Radio 1

Radio 1 switches to a four-day week

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BBC Radio 1 has announced a major overhaul of its schedule, with weekend programming now starting on Friday.

The new Friday line-up starts with Radio 1’s Weekend Breakfast at 6.30am on Friday morning, hosted by Dev and Alice Levine; followed by Radio 1’s Greatest Hits with Maya Jama; then Mollie King (of The Saturdays) and Matt Edmondson filling the early afternoon slot 1-4pm; finishing with Scott Mills, who will ‘fulfil a lifelong dream’ by presenting The Official Chart 4-7pm.

The existing Saturday and Sunday schedule is unchanged.

Ben Cooper, controller, BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network, said: ‘The weekend will start here at Radio 1 on a Friday morning, giving our young audience that feel good factor a day early. It’s our job at Radio 1 to reinvent the way young people listen to the radio, to disrupt traditional thinking and to look for new ways in which to grow audiences.’

The knock-on effect is that weekday presenters, including Nick Grimshaw, Clara Amfo and Greg James, will now only present on four days. As the BBC reports, this is the first time Radio 1 has scheduled a four-day week despite Chris Evans famously making a request to have Fridays off when he presented the weekday breakfast show.

This new schedule cements Mollie King’s position as a permeant presenter, after her recent stint as a guest presenter with Matt Edmondson. She said: ‘The only person more excited than me is my mum, who is delighted I finally have a proper job. I’ve had so much fun working with Matt over the past few weeks, and I’m so glad I’m no longer just “Mollie from The Saturdays” but “Mollie from the Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays”.’

It is unclear what effect these changes will have on any of the presenters’ salaries, though presumably the weekday presenters will take a hit and the weekend presenters will get a rise.

The new schedule comes into effect in June.

All shows are kept up to date in the Vuelio Media Database – along with presenters, staff and contacts. 

Paul Dacre

Dacre’s MURDERERS headline due to personal relationship

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Following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the Daily Mail ran a story under the headline ‘MURDERERS – the Mail accuses these men of killing. If we are wrong, let them sue us’, with pictures of five people the paper accused of the crime.

The front page is famous for driving the campaign to bring Stephen Lawrence’s murderers to justice. In an interview for a BBC documentary, marking the 25th anniversary of the murder, Paul Dacre, editor and editor-in-chief of the Daily Mail, has revealed he would not have backed the family’s campaign without his own personal connection to the Lawrence family.

Stephen Lawrence

As reported by the i, Stephen’s father Neville Lawrence was recommended to Dacre as a ‘very good plasterer’ when the editor needed ‘lots of working doing’ at his home. Dacre said: ‘He did a lot of plastering work. He was clearly a very decent, hard-working man. Would the Mail have done it without that knowledge? Probably not.’

This unusual revelation highlights how important relationships are to the running of the national press. Dacre carries on to explain that he decided to run the front page after meeting Paul Condon, then Met Police commissioner: ‘Paul said he would bet his life these men were the killers but they couldn’t get the evidence. These guys were taking the piss out of British justice.’

He apparently sketched out the ‘MURDERERS’ headline just 45 minutes before the paper went to press, and then forced the ‘cataclysmic’ front page through ‘nervous libel lawyers’.

This is a rare interview from Dacre who usually prefers to shine the spotlight rather than be in it. But it is also a revealing insight in to the power of personal relationships in the British media, and, in light of Condon’s assurances to Dacre, the power a conversation has over the news agenda.

The BBC One documentary Stephen: The Murder that Changed a Nation begins on Tuesday, 17 April at 9pm and continues on 18 and 19 April.

Inside the Travel Lab with Abigail King

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Abigail King is the blogger behind Inside the Travel Lab, which is among the top luxury travel blogs in the UK. Abi was a doctor before she started travelling the world and now writes about the culture, history and food of amazing destinations for an audience that cares about the people and places they visit.

Abi told us about the best destinations for both new and seasoned travellers, the importance of her iPhone and her favourite way to work with PRs and brands.

Abi KingWhat makes your blog successful?
Now there’s the million dollar question… Who knows, really!?

I think it’s because I write for an underserved audience and show the world from a different perspective; it’s luxury travel but for people who want to understand a place. Readers are professionals who are passionate about travel, reading, watching and consuming content but they’re not always the chattiest kind. Many of them work in fields that explicitly forbid them from commenting online and so many travel blogs ignore them.

What’s better, luxury travel or travel on a shoestring?
It’s not the price tag that matters but the quality of the experience. So, often that does mean luxury travel is better but of course, as the cliché goes, the best things in life are free.

What destination would you suggest to first time travellers?
America. You’ve half travelled through it already on screen and you don’t need to worry about water or healthcare.

What about seasoned travellers?
Ooh, now that’s a different one because by then people have really honed the kind of things they like to do. So, in part, I would challenge seasoned travellers to try something new.

Madagascar remains relatively unexplored yet its wildlife and landscape are exceptional and the history is fascinating, especially around World War Two. The beaches are beautiful, too, which always helps…

Is there anywhere on your bucket list you’ve yet to visit?
Plenty of places because the list keeps growing the more I travel!

I long to see polar bears in Churchill, hike across Iceland, taste the flavours of Bali and peer into a volcano on Hawaii.

There are the salt lakes of Djibouti and the rock churches in Ethiopia. The swirling rock in Arizona and the quiet water of Kerala.

Then the old cities I love like London, Paris and New York keep adding highlights to their itineraries and former trouble spots like Belfast reinvent themselves!

I’d better stop. I could go on and on…

Abigail King

If you could only take three items with you when travelling, what would they be?
iPhone, iPhone, iPhone.

Or iPhone, charger, spare battery. Maybe a scarf.

So many travel details live on my phone, together with entertainment for long journeys, top editing software from Adobe, music, translation apps, currency conversion tools. It contains about half of what my luggage used to be.

What should PRs know about you?
Inside the Travel lab reaches an affluent, educated audience who love to travel and do so frequently. It’s been described as one of the best travel blogs in the world by Lonely Planet and National Geographic Traveller, and celebrates its 10th year in business next year.

As for me, I used to work as a doctor so I’m used to tight deadlines and getting things done – accurately. I love to work by email instead of phone so that I can work more flexibly around travel and my young daughter.

Oh, and my media kit and case studies live here.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

What’s the best PR/brand campaign you’ve worked on?
Happily, over the last seven years, I’ve worked on so many good ones that it’s difficult to choose. However, the stand out one remains a project with Eurail where they acted as ‘artistic sponsors’ and invited me to create a trip to inspire other travellers.

I travelled from Istanbul to Berlin, zig-zagging back and forth across the former Iron Curtain, trying to understand the past and exploring and enjoying the present in each of the modern cities.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator)?
I’m old enough to still be saying ‘writer’ but as I now professionally create photos, videos and broadcast for Lonely Planet, a broader term is definitely needed. All of the above?

What other blogs do you read?
Again, too many!

I like Girl Tweets World, As The Bird Flies, Eat Like A Girl, Geotraveler’s Niche, Atlas and Boots, Y Travel Blog, Landlopers, Adventurous Kate, The Travel Hack, A Lady in London… and many more!

They certainly don’t all fit my niche but I find something interesting or inspiring in each one.

 

Abigail King and Inside the Travel Lab are both listings on the Vuelio Database, along with thousands of other influencers including journalists, bloggers, MPs and SpAds.  

PR blogger collaborations

5 top tips for successful collaborations

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Vuelio talks to bloggers, vloggers and ‘influencers’ a lot (which means we know most of them don’t use the word ‘influencer’). We publish spotlights and, as part of these, we get amazing insight into the blogger/PR relationship – what works, what doesn’t and what it takes to be successful.

