names to the hidden gems. We spoke to Lisa about amazing days out, the secret plans for Easter and why the site is about family, adventure and fun.

What’s your role as brand manager?
In short, it’s making as many people aware of us as possible, through everything from PR and influencer outreach, to planning and delivering seasonal campaigns! As a brand, we understand the challenges of modern family life, so my role involves making sure that everything we do is part of that story. It’s about making sure that families are not only aware of us, but they feel a part of our community, and how that message can be relayed through all channels.

How do you work with other brands and experiences for recommendations?
We have a lot of parents working in the team itself, so we always have a good idea of the brands and experiences that parents trust and love. We have a number of different ways we can connect brands to our audience, and the focus is always on making it a genuine connection. We know our audience and what makes them tick, so we’re really confident in working with brands and attractions to get results!

Have you got a favourite ‘Day Out’?
With over 6,000 on the site, I couldn’t possibly pick just one! What I can tell you though is that in the last 12 months, sightseeing attractions like museums and theme parks make up the most-viewed category, while soft play centres, children’s farms and parks are the most popular subcategories. It’s about those everyday favourites as well as the bigger trips, something which we see each month.

What’s your audience breakdown/demographic?
We have 26 million visitors to our website every year, made up of people looking for things to do locally. Our audience is predominantly made up of parents looking for days out, but we also get some lovely messages from grandparents, aunties, uncles and even teachers who have used our site to find inspiration and ideas! We have the most engaged social media audience in the sector too, so we’re a great way to connect with real parents in real time.

Family fun

How do you work with bloggers and journalists?
We’re happy to work with journalists in lots of different ways! With our targeted audience all actively looking for days out, we’re perfectly placed to talk about the most popular, the most unusual or anything around a theme – anything goes really!

We’re also really proud of our data driven stories, talking about the trends that are emerging, how the weather can affect the types of days out parents are searching for there and then, plus general insight into seasonal events and consumer behaviour. It all sounds very technical, but we love working with journalists to share what we know and turn those into attention-grabbing stories.

We also do a lot of blogger outreach, and have a dedicated blog section within the site. With attractions all over the UK, it’s important for us to build relationships with bloggers and influencers in all areas so they can provide local insight to inspire other readers. We’re always happy to hear from bloggers who might want to work with us, across opportunities including attraction reviews, local guides, family talking points and even things like arts and crafts!

What does a successful campaign look like for the brand?
Our campaigns usually run across multiple channels, including the site itself, social media, blog and PR, so success comes in lots of different ways! Generally, if a campaign drives new people to visit our site, encourages quality family time and increases brand awareness, then we’ve done what we set out to do as a business. Of course, with any campaign, we’re also looking at the numbers in detail, including reach, click through rate, page views and conversions, so there’s always a quantifiable measure of success, it just varies from campaign to campaign!

What was the half term campaign, and what’s in the pipeline for Easter?
With Valentine’s Day falling in half-term this year (for most of the country anyway!), our campaign was all around crowning the UK’s most-loved attractions. Based on categories on our site, like animals, water and sightseeing-themed days out, we picked our favourites using site data and real customer reviews, with a whole campaign revealing the top picks. We’ve also been able to partner with some leading family brands to support the campaign, and have had some great results so far.

We have some egg-citing plans for Easter (sorry!), but we can’t give too much away… all I will say is that something exciting will be hatching and there’s set to be some really great content!

staff

How do you engage with your community – what works well?
The key to engaging with our audience is to truly understand their needs and their day-to-day lives, and seamlessly fitting in with that. We’re here to make their lives easier by connecting them to great days out, but we’re also a community sharing in every aspect of family life. On social, relatable memes and regular humour keep our engagement the highest in the sector, while attraction posts showcase amazing experiences all over the country that parents want to be a part of. We make it our mission to know what’s important to parents, when it’s important to them and then deliver content and inspiration to match. Good engagement comes when you achieve that, something we do week in, week out!

How do you go about creating content for the blog?
Our blog is all about ideas and inspiration, whether that’s seasonal, attraction driven or just the things parents are searching for online! We have a fab SEO Manager who keeps track of keywords and search terms, and then we work together to come up with creative ideas around those. I write a monthly round-up of 15 things to do that month, which is regularly one of our most-read blogs, alongside guides to Christmas days out, the school holidays and even things like where to go pumpkin picking in October. As mentioned previously, we also work with bloggers who regularly write reviews for us or other themed content, so there are loads of opportunities!

What’s next for Day Out With The Kids?
2018 is set to be huge for us, as we build on our fantastic first year following the relaunch! We’re gearing up to launch a brand new product especially for members (watch this space!), and we’ve already had some really exciting conversations with brands and attractions about working together this year. It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the DOWTK story, I guess you’ll have to follow us to find out more!

To find out more about how Day Out With The Kids can connect you to millions of families each year, email [email protected] or visit the Facebook page. 

media

Social or traditional?

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Social media is often seen as the death of traditional media, as more people go online for their news. The ease with which competitive news sites can be created – coupled with low advertising rates – has stunted revenues and traditional media’s grip on the industry.

But for the PR industry, and often agency clients, it is traditional media that holds the appeal – a mention in an article in The Times is considered, by many, to be a greater achievement than a trend on Twitter.

On the other hand, new agencies are now popping up with a dedicated focus on social and digital media – promising results with huge numbers and Instafame.

Which is right? Traditional or social?

The answer, unsurprisingly, depends on your brand and what you want to achieve, but chances are, you should be focused on both.

Social boasts the audience numbers and one mention can make or break a business. But what social lacks, is respect. A timeline on Twitter can publish a tweet from the Pope alongside your cousin Dawn and Geoff from accounting, which for brands makes it less attractive.

In a printed newspaper or magazine, the content is hand curated, and the audience expects quality. Sure, the reader numbers may be low (or tiny in comparison) but the engagement levels are high and your mentions can again make or break a business.

So, if you’re still trying to work out if you should be monitoring social or traditional then the chances are it’s both. If you focus on one, you risk missing half the conversation about your brand and with that, opportunity to react, grow and evolve.

No business can afford that.

That’s why Vuelio is integrating our social monitoring and measurement alongside traditional (print, broadcast and online news). You’ll be able to see how you’re performing across every platform, all from one dashboard.

Vuelio integrated social media monitoring allows you to monitor the topics and influencers that your audience is engaging with by tracking their activity across social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and many more. This content will now appear next to your traditional monitoring and metrics, so your success is clear on all fronts.

We have also introduced pre-built reports to help you compare social media coverage to traditional media and understand the impact social has on your campaigns and brand.

Tired of curating stats and monitoring mentions? Don’t waste time researching reports, let Vuelio do all the hard work for you.

KFC chicken crisis

Kentucky Fried Crisis: 3 alternative crisis plans

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KFC has dominated headlines this week due to a delivery problem causing a chicken shortage. The latest news is that stores are reopening, but for some people’s hunger, it’s already too late.

The issue arose because of a new delivery partner in the shape of DHL and some ‘teething problems’. KFC tweeted the following on Saturday:

Responses ranged from the concerned:

To the ridiculous:

Most closed shops put up the same message on tacked paper outside their stores, explaining they were shut due to a lack of chicken supplies. This may seem a bit of a lacklustre response from a company that advertises with a chicken dancing to X Gon’ Give It to Ya, but with 95% of the UK’s KFC outlets run by franchisees, how easy is a joined-up crisis comms plan?

