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Political Headlines – Johnson backs Veterans Pledge while Hunt promises to expand navy

July 12, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Database, Political Services Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Johnson backing the Veterans Pledge, Hunt Promises to expand navy, 30 whistleblowers to give evidence on Labour antisemitism and May’s last interview.

Johnson backs ‘Veterans Pledge’
The Sun reports that Boris Johnson has backed its ‘Veterans Pledge’, promising to pass a new law to end ‘unfair trials’ of soldiers who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The pledge also means that he has backed creating an independent veterans department and enshrining the military covenant into law.

Hunt promises to expand navy
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Jeremy Hunt claims the Royal Navy has been ‘run down too much’, and should be ‘expanded’ to tackle ‘deeply troubling’ events in the Middle East. He promises to increase the number of warships and carrier-based jets as ‘boosting our hard power is the surest way to keep Britain respected overseas’.

30 whistleblowers to give evidence on Labour antisemitism
The Guardian says that over 30 whistleblowers, including current staff, are to submit evidence to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) about antisemitism in the Labour Party. Some members of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) are worried that it isn’t doing enough to prepare for the EHRC investigation. Deputy leader Tom Watson has written to general secretary Jennie Formby calling for the party’s submission to the EHRC to be released to the shadow cabinet and the NEC.

May gives last interview
Theresa May has given her last interview at 10 Downing Street to the Daily Mail. Referring to her resignation speech, she tells the paper that ‘If a male Prime Minister’s voice had broken up, it would have been said “what great patriotism, they really love their country”. But if a female Prime Minister does it, it is “why is she crying?”.’ She admits that she hadn’t expected Brexiteers to vote against her deal but defends her achievements on modern slavery, plastic waste and mental health.

Prisoners to be given incentives for good behaviour
The Times reports on a new Ministry of Justice policy, which will mean that prison governors can reward prisoners with the ability to lock their own cells, giving them more privacy. Under the new arrangements, prisoners who behave well will also be allowed to cook their own food, shower when they choose, receive higher pay and get cash bonuses.

New inquiry calls for action to stop MPs bulling and harassing staff
The Guardian reports that MPs will vote next week on extending allegations of bullying and harassment by MPs to include historic allegations. This follows yesterday’s publication on an inquiry by Gemma White QC which recommended new employment measures to protect staff better, including details of staff being shouted at, groped, and things thrown at them.

Less than half of Tory members have voted in leadership election
According to The Times, less than half of Conservative members have yet returned their leadership ballots, despite there being just over a week left to do so, despite Boris Johnson’s campaign having claimed that two-thirds of members had voted. Jeremy Hunt’s campaign is pleased with the low turnout so far, Hunt having told members to wait until after today’s interviews of the candidates by Andrew Neil before voting.

Brexiteers demand seats in Johnson’s Cabinet
The Sun claims Brexiteers are demanding seats in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, amid concerns he will make minor changes and might not stick to his pledge to leave on 31 October. Steve Baker wants to be Brexit Secretary, while a Eurosceptic expressed concern to the paper about Sajid Javid as Chancellor and Liz Truss as Business Secretary as they voted to remain.

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An introduction to AI in PR

July 11, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR News PR, Comms Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

The CIPR’s #AIinPR Panel has published An introduction to AI in PR as the first in a series of skills guides.

The guide, written by Jean Valin, covers the threats and opportunities for public relations and includes as a glossary of common terms that are used around artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Valin also highlights incredible statistics to show how recent years have seen an explosion of data:

More data has been created in the past two years than in the entire previous history of the human race
Data is growing faster than ever before and by the year 2020, about 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second for every human being on the planet

The seven-page guide is the first resource from the CIPR’s new #AIinPR Primer series – a collection of guides designed to equip practitioners with a fundamental understanding of the implications of AI for PR.

Stephen Waddington, CIPR Artificial Intelligence Panel Chair, said: ‘It’s too early to identify best practice for AI communication. Practitioners need to step up and take personal responsibility for their own learning and development. The skills guides from the #AIinPR panel are a good start. My thanks to the panel members for their work.’

The Panel will publish further skills guides this month on AI and data ethics and AI and data ethics – consequences for PR, both by Ben Verinder. Skills guides on internal communications, media and workflow will be published later this year.

Political Headlines – Labour’s antisemitism concerns and May under pressure not to appoint a new ambassador

July 11, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Labour’s concern over new antisemitisn documentary, May under pressure, Rudd announces review of benefits for terminally-ill patients and Brexit party switches will return to Tories if Brexit is delivered.

Labour figures express concern about allegations in new antisemitism documentary
The BBC reports that senior Labour Party figures have expressed concern about the claims made in its documentary on antisemitism in the Labour Party yesterday, with deputy leader Tom Watson saying he was ‘shocked’ and ‘appalled’, although the party itself claimed that the programme was inaccurate. Former party officials made a series of claims about the attitude of the leader’s office towards antisemitism complaints, including interference by general secretary Jennie Formby and laughter from Jeremy Corbyn’s aide, Seumas Milne.

May under pressure not to appoint new ambassador
The Times says that allies of Boris Johnson have warned Theresa May not to appoint the new ambassador to the USA following the resignation of Sir Kim Darroch, saying that the decision should be left to the new Prime Minister. Friends of Darroch told the paper that his resignation was partially prompted by Johnson’s refusal to confirm that he would keep him in place. The Sun has been told by Johnson that he ‘can’t believe’ that he is being blamed for the resignation, and that he is ‘a great supporter of Kim’s’.

Rudd announces review of benefits for terminally-ill patients
The Times says Amber Rudd has announced an ‘honest and in-depth’ review of the system for fast-tracking benefits to terminally ill patients, following criticism from charities and MPs of the current limit which restricts it to those with six months or less to live. Recalling the death of her ex-husband, AA Gill, from cancer in 2016, Rudd has promised not to leave patients facing ‘unnecessary hardship’.

Brexit party switchers will return to Tories if Brexit is delivered by end of October
According to The Daily Telegraph, a poll of Conservative members shows that most switchers to the Brexit Party would return if Boris Johnson delivered Brexit by 31 October. It also found that just 56% of members will vote for the party if it isn’t delivered by the deadline. The Sun says that a senior Tory has called Sir John Major ‘bonkers’ after he threatened to sue Johnson if he prorogued Parliament.

Von der Layen indicates she won’t reopen Brexit talks
The Guardian reports that Ursula von der Layen, the European Commission’s presidential nominee, has indicated that she won’t reopen Brexit talks, telling a Liberal Democrat MEP that ‘it is your responsibility and your noble task to sort this out’. She added that ‘the backstop in the Brexit deal is precious, important and has to be defended’.

Mordaunt announces new laws to protect sexual harassment victims
The Daily Telegraph says that Women and Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt has announced new laws to protect sexual harassment victims, with interns and volunteers to be given the same protections as staff, a ‘proactive duty’ on employers to prevent sexual harassment and a potential extension to the time limit for claims to be made.

Report funds culture of bullying and harassment in Lords
The Guardian carries details of a report into bullying in the House of Lords released yesterday. It found that there was a culture of harassment and bullying, with one in five staff having experienced these. Staff did not report incidents for fear of reprisals. The report recommends installing CCTV in ‘hotspots’, training for peers, and a new staff member to oversee allegations. A similar report on the House of Commons will be published today.

Johnson intervened to try to save girlfriend’s job
In an exclusive, the Daily Mirror claims that Boris Johnson personally intervened in an attempt to save the job of Carrie Symonds, his girlfriend, after Conservative officials decided that she wasn’t performing well enough. However, a source told the paper that party staff thought his intervention was ‘a bit half-hearted’.

Party politics and policy issues – keep on top of the landscape with Vuelio Political Services.

The No. 1 Men’s Fashion Blog: MenswearStyle

July 10, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

MenswearStyle has once again been named the number one blog in the top 10 Men’s Fashion Blogs. The creation of editor Craig Landale, MenswearStyle is multi-award-winning, including two Vuelio Blog Awards and Best UK Blog. We spoke to Craig about the biggest issues in men’s fashion, his love of New Balance, how he works with PRs and the blogs he loves to read.

How do you describe what you do?
The simplest way to describe what I do is probably what I tell my parents; I write blog posts about menswear and men’s grooming, but in reality it’s much more than that.

How do different social channels work with your blog?
Pinterest and Twitter drive the most traffic to my blog posts, whereas Instagram is more of a branding medium that shows our fans a little more going on behind the scenes day-to-day. Facebook is quite useless unless you’re willing to spend money.

What’s the biggest issue in men’s fashion at the moment?
Men have come a long way in educating themselves on men’s fashion rules, dress codes and trends. However, I still see guys in suits going into the city on the London Underground wearing horrendous shoes such as loafers, which should have been thrown in the bin a few years ago.

