Marks and Spencer Christmas ad 2017

Tis the season to take on John Lewis

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Marks & Spencer is launching its Christmas advert this evening during the Pride of Britain awards. The Paddington-fronted #LoveTheBear campaign, goes beyond just a 90-second TV spot, with in-store product tie-ins, charitable fundraising and cross-channel promotion making it a campaign worthy of undisputed Christmas-advert king, John Lewis.

The association with Paddington will be seen in soft toys and duffle coats, just two of the 90 products M&S will sell in its campaign shops in 78 stores. The advert will play in cinemas before screenings of Paddington 2, released this week in UK cinemas.

M&S are also using the Paddington campaign to raise money for the NSPCC to fund its ChildLine service over Christmas, strengthening its family-friendly approach this year.

Turning a Christmas advert into an event has become John Lewis’ speciality and what’s surprising is how long it has taken competitors to catch up. John Lewis reportedly sold £2.5m of campaign-related goods in 2014 with its Monty the Penguin advert, and last year raised money for The Wildlife Trusts with its Buster the Boxer ad.

The biggest difference between this M&S campaign and previous John Lewis efforts, is that John Lewis doesn’t associate with existing products or ideas. Only time will tell if the Paddington relationship will pay off.

M&S are saying the campaign fits with its ‘Spend it Well’ philosophy launched earlier this year, which encourages customers to: ‘focus on the people, experiences and things that matter to them most, something that is never more important than at Christmas.’

It is even going as far as to encourage staff to carry out ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ in stores throughout December, which could include free marmalade sandwiches in cafes and ‘cheeky’ Paddington chocolates at the till.

Though M&S has the jump on John Lewis this year, it is by no means the first Christmas advert of 2017 with Argos, Asda, Aldi (with a welcome return for award-winning Kevin The Carrot) and Lidl’s ads already released. The advert schedule over Christmas could now rival Hollywood, as no one wants to be lost against the big one (ads: John Lewis, Films: Star Wars) but no one wants to go too early and peak too soon.

With the press coverage this Paddington advert has already received, and an organic trend on Twitter with #lovethebear, M&S may have found the sweet spot for 2017 success.

Sascha Taylor-Curtis

Blogger Spotlight: Sascha Taylor-Curtis, Beauty Geek UK

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Sascha Taylor-Curtis writes the top 10 beauty blog, Beauty Geek UK. Reviewing all the latest products, Beauty Geek UK has an expert focus on skincare. We caught up with Sascha to talk about the rise of Korean beauty, building relationships with PR pros and all of her favourite beauty blogs.

How would you describe your blog?
A six-year-old beauty and lifestyle blog with a special interest in problem skin that features passionate reviews on skincare and makeup, interspersed with features on lifestyle, health, life and being a mum.

Why did you start your blog?
I was trying so many different treatments and products to try and clear up my acne, with varying degrees of success. I wanted to share my experiences so that other people with similar issues would be able to make more informed decisions. That’s the main reason, but I also needed to find a way to justify spending horrendously large amounts on lipstick!

What’s the current beauty trend we should be aware of?
I think Korean beauty has been slowly gaining credit in the UK beauty market over the last few years, but it’s finally becoming a lot more mainstream, which is great news as it’ll hopefully take UK beauty in an exciting new direction. I also think colourful hair is now a lot more accessible thanks to more modern application techniques, so it isn’t just for the brave and the bold anymore; anyone can add a touch of peekaboo lilac or pink under the top layer of their hair.

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How does video fit in with your blog?
Every few months I decide to start vlogging, as it’s something I think that works so well alongside blogging, but it’s also something that I think you need to be very good at to make a success of, and I’m definitely much more comfortable with writing. Never say never, though!

What makes your blog successful?
I would like to think it’s because I provide detailed and honest features on what I perceive to be important and informative beauty news and reviews. I also think the fact that I talk honestly about my continuing battle with acne (at the age of 33) is useful for those struggling with similar concerns.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I really like to develop mutually beneficial relationships with PRs and I now count many of them as friends. I find the easiest way to work together is to be honest about what we want from each other and how we can deliver it. I also like to have regular catch-ups with PRs to find out what’s new as I find this a lot easier than events or e-mails.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
It might be obvious ,but I don’t always need product to feature a new release – if something is very exciting, I’ll want to share it with my readers as quickly as possible and will happily do that with press releases and imagery for reference.

What campaigns have you enjoyed working on?
I loved featuring Makeup Revolution when it first launched as it was so fresh and innovative. I also love to work with the guys at Deciem as they produce such inspiring products at an impressive rate, so there’s always something to get excited about and I love to feature their news. For me, though, the most exciting features are QVC ‘s TSVs [Today’s Special Values]; you can always feel the excitement surrounding them, especially as they’re often really amazing brands such as Elemis, Decleor, tarte and NIOD, and I always feel like sharing them with my readers develops a real buzz.

What other blogs do you read?
So, so many! I check my Bloglovin’ app at least ten times a day. Jane at British Beauty Blogger is great for breaking beauty stories (I especially love her beauty news updates), Ree at Really Ree is brilliant for product swatches, Laura at Laurzrah.com creates amazing imagery, as does Michelle at Thou Shalt Not Covet, and of course Temptalia is my beauty bible for whenever I want to start building a shopping list. Vicki at Let’s Talk Beauty gets the balance of beautiful pictures and detailed reviews just right, and finally, Laura at Laura Lou Makeup is a great ‘real’ makeup artist, by which I mean, she shows you exactly how to achieve certain looks and techniques which she demonstrates so that it appears entirely achievable, even if you’re like me and lack the skill and talent!

Sascha and Beauty Geek UK are just two entries on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

Stranger Things

6 PR lessons from Stranger Things

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While you’re probably not fighting the upside down at work, there’s still plenty we can take from the Stranger Things gang to apply to our everyday PR practices.

*WARNING – mild spoilers lurk ahead, though Stranger Things 2 has been out long enough for everyone to have watched it multiple times over. Totally Tubular!*

1. ‘Mornings are for coffee and contemplation’ – Hopper
You’ve probably checked your emails all the way into work, and once you hit your desk you’re swamped – digging your way through your inbox until it once again has some semblance of sanity. When you first get in take a breather, talk to your colleagues and plan the day ahead – everyone is their most alert and this period of ‘contemplation’ can produce the best creative ideas.

2. ‘Friends don’t lie’ – Eleven (and others)
Working as a team is vital for public relations. While it may seem that you have a different story to tell different stakeholders – and often you do – making sure you’re consistent with your allies lets them pull in the same direction. To make this simple, Vuelio Stakeholder Management allows you to track who in your team has said what and to whom, so everyone is on the same page.

3. ‘Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California, the latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage: Maxine!’ – Mr Clarke
How many teachers would take a call from a child at 10pm to help build a sensory deprivation tank? Mr Clarke is keen to encourage his class to push boundaries and think outside the box. Too often in a PR organisation the most senior directors are pulling the team. Great concepts and knowledge can come from anywhere (including the ‘kids’), and the best agencies push their teams, encouraging ideas no matter what the source is.

4. ‘Nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world.’ – Jonathan
Being different and unique is the best way to stand out for both you and your client. It may seem like obvious advice, but don’t always do what’s been done before, don’t stick to accepted wisdom and don’t be normal. Floating something large down the Thames caught everyone’s attention the first time, but it’s now become a norm. Find something new and keep pushing boundaries.