Andy Nairn, founding partner of Lucky Generals, has written for PR Week about how KFC has done well to address the problem. Focusing on KFC’s Twitter announcement, Andy says: ‘This won’t have been easy, given the extraordinary frustration they must be feeling right now, but is the right call: it suggests confidence and is true to their brand in a way that a robotic, corporate statement wouldn’t be.’

Obviously, a corporate statement would be inappropriate for a brand that is known for being both creative and fun. But what else could KFC be doing in the face of such adversity?

Here’s three, completely unsolicited, suggestions:

1. Roll out the Colonel
At times of struggle, we look to our leaders. Now is the time for the Colonel (yes we know he’s not real) to be holding press conferences – he should be in all the papers and chatting on Good Morning Britain (If he plays his cards right, he might even get invited to manage Arsenal by Piers Morgan). No one can own this crisis like the Colonel. A man of action (maybe), the Colonel will make KFC customers confident that chicken is on its way.

2. Kentucky Fried Cheese
We all know that the secret to a great fried chicken comes down to 11 original herbs and spices. But why wait for a chicken delivery? Cheese is cheap and readily available everywhere – and coated in crispy KFC goodness, it’s sure to be a hit. It’s vegetarian friendly (at last, am I right?) and because chicken and cheese start with the same letter there’s no need to rebrand.

3. KFC at home
Stores not open? No problem. KFC chefs should be making home visits, bringing their secret recipe coating to the chickens in people’s fridges up and down the country. KFC is still paying staff in non-franchised stores and encouraging its franchise owners to do the same – this way the company can still make money and the employees can still work. But most importantly, people get their KFC. Win, win, win.

How would you react to the KFC chicken crisis? Let us know on Twitter.

Media editor

10 story leads for the Guardian’s new media editor

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The Guardian has announced the appointment of its new media editor. Jim Waterson is joining the paper from his role of political editor at BuzzFeed UK. Jim has been with BuzzFeed since 2013, when he helped start the site’s UK news coverage.

On his new role, Jim said: ‘The media business is going through a period of enormous change, the public is waking up to the impact that major internet companies are having on society, and there’s huge interest in the behind-the-scenes forces which shape the news agenda.

‘I’m looking forward to reporting on these stories during an incredibly turbulent age for the industry.’

But where should Jim start? What stories should he be covering? And where will get inspiration for new stories?

Thankfully, Twitter exists. And when Jim announced his new role, the replies came flooding in. To honour the outlet Jim’s leaving, we’ve curated the best and present 10 story leads for the Guardian’s new media editor:

1. ‘Start with the Liverpool Anderson Echo’
Not particularly media-related but a solid place to start, Jim!

2. ‘Social media has replaced film as THE tool to influence and direct masses’
This may be a good point, though IS film the tool to influence and direct masses?

3. Please do something about the @mediaguardian online pages, which often appear stale and unloved
Especially important for corporate bloggers looking for media news…

4. Can’t think of anyone better to cover GDPR implementation and how GDPR will disrupt social media
GDPR will dominate the news on 25 May, but obviously the smart move is to get out ahead of it and publish a white paper on what is changing and what actions you need to take

5. Could you begin your tenure by folllowing the Guardian style guide, in which the ‘media’ (being derived from ‘medium’) are plural?
This should be everyone’s priority. The media ARE dying (don’t worry, it’s not)

6. ‘Will you address the appalling Guardian reporting on @jordanbpeterson that @theknifemedia gave an integrity rating of below 20%?’
Retrospectively assessing other people’s work is likely to be Jim’s first job

7. ‘I hope you will be presenting Jeremy Corbyn in a better light than he has been’
He’s MEDIA editor people, MEDIA

8. ‘There were still journos over the weekend claiming the US ‘only found’ 13 Russians at troll farm so that’s proof of no collusion/didn’t influence results. Shows a dire misunderstanding of digital marketing. Lots to do to educate your profession’
Yeah Jim, educate your profession

9. Please analyse the ideological migration in BBC news coverage over the last four decades
This could quite literally be complaining about the BBC being too left or too right, who can tell nowadays

10. We the people don’t want partisan media we want a free press who will hold to account the ruling party rather than scapegoat the other parties for the ruling party. Stop trying to control everything with politics it’s ruining free speech! Social media is breaking the propoganda
Stop ruining everything with politics, Jim.

We wish Jim the best of luck in his new role; the Guardian’s media pages are must-read across the industry.

Jim’s profile will be updated in the Vuelio Media Database.

Lucy Wood

Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?

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Logan Paul’s controversial video, in which he showed a suicide victim and joked about the experience, catapulted vlogging into the public’s conscience and raised questions over moderation, censorship and quality control. 

YouTube changed its rules, making it harder for creators to make money off videos, and kicked Logan Paul off the platform. The response protected the brands who didn’t want to be associated with negative content, but who is managing the uploads in the first place?

On Wednesday 7 March, Vuelio will be joined by top vlogger and freelance journalist Lucy Wood, who will guide us through the confusing world of brand collaborations on the video-sharing network and what best practice really is.

Sign up to the webinar here

As a journalist, writing for publications such as the Metro, Lucy is regulated. The press industry has standards bodies (IPSO and to a lesser extent IMPRESS), which manage complaints over accuracy and privacy. If Logan Paul had been working for a newspaper site – his video would never have been published.

But as a vlogger, Lucy is not restricted by such rules. Vloggers generally manage their own content – they may sometimes have agents and managers, but to a large extent their videos are created, edited and uploaded without passing through an external source. If someone made a controversial video at a newspaper, it would have to pass through editors and legal teams, who would advise on whether it’s sensible to publish the content – vloggers have no such luxury.

Since the controversy, Logan Paul’s videos are now being checked by his legal team – he thinks he is being censored but this is a man who seems to have learnt nothing.

So, what is the answer? Thankfully, we don’t have to work it out here, because we’ll work it out on 7 March with Lucy. And even if you can’t join us live, sign up for our webinar ‘Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?’ and we’ll send you the recording.

 

PR lessons

PR lessons from Center Parcs and Richard Littlejohn

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Last week, Tom Daley and his husband Dustin Lance Black announced that they’re expecting their first child. Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn then wrote a piece headlined ‘Please don’t pretend two dads is the new normal’, which led to Center Parcs withdrawing their advertising from the Daily Mail altogether.

Littlejohn’s article was at best controversial and at worse homophobic and bigoted. But it’s not surprising, Littlejohn has written dozens of offensive articles and the views he expresses in this article are not out of character – so why the furore?

Stop Funding Hate, the campaign group that informs brands that their adverts are appearing next to offensive content, has gained huge traction in the 18 months it’s been running. It encourages readers to screenshot or photograph articles that are offensive next to advertisers on the same page and tweet them at the company. Among the group’s ‘victories’ are Lego and the Body Shop, both of which ended their relationship with the Daily Mail after public pressure.

For many brands, the issue is their advertising slots are not handpicked – in a digital world, your advert can go out through a third-party network and appear in places you might not have expected or desired. The brands can limit which outlets they appear on, but with the Mail’s huge online audience and massive output makes it an advertiser’s dream.