Every blogger is different, but there are fundamental ‘rules’ that crop up again and again that can help every PR and brand with their influencer outreach and campaign building.

Here are 5 tips, from some of our top blogger friends, on what makes the best campaigns.

1. Find something bloggers are passionate about

The best bloggers will only work with brands and companies they genuinely believe in. No matter how much you pay, few will go against their fundamental beliefs. But if you’re the right fit, then it can lead to stunning collaborations.

For Tamara Kalinic, who heads up the top fashion blog Glam and Glitter, sometimes loving a brand means she doesn’t require payment:

‘My team and I are proud to only accept campaigns with brands we truly love; previously, we’ve worked with brands for free, because it was a natural fit. Some of the projects I enjoyed the most are ones with Cartier, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Louis Vuitton.’

Mike Huxley, Bemused Backpacker, believes the best campaigns he’s worked on are those that tap into his own passions:

‘One of my all-time favourites was the RIGHT tourism campaign with the charity Care For The Wild International. I absolutely loved that because it was a cause that was so close to my heart, and ethical wildlife tourism is something that I still campaign for today.’

 

2. Make their dreams come true

Everyone likes to be treated well, and special campaigns can really stand out and improve your coverage.

This is true for the Best Women’s Lifestyle blogger Lily Pebbles:

‘Last year I went to New York with Bobbi Brown to help promote their new lipstick range. I love NY, I love Bobbi Brown, I loved the new lipsticks… it was a dreamy job!’

And for Angie Silver, who writes the number one London Lifestyle blog Silverspoon of London:

‘Last year I worked with the Mayakoba resort in Mexico. They flew me out to stay at the Rosewood Mayakoba, a spectacular luxury hotel, in order to create content for them. It was honestly a dream come true!’

For top mummy blogger Clare Minall, who writes Mudpie Fridays, luxury treats that produce family memories are the foundation of the best campaigns:

‘We were gifted a Land Rover Discovery for a weekend adventuring in Cheddar Gorge. The reason it’s my favourite is that I will never forget my husband’s sense of satisfaction driving said car and Monkey’s pure excitement about being able to see over the hedges. It was the moment my husband finally ‘got it’.

‘The special memories created by time together as a family are what I hold dearest and the collaborations that mean the most.’

 

3. Challenge them

A press release and guidelines for posting can stifle creativity and make your campaign instantly forgettable. The reason you’re working with bloggers is because they have independently grown a loyal audience, who they know inside out! Take advantage of this – let the bloggers contribute to the campaign plan and find something to challenge them.

For Fiona Maclean, founder of London-Unattached, this approach is vital:

‘I really enjoy being given a challenge and creating something to use a specific ingredient or to pair with a specific wine.’

And for Becky Moore, owner of Global Grasshopper, challenges produce content that’s good for brands and bloggers:

‘We were challenged by Vauxhall to see how much fun we can have in 48 hours in their newly launched mini SUV. So, accompanied by Gary (the team videographer) I took a road trip to the surfer’s paradise: Newquay in Cornwall. We were really lucky with the weather and the scenery was so beautiful and, combined with Gary’s drone footage and creative talents, the video instantly took off on Facebook and YouTube – going viral.’

 

4. Think long-term

When you work with a blogger, you’re tapping into an established brand’s reach and influence. If you do a one off, that’s going to have less impact than working with someone again and again over a period of time, effectively turning them into a brand ambassador.

Angie Silver, who writes the number one London Lifestyle blog, Silverspoon of London, wants you to think long term:

‘I prefer to work on a long-term basis and develop a good working relationship and trust, rather than one-off campaigns or reviews.’

Kimberly Duran, who writes the Best Interior Design Blog Swoon Worthy, also wants the relationship to last:

‘I like to have an ongoing relationship with brands and continuous collaborations. My ideal scenario is having a brand that’s a great fit for my blog so that if they have something in particular or new they’d like to promote, they’ll think of me because they know my audience will respond well to it.’

 

5. Pay your way

There is still a lot of confusion around bloggers getting paid for collaborations. Firstly, they’re not journalists – they’re not on a salary getting paid whether they cover your campaign or not. Secondly, some are professional – which means they need to be paid – and some are hobbyists, which means they might be happy to cover an experience or product for the joy of it.

Remember, it’s not up to you to decide if a blogger decides to charge and you shouldn’t expect professionals to work for free. Often to work with the best bloggers, you will have to pay – but the rewards can be huge!

Craig Landale, responsible for the Best UK Blog – Menswear Style, makes his position on payment clear at the beginning of a relationship:

‘Some brands come through and they know exactly what they want, and they’re up-front about budget – making it clear if they’re willing to pay or not. I always ask about budget to make sure we both know how to work together.’

And Kate Williams, of top arts and crafts blog Crafts on Sea, wishes people would stop offering freebies:

‘In order to pay the mortgage each month you need to know everything about the latest changes in social media algorithm, what hosting companies are the best and be able to code; it’s not just a job about making pretty stuff. I would love people to stop asking to pay me in craft materials – at risk of sounding rude, I have more paints and paper than the average craft store!’

 

The Vuelio Database lists thousands of bloggers, and other influencers from the worlds of media and politics including journalists, editors, MPs and their SpAds. Each listing includes a detailed profile, with pitch tips and PR preferences, to help you make the right relationships in the right ways.

Five things

Five Things: Facebook, WPP, Disney and Sky News, Stranger Things and Marc Jacobs

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This week’s five things includes the weekly Facebook update, Sir Martin Sorrell investigation, Disney’s Sky News offer, Stranger Things lawsuit and Marc Jacob’s public proposal.

1. Facebook’s tricky teenage years

Facebook

It’s difficult to know where to start with this story. Facebook continues to be on the wrong end of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which means the spotlight is on the company searching for any and all issues. Yesterday we tried to break down the scandal so far, including that it’s now 87m accounts that were possibly targeted (this has been disputed by Cambridge Analytica), Zuckerberg’s position being under fire and that the chief would appear before congress but not the UK’s digital select committee.

Even as we were publishing the story, more information was released. A common search function on Facebook – the ability to find a profile by the person’s mobile number – seems to have been used by data scrapers and Facebook has said if you had the right (or wrong) settings, you can assume your data has been harvested. There’s also a story from CNBC that Facebook tried to gather data on ‘vulnerable patients’, and one from the TechCrunch about Facebook removing executive’s messages from users’ inboxes.

Facebook turned 14 in February, and not since Adrian Mole have those difficult teenage years been this public. Expect this one to rumble on.

 

2. Sir Martin Sorrell investigation

Sire Martin Sorrell

Sir Martin Sorrell, one of the UK’s highest paid executives and long-time chief of the world’s largest advertising agency WPP, is being investigated by his company. Details are few and far between but an email from Project Associates, which acts for Sorrell in his personal capacity, has been reported by Campaign as quoting Sorrell with: ‘Reports in the media have stated that WPP is investigating an allegation of financial impropriety by me, specifically as to the use of company funds. This allegation is being investigated by a law firm. I reject the allegation unreservedly but recognize that the Company has to investigate it.’

WPP has said: ‘The allegations do not involve amounts which are material to WPP’, which for a company with a £15bn revenue that pays Sorrell tens of millions of pounds a year, is fairly vague. The fact that no details of the investigation have emerged has left the press wguessing who could succeed Sorrell, should this be his downfall. The WPP succession plan is known to be a thorny issue, with various reports of how clearly it is laid out should the 73-year-old chief exit the business.

 

3. Disney offers to buy Sky News

Sky News

21st Century Fox is attempting to buy the 61% of Sky it does not already own. The acquisition has been in stasis since the company first made its move in 2016, due to government regulations and CMA investigations. The CMA has expressed that it is not in the public interest for the Murdoch family empire to own more of the British news industry.