5. ‘I am on a curiosity voyage, and I need my paddles to travel. These books are my paddles.’ – Dustin
Research, research, research. In-house have a distinct advantage here, they should know their brand, product and service inside out. Agencies have to work twice as hard to fully integrate themselves with the client before being able to effectively communicate on their behalf. Sector specific content and finding the right influencers is vital to understanding the company, the company’s aims and the company’s target audience. Research can also predict potential pitfalls along the way, so there is no excuse to end up curiosity creek without a paddle.

6. ‘I may be a pretty s**tty boyfriend, but turns out I’m actually a pretty damn good babysitter.’ – Steve
No you’re desperate to fit Steve into this article. To be honest there were lots of golden Steve moments that could have made the list, but his character arc from confused jock boyfriend to solid advice-wielding parental figure is both heart-warming and spot on. If you find out you’re good at something, there’s no shame consistently being excellent at it. That doesn’t mean you don’t ever leave your comfort zone (see: Steve in the tunnels surrounded by Demadogs), but playing to your strengths is a no-brainer, even if that means staying on the bench to save the day.

What other PR lessons can we take from Stranger Things? Post your comment below.

Rachel and Daisy

Blogger Spotlight: Rachel Spencer, The Paw Post

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Rachel Spencer is the author of The Paw Post, which recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs. Rachel is a freelance journalist and content writer who started The Paw Post in 2017 after taking her friend’s dog Daisy in. In this Spotlight, we speak to Rachel about her lovely dog Daisy, working on charitable campaigns and her favourite pet tech.

How would you describe your blog?

It’s a mix of news, human interest stories about animals and people making a difference in the pet world, travel and reviews. My dog Daisy and her adventures feature lots, and I try to create content that’s helpful, interesting and informative.

Why did you start your blog?

I work as a freelance journalist writing pet stories for newspapers and magazines, but there would always be stories I wanted to tell in my own way and that’s where the idea for the blog came from.
I’ve worked with pet businesses writing content and thought a blog would be a way to showcase my writing too.

The more I wrote about pets, the more people approached me with stories and interesting pet brands, and I thought it would be a good idea to create my own platform to share them.

What’s it like having a famous pet?

Oh my gosh, I still don’t see Daisy as famous, she’s a little scruff from Manchester Dog’s Home but she has featured in lots of articles now so I guess she is! It’s lovely.

She has a fun life and still is like a regular dog who loves chasing her ball and rolling in fox poo, but she also has some lovely opportunities come her way too.

How does your pet cope with the pressure?

It doesn’t faze her. She’s very good when it comes to having her photo taken and has done shoots from when she first came to live with me and my photographer friends used to take photos of her.

I think she’s oblivious to it. No one day is the same for her and she relishes her adventures.

What’s your favourite pet product?

I think it would be the PitPatPet activity tracker. It was the first ‘techy’ item we reviewed, and it’s a UK based product that has been picked up worldwide.

We’re thrilled to have been able to review it at the start of their journey back in January 2016.

They went on to appear on Dragon’s Den and now work with insurance companies helping dogs stay healthy.

Rachel and DaisyWhat’s your favourite post?

I did a post for a contact of mine, Liz Haslam of Beds For Bullies rescue. I’ve known her for many years and she was going through a tough time, struggling with bills and was worried she might have to close her rescue.

I set up a JustGiving page and told the story of all 16 of her dogs, many of which I had written about individually, but when I put them all together, I realised just how remarkable she was and readers did too.

The response was overwhelming, it was shared worldwide and people donated £2,000. It was amazing to be able to help her and her dogs. I spent most of that weekend crying happy tears!

How do you like to work with PRs?

Ideally send a pitch via e mail first, then I’m always happy to chat on the phone if I feel it suits the blog.

I look for human interest stories, usually case study led, and I’m interested in trends, products and technology.

The blog is an extension of my work as a journalist and I try to ensure each post either makes people laugh or cry, think ‘Aw that’s cute’, ‘Ooh that’s interesting/helpful’ or ‘Wow, that’s someone doing something really out of the ordinary.’

What one thing should PRs know about you?

I’ve always worked with PRs as a journalist so I’m completely new to doing it as a blogger. One thing that has come up is people saying: ‘can you just put something up on your blog for me?’ and I’d like people to realise that it takes a lot of time for me to do a post and I have bills to pay!

I’m very open to ideas and I like people to be clear about what is expected of me, treat me fairly and understand that I try to make my posts newsworthy because of my background.

What’s a memorable campaign you’ve worked on?

This week I worked with Jade Statt of StreetVet who launched her new website on #worldhomelessday and she approached me as a blogger rather than as a journalist.

I was totally thrilled and spent a day shadowing her as she helped homeless dogs and their owners.

She is such an inspiration and being able to tell stories like hers without having a word limit and having my work edited is what my blog is all about.

What other blogs do you read?

I love Rocky the Traveller, he’s an English Bull Terrier who has travelled the world, and Philleas Dogg, as Atlee is a rescue dog like Daisy and it’s lovely seeing them both on their adventures and having fantastic lives.

I enjoy Twilight Bark UK too, her Instagram photos of her lovely Sausage dogs Ted and Millie are brilliant!

 

Rachel and The Paw post are just two entries on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

03 November

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 3 November 2017

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A round up of the biggest PR, comms and media stories this week including the sexual harassment scandals, a spoilt Bake Off, Ian Katz’s appointment, Fake News and Halloween.

1. Sexual harassment dominates the news

The allegations against Harvey Weinstein quickly led to allegations against others in the Hollywood, this week including Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman. But the entertainment industry is not alone in the scandal, a #MeToo campaign on social media – which gave people a chance to share their own experiences of harassment – followed, and now the allegations have hit the UK’s Government and media.

A so-called ‘sleaze list’ (of questionable intent and accuracy), appeared in the media before Michael Fallon MP left his role as Defence Secretary amid the allegations, causing a minor reshuffle.

What’s clear, and obvious to many individuals outside of the mainstream media’s gaze, is that sexism and sexual harassment is rife everywhere. Now that people feel able to share their stories, expect this one to continue to hit the headlines.

 

2. Prue Leith spoils the final Bake

bake Off

The Great British Bake Off has been flying high – the series, which moved to Channel 4, was expected by some to be a flop but the familiar format and atmosphere in the tent has led to sizeable viewing figures and peak-time audience shares for Channel 4. All was right in the world (if you excuse the fact Liam went home two shows too early #JusticeForLiam) before Prue accidentally tweeted the winner 10 hours early.

Yikes.

Though she quickly deleted the message, the damage was done. Prue, who was in Bhutan, claimed the time difference was to be blamed, before telling the Press Association: ‘I’m in too much of a state to talk about it. I fucked up.’ Channel 4 was less concerned (probably due to its record numbers) as Prue, Noel and Sandi will join Paul again for the next series.

 

3. Ian Katz appointed Channel 4’s director of programmes

Newsnight, Channel 4

BBC Newsnight’s editor, Ian Katz has been appointed to the top creative role at Channel 4, following Jay Hunt’s departure in September. While Katz doesn’t have significant programme commissioning experience, he is considered by Channel 4’s CEO Alex Mahon to ‘live and breathe’ the Channel 4 values. The role is considered one of the most influential in the UK’s media – Hunt’s departure followed her acquisition of the programme in our second story. Katz starts his new role in January.

 

4. Fake News is the ‘word’ of the year

Trump figure fak news covefefe

Collins Dictionary once again announced its word of the year, which follows in-depth research of language trends across millions of sources. The ‘word’ that has most increased in usage for the last year is ‘Fake News’. (Yes it’s two words, which has upset a surprising number of people).

The phrase (that’s better) was thrust into the spotlight by Donald Trump who used it repeatedly throughout his Presidential campaign to attack first the ‘mainstream media’ and then anyone who disagreed or cast allegations against him. More recently, Fake News has been flipped against the President, now describing Russia’s influence on the American election results.