But when it goes wrong, what should you, as a PR, do?

Center Parcs was asked the following on Twitter:

 

And it responded: ‘We take where we advertise very seriously and have a number of steps to prevent our advertising from appearing alongside inappropriate content.

‘We felt this placement was completely unacceptable and therefore ceased advertising with the Daily Mail with immediate effect.’

This caused division online with some believing they have made the right move by showing their values, and some believing they’re against free speech and should be boycotted themselves. The right action depends on your business and what you want to achieve, but these arguments are worth considering.

Brand Values
It’s building a brand 101 – what do you, as an organisation, believe in and stand for? This can be important to reach the right audience and grow as a company. Center Parcs’ corporate website explains the company’s concept is about ‘bringing families together and back to nature’.

It’s reasonable to believe that Littlejohn’s article, which suggested some families weren’t ‘normal’, goes against these values. And it is easy to argue that in doing nothing, Center Parcs could be seen as endorsing or supporting the content. Your values are your choice – and the decisions you make should align with them. If people don’t like it, they may not be the customers you want.

Getting political
It’s up to you if the brand makes political decisions or actions. Imagine telling Lush it shouldn’t be political – the brand is known for its support of animal welfare (among dozens of other issues) and its customers expect it to make decisions that align with that position. If a brand’s audience doesn’t like it taking a stance, perhaps the company has misjudged their customer base or their customer base has misjudged them.

Censoring free speech
No one is required to advertise in a publication and it’s not a publication’s right to be funded no matter what it publishes. Pulling your adverts is not censoring free speech, it’s making a decision that aligns with your company values and ultimately that decision is going to have an effect on you.

What do you think of the Littlejohn/Center Parcs issue? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 16 February 2018

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This week’s five things, includes misconceptions about influencer marketing, Unilever’s digital ads threat, the consolidation of Ogilvy PR, Max Mosley and Google’s adblocker.

The public doesn’t understand influencer marketing

Bloggers and vloggersA survey has found that 71% of people don’t think there are rules for brand collaborations with influencers, and 61% believe influencers don’t have to disclose they’re being paid to talk about a product. The survey, on behalf of Prizeology, also found that 44% of respondents thought influencer marketing was damaging to society.

The problem is a lack of understanding around an industry that is regulated by the ASA and has to comply with the same advertising rules as anyone else receiving money for exposure. This isn’t helped by the spate of recent negative stories, from Elle Darby’s hotel request (not really her fault) to Logan Paul’s suicide video (definitely his fault).

Influencer marketing and brand collaborations will be part of the discussion in Vuelio’s next webinar with top vlogger Lucy Wood. Sign up for Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?

 

Unilever threatens to withdraw digital ads

UnileverThe world’s second biggest marketing spender, Unilever, has threatened to remove digital ads from platforms that fail to deal with negative content. Chief marketing and communications officer, Keith Weed, told a US conference: ‘It is in the digital media industry’s interest to listen and act on this. Before viewers stop viewing, advertisers stop advertising and publishers stop publishing.’

While he didn’t name platforms, Google and Facebook take the lion’s share of digital ad spend and face the most criticism for failing to deal with user content.

Weed’s speech was one year on from a similar speech given to the same conference by Marc Pritchard, of P&G. P&G went on to cut its digital ad spending by $100m and saw no negative effects on the business. Whether Unilever’s call will be heeded is unknown, but businesses are much better placed to force change where governments are currently struggling.

 

Goodbye Ogilvy PR – hello Ogilvy

FrohlichOgilvy PR and other ‘sub brands’ of Ogilvy are likely to disappear in the UK as the company follows the agency’s global approach of consolidating into a single, branded, integrated operating company. In an interview with PRWeek, newly appointed CEO Michael Frohlich [Pictured] made it clear the ‘One Ogilvy’ integrated operating system was a priority.

He said: ‘Ogilvy will be known as Ogilvy; that means the Ogilvy PR, Ogilvy One and the Ogilvy advertising logos will be replaced by one single Ogilvy brand. That’s coming in the next couple of months, we hope.’

 

Max Mosley and the newspaper industry

Max MoseleyMax Mosley’s lawyers are attempting to use data protection laws to stop the press from talking about his past or accusing him of controlling government-back regulator IMPRESS.  The papers, especially The Times and Daily Mail, have run negative stories this week and are concerned about being censored.

If the challenge was successful, papers would have to remove historical stories from their sites and not run future stories if they contained personal information. Mosley has defended his lawyers’ actions in an article for Press Gazette. Check out the full story on the blog here.

 

Google turns on adblocker

ChromeGoogle has started automatically blocking intrusive adverts within Chrome. The update released on Thursday, means that the browser 56% of internet users are on, will block full-page prestitial ads, flashing animated ads and auto-playing video ads with sound. The websites that will be targeted by the blocker are to be decided by the Coalition for Better Ads, a group made of members including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, P&G, Unilever, News Corp and Reuters.

Not only will the blocker select websites that repeatedly show the offending advert formats, but it will also target sites that have an advert density of over 30%. Sites that fall foul of Chrome’s new conditions will first be informed, so they have 30 days to change, before Chrome blocks the ads.

Snapchat

Snapchat petition passes 1 million signatures

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People don’t like change, and nowhere is that truer than on social media. Whenever a platform makes a change, no matter how insignificant, there is a backlash. But for Snapchat, that backlash has come with a petition that’s achieved over one million signatures.

Released on 29 November last year, Snapchat’s ‘new and improved’ format was intended to be organised around the user’s relationships. In a blog post and video, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel explained how the changes would make the platform more personal to the user.

Snapchat was attempting to get out ahead of a problem that every social network to some extent faces – content from the people users want to follow being overwhelmed by content from external sources, such as publishers and advertisers. Facebook has recently announced changes to its News Feed to tackle this exact issue.

For Snapchat though, the changes have not been welcome. In a short petition on change.org, Australian Nic Rumsey explains the update has made ‘many features more difficult’.

The petition goes on to say: ‘There is a general level of annoyance among users and many have decided to use a VPN app, or are using other risky apps or steps, to go back to the old Snapchat as that’s how annoying this new update has become.

‘Many ‘new features’ are useless or defeats the original purposes Snapchat has had for the past years.

‘This petition aims to help convince Snap Inc. to change the app back to the basics, before the new 2018 update.’

While any petition with a million signatures is a big deal, that number is dwarfed by Snapchat’s daily users of nearly 200 million people. But it’s not just the petition Snapchat has to deal with, celebrities have also complained.

As the BBC reports, Chrissy Teigen (model and social media star), tweeted [take that Snapchat!] that she didn’t like her followers not being ‘friends’ and said ‘How many people have to hate an update for it to be reconsidered?’. Kylie Jenner has also complained on Twitter – and if Kylie Jenner isn’t happy with your social network, you’re probably doing something wrong.

Platforms are infamous for ignoring their users who complain about changes and it’s easy to see why (is anyone still complaining about the star icon changing to a heart on Twitter?).

Snapchat’s official response was: ‘We hope the community will enjoy it once they settle in’.

Considering platforms are built on their user base, it is surprising how little power those users seem to have. But then, a petition isn’t power. If those that have signed really wanted to force change, they’d leave the platform altogether. And we all know how likely that is.