To help with the matter, Sky has outlined plans to make Sky News a separate entity from the rest of Sky and Fox has proposed funding for the service for at least 15 years (up from its previous offer of 10).

But possibly making the whole problem go away is Disney, who this week offered to buy Sky News outright, and remove the issues of media plurality. This would, in theory, allow Fox to continue its takeover of Sky (and eventually Disney’s takeover of Fox). The story has not yet developed beyond the initial offer, but a huge shift in the (traditional) UK media landscape looks to be on the cards.

 

4. Stranger Things lawsuit

Cast

The creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, are being sued by director Charlie Kessler, who claims they lifted ideas for their hit show from his 2012 short film. Kessler has worked on a number of Netflix series including Daredevil and Luke Cage. The Guardian reports he is claiming to have screened his short, titled Montauk, to Matt and Ross Duffer in 2014. The lawsuit says Montauk’s storyline features a number of elements similar to the cult phenomenon Stranger Things, including children with enhanced thoughts and abilities, a military facility that carries out experiments and a monstrous creature from another dimension. Stranger Things was also given the working title ‘The Montauk Project’.

It is unclear why the suit is only being filed after the second series has been produced, but there are potentially unreported talks that have not led to a resolution. The road ahead is likely to be long, with plagiarism cases known for being particularly complex, as they can, at times, be based on subjective viewpoints and evidence.

It is not the only plagiarism case from the week, Tulisa has apparently won a challenge to be named as a songwriter and receive 10% of royalties from will.i.am and Britney Spears’ smash hit Scream and Shout.

 

5. Marc Jacobs’ public proposal

An unexpected piece of good news and incredible brand exposure for Marc Jacobs. The fashion designer organised a flash mob to dance to Prince’s Kiss before dropping to one knee and proposing to his boyfriend Char Defrancesco. In a branch of Chipotle.

 


The video has had 148K views on Instagram with overwhelmingly positive comments and coverage in the global press (how couldn’t it, it’s super cute), making this a win for Marc Jacobs and Chipotle, the latter benefitting from being the surprise destination of such a big moment in the fashion designer’s life. Rumours Jacobs planned the venue to secure free burritos for life are completely unsubstantiated.

 

Did you see something we shouldn’t have missed? let us know on Twitter @Vuelio. 

Facebook

87 million Facebook users affected

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It seems like an almost daily occurrence at the moment, but Facebook is one again facing a wave of negative press. Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it was believed that 50m users had their data scrapped – which was then allegedly sold and used by political entities. Now, Facebook has revealed that the number is 87m, including 1.1m in the UK.

The figure was published in a blog post by Mike Schroepfer, chief technology officer, a post that largely focused on plans to ‘restrict data access on Facebook’. Near the end of the post is the statement: ‘In total, we believe the Facebook information of up to 87 million people — mostly in the US — may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica’, accompanied by the following graph:

cambridge analytica

The small print at the bottom says: ‘We do not know precisely what data the app shared with Cambridge Analytica or exactly how many people were impacted. Using as expansive a methodology as possible, this is our best estimate of the maximum number of unique accounts that directly installed the thisisyourdigitallife app as well as those whose data may have been shared with the app by their friends.’

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief who took days to respond to the initial crisis that wiped billions off the company’s share price, is now everywhere, and, for the most part, apologising.

As reported by the BBC, he said in a press conference that he previously assumed that if Facebook gave people tools, it was largely their responsibility to decide how to use them. He then added it was ‘wrong in retrospect’ to have had such a limited view.

The lack of official regulation (forcing data control), and relative infancy of the company, is possibly the source of the naivety. The company is now making many moves to correct this position, which is particularly timely considering the upcoming GDPR. This week, Zuckerberg U-turned on an original decision to only comply with the GDPR in Europe, now saying Facebook will make GDPR-compliant changes worldwide. In regards to the GDPR, it’s lucky Facebook is learning before 25 May, but all these lessons are coming at a personal cost for Zuckerberg, who is having to defend his position as the head of Facebook.

As Dave Lee says, the idea that Zuckerberg’s leadership would be in question could not have been predicted even as recently as a month ago. But this latest snowballing issue led to him being asked if his position has been discussed – he replied: ‘Not that I know of’.

One investor, Scott Stringer – New York City’s comptroller, responsible for the city’s pension fund – is calling for changes to the board (which Zuckerberg is also chair of). With close to $1bn investment in the company, the fund may be a relatively small investor but it’s still a big voice demanding change.

The social giant is now in full crisis mode and is accepting responsibility, which is a development considering it previously threatened The Guardian over the original Cambridge Analytica story. The FT reports that Zuckerberg said: ‘I’m not looking to throw anyone else under the bus for the mistakes we’ve made here’.

He has refused to appear before the UK’s digital, culture, media and sport select committee, instead opting to send either Schroepfer or Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer. But Zuckerberg will appear before congress in the US, on 10 April and 11 April at two separate hearings.

Only time will tell if what we’re seeing is a car crash in slow motion or a bump in the road. Zuckerberg believes it will take a ‘multiyear effort’ to resolve the issues – suggesting the end of this turmoil is not yet in sight.

Bemused Backpacker

Travelling the world with Michael Huxley, Bemused Backpacker

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Michael Huxley is an author, nurse and founder of travel blog, the Bemused Backpacker. With hints, tips and advice for travelling the world, particularly those on gap years, Bemused Backpacker has built a loyal following with its stunning destinations and travel reviews.  

We spoke to Michael about travel blogging, particularly how he likes to work with PRs and his personal pet peeves when it comes to PR/blogger outreach.

What makes your blog successful?
My audience without a doubt. There are other factors of course: integrity, tenacity and sticking with it for a long period when many others have given up; treating it as a business and not a blog; and trying to differentiate myself from everyone else out there! But I wouldn’t be anywhere without those who read what I write and say every single day. I have built up a lot of trust and a strong relationship with a good core of my regular readers and that just keeps growing.

How easy is it to become a great blogger?
It isn’t. It is easy to start a blog and call yourself a blogger, but there is a vast difference between that and being successful at it.

What’s the best destination for new travellers?
I used to say Thailand, because it was such a traditional go-to backpacker destination with all the traveller infrastructure any backpacker or traveller would ever need, and it still is to a large extent, but now I would say Indonesia too. Or Malaysia. Hell, just south east Asia in general really!

Bemused Backpacker

What’s the best destination for seasoned travellers?
Anywhere they haven’t been yet!

Where haven’t you been that you’d still like to visit?
I’m still waiting for that opportunity to trek across Antarctica!

If you could only take three items with you when travelling, what would they be?
My camera, my notepad and a pen. I’m assuming I still get to keep my passport with me!

What should PRs know about you?
That I am not just a travel blogger, I am a professional with a business. I have set – and fair – rates for a variety of marketing services and offer a strong ROI for all of them. And I never work for free, so please don’t ask.

What are you favourites campaigns you’ve been part of?
I have been part of so many good ones it is hard to choose. One of my all-time favourites was the RIGHT tourism campaign with the charity Care For The Wild International. I absolutely loved that because it was a cause that was so close to my heart, and ethical wildlife tourism is something that I still campaign for today.

And I was one of the first bloggers to work on the Trip Of Wonders Campaign with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and that was an amazing trip, but I am proud to have worked on it because of how successful it was, and continues to be.

I have worked on many more but those are two that really stand out. At the moment I am currently working alongside Bug Off, a national campaign to promote awareness of insect-borne diseases and how travellers can protect themselves, and as a nurse as well as a blogger that is something I am passionate about too.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

What shouldn’t PRs do?
There are so many things that PRs do that immediately get bloggers backs up (I am sure there are just as many unprofessional bloggers who do the same for PRs) and I could create a very long list, things like spamming us with endless and largely irrelevant press releases (we are not traditional journalists who need copy and it is not our job to report news/product info in that way); sending irrelevant mass phishing emails (we really don’t care if the initial email isn’t personalised, we understand that you need to send it out to a lot of people but at the very least do a little research. My travel blog is not going to be interested in a fashion show in London or a book on how to cook the plants in your garden!); moving jobs and disappearing halfway through a campaign; approaching us for campaigns and then never responding when we answer back; or getting snarky when we ask for payment and trying to tell us how to do what we do.

And please recognise that our websites are our websites. We are very careful about what we put on there, what we link to and we control how things work. We don’t care if the brand has a list of demands and expects their logo to be front and centre on our homepage; we decide what services we offer and how we execute those services. Our readers trust us, we do not give that influence up easily, and we know how to market to them, so please trust us to do that.

But the primary thing is do not approach us without a strong budget in place to pay us (we know there is a budget in place, that is how you are getting paid, you or the brand just don’t want to allocate any of it to bloggers), and do not expect us to work for free. Or tell us any part of our hard work is at ‘no cost to us’.

Many professional blogs are run as businesses now, mine included, and we expect to be treated as such. Bloggers are experts in what we do, we have built up strong and highly engaged audiences (in many cases as large as a lot of traditional media and in many more cases a lot more targeted with higher reach and engagement), we know exactly how to market to that audience and can give a strong ROI for any brand that we work with. The blogging world IS changing and this is becoming the norm. The freebie grabbing hobby bloggers will always be around but ask yourself what value are you really getting from them?

And please just show us a little respect too. We are the ones at the end of the day that you need to complete the brief from your clients. You know the power of influencer marketing, you know the reach we have and just how powerful a marketing force we can be for the brands you work with, so respect that. Bloggers want to work with you and brands alike, so please build up relationships with us, develop those relationships, and work with us to promote your clients.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator)?
I call myself the founder of a travel website/business. I hate the term influencer (if you have to call yourself one you probably aren’t), but do use blogger occasionally, especially within the industry because that is just a widely recognised and easily generic term. But to be honest I don’t think any of those labels describe fully what professional ‘bloggers’ are any more.

What other blogs do you read?
I read so many blogs from a whole range of different genres and interests, but sticking to travel blogs I read Teacake Travels, TravelBreak and Nomadic Boys amongst many, many others.

 

Mike Huxley and his blog Bemused Backpacker are both listings on the Vuelio Database, and include detailed requests for how he likes to be contacted by PRs. 

Beano

Beano accuses Jacob Rees-Mogg of IP infringement

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The Beano has written an open letter to Jacob Rees-Mogg, accusing the eccentric Conservative MP of ‘infringing the intellectual property rights’ of one of their cartoon characters and ‘masquerading as Walter Brown’ (aka Walter the Softy).

The letter goes on: ‘It is evident that there are numerous instances whereby you have adopted trademarked imagery and brand essences of the character to the benefit of enhancing your career and popularity’.

If anyone is unsure of what these essences are, the letter lists seven points they believe are attributes of the character of Walter the Softy, which are being copied by Rees-Mogg:

  1. The character’s hair parting and style
  2. The character’s distinctive round reading glasses
  3. The character’s choice of spotty ties and vintage apparel
  4. The character’s enjoyment of classical music (because he thinks it makes him seem clever)
  5. The character’s bullish behaviour with peers and stopping others from having fun
  6. The character’s insistence to remind others of his father’s successful career
  7. Snootiness

It then asks that Rees-Mogg ‘cease and desist’ in the ‘ongoing impersonation of the character, which remains the exclusive property of Beano Studios’. Tongue firmly in cheek, Mike Stirling, head of Beano Studios Scotland, signs off ‘A swift response on this matter would be greatly appreciate to avoid getting Teacher involved.’

The letter, tweeted out from Beano’s official account, has been caused by keen-eyed readers who have brought the issue to the comic strip’s attention. Replies to the tweet are just as mischievous:

Many have applauded the Beano for a ‘perfect PR stunt’ and their great sense of fun. Rees-Mogg has yet to respond to the letter, much to the Beano’s disappointment.

US election Facebook

How Trump’s campaign won Facebook

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Donald Trump’s successful Presidential campaign has previously boasted that it did a better job on Facebook than Clinton’s, and an internal white paper from the social media giant has shown they’re right.

Reported by Bloomberg, the internal white paper was published days after the American election and provides massive insight into two different methods of Facebook campaigns – and how important the platform is to political entities.

The white paper reveals that Trump’s campaign spent $44m on Facebook between June and November 2016, dwarfing the $28m Clinton spent in that time. The white paper also claims that ‘Trump’s Facebook campaigns were more complex than Clinton’s and better leveraged Facebook’s ability to optimize for outcomes’.

Next time you’re working out how many variations of advertisement to try on social media, think about this: Clinton’s campaign ran 66,000 different types of advert (seems high, right?), and Trump’s ran 5.9m. That’s five point nine million.

The campaign rapidly tested different forms before choosing the most successful to roll out further. Trump’s adverts were also focused on action – 84% asked people to do something, like donate, compared to just 56% of Clinton’s.

The Bloomberg article also suggests a possible link between the white paper and the Russian interference investigation, as the white paper was supplied to that investigation by a former Facebook employee. It says more than a quarter of Trump’s spend was tied to ‘third-party data files on voters’ and used a Facebook tool that helped the campaign show ads to people who looked similar to the names on file.

The former employee wrote: ‘Did Russian operatives give the Trump campaign a list of names to include or exclude from advertising that was running on Facebook?’

Clinton’s campaign was targeting broader audiences and only four per cent of her spend went on the lookalike tool.

Mark Zuckerberg is due to make his first congressional testimony this week and is likely to be questioned about this white paper. Whether he will be able, or inclined, to reveal what lists Trump’s campaign uploaded remains to be seen.

What is now arguable, is that Facebook helped Donald Trump win the election through a mixture of bigger budgets and more intelligent use of the system. Expect all future political campaigns to take note – Facebook victories can lead to real life victories.

At Crufts

Monty Dogge at Crufts

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Top Pet blog, Adventures of Monty Dogge, is written by Mark Sanders and follows Monty – the large white-and-black Newfoundland. Monty was recently invited to the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, and has very kindly agreed to let Mark tell us all about it!

Monty does Crufties

In what capacity were you at Crufts?
Monty has been going to Crufts for the past four years as a dog blogger. He was invited by the Kennel club to report on the show from a dog’s perspective and it’s very much Crufts unleashed. He particularly enjoys explaining to the ‘hoomans’ who follow the blog how the show is through his eyes, which is usually pretty different from how we perceive it.

Was Monty recognised at Crufts?
Every year people travel to Crufts specifically to meet Monty. It’s amazing how many times you get stopped walking around the show with people wanting to meet him. You hear people saying, ‘That’s Monty’ or ‘Look, it’s Monty Dogge’. As time goes on we meet new friends and it’s lovely to meet people in person and hear how the blog makes them smile and gives them a boost. We hear some very moving stories.

What’s the best thing about going to Crufts (from both your and Monty’s perspectives)?
Easy from Monty’s perspective – it’s the amount of treat stalls around the venue. It’s like watching an antelope graze as he goes from stall to stall fluttering his eyelashes and reaping the rewards. For me it’s an amazing opportunity to promote ourselves to a huge audience of dog lovers. We met with quite a few companies this year who are looking to work with us so it’s good chance to network as well.