 

5. All Hallows’ Marketing

Halloween feature

The Halloween season is now embedded in British society where people wish each other ‘Happy Halloween’ and brands and businesses spend increasing amounts on their Halloween tie-ins. On the Vuelio Blog we’ve rounded up five of the best campaigns, including Google’s heart-warming Doodle (no really), Fanta’s big budget 13th floor experience and the Beano’s investigation into the scariest outfits (pictured).

 

That’s everything from this week – think there’s something we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below.

Martin Gallagher

Blogger Spotlight: Martin Gallagher, Learning To Dad

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Martin Gallagher writes Learning To Dad, a blog that recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Mental Health Blogs. Covering a mixture of parenting and mental health issues, Learning To Dad is also used for equality activism for Gypsies, Romani and Irish Travellers (GRT). Martin told us about the myth of ‘manning up’, the need to open up and working with PRs.

Why did you start your blog?
I started the blog whilst being a stay at home dad doing my degree. It was hard. At the time I needed an outlet to clear my head as my depression had me in a dark place for a long time. My writing, and being able to control the content I could put online, meant I could be honest and raw about my life, whilst having some fun and joking about it all!

All of the above, plus the fact I don’t have the money for a councillor!

What’s the biggest issue facing mental health in the UK today?
Society still has a problem with thinking that getting some fresh air, or ‘manning up’ cures depression. It’d be dead good if that was the case, as the GRT community, who are the human embodiment of ‘manning up’, are still seven times more likely to commit suicide than the rest of the general population. Also, the need for accessible services that meet the need and demand without unbearable waiting lists.

How do you think mental health awareness has changed in recent years?
I think the work being done is brilliant so far!

Through campaigns from Time to Change and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), I felt that I could open up and visit my doctor. Being an Irish Traveller, opening up about depression is a massive ‘NOPE’. So, those organisations helped me massively.

By challenging the perceptions that have stopped people from opening up about their mental health in the past, I believe these campaigns, as well as each individual who are speaking out, have already shaped future generations to be more accepting and open about mental health.

What advice would you give someone who was struggling with their mental health?
The best piece of advice I would give is to open up, and speaking to your friends and family if you feel like you can do so. I was fortunate to have family who are supportive, and gave me the patience I needed to get to where I am now. Unfortunately, some people may not be as supportive, which may make you feel isolated, so make sure to use one of the many free helplines that can be found with a quick search. The path to feeling able like you can manage your mental health issues is a long one, but it begins with reaching out for help.

How do you engage with your readers and community?
Being a chatty person, I’m fortunate that social media makes it easy for people to get in touch! Through Facebook and WordPress, I’ve had Q&As with people about the GRT community and our lifestyle, for example, or people have messaged who have just needed to talk about their own mental health issues, and I’m happy that people feel that the can talk to me about it!

How do you like to work with PRs?
When aiming to appeal to different communities, I have to be flexible. The same goes for PR. I was fortunate to work with an online store earlier this year, which was a good experience for me. I now write for two print magazines, speaking about mental health and GRT lifestyle, all because of the blog! I am always open to new opportunities that the world of blogging and PR can bring!

What one thing should brands or PRs know about you?
I like to be as honest and raw as can be, and I feel honesty is the best way to connect with your audiences. I always want to have fun and add a bit of humour, (at my own expense mostly) to anything that I am involved in!

What other blogs do you read?
I LOVE The Blunt Backpacker, the author, Noni Roberts writes about the things you would never think about whilst travelling and it hilarious. Speaking of travelling, Travel Mad Dad and Travel Mad Mum, have made us decide to travel for six months.

To name a few more, DADventurer, Rachel Hawkins, Dad Blog UK and Toby and Roo, (worthy award winners this year!). All enjoyable reads.

 

Martin and Learning To Dad are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

DADult life

Blogger Spotlight: Zen Terrelonge, DADult Life

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Zen Terrelonge is the founder of DADult Life, a new parenting blog started by Zen during his partner’s pregnancy. With baby Roma now just over five months old, we caught up with Zen to talk all things proud parent, joining a crowded parenting blogging industry and working with PRs.  

What inspired you to create your blog?
Finding out I was going to be a father filled me with such incredible pride and passion that I wanted to scream the news from the rooftops – I couldn’t for 12 weeks, of course.

In the meantime, I contented myself by writing about what was happening behind-the-scenes and finally decided I’d make it a regular thing, leapt two feet in and had a website launched.

My close mates aren’t dads yet, so, being something of a lone wolf in that regard, I wanted to share my thoughts throughout pregnancy, birth and fatherhood to reflect on the serious and the funny. And if anyone takes something away from what I’ve written, then even better.

I’m a journalist by trade, so writing is something I do on a daily basis, but with parenthood and my family, they make me feel so strongly and deeply that writing is even more of a pleasure than I would have thought possible.
Zen Terrelonge What is the most challenging part of being a blogger?
I suppose the biggest challenge is giving people a reason to listen or to sit up and pay attention. There are a lot of blogs in operation, so getting heard in the noise of the online world can be tricky.

Launching a blog in such a popular space almost feels like being the new kid in a school. It can be quite cliquey and you just hope someone wants to be your mate instead of flushing your head down the loo or writing about you in their Burn Book – the blogging equivalent of which I guess would be indirect tweets.

How have you built up your audience?
I’ve been as engaged as possible. Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram or comments on the site, I’ll make sure I react to what people are saying and attempt to foster conversation.

And as I mentioned, given that writing is my profession, I pride myself on the content I’m pushing out, so I won’t rush anything or put out a blog that’s been written with a half-arsed approach.

Since starting your blog, what have you learned about the industry?
I’ve learnt that there is a genuine community of parents who love to talk and share. As someone who doesn’t know lots of young parents, it’s been a brilliant way to connect with others going through the same things I am, as well as learning from others further ahead in the parenting journey or offering my experiences to those just starting theirs.

Struggling to reach influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in parenting, travel, lifestyle & more.

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Is there any advice that you would like to share with any PRs or aspiring bloggers?
To PRs: please spare a moment and take the time to recognise who you’ve approached – make sure what you’ve sent is relevant and addressed to the right person. Respond to all emails if they’re genuine because everyone starts somewhere, and look beyond high follower numbers – what is the content itself really like?

To aspiring bloggers: You’re not alone – come and say hello! I don’t have snacks, but I have memes and hug emojis to provide.

How do you like to be approached by PRs?
I’m flexible; email is great because it spells everything out in front of you and it’s fast, and phone calls are also welcome – but if you call someone and don’t get an answer, leave a voicemail!

I’ve become friends with some PRs over time, and ones I’m pally with will just send a message via WhatsApp for guaranteed delivery and convenience.

Do you consider social media an important tool in directing traffic toward your blog?
Certainly. You can showcase your personality via social media in terms of what you’re about with posts, whether that’s through pictures, statuses, videos and even captions, so doing so should support redirection to the meatier stuff on the blog, which ultimately has the richest content of all.

What are your plans for DADultLife in 2017/18?
I’m embracing fatherhood as much as possible, so naturally that’s going to result in some interesting scenarios. In just under three months since Roma has arrived, I’ve been blasted by a poozooka, invented the prambrella, as well as taken her to the cinema and a festival – not locations you’d normally associate with a newborn.

I’m having an incredible amount of fun while also gaining knowledge with parenting, which I hope comes across with my work – I plan to continue that, meeting other amazing dads and mums along the way.

What kinds of PRs or campaigns are you interested in working with/on in the future?
I can openly say my knowledge of baby and parenting brands is still a work in progress. I’ve tried a few gadgets and gizmos and whosits and whatsits, as well as various nappy brands, but I’m by no means an expert.