GDPR

How to comply with GDPR

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GDPR becomes law on 25 May. That means every business will have to change the way they handle personal data – from getting consent for email newsletters and using information from social media to cold calling and storing contact details.

GDPR can seem confusing, and with fines for getting it wrong reaching £17m or more, the consequences are severe.

Thankfully, compliance is pretty straightforward, and it is easy to make sure your processes follow the new rules.

We’ve put together a simple whitepaper that makes it easy to see what is required and what you need to do to comply. Download the whitepaper here.

GDPR is being implemented to give people more control over their own personal data and knowledge over which companies and businesses are storing what. As it applies to ALL personal data, including employee data collected by an employer, there are few businesses that the new rules won’t apply to.

So, whether your data processing falls under ‘legitimate interests’ or ‘consent’, we’ve got you covered.

You may need to review your current tools to make sure they’re GDPR compliant. Not only is Vuelio’s database GDPR compliant, our tools allow you to be GDPR compliant. Our Stakeholder Management Suite allows you to track (with time stamps) interactions, including when and where data was collected from. So, if the regulator needs to see your compliance, it’s all available in one place.

Find out more about stakeholder management.

Disguise

Bloggers and Brands Beware

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Usually we’re discussing the issue of fake followers, but this week another issue has come to light – fake influencers.

The Blogger Agent, an agency that connects brands and influencers, published a tweet warning about fake influencers:

The issue is not a new one, Em Sheldon of Emtalks has previously written a post about this back in 2015. For the fraudsters, the appeal is simple – pretend to be a top influencer, write to brands and ask for samples, freebies and, in some cases, money. Not only is impersonating someone illegal, but misleading a company or brand for gain is fraud and also illegal.

So, what can be done?

Bloggers
For the most part, for the fraud to ‘work’, the scammers use their own email address and physical address for the items to be sent to. Everything else – website and social handles – will belong to the target blogger.

If you display your email address on your blog, then it should be easy for brands to spot fraudulent requests. But this requires a lot of additional work on the part of the brand – and if they’re set up to receive requests, the chances are their blogger outreach is based on incoming communications rather than external research.

Therefore, keep up to date on the leading blogger database, so brands know you’re the real deal – update your details here and a Vuelio researcher will be in touch to verify.

Also think about making your practices clear on your blog – including your email and how you work with people. If you get ANY notifications about working with brands you don’t think you’ve instigated (and they think you did), take it seriously and ask to see the request the brand received.

Blog about it, so other brands can be made aware that you’ve fallen victim to a fraudster, and also report it to Action Fraud.

Brands
Due diligence and extra research steps should help stamp this out. If you accept requests from bloggers, you should double check every single one. Check their website, align details and make sure the person is who they say they are.

Obviously, an easy way to do this is to use the Vuelio Influencer Database – our human research team verifies every listing and does all the complicated research for you – so you can contact (and quickly check incoming contacts from) bloggers, without concern.

If you do get requests that seem fraudulent, tell the genuine influencer. They’ll want to know if someone is pretending to be them, and you can work together to report it.

Bloggers should be seen as collaborating partners and that partnership should be based on a strong relationship. Influencers prefer long term collaborations – it gives them a better sense of your brand and aims, and allows creativity to flourish. As such, sending free samples to bloggers may seem like a quick win in the short term, but it is those that work together on building something truly excellent that will benefit in the long term.

If your brand wants to improve influencer outreach, and reach the right people in the right way, talk to one of our experts here.

Unilever

Unilever threatens to withdraw digital adverts

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Unilever, the giant multinational with brands including Marmite, Persil, PG Tips and Dove, has threatened to remove its digital advertising from platforms that fail to appropriately deal with content that ‘creates division in society and promotes anger and hate’.

Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer at Unilever, has told the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting: ‘As one of the largest advertisers in the world, we cannot have an environment where our consumers don’t trust what they see online.

‘We cannot continue to prop up a digital supply chain – one that delivers over a quarter of our advertising to our consumers – which at times is little better than a swamp in terms of its transparency.

‘It is in the digital media industry’s interest to listen and act on this. Before viewers stop viewing, advertisers stop advertising and publishers stop publishing.’

As Campaign points out, this speech is one year on from Marc Pritchard’s at the same event. The Procter & Gamble chief brand officer told the industry to clean up the ‘murky, at best, and fraudulent, at worst’ digital ecosystem. P&G then went on to slash its digital ad spend by $100m – and saw no negative impact on its business.

Unilever is second only to P&G in terms of global marketing budget – last year spending €7.7bn on advertising.

While Weed stopped short of specifically naming a platform or service, it’s easy to make the links to Facebook and Google, which between them account for 60% of digital ad spend and 90% of all new digital spend.

Both platforms continue to face pressure across the world for the content they host and allow to spread, from extremist propaganda to inappropriate videos for children.

This content is reflected in Weed’s speech – he went on to say: ‘Fake news, racism, sexism, terrorists spreading messages of hate, toxic content directed at children – parts of the internet we have ended up with is a million miles from where we thought it would take us.’

While the government investigations in the US, UK and other EU countries are problematic for the tech giants, it is unhappy advertisers that have the power to hit these companies where it hurts – their revenues and, subsequently, their market values.

And with the looming threat of GDPR – which means platforms will have to make it clear that user data is for sale – change is now a necessity.

Facebook

5 Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed

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Trinity Mirror buying the Express, Theresa May’s press review, Facebook’s age issue, Poundland’s banned ads and John Humphreys – are you up-to-date with everything that’s happened from the world of PR, media and communications? Here’s five things you shouldn’t have missed.

1. Trinity Mirror buys Daily Express publisher

Trinity and Northern and ShellTrinity Mirror has paid £126.7m for Northern & Shell’s publishing assets, including the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star, OK! And New!. That means the owner of the (left-wing) Daily Mirror now owns the (right-wing) Daily Express.

It hopes to make £20m savings on the deal – the biggest cost-cutting coming from overlapping editorial skills; for example, having just one journalist at a sporting event. This pooling of talent won’t extend to politics though, as each paper Trinity Mirror owns will keep its current stance.

Trinity Mirror now also boasts 234m global unique readers online – a huge asset the company will now be looking to capitalise on.

 

2. Theresa May launches sustainability of the press review

Prime ministerThe Prime Minister has announced a review into the sustainability of the press. A panel of experts will be looking at the health of the newspaper industry, how it is being affected by a decline in print circulations, funding models for printing, and how the industry is being impacted by Google and Facebook. The review will also investigate ‘clickbait’ and attempt to ‘tackle’ and ‘undermine’ it.

May said the closure of titles was a ‘danger to our democracy’. Her speech announcing the review focused on local titles, but the investigation will take in every level of the press industry to determine if the Government needs to implement measures or if the industry can sort itself out.

 

3. Out with young, in with the old

Facebook no notificationsFacebook has a youth problem. The platform isn’t cool anymore (anymore?), and a new survey from eMarketer has found that teens and young adults are leaving the platform in favour of Instagram (which Facebook owns) and increasingly Snapchat (which it doesn’t). The survey predicts 700,000 fewer 12-24 year olds will use Facebook in 2018.