How significant is waste and sustainability in the fashion world?
It’s so important right now and it has been a real eye opener. Britain alone is expected to send 235m items of clothing to landfill this year, the majority of which could have been re-worn, reused or recycled. I blame the large companies making throwaway fashion more than the people though. This is where true rapid change can happen.

Who is the best fashion designer we haven’t heard of yet?
Have you heard of Oliver Spencer? I’m sure some of you will have but he’s British and he’s pivoting his brand towards the sustainable route this year. He started out selling second hand clothes on London’s Portobello Road. Today he sells his own brand of clothing made up of high quality relaxed and modern style basics and classics.

What’s your favourite item of clothing?
I love my New Balance sneakers. I’ll wear them with almost everything, even a suit.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
A recent standout collaboration I’ve worked on is with a new Northampton-made goodyear welt shoe company called Artisan Revolution. I showcased their four styles of shoes in a photoshoot and video shoot located around King’s Cross.

How important are press events for you, compared with releases or being sent product?
I find press trips have a big impact on the way I feel about a brand. I often come back from a few days away with a brand as a true advocate with a full understanding of a brand’s ambition.

What advice would you give PRs looking to work with you?
Just get in touch via email and we can discuss some ideas. I do like it when a project is already set with clear tasks and I’m invited to take part but I can also be flexible too.

What other blogs do you read?
I ready Glossy, Lean Luxe, Courier Magazine and Business of Fashion.

Political Headlines – Johnson puts Darroch’s future in doubt and MPs voting on same-sex and abortion laws for Northern Ireland

July 10, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Johnson putting Darroch’s future in doubt, MPs voting to extend same-sex marriage and abortion to Northern Ireland, Corbyn says Labour would back remain and Symonds reportedly asked to leave her Tory role over poor performance.

Johnson puts ambassador’s future in doubt
The Times says that Boris Johnson failed to say whether he would retain Sir Kim Darroch as ambassador to the USA if he was Prime Minister during last night’s ITV leadership debate. Jeremy Hunt has said that Donald Trump was ‘disrespectful and wrong’, following Trump’s description of Darroch as ‘wacky’ and a ‘pompous fool’, and that he would keep the ambassador in place until the end of the year, when he is due to retire.

MPs vote to extend same-sex marriage and abortion to Northern Ireland
The Guardian reports that MPs voted to extend same-sex marriage and abortion to Northern Ireland as a result of amendments tabled by backbench Labour MPs, on which the Government gave MPs a free vote. The changes will come into effect unless the devolved administration is restored within the next three months. An amendment tabled by Dominic Grieve, requiring fortnightly reports to the Commons on restoring the assembly also passed. This is part of an attempt to prevent Parliament from being prorogued.

Corbyn says Labour would back remain in referendum on Tory Brexit
The Guardian says Jeremy Corbyn has announced Labour’s ‘settled’ Brexit policy, making it clear in an e-mail to members that the party would support remaining in the EU in any referendum on a Brexit deal agreed by a Conservative Prime Minister or on a no-deal Brexit. However, he did not clarify what Labour’s stance on Brexit would be in a general election.

Symonds reportedly asked to leave Tory role over poor performance
The Daily Mail claims that Carrie Symonds, Boris Johnson’s girlfriend, was asked to leave her role as Director of Communications for the Conservatives owing to poor performance. According to a source she was accused of misusing her expenses and of failing to turn up to work, as well as leaking damaging stories to the media.

Ex-Change UK MPs form new group
The Times reveals that some of the MPs who quit Change UK are forming another grouping, The Independents, which will be a ‘workers’ collective’, not a political party, based around six core values but with free votes on some issues. Those involved are Luciana Berger, Heidi Allen, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith, together with John Woodcock, who left Labour over sexual harassment allegations. They are in talks with other independent MPs.

Lidington warns no-deal Brexit could lead to break-up of UK
The Financial Times says David Lidington warned a meeting of the Cabinet that there was a ‘real risk’ of the UK breaking up as a result of a no-deal Brexit. He said the Scottish independence movement was a ‘significant and urgent political challenge’, there could be no complacency about Wales and there was a risk of a border poll in Northern Ireland.

MPs’ staff warned bullying and harassment report will be distressing
The Sun says that the House of Commons has warned MP’s researchers that a report into bullying and harassment in Parliament, due to be published tomorrow, will contain ‘distressing and uncomfortable’ revelations. Counselling workshops have been arranged to help staff cope with the findings of the report.

Three peers quit Labour over antisemitism
The Daily Telegraph reports that three peers quit the Labour Party yesterday, citing its handling of antisemitism. Lord Triesman, once the party’s general secretary, said that it was ‘very plainly antisemitic’, and he was joined in resigning the whip by Lord Darzi and Lord Turnberg, with a party official admitting at least one more peer is expected to leave.

Stop reading headlines, start setting them – find out how Vuelio Political Services can help.

A Quite Great PR Spotlight with Pete Bassett

July 10, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR Spotlight Comms, PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Pete Bassett set up music-focused agency Quite Great in 1996 to provide a more understanding and upfront PR service. Support for the unique challenges his clients face in a music and media landscape increasingly driven by ‘likes’ is something Pete continues to champion, most lately with the launch of Quite Great’s Mental Health Awareness Services.

Working with artists including Meatloaf, Van Morrison, and Chris Rea – and experience from heading-up PR for agencies including Geffen, Polydor, and MCA – has brought Pete into contact with a huge range of recording artists and their issues as well as the difficulties of day-to-day PR.

Pete shared pictures of the some of the big stars he’s worked with and told us about the importance of longevity in the music industry and the damaging effects of a world obsessed with likes.

What were your original aims when you launched Quite Great – what did you want to do that other music PR agencies didn’t?
Twenty-three years ago – just prior to setting up Quite Great – I was working for a big corporate PR agency having worked for major labels. Suddenly I was in a totally alien culture, trying to balance spinning plates and pretty much dreading getting into work. With a young family, mortgage etc, it was clear that there was a cliff heading straight towards me and as one of my best journalist friends had explained: ‘The cavalry are not coming over the hill’.

I realised once I had made a few calls to old industry friends that there was a demand for my own style of agency and hence the road ahead was clear. I wished to set up a ‘friendly’ and ‘understanding’ agency – yes, all a bit woolly, I know – based on my history of impactful, creative thinking, but one that aimed at supporting the staff around me with a structure that meant they enjoyed coming into work and were passionate about our services.

Support for staff, and mental health awareness, is a growing concern in the PR industry as well as in the music industry. Can you tell us about Quite Great’s Mental Health Awareness Services and the change you’re hoping to spearhead?
Every day with our hugely busy music industry service, we are in contact with artists of all levels, those starting out and those who have already achieved success. Following in-depth discussions, we ask them to outline all issues that link directly to media subjects – we call these our ‘pebbles’, as in pebbles on a beach – so the more we have the more media we should be able to attain, which then allows the PR team a straight line insight into all aspects of the artist and the media that should be interested. In the past five years we have noticed, irrespective of what part of the world the musicians come from, that there has been a distinct increase in matters that relate in some way to mental health issues.

I guess this is quite obvious, but the creative process for a songwriter is always directly linked to life experiences and their emotions; these are the things outside of pure talent that make an act resonate with the public. The difference is that over 40% of our artists were making reference to depression, stage fright and anxiety. So we set up an ad hoc service linking in with therapists independent of Quite Great with whom an artist can interact and hopefully help reduce the issues that cause them concerns.

Social media is a potential source of stress for your clients, yet it’s a vital way for them to cut through and achieve success in today’s media landscape. How can it be used as a tool without it becoming a strain for clients and the companies working with them?
We feel that the mental health issues of acts are directly linked to their desire to be ‘liked’. Social networking platforms like Instagram that are promising to do away with the ‘like’ will be key to reducing the pressure on an artist. The huge industry in fake likes, fake followers and even Spotify playlists – and the service industries that frequent this darker side of PR – need to be exposed. It should be clear to an act that there are, on occasion, unseen payments and it is not necessarily a positive judgement on an artist’s music. Clearly, the more famous an artist becomes in ‘real’ media terms, the more playlists will wish to feature them anyway.

The balancing process is to focus on ‘real’ media interaction – whether that be features, interviews, airplay – and then let the public judge if it translates to social networking uplift. Only artist development and long-term planning will really turn into growing a fan base.

As vinyl/cassette/CD have given way to downloads and streaming, so have the traditional ways of promoting a performer shifted – a recent example being Lil Nas X getting mainstream attention via TikTok memes. How can a PR team work to keep him in the public eye, while protecting him from the fickleness of viral fame?
I don’t mean to cop out here but I would never dream of giving any advice to another legitimate PR agency – they are clearly on top of what they are doing and if everything is real then there will be longevity, which is what the artist really craves. If TikTok memes can then focus the ‘fan base’ on the talent that Lil Nas X clearly has, then real original music that the public can embrace will mean longevity is guaranteed. It’s the same way the ephemeral impact enjoyed by the now-legendary Alex Mann at Glastonbury 2019 has to be translated by any opportunist record label in discovering real talent and writing skills that the public can enjoy over time.