If any PRs want to educate me on the wares of their clients, then I’ll be only too happy to listen to what they have to say – I’m one of the good guys.

Just as long as it doesn’t involve me using ten brands of teeth whitener like a reality TV star, I’m open to suggestion and available to talk.

 

Zen Terrelonge and his blog DADult life are just two entries on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

Newsnight, Channel 4

Newsnight’s Ian Katz appointed Channel 4 director of programmes

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Channel 4 has announced that Ian Katz has been appointed director of programmes, following Jay Hunt’s departure in September.

Katz is currently editor of BBC’s Newsnight and was previously deputy editor of the Guardian. His new role will propel him to one of the most influential positions in British broadcasting, as well as earning him a reportedly significant pay increase.

Jay Hunt’s 2016 bonus of £180,000 in the role was more than Katz’s entire salary £151,600.

Hunt left Channel 4 after missing out on the role of CEO, which later went to Alex Mahon, and was recently appointed creative chief at Apple’s European video operations.

As the Guardian reports, Katz has limited experience of commissioning programmes but a Channel 4 source praised his ‘history of risk-taking’ and ‘promoting new talent’.

Alex Mahon backs this up, he said: ‘Ian is an inspirational leader who assiduously builds and nurtures talented and empowered teams. He has fantastic instincts and intelligence, huge editorial strength and is a proven creative and digital innovator, who lives and breathes the Channel 4 values.’

Katz is the latest high-profile departure from the BBC, after the director of news and current affairs, James Harding, and the former head of its political team at Westminster, Robbie Gibb.

Gibb was succeeded by Replacements for Harding and Katz are yet to be announced.

Talking about his appointment, Katz said: ‘I’m impossibly excited to be joining a broadcaster whose unique combination of innovation, risk-taking and elan I have admired for decades as a viewer – and more recently as a frequently envious rival. Channel 4’s deeply held values and relentlessly challenging sensibility have never been more important or relevant and I feel incredibly privileged to play a part in shaping the next stage of its remarkable journey.’

Katz starts in the new year, when he will take over from interim chief creative officer Ralph Lee.

All media moves and changes are updated in the Vuelio Media Database. 

Dog blog

Blogger Spotlight: Rosemary Kind, Alfie’s Diary

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Continuing our spotlights of amazing pet bloggers – who all feature on the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs – we’ve caught up with Rosemary Kind, author of Alfie’s Diary. The blog has been updated every day since its creation in 2006 with the exploits of Alfie, the ‘leader of the Pet Dogs Democratic Party’, Aristotle and Wilma. Alfie has three books to his name and they have accompanying merchandise.

We caught up with Rosemary to talk about Alfie’s fame, the best pet products and her advice for PR professionals.

How would you describe your blog?
Alfie’s Diary is the world through the eyes of Alfie, Aristotle and Wilma, three Entlebucher Mountain Dogs, each of whom have their own views of the world. Alfie is the serious one and is founder of the Pet Dogs Democratic Party. Aristotle is too clever for his own good and Wilma is everyone’s friend and loves life.

Why did you start your blog?
Alfie was just 10 weeks old when he moved in with us. We were living in Belgium and so much around us was new and different. It coincided with me leaving a more traditional career to write full time. The blog was initially a way to share all the funny things that were happening living abroad with a new puppy and a way to make sure I wrote every day. I planned to write it for a year or so, but as it became popular with a much wider audience we just carried on. Alfie has missed posting his diary one day in nearly twelve years and that was because of unexpected hospitalisation so he couldn’t get the password from me!

What’s it like having a famous pet?
It’s really fun. He’s been interviewed in a radio studio and I regularly get people coming up to introduce themselves to him and ask about him and the others.

pet blogger

How does your pet cope with the pressure?
He’s doing well. He hasn’t let it go to his head and now he’s older he’s taken semi-retirement, sharing the workload with Aristotle and Wilma. Wilma being the youngster is usually up for anything and will be off to meet the Swiss Ambassador in a couple of weeks.

What’s your favourite pet product?
Oh, that’s a hard one. At the moment, it’s probably Wilma’s new rucksack. It means she can carry her own things when we go out for the day. Their answer would be different. I’m guessing they’d all say they couldn’t live without their Bonio bedtime biscuit.

What’s your favourite post?
Alfie has written some lovely Christmas messages over the years but one of my favourite posts was the one he wrote as a message to young pups.

How do you like to work with PRs?
It can be great or difficult depending on how they approach things. At the end of the day, I earn my living writing and whilst the blog is mainly for fun it takes me time and when companies ask for ‘something for nothing’ it is a little unreasonable. There has to be give and take and if for any reason what is proposed is not something that is a good fit for us then it is far better if PRs accept that and don’t try to keep pushing.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I won’t say I’m interested in something if I’m not!

What’s a memorable campaign you’ve worked on?
I think the Panasonic Home Monitoring and Control Kit has been one we had most fun with!

 

Rosemary Kind and Alfie’s Diary are just two entries on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which lists thousands of bloggers, influencers and journalists, editors, titles, publications and channels. 

Halloween feature

Top 5 brands doing Halloween right

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In a world where we now apparently say Happy Halloween, the haunted seasonal event has firmly embedded itself in the awkward summer’s-over-but-Christmas-isn’t-really-here-yet advertising cycle. Here are five of the best campaigns for this year’s Halloween.

Google’s doodle

Google has taken a page right out of the John Lewis Christmas Advert playbook with its Halloween doodle this year.

The heart-warming tale follows ‘jinx’ the ghost trying to fit in with trick or treaters that aren’t ghosts. In an attempt to blend in, the ghost uses a variety of costumes before eventually Jinx is just accepted for who it is. That’s nice.

As with the annual John Lewis advert event, this sentimentality has struck accord with viewers:

Fanta’s 13th floor

Moving in a completely different direction from Google, Coca-Cola’s biggest Halloween investment has come in the form of a Fanta elevator-crash VR experience at Thorpe Park and Westfield Stratford.


If you’ve been on Twitter in the last week, you’ve probably seen the promoted tweets already using the #Fanta13thFloor. The campaign has spread further to allow anyone to experience it online. While not as immersive as the VR experience, the content has still managed to hit the right scare notes among its audience.

Hammer House of Horror’s Hoxton Hive

Hammer Films, responsible for nearly every great British horror film pre-1980, has created an immersive theatrical experience at Victorian music hall, Hoxton Hall. With over 105 ‘scenes’ to explore in the two-hour ‘Vampire Hive’ show, the makers promise a unique and unforgettable experience. The run has also been extended, due to its popularity, until 4th November.

 

Make Halloween Great Again

Trick or Treat is back on the menu with Beano.com’s take on one of the ‘scariest’ outfits for children according to its poll of 2,00 parents. The Donald is ranked alongside Voldemort and Frankenstein as one of the top outfit choices for children this year. To celebrate this, Beano.com enlisted the help of reader Jonathan McCarthy, 6, to take to London’s streets and say amazing things like ‘Halloween is fake’.

 

Stranger Things

Have you seen it yet? All 458 minutes of series two has been out since Friday – which means you could have watched it 14 times already! Outside of the awesomeness that is Steve and Dustin (no spoilers), The Drum has very helpfully detailed all the brand collaborations with Netflix’s Stranger things, including Oxford Circus and Top Shop takeovers (the latter displaying a Barb shrine), Reebok’s limited Ghostbusters release (thank you Dustin), Eggo’s waffles (obviously) and even the nicest cease and desist letter ever.