On the plus side, 500,000 new over-55s are expected to join Facebook this year, making it the second-biggest demographic on the network (behind 16-34 year olds). While this group is lucrative for some advertisers (who are chasing the grey pound), eMarketer believes they’re on the platform to keep up with their children and grandchildren. If the kids go, parents might follow.

This is the latest of Facebook’s problems, which have recently included the News Feed and Fake News.

 

4. ASA bans Poundland’s Elf on the Shelf ads

Elf behaving badlyPoundland’s risqué Christmas social media ads, that featured the popular children’s character Elf on the Shelf in a variety of poses (some sexual, some demeaning to women), have been banned from appearing again by the Advertising Standards Authority. Poundland argued the adverts were based on humour and double entendres, were made so as not to be understood by children and suggested Twitter and Facebook’s minimum age of 13 for users stopped children accessing them.

The ASA ruled the ads could still be seen by children, they were not on age-gated pages and in at least two instances were demeaning to women. For Poundland’s part, the ban may have been worth it, as the very low-budget campaign yielded great financial results. Poundland has also launched a campaign to reverse the decision so their naughty Elf ads can appear again next year.

 

5. John Humphreys flustered by Jo Swinson
John Humphreys was caught out last week when interviewing Jo Swinson, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats. In an interview about sexual harassment and conduct in parliament, Swinson blindsided Humphreys by asking if he had apologised to Carrie Gracie (after audio emerged of he and John Sopel making light of the gender pay gap). Humphreys, said he had, but was clearly annoyed by the question and said it was irrelevant to the discussion. Watch the exchange below:

Relevance International

New Global Client for Relevance International

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Relevance International has been named the global public relations agency for The Royal Atlantis Residences in Dubai. The pitch win followed months of a strategic, global public relations pitch, culminating in a three-day presentation in Dubai.

The property, opening in late 2019, will be the first ‘super prime’ branded residences in the Dubai residential market and is the first opportunity for residential ownership within the existing Atlantis portfolio.

Located on the crescent of The Palm, the luxe 43-story building will offer 231 residences, with a hotel in the west wing providing a further 795 guest rooms and suites. The property offers more than 90 swimming pools as well as several design ‘firsts.’

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) of New York designed the exterior, while interiors of each deluxe residence have been designed by Paris-based Sybille de Margerie. Hotel guest room and suite interiors are being designed by London-based GA Design. David Mexico Design Group has created Dubai’s newest icon, a sky-high infinity Sky Pool, elevated at 295-feet. The property includes another ground-level water feature with jaw-dropping fire and water elements by Californian master creators, WET Design.

Maria Morris, partner at Knight Frank Middle East said, ‘We selected Relevance International as our public relations firm for The Royal Atlantis Residences knowing they will be an invaluable strategic and creative global communications partner for us, positioning Dubai as the global destination of choice for luxurious lifestyles. This project will not only be best-in-class for Dubai but will certainly elevate the standard for luxury residences worldwide, and we know Relevance is the right firm to support us with its proven track record of representing high end real estate around the world.’

Suzanne Rosnowski, CEO and founder of Relevance International said, ‘Winning The Royal Atlantis Residences project is a dream come true. Not only is the property truly a global game-changer, but the caliber of its management, developer and sales and marketing team are truly in a league of their own. From our offices in New York and London, along with our carefully curated worldwide affiliate network, we are delighted to bring The Royal Atlantis Residences the attention it deserves globally.’

Formerly known as Relevance New York, Relevance International’s team has over a century of PR experience representing the very best in real estate, luxury goods, hospitality, design and corporate clients. With a dedicated social media strategist on staff, the firm offers a seamless boutique level of client service on a global scale.

Relevance International

Mummy in Manolos

Blogger Spotlight: Lizzie Owen, Mummy in Manolos

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This is the second part of our interview with Lizzie Owen, who is both a freelance PR and blogger. You can read her PR Spotlight here. Lizzie started blogging out of a necessity to understand how bloggers work and their needs from a PR perspective.

In this Blogger Spotlight, Lizzie talks to us about being a Progger (we’re making it a thing), working with PR as a blogger and the joy of Frozen.

Why did you start your blog?
While I was working with Portrait Communications, they were handling John Lewis toys and Steiff Teddies. I was contacting parent bloggers for reviews, and found it a totally different type of approach than for press. For a start, they didn’t work the same hours, so response was normally a day later, as they have jobs to go to, lived outside of London and had their own terms and conditions. It was a completely new world.

I met an awesome blogger during this time (2010) called Sian To, who was running a blogging conference called Cybermummy, which she invited me to. I accepted and fell into the world of blogging and set up Mummy in Manolos as a way of understanding it all, almost like some sort of experiment. Then I became one of the bloggers I was approaching, while networking and becoming friends with some of the UK’s top influencers from the other side of the fence. This led to helping Sian with Cybher, collaborating with Molly Makes and my client Home Barn, organising blogger workshops and becoming familiar within this world because I was a blogger too! So I was the PR AND the Blogger….Progger !?!

I loved it, but because my PR business was becoming so busy, my blogging took a bit of a backseat, and I didn’t keep up with it. I wish I had now, as I see so many of my friends doing so well, like the lovely Kate Watson-Smyth and Will Taylor!

How do you work with PRs as a blogger?
Because I’m a PR, I like to approach the brands personally. I know never expect to be given anything in return, especially at this stage, as I’ve only just really got back on it again. I’m not that keen to re-write a brand’s SEO key words though, as it really doesn’t suit my style of writing, and it looks like a sponsored post as it’s not in my voice (I’d hate to ruin my blog by allowing brands to use it just as an SEO platform). Hence why I make that move and approach brands who create products and events I am personally passionate about. I like a PR to approach me with something that fits my brand, because they’ve noticed my Instagram posts, (@mummyinmanolos you lovely lot), or have checked old posts and are familiar with my style. And clearly, I’m quite empathetic when I’m approached, as I do what they do. In fact, they inspire me, and I gain invaluable insight when I am approached. I’m always fascinated by the new and exciting ways to engage bloggers with fun and interactive events.
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What’s your favourite thing to blog about?
Originally, this all started out as something to do while I was on Mat Leave, and I absolutely adore Vivienne Westwood and Manolo Blahnik, so you’d think it would be all about fashion and shoes. But actually, I’ve found that as I’ve matured, so many things have become much more of a passion, and I’m hugely into holistic healing, but with a twist. Whatever I talk about has to have cool branding and a beautiful aesthetic with genuine soul to it. I go on a bit about yoga, holistic healing, interiors, fitness, art, food, festivals – so life and style!

What collaborations have you enjoyed working on?
As a blogger, it had to be the private screening of the film Frozen when it first launched in the UK. Disney had organised for the producers of Frozen to fly over from LA for the BAFTAs, Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck who had just won an award, then attended the Soho Hotel cinema screening, with a Q&A session at the end. My little girls just curled into complete shyness when it came to that part, bless them. In fact, so did I! But, it was such an honour considering little ones are still singing ‘Let it go’ to this day! I’ll never forget my smallest Poppy giving Chris Buck a picture of Elsa she’d drawn for him as a thank you.