What was your favourite product/stall/company at Crufts?
Monty would say any treat stall but in particular Sea Treats, becayse he loves fishy treats. He also has to pay a visit to the Canine Massage guild every year as he gets his pre-show massage and they see how he’s doing. He’s been going every year since we began going and they look forward to his visit. I love going to the dog charity stalls as we really enjoy supporting various animal related causes, like Hounds for Heroes and Canine Partners, throughout the year and it’s a nice chance to catch up.

Eating treats

Who was your favourite winner?
Well this year a Newfoundland got through to best in show which was lovely to see but for us, a puppy that we bred was competing for the first time. Merlot is two and was the only puppy that survived from the only litter we ever bred so she’s pretty special. She lives in Scotland with a friend and it was lovely to see her again. She came a very creditable fifth in a strong class so she was our ‘winner’.

What’s Monty like around other dogs?
Monty is very good around other dogs. He’s particularly good with small dogs and puppies and usually lies down so they can be the same height. It’s not uncommon to see a little dog jumping up trying to give him kisses. There’s no doubt though that his favourites are the ladies, he’s a big flirt. He does get strange reactions from some dogs who are just totally phased by his size and aren’t sure what to do.

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Is Monty a future winner?
Monty will never be a show dog, he’s just too lazy. He’d lie down during the show and if he doesn’t want to move it’s pretty impossible to make him. He trained as a water rescue dog when he was younger but doesn’t like swimming because it’s all a bit too much like hard work. I think his future lies in his continuing school visits and charity work where he can take everything at his own pace… slowly.

How did you use social media during Crufts?
We did some live video this year for the first time, which was very popular. We set up a ‘Crufts according to Monty Dogge’ Facebook page that we use to build up to the show. We do things such as interviews with celebs with dogs and Monty’s explanation of the breeds and groups, which go down very well. This year we were featured as one of the dogs of Instagram and Monty appeared in the Daily Mail, which increased his profile further. I use Twitter quite a lot during the show as it gets quick responses and you can easily @ people or companies and get some good traffic.

meeting people

What’s the next event Monty is visiting?
The next major thing will be the book launch for our third children’s book, Monty and the Poppit Dragon. The two previous books were launched in Waterstones but this time we wanted to do a bit of a book launch tour in Wales, where the story is based. We will then be at the inaugural Dog Lovers show in Glasgow in September. They have invited us to go up and have an area where we can read stories to the children and they can meet Monty and Cookie, the stars of the books. We will then be at the Family Pet Show in Manchester in October and in between they will be visiting plenty of schools, so it’s a very busy year.

Adventures of Monty Dogge (and Mark Sanders) are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists, editors and outlets. 

Disney offers to buy Sky News

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Sky News will be sold to Disney or ring-fenced to allow 21st Century Fox to buy the 61% of Sky it does not already own. This follows concerns from the Competition and Markets Authority that the takeover is not in ‘the public interest’.

The BBC reports that the Murdoch family’s news outlets are ‘currently consumed by nearly a third of the UK’s population’, across TV, radio, online and print. Given the huge influence it has over the British media landscape, Fox’s proposed takeover has been under scrutiny by the CMA since it was originally announced in 2016. It has also, to some extent, been used as a political football, particularly in relation to media plurality and political relationships.

The latest announcement from Disney would not only help Fox purchase the rest of Sky but would also allow its own $66bn takeover of Fox. The Guardian reports that Disney is concerned over US rival Comcast’s attempt to buy Sky from under them, and is therefore hoping to move quickly on the acquisition of Sky News.

Backing this up, a statement from Fox makes it clear that Disney’s interest in Sky News does not depend on their takeover of Fox going through.

On top of Disney’s announced offer, Fox has outlined plans to make Sky News separate from the rest of the empire, making it independent within the larger Sky organisation. It is looking to legally separate Sky News from Sky, using the same structure as BT and Openreach – a move which would appease the media regulator Ofcom.

Fox has also said it would fund Sky News for at least 15 years, which is up five years on its previous proposal.

The Fox Statement points out that neither Fox nor the Murdochs ‘have ever ‘sought to influence the editorial direction of Sky News’. The BBC reports that critics of this, including politicians such as Ed Miliband, Vince Cable and Kenneth Clarke, have said the head of Sky News would still be appointed by the head of 21st Century Fox and so could be influenced by the Murdochs.

Fox said this was ‘unsupported and fanciful’.

With the news of Disney’s offer, shares in Sky rose, with some investors now predicting a bidding war between Fox and Comcast when CMA regulation is no longer a concern.

29 March

Four Things: Project 84, Tommy Robinson, Julian Assange and BBC woes

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As it’s a bank holiday weekend, we’ve dropped our number of things you shouldn’t have missed to four! Happy Easter and bank holiday one and all.

1. Statues on ITV buildings

ITV statues

ITV is raising awareness of male suicide by unveiling 84 clothed statues of men atop its buildings in central London. Working with charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), ITV launched Project 84 on their flagship daytime programme This Morning. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, with 84 taking their lives each week. A change.org petition is calling to ‘Make suicide prevention and support a government minister’s reasonability’ and, thanks to the huge coverage of Project 84, has managed over 160,000 signatures.

 

2. Tommy Robinson banned from Twitter

Twitter ban

Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League, has been banned permanently from Twitter. Twitter has suspended and blocked his account on a number of previous occasions but it is understood that due to his breach of its ‘hateful conduct’ policy, this will be the final time. He had over 400,000 followers when it was last blocked at the beginning of March. Robinson continues to operate a Facebook page, YouTube account and personal website.

This ban follows Facebook’s banning of Britain First earlier in the month, and possibly shows signs that social media companies are now more willing to come down hard on hateful speech and high-profile policy infringers.

 

3. Ecuador cuts off Julian Assange’s internet access

Internet cut off

Julian Assange has had his internet access from the Ecuadorian embassy removed, following his apparent ‘interference in other countries’. Assange has been living in the London-based embassy for six years but has been digitally prolific in that time. The Ecuadorian Government said that it had removed his internet access because he had breached ‘a written commitment made to the Government at the end of 2017 not to issue messages that might interfere with other states’. It follows a tweet from Assange that challenged Britain’s assertion that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent poisoning.

The Guardian reports two previous occasions that Assange has been in similar trouble, in 2017 he was asked to stop discussing the Spanish Catalonia dispute by Ecuador and in 2016 his access was stopped as Ecuador feared he was interfering in the US presidential election.

 

4. More young people watch Netflix than BBC TV

BBC

The BBC’s Annual Plan for 2018 has acknowledged that Netflix is now more popular for children and young people than the BBC. The report states that 16-24 year olds spend more time with Netflix than ‘all of BBC TV (including iPlayer)’. In further damning news, the report says that 15-34 year olds spend more time each week listening to streaming music services than all BBC Radio. The report fears the BBC risks being overtaken by competitors, stating that 82% of children go to YouTube for on-demand content, half to Netflix and only 29% to BBC iPlayer.

As a reason for failing competitiveness, the report suggests funding has fallen 18% in real terms since 2010 due to the licence fee freeze and additional extra costs. The report claims that in the same period, ITV’s income has grown by more than 30% and Sky’s by 90%. It doesn’t detail the financial details of Netflix or Amazon.

The full report exposes the core practices of the BBC and is available online.

 

Seen something we’ve missed? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio. 

Silverspoon London

The No.1 London Lifestyle Blogger: Angie Silver of Silverspoon London

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Angie Silver writes Silverspoon London, the lifestyle and travel blog which has been ranked as the UK’s number one London Lifestyle blog. Covering the finer things in luxury London, Angie covers retail experiences, restaurant reviews and uncovers hidden gems! We spoke to her about the best places in London, how to run a successful blog and how she likes to work with brands and PRs.

What makes your blog successful?
Even though blogging has changed so much over the years, the key to a good blog has always been content. I work incredibly hard on my content and produce around three blog posts a week. Photography was never my forte but I’ve worked very hard to get it to where it is today and I’m very proud of it.