Seen something better for Halloween? Don’t leave it in the upside down, link it in the comments below!

Baking Fanatic

Blogger Spotlight: Philip Friend, Baking Fanatic

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Philip Friend is the Top 10 UK Baking Blogger who writes Baking Fanatic. Featuring bold twists on classics, Baking Fanatic also specialises in the perfect bakes for Philip’s favourite – afternoon tea. We caught up with Philip to discuss his quirky bakes (crab meat profiteroles!), viennoiserie as comfort baking and working collaboratively with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
A collection of recipes for bakes that I love to bake and eat, without any shame whatsoever. The lack of shame is crucial as I feel that with baking, one should never feel guilt and should enjoy the bakes and share the baking love. I also include masterclasses for perfecting bakes such as croissants, cake decorating tips, macarons and breads that I have honed over years. My recipes are rooted in the classics, but I often have my own twists on them, such as my chocolate, orange and cranberry sourdough loaf and my warm savoury choux buns filled with crab meat in a chive mayonnaise.

What’s the best thing about being a baking blogger?
Meeting other bloggers, either virtually or in person, and discussing anything baking related, whether it is dissecting a new recipe or chatting about the latest trends in baking.

How much does Great British Bake Off affect your blog?
Most of the technical and other bakes on Bake Off have featured in my blog, often before the episode is aired, as I love to try and second-guess bakes that could pop up on Bake Off. I get many emails from others who love Bake Off and after episodes are aired I get people asking me if I have a recipe for a bake that has just featured.

What’s your favourite bake to make?
Croissants and any related viennoiserie. Very much a labour of true love, but for me croissants are the epitome of comfort baking.

Baking fanatic

What’s the best bake you’ve ever eaten?
My multi-tiered chocolate and raspberry cake that I made for my anniversary of my Civil partnership. This also featured on a recent episode of James Martin’s ITV cookery show.

What makes your blog successful?
I think my blog is set out simply and without too much fuss. My recipes are easy to navigate now that I have an index, and my photographs have improved considerably in quality: several people have commented to me that my photos often ‘sell’ my blog and make people want to get in the kitchen to have a go; it is always nice when others want to do that.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I like to be guided with what it is PRs want and I have established a good, warm working relationship with many PRs over the years. Once I am given a brief, I love the challenge of working through it to deliver, what I aim to be, a bake that others want to make for themselves.

What’s a memorable campaign you’ve worked on?
For Macmillan Cancer Research, I showcased a few of their bakes for last year’s Coffee Morning – this was an honour, as it is a charity so close to my heart.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I keep my blog posts honest at all times and pride myself on both the quality and clarity of my writing.

What other blogs do you read?
So many, but I am a very regular visitor at The Pink Whisk, BakingQueen74 and Deliciously Ella.

Philip Friend and the Baking Fanatic feature on the market-leading Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Facebook people

Diversify or die

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Last week Facebook ran a test in which publishers’ content in six countries only displayed on a secondary ‘explore’ feed. The impact was immediate and devastating – one Slovakian journalist called it the ‘biggest drop in organic reach we’ve ever seen’. Though the test was quickly stopped, the obvious lesson to PRs is: diversify, diversify, diversify.

Before social media, Google and the internet, the job of a PR was arguably much more straightforward: build relationships with journalists and secure coverage in the press. If you fell out with one journalist, or a publication changed its approach to printing PR content, you had other choices and relationships throughout the traditional media landscape.

But what happens when the people you have a relationship with can’t control their content?

Google, Facebook and, to a lesser extent, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram have the ability to make or break publishing, PR and the entire content industry with just a few lines of code. Facebook’s experiment was seen by some as a way to make more money from publishers – forcing them to pay to feature on a user’s Newsfeed, which is the internet’s second most valuable spot (after the first page of Google’s results).

If Facebook were to roll this out (and as it stands, that’s not the plan), then publishers’ traffic will drop, alongside content from brands and businesses. The lesson here is simple and definitely nothing new – don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

While this should be obvious for PR pros, we sometimes forget how little control we have online – deceived by the ability to create posts, pages and profiles on platforms that are actually run by untouchable and unreachable behemoths.

Being great on only one platform is a very risky strategy.

If you’ve nailed your brand’s Facebook content, now is not the time to rest on your laurels – spread out that excellence to Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to avoid any ‘nasty’ surprises to Facebook’s practices.

You may also have relationships with all the ‘right’ Instagram influencers, but would you be ready for a rule change that censored adverts? On social media, influencers are key to success and making sure you have the right influencer for the right platform is vital. The Vuelio Media Database lists thousands of regularly-updated influencers, so you know you can reach the right people in the right way.

Google’s algorithm changes still send shivers down the spines of content creators – that SEO strategy you’ve been tweaking for months and years is suddenly worthless. It may seem that Google’s whims are hard to prepare for, but if you’re spread out – using all your media contacts at all the right publications and platforms – you have time to adjust your strategy while still securing valuable exposure.

And don’t neglect offline mediums – print is not dead yet and great publishers are still in control of their output and audience, making them arguably as valuable as ever.

We are working in the age of digital content, where a handful of tech giants now control a majority of what people see online. But if we’re smart and creative (and as PRs what else is there?) then we can diversify to manage our success and make sure we keep coming out on top.

How much do you diversify? Let us know in the comments below!

Blogger Spotlight: Twice the Health, Emily and Hannah

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Twice the Health is written by nutritionist Emily Kier and personal trainer Hannah Tyldesley, and covers food, exercise and travel. We caught up with the pair to talk matching outfits (obviously), planning content and working with PR professionals.

How would you describe your blog?
Twice the Health is simply our way of sharing what we love to do, eat and enjoy! The message behind everything we do is happiness through health, whether that’s enjoying your favourite chocolate treat whilst cosied up with Netflix, or running 50k through the Grand Canyon. Everyone’s happiness, and therefore health is totally different and we want to embrace and celebrate that.

How do you work together on your online content? Do you each take roles?
We definitely both have different strengths, and we support each other on these. We always chat about everything, and work together on all our content and projects. The fact we both excel in different areas is a bonus as we are able to bounce off each other, and bring two sides to one story.

Emily Kier and Hannah TyldesleyDoes exercising together add extra motivation?
Absolutely. We often say we are each other’s biggest motivation. We know each other well enough to know when the other can be pushed a little harder, or be encouraged to run a little further. All it takes is a little tease or nudge in the right direction!

How do you plan online content?
We try to keep things as natural as possible. If we have campaigns or projects scheduled in, we’ll work around this to ensure it’s kept varied and exciting. Other than that, we tend to run with what’s going on that day or week!

What’s the next big fitness trend going to be?
Matching outfits… obviously! Or at least it will be if we have anything to say about it!!

What makes you successful?
We think what’s worked for us is simply staying true to ourselves. We’ve been careful to only work with brands we absolutely love, and companies we believe in. I think this shines through in our content. It’s obvious when someone is passionate about something and it’s equally obvious when they’re not!

What’s the best thing you’ve done as influencers?
We hate to leave this on a cliff hanger, but I think it’s yet to come! We have a few very exciting projects next year, one in particular that I think could be our best yet. Watch this space!

How do you like to work with PRs?
The key thing is that they understand us and we understand them. From knowing both brands, to knowing how each works. We’ve been lucky enough to work with many excellent PR companies who have all been incredible in being sure to know our brand and know what best fits.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
We always wear matching clothes. If it don’t match it ain’t TTH!

What other influencers do you follow?
There’s a whole host of blogs and vlogs we love, from Zanna Van Dijk, to Hazel Wallace to The Lean Machines. We also love to watch Tally Rye’s vlogs, Jamie & the Jam vids and can never deny ourselves a quick Carly Rowena catch up. We also LOVE podcasts, especially Tough Girl and Ben Coomber!