What other blogs do you read?
So many have come and gone, but my absolute favourites are: Mad About The House; Dear Designer; Arianna’s Daily; Bright Bazaar; The Brand Stylist; Design Sheppherd; Coco’s Tea Party; and Poppy Loves. There are so many incredible blogs out there, it’s fantastic so many are now giving it a go. I love the community!

 

Lizzie Owen and Mummy in Manolos are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

PR Spotlight: Lizzie Owen

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Lizzie Owen is a freelance PR and blogger, responsible for Mummy in Manolos. Lizzie started blogging out of a necessity to understand how bloggers work and their needs from a PR perspective. She now has seven years’ experience blogging, and can confidently approach bloggers on behalf of clients and understands influencer outreach form a unique perspective.

In the first of our two part interview, Lizzie talks to us about her PR career, how starting a blog has made her better at influencer outreach and the tips she’d give other PR professionals.

Can you tell us about your career as a PR?
Pure chance. After leaving Fashion College (Ravensbourne) during a recession in 1992 and working for a wax jacket company near our farm in Staffordshire called John Partridge. They didn’t have a design job, but there was a new role as the CEO’s PA, which quickly became an ‘everything’ sort of role, and it turned out I quite enjoyed organising country pursuit events (Aston Martin Historic Racing being my favourite), fashion shoots in the Cotswolds and Devon, and organising trade shows all over Europe.

I then turned my hand to writing. My mentor Nigel Calladine was brutal at making me learn the secrets to a successful release. To this day, I still use his technique. After the company relocated me to their Dover Street showroom, I soon started to relive my London life and drifted from there to PR agencies, Events Companies, dot.coms (when they first appeared in 1996) and onto an advertising agency. All of this was great fun, but meant ultimately, I was missing the role as an in-house PR.

Then in 2004 I joined Laura Ashley, and climbed the ladder to Head of PR during a successful run with the business. One marriage and two babies later, in 2008 we moved from Battersea to Marlow in the Buckinghamshire countryside, and found the commute challenging, so set up my own PR thing here in Marlow, working for brands such as: Home Barn; ACHICA.com; Indian Ocean Outdoor Furniture; Lisa Stickley; London Fashion Week; V V Rouleaux; Smink Things; Danetti.com; and Portrait Communications.

After a year of taking time out to assess what I really love doing, I’ve set up my own PR thing again, including Sales and Social Media into the mix, as I do feel they all relate so closely to each other for brands trying to launch themselves.

PR professionalWhat have you learnt about blogging that’s made you better as a PR?
Mainly approach and trust. Everyone prefers a tailored experience rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach, especially with an exclusive. As a blogger, I’m not keen on PRs of brands assuming I can attend their event within two days of it actually happening. To me, that looks like I’ve been put on a secondary list because their prioritised invitees have not accepted. I also know about this from the other side of the fence, and I like to warn my clients that they may have to pay for posts for appropriate reach, and to never expect bloggers with amazing reach to cover their brand in return for product, or worse still, exposure! If you want your brand to fall flat on its face, and be totally ripped to pieces by secret blogger groups, mention the word ‘exposure’. That’ll get them right up there with the last-minute invite brigade!

It’s taken years to work out what each blogger loves, what they write about, their voice, their humour, which Social Media platforms they like to chat on the most, supporting them where possible and offering appropriate releases. There are some bloggers out there who haven’t heard from me for a while as a PR, because I’ve felt my clients may not interest them due to their style.

It’s all about the research, taking a genuine interest in their blog and loving what they do and interacting with them as a fellow blogger. I’m so thrilled when a PR approaches me after finding out what I do, becoming familiar with my posts, and offering me something that fits my style. I realise this is hugely time consuming, but once the tribe is created, the more trust is given. Also, as with the press, I pick up the phone and talk to them. I avoid the 3pm to 6pm slot, as that’s normally pick-up/work/supper/clubs/homework time for me too, and I never expect an immediate response, although, one of my clients is an absolute minx and throws things at me very last minute, and I know exactly who to go to for those types of emergencies – my nearest and dearest usually help me out there!

What do PRs get wrong?
Not warning their clients what to expect from bloggers, and how much more powerful their reach is than traditional hard media. Throwing out a large blogging fishing net and seeing what will be dragged back in. Some find it an insult to receive a release given to thousands of others who may not be suitable to a certain brand. Inboxes are filled with this kind of approach, and it’s really quite damaging to an agency’s reputation when this happens, especially if it’s a young PR intern, thrown into the lion’s den after just graduating, because the more seasoned PRs who prefer not to do the direct blogger relations feel it’s not their duty. It’s a hard way to learn a career lesson.

What collaborations have you enjoyed working on?
As a PR, I loved it when I forced Home Barn to make ENORMOUS efforts to pull together a creative space for Mollie Makes Magazine at Cybher’s conference way back in 2012. It was a huge success, as they’d created a beautiful space, full of their vintage pieces with rustic tables and benches, perfect for Instagrammers and bloggers resting between sessions and networking, while crocheting or learning how to, by the then editor Lara Watson. It was awesome! Sarah and Sally who founded Home Barn back in 2010, also gave away fab little goodie bags containing a release and tiny vintage glass bottles. Needless to say, they were hugely appreciated! It was such a meeting of likeminded souls who loved to blog, appreciated all things vintage and loved a spot of makery while chatting away with fellow bloggers!

What are the biggest differences between traditional media outreach and working with digital influencers?
I definitely think it’s very much the same approach, ensuring a carefully selected and appropriate blogs for the brand, but with a far more creative angle to ensure the right influencers are kept engaged. There is far more creative license with a blogger than a member of printed press. They’re mostly not employed by an editor who ultimately controls the content. You know that the final edit will be with the person you first contacted, and if it’s great content with beautiful imagery, that will be online forever, not just for that one magazine or print run up to 6 months down the line.

Plus, serious bloggers make sure they interact with their readers to ensure they return. Personal touches like that ensure loyalty, so feedback from an article is also the added benefit of what people think of your product or service. You get so much more from a blog post than printed media, and it can be taken so much further. The more creative the approach, the more engagement there’s going to be. Sadly, press now have smaller teams, and often find it challenging to return calls or emails due to time and staff restrictions and deadlines, rarely finding the time to leave their desks for events.

 

Lizzie Owen is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Naomi Lewis

Blogger Spotlight: Naomi Lewis, The Naomi Narrative

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Naomi Lewis writes The Naomi Narrative, which was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Relationship and Dating Blogs. Naomi started her blog after an unbelievably crappy date, and now shares experiences of dates as well advice around sex and relationships. We spoke to Naomi about the best date she’s ever been on, making a good impression and working with brands on campaigns.

What makes your blog successful?
I’m not sure I could pinpoint one certain thing but definitely shameless self-promotion to get my work out there has had an effect. Also, I would’ve though the honesty behind my writing. I don’t just fluff things up for the sake of it, I get right into the nitty gritty and I think people really appreciate the tough love approach.

What’s the best date you’ve ever been on?
It’s nothing grand, I went for a meal and a dance. Sounds pretty plain, right? It was, but great dates are all about the company you keep. We weren’t even meant to be seeing each other this night and I got a text saying, ‘I’ve booked your favourite place at 6 for dinner, I’ll meet you there’. Great start – love the romantic spontaneity, and it just got better. We kept having to send the waitress away because we were gabbing that much we hadn’t had time to even consider what to order, we had a great meal and then went on to have a drink, a dance and a laugh for the rest of the night.

What made this such a great date when it sounds so normal? It was thoughtful, and it was so easy. Just a simple meal and a drink was one of the best dates ever – no grandeur, no forward planning, no massive expense – just good company and great chemistry.

What top tips would you give to people to make a great impression on a first date?
Always answers questions with questions to keep the conversation flowing, there is nothing worse than an awkward silence but if you make an effort to keep things ticking over, then you’ll never have to worry about that! Also, remember the old saying ‘you never get a second chance at a first impression’ because it’s totally true – don’t be afraid to get dolled up to the nines or suited and booted, and keep smiling – it’s infectious.

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
I mean, sure, it’s a good excuse to spoil your partner but IMO, it’s become a bit of a Hallmark season now. I think and people can go a little overboard which is, of course, fine as everyone’s different. In my opinion, the little things throughout the year adding together mean more than a grand gesture on Valentine’s Day would – but like I said, that’s just me.

How much is your content about you and your experiences, and how much is it about others?
It’s a real mixture of both. I’ve written a lot about my own dates, the single life and my emotions and now that I’m in a long-term relationship, I write about the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship – the good, the bad and the ugly! I also find it useful to write up things I’ve learned that are happening in the dating scene too. For instance, new apps and their pros/cons, new dating trends that are surfacing, and a bit of the psychology behind dating and relationships too. It’s all SO interesting and the great thing about it is that EVERY SINGLE PERSON can relate to it all.

What’s your favourite thing to write about?
I’m a bit six-of-one-half-a-dozen-of-the-other when it comes to my favourite writing style. I do like to get deep with some posts and really explore why we do what we do and what happens when, etc, and go into a bunch of detail, of course with a positive spin on it all. Like this one.

However, I have just as much fun writing blogs that are a little more risqué but putting in a little humour too to take the ‘awky’ edge off. Like this one.

How do you like to work with PRs and brands?
I guess it all depends on the brand/campaign. I really like to put my own spin on things and the brand/campaign has to be inexplicably linked to dating/relationships because my content always has to stay true to my own brand. The brands I’ve worked with so far have been great because there’s always been give and take and being able to communicate exactly what you want to achieve from either end ensures that everyone gets what they want out of the campaign – which is the dream right?
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Are there any stand out campaigns that you have been involved with?
I’ve worked with all sorts of brands, from lingerie and sex toys, to greetings cards, health and wellbeing, and apps. There has been a whole plethora of different campaigns I’ve been lucky to be a part of but I would say the biggest things to come out of my blog are my columns.

Due to the success of my blog, I’ve landed myself a column in #DATING – the only dating magazine on the market and I have a weekly column talking all things dating, sex and relationships in real life magazine Loveit!

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator)?
I’d definitely call myself a blogger because I’m all about the writing. Of course, I appreciate other blogs with beautiful photos but for me, blogging’s all about the words.

What other blogs do you read?
I must admit, I love reading other dating and relationships blogs, it’s always good to see difference in perspective and opinion on subjects you’re interested in! For instance, All Sweetness and Life, Never Settle (Eve Greenow), etc.

 

Naomi is listed with her blog on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Eve Greenow interview

Blogger Spotlight: Eve Greenow, Never Settle

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Eve Greenow writes Never Settle, the Top 10 Dating Relationship Blog. Started in 2015 after she got out of a toxic relationship, Eve uses her blog to encourage people to be happy – after all, you only live one life. We spoke to Eve about making a great first impression on a date, Valentine’s Day and working with brands.

What makes your blog successful?
As with most bloggers, so much time and commitment goes into keeping up my blog, ensuring quality and relevant content. Never Settle pushes the latest trends to the forefront of discussion, tackling controversial and taboo subjects head on in a completely non-judgemental manner. With my content, I look to provide a range of outcomes and a way of achieving them, based on a mixture of personal experience and extensive psychological and sociological research.

My blog wasn’t created to complain, gloat or judge anyone, it’s there as a tool for anyone who wants to make themselves happier, better informed and ultimately more confident in their love lives. I hope that my posts are relatable, useful and encourage personal empowerment – that’s why it’s successful, because it genuinely helps people who have gone through similar situations.

Eve GreenowWhat’s the best date you’ve ever been on?
The best date must have been geocaching around Aberystwyth when I was at University. It was different, and related to our conversations we’d had previously. It’s basically treasure hunting using coordinates – sounds super nerdy but it’s so fun searching for ‘hidden treasure’. It meant we could just chat while walking along in the sun; doing something fun during the day. No awkward meals (I always end up becoming a messy nervous eater!) – just getting to know each other.

What top tips would you give to people to make a great impression on a first date?
Remember it’s just two people meeting, avoid putting too much pressure on yourself or the situation. Listen attentively, avoid asking too many interrogatory questions (it’s not an interview!), smile, be yourself and enjoy it!

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
I am a true romantic, and I religiously write Valentine’s Day content every year, both for the single and the coupled-up. Personally, I think we should celebrate our relationships every day, regardless of whether they are romantic or not. Friendships should be celebrated for their love too. But I’m definitely not one for a cuddly toy bear holding a heart!

How much is your content about you and your experiences, and how much is it about others?
I write a lot about experiences or topics I’m personally passionate about, or if I see a relationship on TV or a friend has a problem, usually it sparks me to write a post. I usually base my content on psychological and sociological research, with a smidgen of personal experience. Some posts in my lifestyle section are directly about me, and usually if they are I refer to myself in the first person. Many people think ALL of my posts are about me, but they’re actually not. I have friends and family who ring me up after I post about cheating or breakups, when actually it’s nothing to do with me!

I enjoy answering people in my new agony aunt section ‘Ask Eve’, where anyone can anonymously send in their relationship, dating or lifestyle questions.

What’s your favourite topic to write about?
As sad as it sounds, I love writing about love. So, if any new psychological research is published to do with relationships, I enjoy exploring how it relates to other research, or my previous posts. Having people write in for ‘Ask Eve‘, is really exciting, I love writing answers to the, it makes me really feel like I’m helping people more directly.

I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite thing to write about, but I also really appreciate my personal posts on mental health and lifestyle, I find it a really cathartic process, especially if it helps other people. Finally, writing break-up posts is super interesting to me, I want to bring as much comfort and help to those looking for it, so I try and craft my break-up posts to be as inspiring and motivating as possible – while ensuring that we allow ourselves to grieve properly rather than cover up our emotions.

How do you like to work with PRs and brands?
I like to ensure when I work with PR agencies and brands, that it’s mutually beneficial. I don’t generally accept work with brands that aren’t relevant to my content (as it messes with the consistency of the site), but it’s about ensuring that we work as a partnership, and both of us are happy with the content. Whether it be working on a giveaway or sponsored post, or reviews, I always love working together with brands and PR agencies to push conversions, ROI and give my readers something new and fresh to discover.
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Are there any stand out campaigns that you have been involved with?
I really enjoyed working with LELO, the luxury Swedish pleasure brand, on their release of the SONA Cruise. Instead of simply reviewing or pushing people to buy, I explored the taboo subject of female masturbation – how female pleasure is really important, and the inner workings of the female anatomy.