How important is location for PR in a connected world – are big fancy city offices still important? Can a UK-based firm be truly international in reach?
Well, for the past 23 years we have operated as both a national and international agency while working within Cambridge. Given the simple transportation links across the country, plus state-of-the-art technology within our working environment, we have always placed a great deal of emphasis on work/life balance. This encouraged us five years ago to move to a purpose built eco-centric wooden barn with solar energy and green appeal at the forefront of our work space. We even aim to reduce our carbon footprint by encouraging our clients to interact fully via Skype, WhatsApp, and GoToMeeting instead of car journeys. The majority are happy to do that without question.

What do you see as the main challenges for PR companies in the upcoming years? And what challenges do you see for your clients?
PR comes in all shapes and sizes, with so many companies offering – especially to musicians – a world of success being just ‘a touch of the button away’. More and more what clients of all types – whether music or startup entrepreneurs – desire is clarity, realism, passion and integrity. The increase in a belief that fame or success can be easily attained within weeks is perhaps the greatest challenge, explaining that real success comes over time and by working with a team who understand the spirit and emotion of the client.

The real challenge is to ‘dare to be different’ – to give those searching on the internet a real vision of why your agency is different, highlighting the imagery and the beliefs that you stand for. They can then can judge if they wish to contact you. There is a trend online of everyone looking the same, there can be a hesitancy to stand out. We have always seen ourselves as an agency that offers the variety of a high street department store, with many services on different floors, which means we have broad experience. While it makes working life exciting for our staff, it’s sometimes a little confusing for those looking into our world – one minute we are being approached by a charity, the next by a tech company, and the next by a world music star.

Can you share what you’ve learned during your time in the industry and any advice you’d give to others?
Sadly, outside of the need to keep focused and always put the client first, my life lesson in terms of running an agency stems from around two years ago when we had to handle the emotional trauma of staff who stole contact details, set up a business and left one of their ‘directors’ in place almost like a spy movie ‘sleeper cell’ for a few months and waiting until the time was right to join them in their new venture… It impacted on recruiting new staff, as we had to get a real feel for ‘trust’ again. It has made us much stronger. Inadvertently, I have become an expert on data theft and the legal process, so if anyone wants advice, let us know…

In terms of advice, it is important from a client perspective when looking at who to work with – do scratch the surface, look at who you are really dealing with. And most of all, watch out for five-star reviews on Google, Facebook, etc. Yes, I am a little cynical.

And finally, as someone who’s spent a lot of time around musicians, what’s your favourite song lyric of all time?
More a song title than a lyric – it would have to be ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith.

Find Pete and Quite Great on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and connect with top music influencers and journalists on the Vuelio Media Database.

5 tips for replying to journalist requests

July 9, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, journalism, PR PR, Press and Bloggers, JES Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Replying to journalists in the right way can be the difference between front page news and being passed over for a competitor. The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service, which is part of Vuelio, connects journalists in need of support or expertise and the right PRs who are looking to secure coverage.

With over 35,000 enquiries sent through the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service every year, we’ve picked up a few tips along the way to help you get great results from responding to journalists every single time:

1. Read the request
Take the time to understand what is being asked and craft your response accordingly. Remember, as well as a great coverage opportunity, this is also a chance to build relationships with new contacts and unlock future success.

2. Be relevant and specific
Stick to answering with material specific to what was asked for and avoid going off-topic – the more relevant your response, the better chance you have of getting coverage as a result. Completely off-topic replies are likely to get ignored, so it’s best not to spend your time on these.

3. Leave out the jargon
Don’t respond with buzzwords or acronyms and avoid technical jargon unless you can explain it succinctly. Lead with the most relevant information first, then add details or supporting points.

4. Be prepared
Make sure you’ve got any extra information on hand and that any spokespeople you’ve offered for expert comment are available.

5. Get in quick
For the best results, get your well-crafted response sent in plenty of time to beat the deadline – this not only gives you a good chance of a result but also helps the journalist out by not leaving it until the last second. Every enquiry sent through ResponseSource comes with a deadline, which is when the unique reply-to email address also expires.

Are you using the PR industry’s best kept secret? Take a free trial of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service.

Political Headlines – Trump continues to attack on the British ambassador

July 9, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Trump’s continuing attack on the British ambassador, Johnson’s vow to fix the NHS pension cap and Hammond to agree May’s legacy funding if she allows free vote on blocking no-deal.

Trump attacks British ambassador
The Guardian reports that Donald Trump has used Twitter to attack the British ambassador, saying that ‘he is not liked or well thought of within the U.S.’ and that he would ‘no longer deal with him’. He added that it was ‘good news’ that the UK would ‘soon have a real Prime Minister’. Theresa May’s spokesperson has said she had ‘full faith’ in Sir Kim Darroch, the ambassador, while The Sun has been told by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt that officials are investigating whether the leaked memos were hacked by a hostile state, such as Russia.

Johnson vows to fix NHS pension cap
The Daily Telegraph says that Boris Johnson used a hustings it organised last night to promise to ‘fix’ the pension cap which has led some doctors to refuse to work, claiming that the policy was ‘obviously wrong’. A poll by ComRes, commissioned by the paper, shows that Johnson as leader would deliver a 40-seat Conservative majority, while a Jeremy Hunt leadership would result in Labour becoming the largest party.

Hammond to agree May’s legacy funding if she allows free vote on blocking no-deal
The Times claims that Philip Hammond has told Theresa May that he would agree to fund £5bn of her demand for £27bn of education spending as part of her legacy if she agrees to allow MPs a free vote on a cross-party attempt to rule out a no-deal Brexit in October. Hammond has already signalled that as a backbencher he ‘will continue to argue against a no-deal exit’.

New report reveals £15bn ‘dementia tax’
The Daily Mail carries details of a new report by the Alzheimer’s Society which reveals that families have spent almost £15bn on caring for relatives with dementia in the two years since a green paper on social care was first promised. The society claims the current system amounted to a ‘tax on dementia’ and is calling for a £2.4bn interim dementia support fund.

Unions agree new Labour Brexit stance
According to The Guardian, Labour is to announce that it would campaign to remain in the EU in a referendum on a deal agreed by a Conservative Prime Minister. The stance follows an agreement by unions of a joint position, which also agreed that if Labour was in government, it would agree its own Brexit deal and hold a referendum, in which it would not necessarily campaign to remain in the EU.

Labour’s gagging orders aren’t valid, legal advice says
The Times says that ahead of tomorrow’s screening of a BBC documentary about antisemitism in the party former Labour staff have received legal advice telling them that the non-disclosure agreements they had with the party are not valid as they do not meet standards introduced to protect whistleblowers

Hunt and Mordaunt back ‘Veteran’s Pledge’
The Sun reveals that Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt have each backed the paper’s ‘Veteran’s Pledge’. They have agreed to end ‘vexatious historical investigations in Northern Ireland’, set up an independent department to co-ordinate support for veterans and put the Armed Forces Covenant into law.

Taxes on tobacco and milkshakes delayed
The Financial Times reports that proposals for new taxes on tobacco and sugary milkshakes has been delayed. The Prevention Green Paper was due to be published on Monday and would have proposed a levy on the tobacco industry to fund smoking-reduction measures, higher taxes on sugary milk drinks and a ban on children buying some energy drinks. It has now been delayed to Thursday, but some officials have suggested it might be delayed indefinitely.

Keep up with the political news that matters to you with Vuelio Political Services.

No. 1 Travel Blog spotlight: Hand Luggage Only

July 8, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Hand Luggage Only has once again been named the number one blog in the top 10 UK travel blogs. Written by Yaya Onalaja-Aliu and Lloyd Griffiths, Hand Luggage Only is known for its detailed destination write ups and beautiful imagery. Multi-award winners at the Vuelio Blog Awards, Hand Luggage have also recently contributed to the Vuelio white paper: Instagram Blackout.

Here, the guys told us about the dream of travel blogging, their favourite transport and the best collaborations they’ve worked on.

How do you describe what you do to other people?
This is a funny thing. It depends on who we’re speaking to. If we’re speaking with friends and peers, we will describe our job as travel bloggers. Most people understand what we do but less people understand the mechanics of how it is our full-time career.

Typically, we find it easiest to describe it as: in a similar way to magazines, we travel the world, experience places and write about it.

How do different social channel work with your blog?
Each social media channel is completely different, each with their differing audiences. No social media channel is the same, so we always treat them very differently but essentially, if we had to describe two main things we use our channels for, I guess one would be more prioritised towards real-time updates (eg. Instagram) and the other would be more towards expanding the reach of new articles or videos we have just created for the blog (e.g. Pinterest).

For us, we always see social media as an extension of our blog where we can give immediate updates on what we’re up to, what we’ve seen and experienced. Plus, it gives us ample opportunity to chat with fellow travel enthusiasts on places and to connect with a community of people who love to travel (like us).