Emily Kier, Hannah Tyldesley and Twice the Health feature on the market-leading Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 27 October 2017

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This big stories of the week from the world of PR, media and communications, including Snapchat’s warning, Apple’s hire, Piccadilly Circus, Radio 1’s listening stats and Facebook’s publisher experiment.

1. Snapchat’s first ASA warning

Snapchat

Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson was cautioned this week by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for falling foul of its advertising rules. This is the first time the social network has provoked a caution for a user not clearly labelling an advert.

The Snapchat post that drew a complaint. ‘showed an image of Marnie Simpson holding a Diamond Whites product close to her face. Text on the snap stated “50% off everything from Diamond Whites! Swipe up [Heart emoji]” and “www.diamondwhites.co”.’

While Diamond Whites argued that Marnie’s two-year relationship with the company was their grounds for believing the advert was clear, the ASA still ruled it was not correctly labelled as an advert and so upheld the original complaint.

What is unique about the case is that, due to the nature of Snapchat, the advert only appeared for a limited amount of time and was already history by the time the complaint was investigated. ASA ruled the advert must not appear again in its current form and all future adverts must include #ad. Whether this opens the floodgates for more Snapchat complaints remains to be seen, but what’s clear is the ASA is continuing to monitor social media to keep up with technological advances.

 

2. Apple hires Jay Hunt

Channel 4

Jay Hunt, who engineered the acquisition of The Great British Bake Off from BBC to Channel 4, has been appointed creative chief at Apple’s European video operations. She has also previously worked at the BBC and Channel 5, and is responsible for the likes of Sherlock, Luther, Humans and Gogglebox.

Jay resigned from her role as chief creative officer of Channel 4 in June, after missing out on the role of chief executive of the broadcaster, which eventually went to Alex Mahon. The appointment signals Apple’s intent to get serious about content, as it looks to take on both existing channels as well as the established giants of on demand, Netflix and Amazon. Hunt takes up the new role in January.

 

3. It’s like Piccadilly Circus

The advertising hoarding in London’s Piccadilly Circus – called ‘The Curve’ – has been switched on after recent renovations. The, now, single screen is the largest of its kind in Europe, measuring about 780sqm. It is made up of 11.6 million bulbs and is expected to last 10 years.

Check out The Drum’s report from Piccadilly Circus above, as the lights get turned on.

4. Radio 1’s breakfast cheery-woes

Radio 1

Nick Grimshaw’s Radio 1 Breakfast Show recorded just 4.93 million weekly listeners in the third quarter of 2017, the lowest numbers the show has achieved since records began.

While the Breakfast Show achieved nearly double the audience under previous presenter Chris Moyles, station controller Ben Cooper is not publicly concerned as he originally set Nick Grimshaw out on a path to attract a new younger audience and ‘scare off’ over-thirties. The station’s social media following is in the millions, which contributes to what makes it, according to Cooper, ‘the most relevant youth brand in the UK today’. The aim for Radio 1 going forward is to remain in front of its closest rivals both in listeners numbers and across ‘new’ media.

 

5. Facebook’s great publisher experiment

pixinoo

Facebook ran a recent test so that publishers’ content no longer appeared on users’ News Feeds but on their ‘Explore’ feed. This secondary feed is everything that isn’t from your immediate followers, companies you’ve liked or sponsored posts. In six test countries – Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Slovakie, Serbia, Guatemala and Cambodia – the main News Feed ONLY had posts from your friends and sponsored posts.

As the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones points out, this included publishers who weren’t willing to pay to sponsor their posts. One Slovakian journalist wrote about the impact on Medium, in a post entitled ‘Biggest drop in organic reach we’ve ever seen’. Facebook quickly clarified its position in a blog post, claiming there were no plans to roll this out further – but the move had already sent shivers through newsrooms around the world. In the digital age, where a handful of tech giants control the majority of content the public sees, publishers are now at the mercy of coders and software developers.

 

What would you include in Five Things? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @Vuelio. And check out how Vuelio can make sure you never miss what matters to you. 

Toby & Roo

Blogger Spotlight: Harriet Shearsmith, Toby & Roo

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Harriet Shearsmith is the author of Toby & Roo, a Top 10 UK Parenting Blog. Harriet is mother to two boys and a girl and uses her blog to document their adventures and her parental experiences. We caught up with Harriet to talk being a good parent, working hard to be a blogger and developing good relationships with PRs. 

How would you describe your blog?
I describe my blog as a parenting and lifestyle blog aimed at sharing the wins and woes of parenting. I’m a chronic oversharer, so I tend to share everything on there – from family moments to parental trials!

Why did you start your blog?
I fell in love with a well-known blog called Babyccino Kids and I felt inspired by what they were doing. I wanted to share my own finds and parental experiences. I also wanted to stay at home with my children and this seemed like a really cool way to do that!

Harriet Shearsmith2What’s the best thing about being a parent?
That’s a tough one. There is so much I love about being a parent – from the proud moments to the loving cuddles in the wee hours. I think there are so many moments that are special and it’s not really one thing that defines parenthood as being great.

What advice would you give new parents?
Trust yourself and try to drown out the noise of everyone else’s opinion. You also aren’t a bad parent if some days you really regret having kids or wish you could take it all back – that’s normal for a lot of people!

What advice would you give new bloggers?
Don’t expect anything to come over night. It is something that you need to be prepared to WORK at. Blogging is work – it’s hard work, if you’re doing it correctly.

What makes your blog successful?
Dedication I think and treating this like a job, even before it was. I try to write from the heart but from the other side I try to deliver the very best I can for clients and treat them with professionalism. I want to go that extra mile – be great for my clients and my readers. After all, without the readers, there are no clients – without the clients, there is probably no job!

How do you like to work with PRs?
In the last year or so I have built wonderful relationships with PRs – I really like to feel a personality behind my screen. We’re both in jobs where a lot of our time is spent on a computer and, especially as a blogger, it’s awesome to create a relationship with a PR. I want to make their middle-man style job as fun and easy as possible and I want them to at the very least have looked at my name and the blog to know if their campaign will work for me.

I also love big campaigns where, ok there is a brief, but I can feel confident enough to go back to the PR and say ‘Hey, I had this idea, it fits loosely with the brief but do you like this idea instead’. Honestly and truthfulness (on both sides of course) are intensely important to me.

What’s one of your favourite collaborations?
I work a lot with Birds Eye and I have worked with two agencies with them now – Inkling and Reci.pe – and both have been a delight to work with. From the creative I’ve been given to the way that I know I can bounce ideas off the really awesome people that work at those agencies… even down to the lovely feedback from the brand themselves. I keep working with them because I truly believe their products are fab and I really enjoy their campaigns. They really encouraged me to get into video content and I have loved doing that!

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Honestly – I’m a normal person. I’m so passionate about our industry and I don’t work with clients that I don’t think are great, but I’m also keenly aware that I’m not performing open heart surgery so I don’t have any pretention or illusions of grandeur. Essentially I want the very best for my readers and followers, but I also want to deliver the best for the brand. I try to reply to every email and if I don’t think that I am the blogger for you or you have the brand for me I will say, but I’m always delighted to make that contact because you never know who will come along next time.

What other blogs do you read?
Oh gosh, I’m a dreadful blogger in that I don’t really get time to read too many different blogs! I rather love Hannah from Hi Baby Blog and some of Kerry from All About a Mini Norris’s posts bring me to tears.