Another key to blog success is relationships. In the four and half years I’ve been blogging, I’ve forged very strong relationships with brands and PRs who have returned to work with me again and again. My relationships and friendships with other bloggers has been one of the most significant aspects of the development of my blog. Not only do they provide a support network but we share each other’s content and champion each other’s blogs.

Finally, I’ve always kept it real! Stuck to my brand identity and kept my content authentic.

What’s the long-term aim of your blog?
When I started my blog it was a fun hobby but eventually it turned into so much more. It’s given me opportunities that I never dreamed of, I’ve met incredible people and I’ve been able to be my own boss and make my own hours. Honestly, my long-term goal is to keep being happy creating content and exploring beautiful destinations.

Where is the best place in London?
It’s hard to say the best place but the current popular places are the beautiful Instagrammable cafes. Top choices are Peggy Porschen, Saint Aymes and Aubaine in Selfridges.

Where is the best place to eat in London?
It depends what food you like and what atmosphere you’re looking for but here are my top three:

  1. For Michelin fine dining, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester is the absolute best in my opinion.
  2. Hakkasan is one of London’s top Chinese restaurants but it also has a buzzy and lively vibe.
  3. Bob Bob Ricard is somewhere that will please everyone. The food is hearty and delicious, the décor is beautiful and there’s even a ‘Press for Champagne’ button at every table.

What’s the best attraction?
Well you can’t miss the obvious such as Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral but I’d definitely take the time to explore the more hidden side of London. I know a few people who specialise in coffee house tours or chocolate tours, which give a different perspective on the city.

If not London, where would you like to live?
I love London but the busy pace of life can be overwhelming. When my husband and I visited Australia a few years ago, we fell in love with Melbourne and discussed how it would be lovely to live somewhere so laid-back. The food and the coffee scene there is outstanding too!

How do you work with PRs and brands?
I absolutely prefer to meet face-to-face to establish a more personal connection. I also prefer to work on a long-term basis and develop a good working relationship and trust, rather than one-off campaigns or reviews.

I also think it’s very important that the blogger chosen for campaign is the perfect fit for the brand and market – that way everyone will get a return on investment.

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What are your favourite campaigns that you’ve worked on?
Last year I worked with the Mayakoba resort in Mexico. They flew me out to stay at the Rosewood Mayakoba, a spectacular luxury hotel, in order to create content for them. It was honestly a dream come true!

I also worked with Classic Collection to promote their trips to Santorini which was a dream destination for me.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator/writer etc)?
I’m first and foremost a blogger because my blog is my main platform. However, I do think the term content creator is becoming more and more applicable to people in the industry.

What other blogs do you read?
So so many! For London recommendations I love Heroine in Heels, The Lifestyle Diaries and Adventures of a London Kiwi. For travel The Travelista, The Londoner and The Travel Hack always have great tips.

Angie Silver and Silverspoon London are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading journalists, editors, bloggers and outlets. 

Hedonist, London unattached

London Lifestyle spotlight with Adrian York

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Adrian York is a contributor to London Unattached, the London Lifestyle blog that recently ranked in the top 10 London Lifestyle Blogs in the UK, and author of The Hedonist. We caught up with Adrian to talk everything London, from the best place to eat, from the best spot to stand at night to see the city lights. We also spoke about blogging and working with PRs.

What makes your blog successful?
Firstly, London Unattached is a contributor blog with a really strong team of specialist writers who are experts in their subject area. I know I want to transmit the excitement I feel to our wonderfully loyal readers when I go to an inspiring concert, eat a wonderful meal or have an amazing trip. Secondly, our boss, blogging ‘legend’ Fiona Maclean, navigates the blogosphere with style, wit and grace and holds the whole thing together brilliantly.

What’s the long-term aim of your blogging?
To share fantastic experiences with our readers. At London Unattached we are given opportunities to sample the best of London, the UK and the world, and the mission is to give an honest and accessible view. On a personal note, I enjoy the process of writing about food, lifestyle, music, men’s fashion and culture whether it is for London Unattached, my own blog The Hedonist, or for online news portals such as The Conversation, The Independent or The Huffington Post. I’d like to keep on doing it and raise my profile as critic and cultural commentator. It provides a different space for me to operate in away from my day job as an academic and jazz musician.

Where is the best place in London?
I love to stand on Waterloo Bridge at night and look at the river and the lights illuminating the greatest city in the world.

Where is the best place to eat in London?
I’ve been eating out in London since the 1970s and have seen a huge change in the range and quality of restaurants. I love how London has become a major player in the global gastro scene so choosing one place is always going to be hard. I’m going to choose a tiny new place in Hackney called Nest that epitomises cutting-edge trends in fine dining.

What’s the best attraction?
The whole city is the attraction. See it all from the top of The Shard. Experience cutting edge theatre at The Young Vic, immerse yourself in the street hustle and small plate restaurants of Soho, soak up the glitz and designer fashion of Bond Street and enjoy incredible Indian restaurants in Southall.

If not London, where would you like to live?
Somewhere warm! I’d love to be an urban nomad spending a few months staying in a place to really get under the skin of a city and then moving on. Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, New York, Madrid, Athens, Rome, Tokyo and Lisbon would do for starters!

How do you work with PRs and brands?
We are contacted by PRs who reach out to us when they have a product, event or launch that they want to publicise.

It’s important only to work with brands that relate to the demographic that you serve. At London Unattached and at my blog The Hedonist we focus on elements that will appeal to Gen X and baby-boomers.

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What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on?
I really enjoy cultural and gastronomic trips around the world. I visited Hamburg for the ElbJazz Festival set in the city’s shipyards. I ate my way around Athens on a gastro walking tour of the city and explored the food and culture of Lake Garda in Northern Italy.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator/writer etc)?
I’m a blogger and writer.

What other blogs do you read?
The Sartorialist for fashion, Andy Hayler for restaurants, Pitchfork for pop and Ethan Iverson for jazz.

Adrian York, London Unattached and the Hedonist are all listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading journalists, editors, bloggers and outlets. 

culture confidence choice

Spring Forward: culture, confidence and choice

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Spring Forward is a brand-new conference that will take place on 24 May in Bristol. The event is designed for women (with men also welcome) who are ready, or want to be ready, to take the next step in their career.

Sarah Pinch is the managing director of Pinch Point Communications and the chair of the Taylor Bennett Foundation. Sarah has long advocated the need for a strong professional network, particularly when encouraging women in business, and her latest venture takes that to the next level. She said: ‘Spring Forward has been a year in the planning.  I wanted to put on something that inspires women to take that next step; but also equips them with real skills to do so.’

The conference will focus on three key areas that Sarah believes are vital to the success of women in the industry: culture, confidence and choice.

The event has a mix of big name speakers – including Karen Boswell OBE, the global CEO and managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, and Nathalie McGloin, a female racing driver paralysed from the chest down – as well as intimate workshops and focus groups.

Sarah said: ‘We have two fantastic key note speakers in Karen Boswell OBE and Nathalie McGloin, both women at the top of their chosen professions in rail and motorsport. Karen and I worked together at FirstGroup and her determination, hard work and great love of life is infectious. She is responsible for all the new trains coming onto our railways in the coming years. And I met Nathalie recently and she is so inspirational, a successful female racing driver, who is paralysed from the chest down; she’s totally smashing it!

‘And we have a great panel, drawn from the public appointments office, school governors and charities to talk about how you can get board level experience through volunteering – so you’re ready for that next step in your paid employment.’

While the aim of the conference is to explore the issues of culture, confidence and choice, there will also be plenty of time devoted to networking, ensuring the professional benefits that come from being part of such a group are felt by every attendee.