Do you think travel blogging will be your job forever?
This is a really interesting question. For us, Hand Luggage Only is our dream – we love what we do so much and we feel so passionate about what we do.

That said, the online world is constantly changing and it’s hard to know exactly where things will be in a year, let alone a decade. We’d like to think we will be still blogging or at least running Hand Luggage Only (in whatever capacity it continues in). We’re so excited about the future and what our blog could become.

Where’s the best place for street food in the world?
Oh, this is a tough one, there are so many places! For us, it’s probably somewhere like Thailand or possibly Vietnam. Singapore is also really amazing too – the influx of different culture there makes the food scene in Singapore pretty exciting.

Which country has the friendliest locals?
Another hard one! I want to say everywhere. To be honest, we’ve never met a group of people that are unfriendly. I think a large part of that really is paying attention to the local culture and being respectful. That’s not saying there are not a few bad eggs but generally, human beings are social animals and we’ve found that to be fairly consistent across the globe.

What’s your favourite mode of transport?
Can we include a private boat with 10 bedrooms and a swimming pool? Ha!

I think it’s got to be a plane for Lloyd. Lloyd wanted to be a pilot growing up, so he loves it!

For Yaya, it’s probably just walking. There’s just something about slowly getting to see a place on foot (we also realise this is rather impractical for cross country travel…).

Do you accept press releases?
We don’t accept press releases. In our experience, it’s generally unsolicited, generic information and we’re yet to receive one that has made us think, ‘Oh, I want to act on this!’.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
We love working with Visit England, Atout France, Germany Tourism and KLM who always understand what we do and the best ways to work together. A bit further afield, Visit Florida is also great to work with. I guess the thing they all have in common is that they let you just be yourself and have experiences that are natural to you, which is just amazing to find in a collaboration partner.

What advice would you give to PRs/brands reaching out to you?
For us, it would be to always have conversations with bloggers about what they think would be best for their audience and readers. The project needs to be collaborative, not instructive. Fully formed ideas without any blogger input typically don’t account for the nuances of different audiences and generally just seem unnatural. It’s always best for this to be a two-way discussion and for the blogger to be able to have a say in what they’re creating.

What other blogs do you read?
We read lots… it’s really hard to pinpoint just a few. For us, we love a good read of food bloggers, a fair few fashion bloggers and of course travel bloggers. It also depends on the time of year as well, I guess (like winter time we’re all about food and summer is all about travel).

5 steps to more creative and effective social media campaigns

July 8, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR Club Media Monitoring, PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

This is a guest post by Ellen Morris from Billion Dollar Boy.

Effective social media campaigns are all about innovation and creativity, and the more effective your campaigns are, the more successful your business is. Here are five useful steps to create social media campaigns that achieve your business goals.

1. Listen to your social audiences
Listening to your social audiences can give you solutions to numerous problems. Most importantly, it will give you the most accurate insight into what they really want.

Social media campaigns aren’t about pushing as much content as you possibly can for the sake of measuring the effects. They are all about building the right content that will grab the attention of your consumers. This will help you build more engaging content that produces sentiment and real responses.

2. Don’t run away from experts
Consulting experts about how to improve your social media campaign is one of the most efficient ways to make the most out of your efforts. Social media marketers know everything about how this online environment works but, most importantly, how social media users behave.

They can provide extremely valuable insights into specific data that can help you understand how each particular campaign affects not only your business but your existing consumers as well as potential prospects. Take your time to read what they have to say or even talk to them and ask specific questions about how to engage with your audience even more or how to reach a wider audience with the same effort.

Following the experts in your business niche is essential to forming decisions that will help you get ahead of the competition curve and engage with your audience in the right way. This is about seeing a bigger picture and where your company stands on a broader level.

3. Work on your customer experience
A customer’s experience is everything in an online customer-centric environment. Talking to your customers and listening to them is the best way to engage with them. Run a survey and ask for their feedback. Find out what they want from your brand.

The feedback you get is valuable information that will help you determine the next best course of action. This will also help you understand how your target audience feels about your industry in general. When you know their opinion, it will be easier to shape your future social media campaigns based on that data.

4. Take creative steps and think outside the box
Social media is not anything new anymore, and users are fed up with boring, standard social media updates. When creating your campaign, you should think outside the box. Here are a few creative social media tactics that guarantee a certain level of engagement:

Create a quiz, test your audience’s knowledge about your brand or a specific product you are pushing, and offer rewards for the best participants
Create a ‘tag a friend’ contest and offer giveaways
Post ‘behind the scenes’ images and videos to further humanise your brand
Take advantage of Facebook’s reactions – for instance, you can start a poll and each reaction represents a different choice

5. Follow the right trends to reinforce your brand message
Showing the right content at the right time is a tricky business as there are many factors that determine which campaigns will excel in different moments in time.

What is popular today may not be popular tomorrow and one mistake could endanger your brand reputation. When putting together an effective social media campaign, think about how your audience responds to different content. Shift your focus to the emotional connection with your audience by presenting the right topics that resonate with their current interests.

Political Headlines – Trump attacks British ambassador

July 8, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Trump attacking the British ambassador over leaks and dozens of Tory MPs will try to stop no-deal.

Trump attacks British ambassador over comments in leaked cables
The Daily Telegraph reports that Donald Trump has attacked the British Ambassador to the USA, Sir Kim Darroch, after diplomatic cables in which he called the President’s administration ‘inept’ and ‘incompetent’ were leaked. Trump said ‘we are not big fans of that man, and he has not served the UK well’, while the Foreign Office announced that it was investigating the leak. The paper adds that the source of the leak is believed to be a senior official or minister frustrated at the civil service’s efforts on Brexit.

Dozens of Tory MPs will try to stop no-deal Brexit
According to The Times, if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister, dozens of Conservative MPs will attempt to block a no-deal Brexit. Sam Gyimah said that there were ’30-plus’ MPs looking at ways to stop no-deal through legislation or to stop Parliament from being prorogued. Some MPs, led by Dominic Grieve, will use today’s debate on power-sharing in Northern Ireland to put forward an amendment to legislation, requiring a statement to be made to the Commons in October, thus ensuring that it will be sitting.

Operations cancelled in row over pension changes
The Guardian reports that consultants have started working to rule in a row over NHS pensions, leading to operations being cancelled and cancer scans not being checked for weeks. The dispute centres on pension tax bills which could leave doctors worse off if they work longer than their normal hours, with NHS pensions expert Dr Tony Goldstone warning that ‘the pensions catastrophe is an existential threat to our NHS’.

Labour Party ‘on the brink of civil war’ ahead of antisemitism documentary
The Daily Mail claims that the Labour Party is ‘on the brink of civil war’ ahead of a BBC documentary on antisemitism in the party being screened on Wednesday. It says that the party is taking legal action to try and gag whistle-blowing staff, while John McDonnell is continuing to try and pressure Jeremy Corbyn to back a second referendum and has denied that he has also been trying to get Corbyn to sack his closest aides.

Stewart says he’ll help organise alternative parliament to stop no-deal Brexit
The Guardian says Rory Stewart has claimed that he will help to organise an ‘alternative parliament’ if the new Prime Minister attempts to prorogue Parliament in order to facilitate a no-deal Brexit. He suggested that it could be overseen by a former Speaker, such as Betty Boothroyd. He attacked Boris Johnson’s leadership skills, saying he ‘likes to be popular’.

New report warns to risk to sexual abuse survivors of bail reforms
The Times carries details of a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, which warns that changes to bail rules mean that growing numbers of alleged child sexual abusers are able to contact their victims before a trial, adding that this ‘had serious ramifications for the safety of survivors’.

Johnson to boost apprenticeships funding
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson promises more funding for further education colleges and apprenticeships. He claims that apprentices are ‘indispensable to the future of this country’, adding ‘there are far too many young people who leave university with huge debts, and no clear sense of how their academic qualification has helped their career.’

Hunt will stand up for persecuted Christians
The Guardian reports that a report by the Bishop of Truro, Philip Mounstephen, commissioned by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has called on the Government to impose sanctions on countries which persecute Christians. Hunt has committed to implement all the reports’ recommendations if he becomes Prime Minister, adding that the ‘sense of misguided political correctness that has stopped us standing up for Christians overseas must end’.

Trump’s comments might have wide reaching impact on the UK, find out what it means for you Vuelio Political Services.

LGBT Spotlight: Bread, Queer Little Family

July 5, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Queer Little Family has once again been ranked in the top 10 LGBT+ blogs. Written by Bread, the blog shares a personal journey about being queer and raising their child, Snappy. Known for being honest and direct, Bread told us about society getting worse for the LGBTQIA+ community, brands working with the community and their favourite blogs.

How do you describe what you do?
I write. I write about being a queer parent, I write about mental health, I write about being queer. I write because I love writing. It’s the only way to describe what I do, why I blog, accurately. It started and continues as a writing project more than anything else.