Harriet and Toby & Roo feature on the leading Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Emma Hill

Journalist Spotlight: Emma Hill, His & Hers Magazine

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Emma Hill is the publisher of His & Hers Magazine and the recently launched accompanying His & Hers Magazine Blog. Launched in 2011, His & Hers Magazine is a lifestyle title in the North West of England.

We spoke to Emma about launching her own magazine, the importance of identifying your niche, moving into the blogging world and building long-term business relationships with PRs.

 

Can you tell us about the publication and how it came about?
His & Hers Magazine is a free print and digital magazine produced in the North West with a firm focus on fashion and beauty. I’d always dreamed of publishing my own magazine, but decided to learn my trade first, working my way up from making cups of tea as a cub reporter at a local newspaper (the Chester Standard), then working for the North West’s best-selling homes and gardens magazine at that time, Concept for Living, where I was ultimately promoted to editor.

It took me almost 15 years of writing and editing titles for other publishers before I finally plucked up the courage to launch His & Hers Magazine. The plus side of waiting so long was that by the time I was calling friends at brands like Jo Malone London to tell them about my idea for a new magazine, they were immediately supportive because I already had good relationships in place through my previous roles.

 

What sets it apart from other magazines? Who is the target audience?
One thing that sets His & Hers Magazine apart from a lot of other magazines is that I was happy to define my editorial focus and target audience from the very beginning, rather than trying to be all things to all people, which can be tempting for publishers when you’re starting out and you’re hungry for ad revenue. His & Hers Magazine features a lot of fashion and beauty content, showcasing a mix of luxury brands and affordable high-street options.

The target audience is professional men and women with an interest in fashion, skincare, travel and entertainment (although we do attract more female than male readers!). These days, if anyone asks for advice before launching a new magazine, my main tip is: don’t be afraid to identify your niche early on. It’s almost impossible to create a magazine that will appeal to everyone, but if you target a niche readership and you know exactly what they want to read about, the same people will keep looking out for new content from you and will tell their friends. It may be a slower way to build your business than targeting absolutely everyone, but I think it’s much more sustainable!

 

his and hers magazine

What were the main challenges when getting a new magazine up and running, and how does that compare to maintaining and building upon the success of the magazine?
The biggest challenge when getting the magazine up and running was persuading ad agencies to take a chance on a launch title when so many new magazines fold within the first few months. I kept hearing that once the business was a bit more established, brands would be happy to come on board, which is frustrating when you’re on a mission to get a launch edition published.Thankfully, a number of big brands, including Malmaison, Topshop, Next and McArthurGlen, were supportive from the very early days, which made a huge difference.

These days, the challenge is to maintain those relationships, attract new advertisers, and find new ways to reach readers.

Our readers expect us to share new fashion and beauty news much more regularly than we used to on our website, and the challenge of adapting to their changing habits is one of the most exciting aspects of my role. It means constantly learning and adapting.

 

You have recently launched the His & Hers Magazine Blog. Can you tell us what motivated you to start a blog and how it differs from traditional print media?
I launched the blog as I’ve always loved writing and wanted to engage more directly with readers. A few weeks ago, after I’d written a blog about the dangers of glamorising violent celebrity relationships in the media, a reader commented that the blog post was particularly relevant to them because they had a violent ex, and that they appreciated my take on the subject. I was really overwhelmed by their comment. Since then, other reader comments have made me realise that it’s so much easier to start a thoughtful, informal dialogue with readers when you’re blogging than when you’re writing for print publications.

 

What do you enjoy the most about your job, and what are some of the more challenging aspects of your work?
My work’s pretty varied, which I’m very grateful for, but most days will involve writing, working hard to spread the word about my clients, pitching for new business and sometimes working on longer term projects, such as planning a big photo-shoot.

I’m also proud to have the opportunity to do some mentoring and occasionally write freelance features for a really broad mix of publications – from the Guardian to an international football magazine. I relish the daily opportunities for learning that my career has given me. In terms of challenges, I’d say that, like for anyone in publishing, reacting to a very rapidly changing marketplace is one of the greatest challenges. It’s also one of the things that I find fascinating!

 

Do you have a good relationship with PRs? What top tips would you give to PR professionals who want to work with you?
I have an excellent relationship with PRs and would say that this is one of the things that makes my work so enjoyable. I’m incredibly grateful to all of the talented PR professionals who I’ve worked with over the years.

My main advice for anyone who’d like to work with me is to get in touch!

I’m always interested in hearing from PR professionals with a view to building up relationships for the long-term, and have often continued to work with PRs as they’ve moved across different accounts or even different companies over the years. I know there can be an enormous amount of pressure to sell in stories in the short-term, but I still believe that building long-term business friendships counts for a lot. I certainly have a list of PRs that I’ll always go the extra mile for because they’ve been a dream to work with and I’m sure most journalists and bloggers would say the same thing.

 

What type of press material are you interested in receiving?
I’m interested in receiving press releases, features ideas, review suggestions and interview opportunities to name but a few. I always appreciate receiving emails from PRs who have clearly taken a close look at the His & Hers website or magazine and get in touch with a tailored suggestion that relates to our editorial style. I’m also extra grateful to PRs who attach press releases as Word documents, rather than PDFs (making them much easier to edit!) and attach a few relevant images or provide a link to images alongside a press release. I know these are really small things, but they make a surprisingly big difference to how likely we are to feature a story.

 

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Emma Hill, His & Hers Magazine and the new blog are among thousands of entries on the market-leading Vuelio Influencer Database including all the top journalists, bloggers, influencers, editors, publications and titles.

PRWeek Awards 2017

3 ways to win a PR award

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The PRWeek Awards last week celebrated 33 winners, including 22 awards for amazing campaigns. From the judges’ comments praising the victors, we can see what it takes to win such a prestigious prize.

Vuelio was delighted to partner the PRWeek Awards 2017, which took place on 18 October. Check out our Canvas to see the best content before, during and after the night, from social media and the news.

With hundreds of finalists, each winner had to be exemplary to claim their prize. From the judge’s comments published by PRWeek, we present 3 golden rules to win a PRWeek campaign award:

1. Be brave
Brave is a word used multiple times by the judges across a number of categories, but what does it actually mean? W Enterprise won the Healthcare: Ethical & OTC Consumer award for it’s the Future of Social Care campaign for Cera. Wanting to be the ‘solution’ the the NHS and social care’s major issues of bed blocking and delayed discharges, W Enterprise’s research found every major stakeholder was sceptical change could be made without huge sums of investment. With just a limited budget, W Enterprise managed to battle against this perception using personal pitches to journalists and collaborations with charity and NHS leaders.

Weber Shandwick were described as ‘Brave, clever, disruptive’, for its award-winning Kevin the Carrot Christmas campaign for Aldi. Seen to be taking on the giants of Christmas advertising, John Lewis, the campaign used a similar model to its rival, which had proved successful in the past.

A brave campaign is one that isn’t afraid to take on existing ideas and accepted norms. Winners use what they have in clever ways to challenge perceptions of market-leaders and ‘unchangeable’ circumstances.

 

2. KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid! The word simple is used by judges more than any other – PR professionals are story tellers and the simpler you can get your message across, the better. Taylor Herring’s The Real Mr Darcy campaign for UKTV’s Jane Austen season was described as a ‘Simple idea, but brilliantly executed’. It created a portrait of what an academic study considered Mr Darcy would have looked like in real life. This simple idea appealed to most national newspapers, leading to significant coverage.

Weber Shandwick’s #BrutalCut campaign for ActionAid UK ‘cut’ videos of Kenyan girls facing female genital mutilation into videos from vloggers, digital publishers, celebrity posts, cinema ads, fesitval screens and outdoor ads. This digital ‘brutal cut’ smashed ActionAid’s targets, and was described by the judges as ‘Brilliantly creative, yet simple’.