This event is just the beginning of Spring Forward, with plans for the sessions to inform a white paper due out in summer: Women and the C Words: culture, confidence and choice. How do those words hold women back currently and what can we do collectively, to change that?

For more information, and to book your tickets, check out the official Eventbrite page.

The Grocer

Journalist Spotlight: The Grocer’s Marianne Calnan

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Marianne Calnan, recently appointed senior reporter at The Grocer, talks to Vuelio about her new role, balancing her time and how you never know where the best stories will come from…

How are you settling into your new role as a senior reporter at The Grocer? Can you describe a typical working day for you?
It’s been great so far and very full-on – I really feel like I’ve hit the ground running. The day will usually start with news hunting, followed by writing and interviewing for most of the rest of the day for a wide range of articles. Either that, or I’ll be at meetings with industry contacts or events.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? What are the main challenges you face?
I’m really enjoying learning more about the FMCG industry, and my challenges include balancing my time between my writing and event-attending duties.

How do you decide what content to focus on?
The editorial team has pretty much constant discussions about what to cover and what to prioritise.

Do you have a good relationship with PRs? What advice would you give to PR professionals who want to work with you?
Definitely, and I would say send me anything and everything you think may be relevant to my remit, as you never know where the best stories could come from.

What type of press material are you interested in receiving?
Mainly press releases and background info about any new developments or changes.

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Marianne Calnan and The Grocer and her blog are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading journalists, editors, bloggers and outlets. 

London-Unattached

Food and Travel: Fiona Maclean, London-Unattached

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London-Unattached is a multi-author blog covering a range of lifestyle topics, with a strong focus on food and travel. Founded by Fiona Maclean, London-Unattached covers topics of interest to Generation X and up. Fiona told us about her best travel experiences, working with PRs and meat fruit.

What makes your blog unique?
London-Unattached is a contributor blog or blogazine – I work with six talented individuals, each with a different focus. So, for example, I have one writer who specialises in theatre reviews – she’s an actress and theatre coach for her day job; another is a university lecturer in music and jazz musician. We are all Generation X upward (over 45) so we address a niche that I believe is under represented but has a high disposable income and wants to explore. We all cover food (restaurant reviews and recipe development) and travel.

What’s your biggest aim with the blog/what would you ideally achieve with it?
I’d like to get to the stage where we have, say, a quarterly print magazine to complement the online content.

What’s your favourite location in the UK?
The Scilly Isles – I went last year and the islands had a wonderful Enid Blyton feel to them – very unspoilt!

What’s your favourite trip abroad?
As always, it’s my most recent trip! I’m just back from Rodrigues, a tiny island the size of Jersey, 150 miles north of Mauritius. Although it lacked the ‘resort luxury’ of some of the other destinations I’ve visited, it made up for it in a big way by having totally empty beaches, coral reefs, a plethora of wildlife and some fantastic food (French Creole with a seafood bias)

What’s the best thing about blogging about your travels?
Finding places like Rodrigues that I’ve never heard of but which are astonishingly beautiful – and then having the opportunity to share them with other people. Or finding a special feature that I know will be a hook for my readers – in St Lucia for instance, I’d have to highlight the luxury of the resorts as well as the activities, while in Bruges, for me, it was that the food was more than a match for the heritage and architecture.

Best meal you’ve ever eaten?
Last year, at Dinner by Heston (sorry to be so obvious – but I still dream of the Meat Fruit!)

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m more cautious on paper than I am in real life. Generally, given a bit of encouragement, I’ll have a go at things I’d say no to if you asked me ahead of time.
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What are the best PR/brand collaborations you’ve worked on?
I love doing recipe development projects. I really enjoy being given a challenge and creating something to use a specific ingredient or to pair with a specific wine. I’ve done one recently with Spanish Sherry and a couple with Grana Padano and Prosciutto di San Daniele including this set of festive canapes.

I also like working with a country destination on a long-term basis. One of my first press trips was to Portugal and I’ve subsequently been back every year and now have a wealth of content about a country I love. Last year, I worked with the Czech Republic for the first time, went on two trips to Prague, Pardubice and Brno, produced six blog posts and won their ‘Blogger of the Year award’.  I think it takes time to get to know a destination well – so being given the opportunity to go back really helps.

What do you call yourself (Blogger/influencer/content creator)?
Freelance writer (I do work on a number of other writing projects, from website development through to writing newsletters and blogging for other people).

What other blogs do you read?
Too many to list. For quirky blogs I wouldn’t normally come across, I love the ‘Big up Your Blog’ group. It’s full of passionate and lovely people like Jill Creighton who writes Midlifesmarts and Suzanne Vickery who writes about her experience travelling the world as a House Sitter.

Fiona and her blog are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists, editors and outlets. 

Five Things You Shouldn't Have Missed

Five Things: Facebook, the GDPR, Ant & Dec, Count Dankula and Bumble swiping left

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Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed this week includes Facebook’s latest woes, political parties using data, Brand Ant & Dec, Count Dankula and Bumble swiping left on Tinder.

1. Facebook’s $50bn comms disaster

Facebook

The news that Facebook allows companies to collect and use personal data for commercial gain should be surprising to no one; it’s literally the company’s business model. But the story this week that data firm Cambridge Analytica bought data from a Cambridge professor’s Facebook app to create 50 million profiles – which possibly contributed to Trump’s presidential victory – has hit the public like the elephant in the room on a rampage. We’ve explored the ways in which Facebook has suffered, and covered the four crisis comms mistakes it made.

The biggest of these is the initial absence of Zuckerberg and then his eventual explanatory Facebook post, which has been described as ‘totally insufficient’. (Facebook has now published open letters in a number of newspapers, possibly emulating Bumble, story below).

The alleged breach led to Facebook’s share price taking a big, $50bn-dollar hit – but is this the end of the social giant? (Probably not).

 

2. Political parties exclude themselves from new data laws

General Data Protection Regulation

Talking of data being used to profile people for political gain without the individual’s knowledge or consent – the Independent has reported that UK political parties are excluding themselves from the new data laws so they can still use personal data ‘to find out how people are likely to vote’. The Independent directly linked this story to the Cambridge Analytica debacle, but the public outrage (obviously via the front pages of national papers) hasn’t followed.

The Independent reports, ‘All the major parties have agreed to the exemption from new data protection laws, arguing it clarifies their widely recognised right to canvas voters in order to target possible supporters.’

If you’re not a political party, and you’re worried about complying with the GDPR law, check out our comprehensive guide (which is a form-free download).

 

3. Brand Ant & Dec

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly

Ant McPartlin was charged with drink driving this week after he was involved in a multiple-car collision. The troubled star is back in rehab, leaving his significant other, Declan Donnelly, to present the final two episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway alone. This is an historic moment for brand Ant & Dec – the pair that work exclusively as a duo to the point that they always stand the same way (Ant then Dec), are temporarily split up. Brand Saturday Night Takeaway has to continue for the final episodes, as the finale is competition winners in Orlando (Cat Deeley has been mooted to stand in as co-host, but probably not as Prozac the giggle fairy).

Brand Suzuki has ended its contract with the duo, but will continue to sponsor the programme (family friendly automotive brands generally avoid drink driving ambassadors).

Brands Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity are later in the year so may continue as normal if Brand Ant & Dec recovers. Which, as long as Ant gets better, is almost a certainty. In terms of crisis comms, Ant has done everything right: he has been honest, admitted he’s struggling, and gone to rehab. Everyone is communicating about the situation and working together for the best outcome. Ant & Dec’s place in the nation’s hearts seems to be secure.

Long live Brand Ant & Dec.

 

4. Count Dankula and the free speech debate

Count Dankula

Ah free speech and social media. This week the endless debate has a bizarre advocate – YouTuber Count Dankula, who was convicted of making a ‘grossly offensive’ video after he taught his girlfriend’s dog to react to phrases such as ‘Sieg Heil’ and ‘gas the Jews’. The UK doesn’t have free speech laws like the US*, but globalisation (spearheaded by the rise of American-based social media sites) has created the illusion that we do. Count Dankula, real name Mark Meecham, was considered to have committed a crime in line with existing UK law on offense. Open and shut case, right?

Wrong. Conservative West Yorkshire MP Philip Davies is now demanding a debate on freedom of speech. Davies said: ‘We guard our freedom of speech in this House very dearly indeed…but we don’t often allow our constituents the same freedoms.

‘Can we have a debate about freedom of speech in this country – something this country has long held dear and is in danger of throwing away needlessly?’

Once again, the responsibility of YouTube as host of such content is being overlooked. Perhaps Logan Paul and Cambridge Analytica didn’t actually happen.

 

5. Bumble swipes left on Tinder

Bumble Match Group

Tinder and Bumble are at loggerheads, with Tinder’s owner, Match Group, filing a lawsuit for alleged intellectual property theft. In what is partially a PR war, Bumble has come out fighting with a stinging full-page advert in the New York Times titled ‘Bumble swipes left on Match group/Tinder allegations’. The open letter to Match Group continues the Tinder-swipe theme: ‘We swipe left on you. We swipe left on your multiple attempts to buy us, copy us and, now, to intimidate us.’ [bold text as printed]

Bumble has also scored PR points for making their women-first approach (the app’s USP is that women have to make the first move) very clear: ‘We – a woman-founded, women-led company – aren’t scared of aggressive corporate culture’. The letter uses the alleged ‘bullying’ by Tinder to describe how their platform is designed to be safe for women.

This is a master stroke by Bumble, and even using a traditional newspaper ad to run the advert, is a touch of genius – tying this modern tech company with tradition and therefore traditional values (oh hey Facebook). Obviously Match Group is massive, but Bumble has ensured the ball is firmly in their court (hopefully next week’s Five Things will include an incredible response!).

 

Did we miss something? Let us know on Twitter. 

*For example: offensive comments, inciting hatred, inciting someone to commit a crime and legitimate threats are all illegal in the UK.

Facebook

Is this the end of Facebook, or just a comms disaster?

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On a long enough timeline, the life expectancy of all social media sites drops to zero. Facebook is suffering, but is this the beginning of the end or just another bump in the road?

The Cambridge Analytica story is known to most people now. The large data company bought 50 million data entries from an academic, who had harvested it off Facebook for the purposes of ‘research’. It then used this data to some, as yet, unclear extent (against Facebook’s rules) to help political movements around the world including, according to its own claims, a contribution to President Trump’s victory.

After months of investigative research by The Observer, an undercover reporter from Channel 4 was able to film CEO Alexander Nix making bold claims that the company led politicians around the world into honey traps and bribing officials. He has since been suspended.

For Facebook, the news was damning. After the report was broadcast, and following work from the Observer and the New York Times, some $50bn was wiped from Facebook’s stock market value.

It has since recovered slightly but at one point was 10% down.

Facebook then made a series of seemingly rookie moves in terms of crisis comms: the company suspended whistleblower Chris Wylie’s Facebook and Instagram accounts; its chief of security Alex Stamos is reportedly leaving the company but nothing has officially acknowledged this; Facebook went into the offices of Cambridge Analytica to ‘investigate’ on the evening of the report, a day before the ICO were able to apply for a warrant; and, perhaps most damaging, Mark Zuckerberg was kept from making a comment until days later.

When a listed company takes a dive on the stock market, with investors and clients threatening to sue, advertisers pulling their ad spend, and governments around the world discussing heavy regulation, a CEO needs to respond swiftly to show someone is in control and the situation is being handled.

Instead, we waited four days for a Facebook post to appear, in which Zuckerberg acknowledged Facebook has ‘a responsibility to protect your data’, and ‘if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you’. He explained a timeline of events that led to the crisis, and says that it was a ‘breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to protect it’.

Is this too little, too late though?

This article from MarketWatch certainly thinks so. It quotes Davia Temin, a management consultant who said, ‘This is a totally insufficient response, both operationally and emotionally. Yes, it is prescriptive, yet strangely hollow, limited, unemotional, and lacking any form of apology.’ Temin says that the company should be responding to such a crisis in 15 minutes, because on social media, 15 minutes is an age.

Deleting your Facebook account is now in vogue, thanks in no small part to some big names including the co-founder of WhatsApp, Brian Acton, who tweeted: ‘It is time. #deletefacebook’. WhatsApp, of course, was sold to Facebook in 2014 for $19bn. This issue is damning for the social giant, but as people are pointing out (mostly on Twitter), all the big social companies collect personal data and sell it to advertisers and third parties.

So, if Facebook now fails (and presumably the likes of Twitter, Google and Amazon remain healthy), it will be largely because it didn’t handle its comms correctly to get itself out of this hole.

Obviously, the state of social media, the collection of data and third party access is going to become VERY exciting after the GDPR comes into force. If, for example, the ICO decided Facebook had allowed the data breach through negligence and it was after 25 May – the fine would have been up to $500m.

Imagine.

 

If you’re unsure about GDPR, and not sure how it’s affecting the comms industry, download out our comprehensive guide. 

mini travellers

Blogger Spotlight: Karen Beddow, Mini Travellers

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Karen Beddow writes Mini Travellers, the family travel blog that frequently gets ranked among the best in the UK. We caught up with Karen to talk about the uniqueness of her blog (according to the views of her readers), the best PR and brand collaborations she’s worked on and working with her kids to make the blog amazing.

What makes your blog unique?
I actually asked this question of my readers a few months ago and I got some lovely replies, a couple of my favourites were: ‘Makes people realise that it is possible to do cool and interesting things as a family’, and, ‘I love the fact that you cover everything from Rwanda to Disney and days out at home; something for everyone’. They put it much better than I could do myself.

What’s your biggest aim with the blog/what would you ideally achieve with it?
In fairness it has already done it as the blog has allowed me to work from home, take the children to school and collect them, and have all the school holidays off to travel.

How do you plan your travels?
We plan our travel around flight deals, meetings we have had with PRs, reading lots and lots of other travel blogs that inspire me and sometimes just a gut feel that we have to go somewhere!

mini travellers

What’s the best place you’ve ever been to?
This is a really really hard one. Probably for the experience Rwanda – the whole trip was incredible and we’re off to Malawi as a family at easter as it worked out so well. For relaxation, a villa in Sivota, Greece with Simpson Travel as it just worked on every level.

How do your children feel about the blog?
They absolutely love it and are really proud of it. They know that it brings them great opportunities.

What one place haven’t you been that you want to?
Chile and Argentina – I’ve had two trips that I’d booked that had to be cancelled for different reasons so it is very high up the bucket list.

What’s the best day out in the UK?
Oh I think that’s a tough one to answer, so many but for so many different reasons. For us, it is usually a day at a beach with a really big picnic, some sun and lots of friends.

What are the best PR/brand collaborations you’ve worked on?
Again, another tough question to answer but some of the best were Malawi Tourism, Visit Brittany, Simpson Travel ambassador, Santa’s Lapland, St Mawes Retreats, and so many more that I enjoy every day.
Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

What do you call yourself (Blogger/influencer/content creator)?
Blogger

What other blogs do you read?
Lots and lots but I recently met a couple on a trip to Morzine who are travelling the world and I was genuinely inspired by their amazing story. They were a really lovey couple too.

 

Karen Beddow and Mini Travellers are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists, editors and outlets.