How do you use different social media channels with your blog?
I don’t use Twitter much for my blog, I think I need to have a bit of clean up, but I do use Facebook to post articles I find interesting or are relevant, as well as memes. I can’t resist a good meme. I use Instagram a lot too with pictures of my kid and stuff we’re doing. I was a late comer to Instagram and dead against it, and I’m still not a big fan of filters but I love it now!

Is society getting better or worse for the LGBTQIA+ community?
Worse. If you asked me six months ago I wouldn’t be saying that – but homophobic and transphobic attacks are on the increase, by 90% in some areas. People are protesting outside of schools, and disrupting the lives of kids over the fact LGBTQIA+ people exist and a book that depicts two male penguins raising a chick together, and transphobic ‘feminists’ are taking over the media with lies and scaremongering that is definitely affecting the entire community. I am pretty isolated here on the edge of nowhere, but I’ve never felt this unsafe, never felt this anxious about leaving my safe haven.

Have you ever experienced online trolling?
I dislike the word trolling, because I think it minimises what these people are doing and the effects they have on people like me. It doesn’t matter what their intention is, they are harassing people online, spreading hate and bullying people. And yes, I have been subject to that, but I’m pretty tough and don’t let it stand. I fight back. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequence.

Why are Pride events important?
For the reasons above. The increase of hate crimes on the LGBTQIA+ community, the online bullies, the media lies about transgender people. Pride is a protest and more important than ever. It’s important to stand united against hate, to show the next generation that they can be themselves, and be happy and healthy and loved.

What’s the best ways for brands to get involved without them just woke-washing?
Include LGBTQIA+ people in campaigns outside of June. Involve them in campaigns outside of one marketed to LGBTQIA+. I find not drawing attention to it, just LGBTQIA+ people just existing in campaigns without it being Pride month, or having anything to do with being queer makes all the difference. Include us on lists of blogs that aren’t just LGBTQIA+ blogs, include us in campaigns with cishet people.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
I don’t really have anything this year. I stepped back from blogging for a little while and am only just getting back into it over the last six months.

What advice would you give PRs looking to work with you?
Actually read the blog. Actually know who you’re talking to. Know what the blog is about before trying to sell your business that is so far removed from any of the topics on my blog. Stop sending me emails that are gendered. Hell, at least change your template to reflect who you’re emailing – I can’t tell you how many lazy PRs have done that recently. I will call you out and block your emails.

And be very aware that I do charge. I don’t work for free but I do donate half of everything to different LGBTQIA+ charities and Domestic Abuse charities.

Do you accept press releases?
Yes, but usually you have to tell me what you want me to do with them. Do you want me to tweet about it? Link to it somewhere? I get too many emails that tell me about something I may or may not be interested in without asking me what they want. I find it much easier if people specifically send me tweets or Facebook posts to repost/retweet.

What other blogs do you read?
LesBeMums, Papa, Eden and Me, The Milky Gay and TwoDads.U.K..

LGBT Spotlight: Sarah + Laura

July 5, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Sarah and Laura Smith are the couple behind Sarah + Laura, which has once again been ranked in the top 10 LGBT blogs. Lifestyle bloggers covering family life, travel and food, Sarah + Laura have built a loyal audience with varied, in-depth content.

We spoke to the couple about the LGBT+ community, the importance of Pride and the best campaigns they’ve worked on (other brands take note!).

How do you describe what you do?
As an LGBT family, we have a unique view of the world and our experiences can be different than others’. By sharing what we find we hope to provide awareness for other LGBT families and anyone interested in travel, raising a family, food/recipes and the random goings on in our life. Our blog started as a personal diary but is now so much more now.

How do you use different social media channels with your blog?
We engage with our followers primarily on Instagram (right now) as people seem to love our Stories, especially when we’re travelling. Our Stories drive people to our blog where we can share more details about what’s happening. Twitter and Facebook are where we share our highlights and latest updates.

Is society getting better or worse for the LGBT+ community?
That really depends – in so many ways there have been changes for the better. Awareness and acceptance is greater than ever before, nowadays there is an understanding that ‘normal’ can be many things. However, with more LGBT+ people having the confidence and courage to be ‘out and proud’ it attracts attention from people in society who may have kept their homophobic views to themselves but now feel they need to stand up against the change in society. Ultimately though, from our perspective, society has got better. We can live openly as a married couple, raising a child in a society that welcomes us and we have never experienced any negativity.

Have you ever experienced online trolling?
No.

Why are Pride events important?
Any event that brings together the LGBT+ community is important. Historically the LGBT+ community has had to fight for rights, the fight will never end until there is total acceptance of the LGBT+ community in every aspect of life, in every part of the world. Prides allow representation, support and promotion of the LGBT+ community in a very public way, and celebrate everything good about being LGBT+.

What’s the best ways for brands to get involved without them just woke-washing?
To remember that LGBT+ people exist all year and not just in June. While we appreciate the appearance of rainbows in June and are happy to support brands highlighting their support of the community, there should be clear evidence that the brand supports LGBT+ people in their workplace. In our opinion a brand shouldn’t have to actively donate money to an LGBT+ cause – but that helps. For us it is about ‘walking the talk’ – if you say you support the community make sure you actually do.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
LV= Insurance who looked at what the traditional family looks like now – this campaign felt inclusive as we were part of ‘new families’ that included LGBT+ families. Buckt (a Birmingham based experience subscription box) invited us to get to know our city in a new way. Again, we were part of a mixed review panel and our inclusion as an LGBT+ couple made us feel like the product was for everyone. We also appreciated an opportunity to visit and explore Newquay thanks to Love NQY. All the other reviewers had been ‘traditional families’ so when we were invited we were ready to show that LGBT+ families can enjoy a ‘traditional’ getaway too – in fact we are just like everyone!

What advice would you give PRs looking to work with you?
For us if we are going to work with a company we like to be able to help share what they do with our community. It’s about the experience and any opportunity for us to show that we are just a normal family is welcomed. We want our daughter to grow up accepted, to be able to see families just to like hers and to make sure she feels represented. In order for that to happen we want to normalise our relationship. Promotion and awareness will always help that.

Do you accept press releases?
Yes.

What other blogs do you read?
We have a long list of LGBT+ blogs that we read including LesBeMums, Raff Out Loud and a few lifestyle blogs such as The Londoner, Barefoot Blonde and Travel Mad Mum but spend most of our time following other LGBT+ families on Instagram.

Political Headlines – Police warning and the great place on Earth

July 5, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes former police chiefs warning about cuts, Johnson vows to make UK the greatest place on Earth, Green Part and Plaid Cymru back Lib Dems and Hunt announces plan to build 1.5m new homes for the young.

Former police chiefs issue warning about cuts
Writing to The Times, five former Metropolitan Police Commissioners claim that Theresa May has brought about the ‘emasculation of British policing’, warning that resources were at ‘dangerously low levels’ and that victims had ‘perilously low expectations’. Yesterday Sir Thomas Winsor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said that some forces were ‘straining under significant pressure’ owing to complex and growing demands, and poor resources.

Johnson vows to make UK ‘the greatest place on Earth’
Interviewed by The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson has said that he wants to make Britain ‘the greatest place on Earth’, calling on people to embrace the ‘fantastic’ opportunities he claims are posed by Brexit. He also pledges to cut stamp duty to tackle the ‘locked up’ housing market, said the UK’s ‘most important’ trade deal would be with the EU, and said he would not agree a trade deal with the USA at the cost of accepting ‘substandard’ food.

Green Party and Plaid Cymru back Liberal Democrats in by-election
The Times reports that pro-remain parties are to back a single candidate in next month’s Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, with Plaid Cymru and the Green Party agreeing to back the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds. Dodds said that the agreement was a ‘historic and courageous decision’, while Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said that stopping Brexit was in the ‘best interests of Wales’ and the principle could be applied elsewhere.

Hunt announces plan to build 1.5m new homes for the young
Writing in The Sun, Jeremy Hunt announces his plan to build 1.5m homes for the young, ‘giving a whole generation a leg up on to the housing ladder’ in order to beat Jeremy Corbyn. He would change the law with a new policy called ‘Right to Own’ under which councils and Homes England could buy land and commission building on it.

Johnson campaign funded by developers whose scheme he approved
In an exclusive, the Daily Mirror reports Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign is being funded in part by the Reubens, a family of property developers whose redevelopment of Millbank Tower he approved, amid controversy, when he was Mayor of London despite it not having any affordable homes. Len Duvall, Labour’s London Assembly group leader, said this ‘begs the question of whether this is a sign of what’s to come if he enters Downing Street’

Hunt proposes tax breaks for those who care for relatives at home
The Daily Telegraph says that Jeremy Hunt has proposed giving families who look after elderly relatives at home tax breaks, as part of a plan to fix social care. He has promised to publish a social care green paper within 100 days of becoming Prime Minister, including a 10-year funding plan, long-term saving schemes and a cap on care costs.

Gauke warns that Parliament will block no-deal Brexit
The Sun says that Justice Secretary David Gauke has warned Boris Johnson that a no-deal Brexit will be blocked as Parliament ‘will find a way’ to do so, given there was a clear majority behind such a move. He said that MPs’ recess for party conferences should be cancelled to give more time to find a deal and cautioned that Johnson would lose the next election if there was no deal with the EU.

Tories sell dinner with new Prime Minister for £300,000
The Daily Mail reports that the Conservatives used their summer party to auction dinner with the new Prime Minister for £300,000. Other lots sold at the party fundraiser included a signed photo of David Cameron and Boris Johnson, a flight in a private jet to anywhere in Europe, tickets to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a private champagne party for 100 people in central London, a hunting trip to Scotland, and chances to meet other ministers.

Domestic policy is firmly back on the agenda, keep up with Vuelio Political Services.

LGBT Spotlight: Jamie Beaglehole, Daddy & Dad

July 4, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Jamie Beaglehole is one half of Daddy & Dad, which has once again ranked in the top 10 UK LGBT blogs. What started as a means to share adoption information for same-sex parents, Jamie and partner Tom have now become a major force in the parent blogging world with sons Lyall and Richard, and have featured in national television campaigns for the likes of eBay.

We spoke to Jamie about social media (and Lyall making sure they’re on the right platforms), homophobia in society, supporting LGBT+ all year round and going mainstream when working with PRs and brands.

How do you describe what you do?
We’re Jamie and Tom, dads to Lyall and Richard. We share our family’s adventures via the Daddy & Dad blog. Our ‘no filters’ approach helps prospective adopters and young people get a feel for real-life parenting from a gay dad’s point of view. The blog and social channels became my full-time job last year. Through partnerships with global brands and publications, we aim to raise the profile of LGBTQ families; showing the world how happy, settled and thriving our kids are with their two dads by their sides.

How do you use different social media channels with your blog?
There are so many channels now! As a thirty-something dad I’m trying my best to keep up. The Daddy & Dad blog has always been our main focus and I established our Instagram as a convenient gallery to run alongside the blog. Quite quickly Instagram became its own entity with its own troupe of followers and an outlet for brand-collabs. The engagement we receive on Instagram is fast and easy to respond to. Twitter is our channel for giveaways, general chit-chat and allows me to respond to LGBTQ current affairs. We’re new on YouTube – we have a few clips on there, already attracting thousands of views. We’re also new to Facebook (believe it or not!) and we’ve been blown away by the level of engagement our page generates.

I should also mention, Lyall’s pestered us into signing up to TikTok – we’ll be trying a few things out on there in the coming weeks. Brands have an expectation that influencers are conversant with all the latest social apps and channels so Lyall’s a great resource for me!

Is society getting better or worse for the LGBT+ community?
Do you know, a couple of years ago I would say better, but now I’m not so sure. The current political climate (I won’t mention the ‘B’ word) has created a comfortable environment for homophobia. When homophobia is unchallenged by our political leaders and influential celebrities, people with extreme opinions come out and join ‘the debate’. The trouble is, there’s no debate. Prejudice against LGBTQ people is inherently wrong, whether it’s born through religious teachings, family, upbringing, peers, whatever and it has no place in the UK in 2019. Unless we have the full, explicit support of the Government and our leaders, things aren’t going to get better on their own.

Have you ever experienced online trolling?
Yes we have, I’m afraid. For example, a beautiful picture [right] of our family at Disneyland Paris during Magical Pride was distributed to international news outlets in June and went viral. In the picture, Tom and I are kissing, with the boys looking very proud of their dads. As a result, we were unexpectedly launched into the public eye. To us, it was just an ordinary family photo – one of hundreds we snapped during our Disney trip. But we received a lot of feedback, including several nasty direct messages and comments and one particularly threatening death threat that we shared across social media before reporting to the authorities. Don’t worry, we’re thick-skinned. But we do worry about vulnerable LGBTQ people on social media. Bullying is completely unacceptable.

Why are Pride events important?
As a family, we absolutely adore Pride events. The colourful people, the music, the atmosphere – everything. There’s a misconception among some people who assume Pride events are unsuitable environments for children; too sexy perhaps. But that’s not our experience at all. They’re very family-friendly; in fact you’ll find more adult content at a football match.

As mentioned before, the UK is experiencing a resurgence of homophobia, ranging from a subtle ‘why flaunt your sexuality?’ or ‘lesbian, gay, whatever – we don’t care so why keep shoving it down our throats?’ rhetoric, right through to harassment and assaults as you’ll have seen in the news. Pride events are crucial to show the world we’re here, we’re very proud of our progress and we aren’t going away. Essentially, Pride events are the direct response to people who would rather LGBTQ people weren’t visible.

What’s the best ways for brands to get involved without them just woke-washing?
So many global brands have adopted rainbow branding this year – it’s fantastic to see. But, woke-washing is a problem. Brands should make it very clear which LGBTQ cause they’re supporting and the Pride theme should follow all the way through to the branding on their website. Otherwise, customers click through to their website to find no sign of Pride whatsoever and it’s very disappointing (Marmite, take note!). I think that’s the answer – if they’re genuinely interested in showing solidarity, brands should openly collaborate with an LGBTQ charity and really throw themselves into the theme. Either way, all these lovely rainbow logos are bringing LGBTQ right into the mainstream. Temporarily, I might add!

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
As a family we’ve been very lucky to work on several national campaigns with some huge brands. Every single one has provided an incredible experience so it’s very difficult to pick a favourite. We featured in our own Christmas TV and radio campaign with eBay – that was our first big TV job. In February we interviewed the stars of The Kid Who Would Be King movie – that was incredible!

We joined Mo Farah’s family in a home-cleaning challenge for Mr Muscle in April. In May we reported from Magical Pride at Disneyland Paris – Disney’s world-first official Pride event. In June we took part in ‘Screen Free Fathers’ Day’ with Vodafone. During all this we’ve also been visiting and reviewing the country’s top theme parks. We’ve been very busy! I guess if we had to pick a favourite, Disney’s Magical Pride was utterly wonderful, and we’ve never felt prouder of our family.

What advice would you give PRs looking to work with you?
We love working with brands on family-friendly campaigns. Same-sex families are under-represented in the blogging world and in mainstream media so we’re aiming big. While we do work with brands like Disney on LGBTQ content, our mission is to be considered a mainstream parenting blog and a resource for brands who want to feature a happy, active family in their campaigns. The fact we’re two dads should really become less important as time goes on. If you’re a PR and reading this, we’d love to hear from you – please do get in touch!

Do you accept press releases?
We do, yes. We’re especially interested to hear about family-friendly events, movie releases, father-and-son fashion and theme park attractions.

What other blogs do you read?
Parenting blogs, mainly! We’re friends in real-life with loads of lovely bloggers (through events like the Vuelio Blog Awards and Dadcon) and we try to read them all. We keep up with LesBeMums and their days out around the south coast. We follow The Dadsnet and Dadblog UK for tech reviews. Howeydon is our fashion guru! We also read Nige’s blog DIY Daddy for his mental health and DIY musings. Our favourite new blog this year is Two Dads in London.

Political Headlines – Hunt backs fox hunting and Labour support at record low

July 4, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Hunt’s pledge to back fox hunting, Labour support at (joint) record low, Johnson announces plans for 20,000 more police officers and the Foreign Office has summoned Chinese ambassador over criticism.

Hunt pledges to back the legalisation of fox-hunting
Jeremy Hunt has used an interview with The Daily Telegraph to back the legalisation of fox-hunting, claiming that it is ‘part of the countryside’. He also told the paper that if he became Prime Minister Boris Johnson would be given ‘a very important Cabinet job’ while MPs’ summer recess might be cancelled to ensure that all the legislation needed for a no-deal Brexit was passed. Writing in the paper, he argues that he is better placed than Johnson to defeat the ‘clear and present danger’ posed by Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour support at record low in new poll
A poll conducted by YouGov for The Times has found that support for Labour is at its lowest in polling history, with just 18% of voters planning to vote for the party. The Conservatives are 24%, the Brexit Party is on 23% and the Liberal Democrats are on 20%. The paper adds that Jeremy Corbyn met Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to discuss its story about civil servants raising concerns about Corbyn’s health, with Labour claiming that the meeting was ‘frank and detailed’ and that there will be an ‘independent element’ to the investigation.

Johnson announces plans for 20,000 more police officers
The Daily Mail reports that Boris Johnson will today promise to put 20,000 new police officers on the streets within the next three years, at a cost of £1bn a year. Johnson said that ‘soaring crime levels are destroying lives across the country and we urgently need to tackle this’, while the plan has been borrowed from former leadership candidate and Home Secretary Sajid Javid, adding to speculation that he may be made Chancellor by Johnson.

Foreign Office summons Chinese ambassador over criticism
The Guardian says that the Foreign Office has summoned the Chinese ambassador, Liu Xiaoming, to accuse him of making unacceptable criticisms of the UK. He had used a press conference to claim that remarks by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt about the protests in Hong Kong were ‘interference’ and that there would be ‘consequences’ going further.

Lords call for £8bn to be spent on social care
The Financial Times carries details of a new report by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, which calls on the Government to spend £8bn on social care immediately in order to fix what it calls a ‘national scandal’. It says that the system is ‘severely underfunded’ and that 1.4m adults cannot access adequate care, adding that the Government should publish a white paper containing ‘clear proposals for change’.

Supermarkets back simpler recycling labels
The Daily Telegraph reports that representatives from the supermarkets Iceland and Waitrose yesterday told the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee that the Government should introduce legislation to simplify recycling labels on packaging so that it is easier for consumers to understand.

Osborne considering running to be IMF head
The Times reports that George Osborne has told friends that he is considering campaigning to be the next head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) now that Christine Lagarde, the incumbent, has been appointed as the head of the European Central Bank (ECB). To succeed, he will need to be nominated by the new Prime Minister, while his allies believe that his main rival is likely to be Mario Draghi, the outgoing ECB head.

Gauke attacks ‘populist politicians’
The Guardian says that Justice Secretary David Gauke used his speech at the annual judges’ dinner in the City of London to attack ‘populist politicians’ who tell people what they think they want to hear, contrasting judges’ fact-finding with those ‘who pour poison into our national conversation’. The paper says this will be seen as a ‘veiled attack’ on Boris Johnson.

The Tory leadership race is all about headlines now – but who will win? Find out with Vuelio Political Services.

Understanding influence in an Instagram blackout

July 4, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger Press and Bloggers, Media Database, PR, Blogger Database Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Instagram is currently experimenting with hiding engagement statistics including follower numbers and likes on individual posts. Its aim is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of users by removing competition and the negativity that surrounds people comparing ‘success’ in terms of reach.

These changes will also have a significant impact on the influencer marketing sector by fundamentally changing how influence is measured online.

To understand the implications, Vuelio has published its latest white paper: Instagram Blackout – How invisible stats will change the world of influencer marketing.

This opens with an introduction from the influencer marketing expert, Scott Guthrie who explains exactly what Instagram is changing and outlines what else could happen in future. We then hear from leading bloggers, vloggers and influencers from across our network to understand what they think the impact will be.

Giving the content creators’ view are Victoria Magrath of Inthefrow, Jo Middleton of Slummy Single Mummy, Jade Joselyn, Hand Luggage Only’s Lloyd and Yaya, and Craig Landale of Menswear Style.

The paper also includes PR thought leaders who represent a wide range of brands. They include Jo Bromilow, digitial and social media strategist at Publicasity; Sarah Evans, senior digital strategist at Bottle; William Soulier, CEO and co-founder of Talent Village; and Dan Stobbs, head of social media at BlueSky PR.

What’s clear is that both content creators and PRs see positives in the steps taken by Instagram above all in that it will keep focus on the need for strong relationships and creativity rather than vanity metrics to successfully build influence online. However, there are also concerns, particularly around the blackout’s broader effect on Instagram’s transparency.

Ultimately, there is agreement it heralds a new era in how Instagram will be used that could prompt other social media platforms to review their user guidelines and take similar action. We watch this space with interest on what happens next.

The Instagram Blackout white paper can be downloaded here.

And if you need help understanding influence and how to build relationships with bloggers, vloggers, journalists, editors and broadcasters or MPs, council staff and politicos – find out how Vuelio can help.

Political Headlines – Boris to review sin taxes and May warns of no-deal risks

July 3, 2019/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s political headlines includes Boris to review sin taxes, May warns of no-deal Brexit risks, McDonnell tells civil service to prepare for a Labour Government and Hunts says no deal could cause historic damage.

Boris to review ‘sin-taxes’
The BBC reports Boris Johnson has said he will review taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar to see whether they are effective, and that he will not introduce any new ‘sin taxes’. Johnson said these sorts of taxes disproportionately impact the finances of those on lower incomes. The Times suggests that Johnson has split his campaign by adopting this stance as the policies have been championed by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, who is one of his supporters.

May to warn of no-deal Brexit risks to union
The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May is to make a speech in Scotland on Thursday, announcing a review of devolution to be led by Lord Dunlop and warning of the risk to the union posed by a no-deal Brexit. She will call for the UK Government to have a higher profile in Scotland in order to ward off the threat of independence.

McDonnell tells civil service to prepare for a Labour Government
The Times says that John McDonnell is to call on the civil service to prepare both for a Labour Government and for a second referendum, with Corbyn to request formal talks when he meets Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to discuss a report in The Times that some civil servants believe that Corbyn is not well enough to do the job.

Hunt says no deal Brexit could cause as much damage as financial crash of 2008
The Sun reports on a warning from Jeremy Hunt that a no deal Brexit could cause as much damage to the economy as the 2008 financial crisis. Hunt feels as though the fallout from a no deal would be very serious. This came after Philip Hammond said the Government warned that a no-deal Brexit would lead to a £90bn hole in the public finances.

Ellie Reeves to face possible deselection
The Guardian report s that Ellie Reeves, Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge, is facing a possible deselection attempt after she signed a statement criticising the readmission of Chris Williamson. A member of the CLP has emailed its chair to request a motion of no confidence in Reeves. As Reeves is 22 weeks pregnant, it is understood that the motion of no confidence would not take place while she is on maternity leave.

Johnson says he’d ‘love’ a bridge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK
The Daily Mail has said that Boris Johnson used a hustings of Conservative members in Northern Ireland to say that he would ‘love’ a bridge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. He accused the EU of ‘moral blackmail’ over the Northern Ireland backstop and claimed that concerns about a no-deal Brexit were ‘wildly overdone’.

Over a dozen Labour MPs would now back May’s Brexit deal
The Sun claims that senior Labour backbenchers have claimed over a dozen of the party’s MPs would now back Theresa May’s Brexit deal, with Lisa Nandy publicly announcing that she would now vote for it. John Mann claimed that up to 30 Labour MPs would back it or abstain if it was put to the vote again.

Field calls homeless charity ‘magnet for undesirables’
In an exclusive, The Guardian reports that suspended minister Mark Field described a homeless charity in his constituency, The Passage, as a ‘magnet for undesirables’. The Big Issue Foundation said this use of ‘pejorative terminology to describe marginalised people’ was unacceptable, while Field claims he was ‘reiterating in verbatim form the strength of local opinion’.

What are the sin taxes and why do they matter? Find out with Vuelio Political Services.

LGBT+ Spotlight: Justin Myers, The Guyliner

July 3, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Justin Myers has once again been ranked number one in top 10 LGBT+ blogs with The Guyliner. Covering a huge range of LGBT+ issues, as well his incredibly popular Guardian Blind Dates reviews, Justin is also a freelance writer and can be found in many of the nationals.

We caught up with Justin who told us about his blogging and community, the LGBT+ community and trolling online, brands earning their rainbow and how he works with PRs.

How do you describe what you do?
I’m an author, writer and journalist who writes about dating and relationships, LGBTQ issues, popular culture and the kind of world we live in today, on my own blog and in national newspapers and magazines. I use my own experiences, in a way, to explore things happening in society – either to make sense of them or just, you know, talk them out.

I’m told a lot of what I do is expressing things other people are thinking or feeling. Maybe they don’t have the platform or means to articulate them, or didn’t even know they had a strong opinion on something until they read someone else’s. A lot of responsibility comes with this, as not everyone uses the kind of reach I have for good.

Oh, and I also write funny stuff, writing satirical, but hopefully also thought-provoking, analyses of the Guardian’s Blind Date column. I can do light and high, or I can do dark and low, and I enjoy both the same. I make people laugh and I make people think and each is as important as the other.

How do you use different social media channels with your blog?
My main home as The Guyliner is on Twitter. I have a very engaged audience there and I guess that’s where my, um, personality – if you can call it that – has been cultivated. There is nothing more boring than tweeting nothing but links to your own work, though, so amid all the promo I still tweet whatever pops into my head, whenever. Twitter can be a good way of sounding out or formulating ideas – it’s a good testing ground for me.

Instagram is trickier because I’m very much about the words, but I do have a solid audience there who enjoy interacting. It’s good to share books I’ve been reading, products I’m sent, or events I’m invited to – things that would be more interesting visually. And if someone happens to say I look cute in a picture, despite all evidence to the contrary, who am I to argue?

Facebook is mainly a promotional tool, but I have some loyal, engaged readers there too.

Is society getting better or worse for the LGBT+ community?
Peaks and troughs. It’s one of those cruel tricks, isn’t it, that it’s like a payoff – for every bit of progress, something else is taken away. I’m concerned and horrified by the open, brazen transphobia I see in established media, coming from people I had assumed knew better. I know there are plenty of LGBTQ+ people young and old still facing abuse daily. The laws have changed, some attitudes have too, but sometimes the progress feels glacial. I’ve written some very popular pieces on The Guyliner about homophobia in the last year that have shown it’s still a huge problem. The LGBTQ+ community can have this reputation as some kind of permanently warring faction of attention-seekers, but I am cheered by the largely positive relationships I see between the distinct groups. We’re all very different, but I do like how we speak up for one another. Things will get better if we pull together, I guess. I hope so anyway – we need to move forward.

Have you ever experienced online trolling?
I’ve usually been quite lucky that, I guess, I’ve never been much of a controversialist so to have a visceral reaction to something I’d written would be quite odd. That said, yes, some online commenters have said threatening or hurtful things about me. I’m sad to say this is usually from straight people who object to my having a platform to discuss issues that may force them to adapt their lives in some way, especially if I’m using an ostensibly straight platform – my column for GQ, for example – to say it.

Someone once said people like me should be murdered; I mean, where am I supposed to go with that? This was large as life, on Facebook, with their real name and a profile photo visible. They just don’t care. I can either let it drive me mad, or I can move on and think of something else. I’m working on the moving on part. Writing helps.

Why are Pride events important?
It depends who you are. They’re important for LGBTQ+ visibility, to normalise our existence for people who may not wish to admit that. ‘Normalising’ something doesn’t mean making it boring, or acceptable to a straight person, or fit in with the traditional long-held default. It’s about changing that default. We exist. It’s a statement of intent: this is your world but today, at Pride, it’s ours. And for the community itself, of course, it’s even more important.

That should be the number one focus. For people of any persuasion worried they might not belong, they may be able to come to Pride and find someone like them. And even if they can’t, or they’re not sure they belong, then Pride should encourage and comfort them that you can still be celebrated, should you wish to join in. Pride is an invitation, an option – it’s not the only way, but it can be a good place to start.

What’s the best ways for brands to get involved without them just woke-washing?
Talk to LGBTQ+ people about what they need, what’s lacking, how they want to be celebrated or assisted. Brands should ask themselves if they are truly amplifying and elevating LGBTQ+ voices and stories. Is there a tangible good? And also, make very transparent what percentage of your proceeds for your Pride-themed product is going back into the community. If it’s not 100% of profits – for that particular product, service, or special edition during a particular timeframe – I would… be disappointed. Earn your rainbow.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
I’ve recently done some work with a global health company on an HIV education campaign, which was great fun, and involved shooting some videos dressed as a mechanic, alongside iconic Irish drag artist and activist Panti Bliss and some leading influencers. It’s called My HIV My Rules [pictured] and should be going live over the summer.

What advice would you give PRs looking to work with you?
I say no to almost everything so it will have to be really good! I am very protective of my audience and know what they expect from me – they trust me. So I guess I would say to any PR, please do some research on what I’m about – and have been for the last nine years – and if you think my voice and reach would be useful, get in touch. I get a lot of offers of stats-based pieces from research commissioned by a brand unrelated to the subject – casinos doing reports on dating, for example – but that’s not what I’m looking for. Genuine, surprising, shareable, useful, evocative – it needs to hit at least two of those to be considered.

Do you accept press releases?
I prefer only direct, targeted communications for my work as The Guyliner.

What other blogs do you read?
I read blogs about music, grooming, fashion and popular culture, and stuff by other LGBTQ+ writers, of course. My preferred way of finding this content is through Twitter or Instagram. I think it’s best I don’t play favourites, so I’d better keep which ones to myself!

LGBT+ Spotlight: Kate Everall, LesBeMums

July 3, 2019/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

LesBeMums has one again been ranked as one of the top LGBT+ blogs in the UK. Following authors Kate and Sharon’s journey to have a child, seven years on and they now cover life as same-sex parents as well as everything you’d expect from an excellent family blog.

We spoke to Kate about whether society is getting better or worse for the LGBT+ community, how brands can work with LGBT and Pride without ‘woke-washing’ and her favourite blogs to read.

How do you describe what you do?
We are very much bloggers as opposed to ‘influencers’, although at the moment blogging is still a hobby for us. That being said, we still take our platform seriously and respect those that follow us, so we always try our best to make decent and relatable content! As a same sex family, we are still under-represented in so many areas, so it is our job to raise awareness and increase visibility. I’d love to see more equal representation and, one day, see more bloggers using diversity clauses in their contracts so that there’s more encouragement for brands to be more diverse in mainstream advertising and brand work.

We would be doing our son a disservice if we didn’t at least try fight our backsides off trying to make sure he’s represented at least somewhat in society.

How do you use different social media channels with your blog?
A lot of the time we use social channels to promote our blog, however over the past year or so we’ve been using it to engage with our audience a lot more and have the conversations that perhaps a blog cannot offer.

Not only that, we’ve also been using the ’embed’ feature a lot more – especially with Instagram. Embedding an Instagram image or tweet creates an easy link to your channel, and from a brand’s perspective if they’re thinking of working with you, it can also show how well a post has done and how interactive your audience are.

Is society getting better or worse for the LGBT+ community?
Gosh, what a question! On one hand, huge steps are being made if you think about a couple of recent television adverts (Gillette and McCain Chips spring to mind, where members of the LGBTQ+ community are featured) or the time Will Young read a children’s bedtime story about Two Dads on Cbeebies, but on the other hand we’re also having countless MP’s weigh in on whether or not children should be “exposed” to families like mine in Primary school as part of their teachings on the Equalities Act. On top of that, there has been an 81% increase on hate crime against the Trans community!

So whilst I think as a society people are becoming more informed and accepting of us as a community, I think recent events have led to a small, although very vocal and powerful, minority being given a platform to share their “opinions” as legitimate debate – and that’s not ok. More needs to be done as I fear we’ll slowly move backwards.

Have you ever experienced online trolling?
Thankfully not (touch wood) but I have witnessed some horrendous bullying (because that’s what it is at the end of the day) and it’s awful to watch as you feel completely helpless. To be honest, I do expect it being a member of the LGBTQ+ community and an outspoken one at that, so I’m surprised it’s not happened.

Why are Pride events important?
Where do I start? Pride is, first and foremost, a protest to amplify the inequality that still happens for us as a community around the world. Even though we may have a lot of equal rights here in the UK now, leading to people questioning why we still need Pride, there are dozens of places in the world where it is very much legal to kill someone for being LGBTQ+ and we as a community need to remain united against this and speak for those who cannot.

Pride is also a chance to break barriers, increase our visibility as a community, and generally celebrate who we are and proudly. If we don’t, who else will?

What’s the best ways for brands to get involved without them just woke-washing?
*Googles ‘woke-washing’* Ah Yes! I could speak about this all day. I’m so tired of having our rainbow appropriated for a brand’s profit without giving anything back, and this year I challenged a lot of brands on their use of our rainbow for their ‘Pride’ collections. It felt good, and I think more people need to hold brands accountable when their ‘ally’ status is clearly seasonal.

Despite what brands think, it is so easy to be a genuine ally during Pride season. Donations to LGBTQ+ charities are obviously the best way to start, especially if you’re selling ‘Pride’ related items. Internally, make sure your policies on discrimination are up to scratch and that you have an inclusive workforce. Long term, make sure you are vocal with your support for our community and challenge discrimination – there’s nothing worse than a company bringing out rainbow themed items while at the same time being associated with anti-LGBTQ charities, organisations or businesses. Lastly, be inclusive all year round! Society is no longer made up of white, straight, middle class families – so make sure your advertising represents this.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
The most memorable campaigns and collaborations are always ones that have treated families like mine equally and not as a token (we can smell it a mile off).

One of our favourites still is our yearly collaboration with Camp Bestival. Not only is the PR team behind the festival inclusive, but they’re open to conversation – something many PRs still aren’t willing to do. The festival itself this year is one of the most diverse I’ve seen and I’m really excited to be a part of that.

What advice would you give PRs looking to work with you?
Don’t just include or invite us because you feel you have to, include us because you want to. We get a lot of emails – especially during Pride season – asking us to promote XYZ or be a part of a Pride-related promotion, but we are quick to realise when we’re being used as their token diverse family, because we’re quite often the only diverse family invited or there’s radio silence from that PR the rest of the year!

I’d love to one day be part of a team or ambassadorship where families like mine or those of different colour are the MAJORITY!

Do you accept press releases?
We do, as long as there’s a person at the other end of the release and we haven’t been addressed as ‘Dear <unknown>’!

What other blogs do you read?
As expected, we read quite a few LGBTQ blogs – especially ones that talk about LGBTQ culture and history – but we also enjoy reading travel blogs, as well as family blogs with children around the same age as our son.

Our favourites at the moment are: Meet The Wildes for their photography, All The Joie for their family and food updates (I frickin’ love watching Danielle cook on Instagram!) from across the pond, Snapshots & Adventures because they’re local to us and I love following their recommendations, and Sareta Fontaine who is still a new find for me, but I love their colourful and eclectic style of posts.

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