I naturally introduced the product into the post, as the perfect product to explore and use to achieve mind-blowing orgasms. It had great engagement and a high CTR: women are intrigued but afraid to admit it out loud, so introducing a new product this way worked really well. I am an ongoing LELO affiliate, and love working with their products in general, whether it be in a gift guide or bringing my readers new, exciting products I know they’ll love.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator)?
I call myself a blogger, as I consider myself as a writer overall. Although I love creating content for my social feeds and blog, the written content is what drives me and Never Settle.

What other blogs do you read?
I love reading other blogs, it’s one of my favourite past times, and I really enjoy discovering new ones too! Some of my favourites are Hannah (The Giraffe’s Life), Scarlett London, Naomi Narrative and Giulia Smith.

Eve Greenow and Never Settle are both listed with her blog on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

TBF graduates

Charity launches BAME programme for comms in Scotland

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The Taylor Bennett Foundation (TBF), is setting up its first graduate training programme in Scotland. The charity, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, works with agencies and in-house teams to provide intensive training for BAME graduates.

This is the first time the charity has run a training programme outside of London, a significant milestone for the Foundation, which aims to tackle the lack of ethnic diversity throughout the communications industry.

TBF CEO Sarah Stimson said: ‘In what is our tenth anniversary year, it is exciting to extend our reach and offer our first programme in Scotland.’

Sponsored by Standard Life Aberdeen and comms consultancy Charlotte Street Partners, the Scottish programme will provide four graduates training over five weeks. It is being run in partnership with Edinburgh Business School, Heriot Watt University and will be based at the Edinburgh campus.

Executive dean professor Heather McGregor, who founded TBF, said: ‘Developing talent is at the centre of what we do at Edinburgh Business School and it is a natural fit for us to give the TBF programme a home in Edinburgh.’

The programme is also supported by the PRCA in Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Scotland.

Applications are now open and are calling for BAME graduates from any discipline. The training will cover all aspects of communications and employability coaching, as well as training from the course sponsors. Field trips to PR departments in agencies and corporate in-house teams form a key part of the experience.

Andrew Wilson, one of the founding partners of Charlotte Street Partners, said: ‘TBF is doing important work promoting diversity in our industry and we are pleased to support them in their work. It is a substantial undertaking for a small firm like ours but we know it will pay back.

‘Our entire team looks forward to welcoming the first wave of graduates, offering them invaluable mentoring and sharing our expertise throughout the programme.’

Trainees receive the UK Real Living Wage throughout the course in order to make the programme as accessible as possible.

If you’re interested in applying for the programme, you can download an application form here. The deadline for applications is 17:00 on Thursday 17 May.

Hayley Hall London ebauty queen

London Beauty Queen rebrands to become Hayley Hall UK

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Hayley Hall has rebranded her award-winning beauty blog – London Beauty Queen, which has been a key part of the beauty blogging industry since its launch 2010. Now called Hayley Hall UK, the blog covers more than beauty with fashion, lifestyle and thought-pieces also featuring prominently.

We caught up with Hayley to find out about the rebrand and what it means for the blog.

hayleyhall.ukWhy have you rebranded?
It’s something I’d been thinking a lot about in the last year or so, having been using the LBQ alias for nearly a decade. Although the name had become rather iconic, I felt I was becoming more and more distanced from it – especially as I started as a 27-year-old single Londoner and am now a 35-year-old married woman living in the Shires! I felt like it no longer reflected who I was or what I wanted to write about, so I spent a year transitioning away from only beauty and introducing more topics – including fashion, lifestyle, travel, wedding and home.

Back in 2010 we all picked random names that stuck in heads but didn’t exactly have longevity, so it was an inevitability to drop LBQ at some point; when I married last year, it seemed like a natural progression to adopt my new name as my online identity too.

What can we expect from Hayley Hall?
More of the same – I’ve spent 12 months transitioning and measuring the popularity of different types of content, so the name change is more of a branding issue than anything else.

What’s the rebranding process like in terms of website management?
Easier than you may expect, but you do have to prepare and be organised! The hardest thing was finding social handles that I could use, so I spent a long time setting up test accounts and claiming different names so they would be as consistent as possible. The URL switch was relatively easy and londonbeautyqueen.com will continue to redirect to hayleyhall.uk, but it’s all the niggly bits that take the time; it was a full day of admin and updating to get it all in order.

Are you measuring the brand change in any way/are you hoping for any particular outcomes?
One of the main reasons for the name change was the fact many brands and PRs couldn’t see past my URL; they made the assumption that I was only interested in beauty or was much younger than I am. I’m hoping rebranding helps me to build connections outside of the beauty world and continue to connect with brands I’m passionate about.

How does this affect how you’re working with brands/PRs?
Only positively – I’m open to covering different topics and collaborating with different sectors.

Do you think this marks a wider trend in bloggers moving from single topics to broader lifestyle subjects?
Yes absolutely. Many of us started with a singular interest, but after doing the same thing for such a long time, it’s vital to diversify to maintain your passion. I became a bit lethargic with beauty launches, having seen the same thing five times already, so I needed to introduce new areas to keep my creativity flowing. Readers are also increasingly interested in the person behind the blog, rather than just what they’re reviewing; I get some of my best engagement on fashion posts and thought pieces, although beauty will always remain a huge focus for me.

Do you consider yourself a lifestyle brand?
Not really. I’m a writer and creative, even though what I’ve created is a brand in the simplest terms.

What do you call yourself (blogger, content creator, influencer)?
All of the above, depending upon who I’m talking to! I work with a lot of brands on a consultancy basis (utilising my decades worth of experience in digital marketing, social media and branding) so I’m not just one thing – even day to day I totally change!

 

Hayley Hall and her blog, Hayley Hall, are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database.  

Issue spotlight

Making sense of the Carillion Collapse

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The Carillion Collapse sent shockwaves throughout the nation’s infrastructure and establishment. The liquidation of a company with such a diverse portfolio of responsibilities, contracts and employees, was always going to lead to a major national crisis.

Now the dust is beginning to settle (though there’s clearly still some way to go), and Carillion’s stakeholders are fighting to be heard. From the Government, which is both regulator and customer, to the unions representing frontline workers – Carillion’s roots run deep.

Vuelio specialises in managing stakeholder relations, whether that’s building relationships with key influencers or tracking incoming phone calls from members of the public. Using our stakeholder tools and the in-house intelligence of our Political Services Team, we’ve been tackling the Carillion fallout since it collapsed.

We’ve read the reports, monitored the mentions and unravelled the endless relationship ties to create one clear picture of Carillion’s Stakeholders. Our white paper ‘Collapse of Carillion’ brings everything together and answers the big questions:

  • How has the Opposition been capitalising on the firm’s demise?
  • What are the conflicts surrounding financial services companies?
  • How have Carillion’s competitors reacted?
  • In what way is the media covering this?
  • What’s being done to stop this happening again?

The white paper also includes an exclusive diagram of Carillion’s stakeholders and research into the political social media reaction – so you can see which politicians and Lords have been saying what.

No matter if you’re directly or indirectly affected by Carillion, download our whitepaper and see how the biggest story of 2018 has unfolded.