Ogilvy PR’s white rhino campaign for Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy put Sudan – the only male of his species and most eligible bachelor in the world (with more than 7,000 female southern white rhinos to choose from) on Tinder. While Sudan can’t mate due to old age, the campaign raised huge funds for the Conservancy’s programmes.

Being simple is making it clear what your message is about from the very beginning. While it may not fit your campaign targets, being simple is the best way to tell a story because it’s likely to resonate with the most people.

 

3. Know your channels

Knowing where a campaign can be most successful – in line with a client’s brief – is vital for it to be triumphant. Vodafone’s winning ReConnect campaign showed, according to the judges, ‘how media relations can have a big impact’. Commissioning research and analysis from KPMG, Vodafone created complete news stories about the benefits of women going back to work after a career break – which led to wide-reaching coverage across multiple publications. It is a basic of good PR, but we sometimes forget that press releases are more likely to be published if its already a news story, rather than a sales pitch.

Unity’s Yours, Mrs Claus blog for ActionAid won the Most Innovative Use of Digital & Social Media award. The blog was designed to highlight women’s stories, as well as the women and girls ActionAid helps around the world. It was penned by ‘Mrs Claus’, and according to the agency ‘accessible to all, but delivered in such a way that only women would really see it’. Celebrities also contributed to the blog, driving up its traction with the target audience. The judges said: ‘A campaign that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the mechanics of the internet and the way different media channels play out across it’.

One Green Bean’s Best Use of Technology award for the relaunch of Nokia Snake on Facebook Messenger praised a retro game reaching a new, younger audience. While nostalgia seemed to play a huge part in its success, the game has now been played over 74 million times.

Working with clients to identify target channels, as well as knowing what will work for your campaign, is a must for modern PR professionals in the face of so many choices. And if you’re struggling, Vuelio can help you reach all of the right influencers, no matter what channel they’re on.

What do you think it takes to make a great PR campaign? Let us know in the comments below.

Disruptive PR

Disruptive business and destructive PR

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Our latest white paper, The Filth and the Fury, explores how innovative disruptors – from Uber to Amazon – are managing their reputations in a media world built for traditional businesses.

After Uber’s recent licence issue with Transport for London, a new spotlight is on the reputationally-troubled company for its practices and position in society. While Uber’s fans are legion, it hasn’t publically received the support a successful business might expect to enjoy.

Our whitepaper looks at why the mainstream media often targets disruptors and in turn what they’re doing to defend themselves. Though negative stories are sometimes deserved, there’s mounting evidence that the press has it in for the new kids on the block.

But does it matter?

The white paper also explores whether having a bad reputation in the media is bad for the whole company or if the right strategy is to look after your customers first.

If you’d like to learn more the benefits of disruptive PR, download our whitepaper by clicking here.

And if you think you’re ready to embrace disruptive PR, find out more about what Vuelio can do for you.

PRWeek Awards 2017

PRWeek Awards 2017: all you need to know

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The PRWeek Awards celebrated its 30th anniversary last night in true 80s’ style. Vuelio were delighted to partner this historic event and celebrate alongside 1,000 guests and 33 winners.

PRWeek’s editor Danny Rogers then introduced the evening’s event, explaining how the nature of PR has changed as we’ve entered the age of stakeholder marketing. He then introduced a very special presentation.

Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, took everyone by surprise when he arrived to induct his friend and colleague Alan Edwards into PR Week’s Hall of Fame. Edwards is the founder and chairman of Outside Organisation, and has over 40 years’ experience working with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Prince and David Bowie.

Edwards’ was the first of many awards on the night, which were presented by Katherine Ryan. The Canadian comedian kept the audience entertained with a hilarious routine, outrageous comments and the occasional sing song.

The biggest prizes on the night, two Gold Awards for Consultancy of the Year and In-House Team of the Year, were won by Weber Shandwick and English Heritage respectively. There’s also a special mention for Iris, who won the Vuelio-sponsored Best Influencer Marketing Campaign award for its Adidas Glitch launch.

Social media was ablaze throughout the evening, with #PRWeekAwards quickly shooting to the top of Twitter’s trending topics in the UK, such was the reach of a room of the best PR professionals in the business. We’ve gathered the our favourite posts from across all forms of social media and online stories to make a dedicated Vuelio Canvas, the simple tool that easily tells your PR story.

Click here to see the full PRWeek Canvas.

PRWeek canvas

 

JustinRoiland on twitter

When isn’t bad PR, bad PR? When it’s Szechuan sauce

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McDonald’s made headline news last week because of a cult cartoon’s obsession with a promotional dipping sauce that was last seen in 1998. But was the lack of Szechuan sauce really a PR disaster? Or was it a stroke of genius worthy of Rick Sanchez Dimension C-137 himself?

*Warning: this post contains references to Rick and Morty – wubalubadubdub*

McDonald’s originally launched the Szechuan sauce for the release of Disney’s Mulan, but season three of Rick and Morty drew a new focus to the ‘delicious sauce’. Rick claimed: ‘it’s what it’s all about’ and he doesn’t care if it takes nine more series to get it back.

Fans were quick to pick up the campaign on social media and this was enough for McDonald’s to leap onto the good PR opportunity, gifting the show’s creator a giant container of the sauce.

Obviously, this fuelled the fanbase’s desire for what was effectively teriyaki and ketchup mixed together (let’s put that to one side). Keeping its PR cool, McDonald’s was coy, announcing a limited-edition release of the sauce for one day only.

Fans went mad for it, camping outside McDonald’s restaurant locations and travelling hundreds of miles to get a taste. And what happened? McDonald’s didn’t supply enough – some locations had none and many more had a measly 20 samples.

Who the squanch believes this was anything but a carefully choreographed strategy? Are we really expected to think THE fast-food giant couldn’t organise enough sauce deliveries?

The ‘disaster’ hit headline news around the world, as people were left disappointed by not having enough of a McDonald’s product. How would you feel if your product or service was in the news because people couldn’t get enough of it? Probably pretty good.

And what did McDonald’s do next?

That’s right, as an ‘apology’ it’s making the sauce more widely available so fans can get it everywhere. Bravo McDonald’s, bravo.

So how can you Get Schwifty like McDonald’s? Follow these simple rules:

  1. Track mentions of your brand on and offline – if McDonald’s hadn’t been aware of Rick and Morty’s fandom’s desire for Szechuan sauce, this would have been dead in the water. Make sure you have the best monitoring available so you don’t miss a single opportunity.
  2. Don’t be afraid to engage with your audience – speaking to fans and responding to their demands is one of the main purposes of social media for brands; get stuck in and have fun with it.
  3. Approach the right influencers first – McDonald’s sent the product to Justin Roiland, co-creator of the show and voice of leading characters Rick and Morty. Don’t know who your influencers are? Get a database that does the work for you.
  4. You’re allowed to have ‘bad press’ – McDonald’s aced this situation by undersupplying the promotional product. There’s very few ways this could have backfired – if no one had claimed the sauce then it wouldn’t have mattered. You shouldn’t be worried about your fans wanting more, this gives you all the power. And if the media thinks you’ve made a mistake? Ride it out, all the press does is make you seem more desirable.
  5. Give the people what they want – McDonald’s has now made moves to make the sauce available for everyone. If it had remained elusive, they could have pushed fans away. It moved quickly to ‘rectify’ the ‘mistake’ giving the fans their pay off.

No one wants to be a PR Morty, and McDonald’s has shown how easy it is to be a PR Rick. What did you think of McDonald’s stunt? Let us know in the comments below: