Blog Posts - Vuelio

Political Headlines – Facebook’s fine, Tory resignations, troops to Afghanistan and Trump/BoJo

July 11, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines includes Facebook’s fine, Tory resignations, more troops to Afghanistan and the Trump BoJo friendship.

Facebook given maximum fine for Cambridge Analytica scandal
The Guardian reports that the Information Commissioner has announced that it will fine Facebook the maximum possible – £500,000 – for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Elizabeth Denham, the Commissioner, said if the penalties introduced by the GDPR had been in place, the fine could have been hundreds of millions of pounds. Facebook has said that it is ‘reviewing the report’ and will respond soon. An enforcement notice has been filed against Aggregate IQ, which the investigation found had ‘significant links’ to Cambridge Analytica.

Tory vice-chairs quit over Brexit plans
The Daily Telegraph says that two vice-chairmen of the Conservative Party have resigned over Theresa May’s Brexit plans. MPs Maria Caulfield and Ben Bradley described the Chequers agreement as the ‘worst of all worlds’ and warned that it would lead to ‘Prime Minister Corbyn’. A cabinet minister has told The Times that he expects the compromise to be voted down by the House of Commons in the autumn.

May to announce that 440 more troops will be sent to Afghanistan
According to the BBC, Theresa May will use the NATO summit to announce that the UK is to send 440 more troops to Afghanistan, taking total UK troop numbers to 1,090. May said that the deployment will help to deliver ‘stability and security’. The Times adds that the Prime Minister is not expected to produce a funded plan for the military at the summit, despite pressure from Donald Trump.

Trump hints at meeting with Johnson during UK trip
The Times reports that Donald Trump has hinted that he would like to speak to his ‘friend’ Boris Johnson during his trip to the UK later this week, describing him as ‘very supportive’. The US President also claimed that the UK was in ‘turmoil’ and suggested that his meeting with Vladimir Putin might be easier than that with Theresa May.

Labour appoints anti-Semitism row MP as shadow equalities minister
The BBC says that Labour has made Naz Shah a shadow equalities minister, despite her having previously made anti-Semitic comments. Shah lost the parliamentary whip in 2016 after posts by her on social media which she admitted were anti-Semitic were discovered.

Hancock received £32,000 from thinktank that proposes scrapping the NHS
The Daily Mirror reports that the new Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock accepted donations totalling £32,000 from Neil Record, chair of the Institute of Economic Affairs whose head of health and welfare wants the NHS to be privatised. He also received a £5,000 donation from Gurdev Dadral, director of a private nursing agency.

Government draws up plans to stockpile food for ‘no deal’ Brexit
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals that ministers have drawn up secret plans to stockpile processed food and medicine in a bid to convince the EU that the UK is prepared for a ‘no deal’ Brexit. The paper adds that the Government will start to announce its contingency measures in the coming week.

MPs to debate ‘sanctioning’ McVey
The Daily Mirror says that Labour is to lead a debate on ‘sanctioning’ Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey by cutting her salary to zero for a month. The move forms part of a motion of censure in the House of Commons following McVey’s admission that she misrepresented a report on universal credit by the National Audit Office.

Political news too chaotic to follow? Find out how the Vuelio Political Services team can make your life easy.

AI will be a key ally for PRs and communicators says Joanna Arnold CEO of Access Intelligence

July 10, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Technology, PR News Political Services, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

We know one of the greatest challenges for PRs and communicators is getting an up-to-date and informed 360 degree view and perception of the brands they work on. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will help with this, but it will also do so much more for communicators, writes Joanna Arnold, CEO of Access Intelligence, the parent company of Vuelio.

How do you cope with all the external and internal information available to build this picture? In real time?

You need as much relevant data as possible but too much unfiltered, or uncontextualised, information hinders good – and timely – decision making. Particularly when you are at the centre of a media storm.

Imagine being at the centre of the turmoil surrounding TSB at the moment. A severe IT failure – and ongoing problems – has angered UK consumers and investors, and left TSB CEO Paul Pester facing some difficult questions. How can he and his advisers manage the bank’s reputation, and his own, by keeping on top of the latest news as the story continues to unfold?

This is not just a consumer story, of course. What are the 8,500 or so UK staff at TSB thinking and feeling, let alone saying, on social media? There are the views of regulators and the Government to consider too.

To plan for, react to and predict the right way to deal with stories like this, you need to know which influencers are receptive to your messaging and content. And those who are hostile. Or likely to be. And are those influencers capable of affecting your, or your client’s, reputation with your key audiences and stakeholders?

You also need to filter out the wrong information – from irrelevant stories to fake news – and all of this should be available as quickly as possible through a single accessible platform.

Ultimately, you need actionable intelligence to be effective.

And this is where AI comes in. AI sits at the heart of the solution as a powerful way of contextualising and filtering excessive unstructured data.

It can help you react fast to existing issues, find key stakeholders aligning with strategic topics quickly and can help you identify emerging topics and future opportunities and challenges through correlating events and patterns.

Media monitoring is a great example of this. It’s a crucial tool in the communicator’s armoury requiring the consumption, analysis and contextualisation of information from virtually everywhere – not just the media. At Vuelio, monitoring covers all the activity from the UK Parliaments, Government departments and the wider stakeholder community. AI has a massive role to play here – what’s more, it is only just starting to fulfil its potential.

But, of course, AI can help further. It will take on the burden of contact management – whether you are talking about stakeholders, journalists or clients – and boost relationship management in almost every dimension.

Just think about the benefits of true integration, as profiles are enriched by information and feedback from the rest of the platform, your ongoing activity and its impact on key audiences. All of this will give communicators actionable, real-time intelligence based on a filter of the world’s millions of news sources and publications.

In short, AI – particularly machine learning – will help us not only react to what has just happened, or been published, Tweeted or Instagrammed, it will help us plan what we should be doing next.

Ultimately, this should enable more effective strategic decision-making and gives us the potential to create truly predictive PR and stakeholder strategies.

It’s all about intelligence, and not just the artificial kind. If your relationship management platform is hyper-targeted and contextualised, you will start to get real-time global intelligence at scale and enhance your role. Think of the power and opportunity you will then have at your fingertips.

If we don’t allow the exciting possibilities of AI to help us – as communicators – keep on top of a rapidly changing world, how will we ever keep up with the present, let alone enter the future with confidence?

The CIPR is doing a great job presenting the power of the possibilities new technology offers, but, to realise them fully, more of us need to learn to love AI.

Joanna Arnold is the CEO of Access Intelligence, which owns Vuelio, the leading provider of software for communications, public affairs and stakeholder engagement, and owner of the annual Vuelio Blog Awards, which takes place on November 30 2018. Joanna joined Access Intelligence in December 2008 and has completed three acquisitions and two funding rounds with the business.

This is an edited version of Joanna’s blog post on AI and PR which was first published on Steve Waddington’s blog.

Webinar: Diversity in Comms

July 10, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR News PR, Comms Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

The PR and communications industry is not diverse enough – we lack professionals from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background at every level in every area of the country. How can we tell stories to the public if we don’t truly represent them?

The PRCA Census 2018 revealed that while 86,000 people are working in the PR and communications industry, 78% of those (nearly 68,000) are white British, and 89% are white. No other ethnic grouping makes up more than 1% of the industry. these statistics are surprising considering a majority of the industry is based in London, which is around 60% white.

The PRCA’s charity of the year, the Taylor Bennett Foundation, is trying to improve diversity in our industry, making it a more viable option for BAME graduates and creating opportunities with its training and mentoring programmes. We are delighted that for our next webinar, Diversity in Comms, we will be joined by Foundation alumnus Kuldeep Mehmi, who will tell us his own story of encouraging diversity in the industry and what we can all do to improve it.

Kuldeep, a director at FTI Consulting, has been working with other alumni after his graduation from the Foundation to improve diversity for the benefit of all.

The webinar takes place on Wednesday 18 July at 11am (BST). Sign up here, to hear how Kuldeep has worked his way to the top and learn:

How diverse our industry truly is and why diversity matters
What the Taylor Bennett Foundation is doing to promote diversity and how you can help
How we can change attitudes to improve the PR and comms industry

If you’d like to ask a question before the webinar, you can tweet us directly @Vuelio and we’ll get through as many as we can!

Christopher Satterthwaite appointed Chairman of Access Intelligence plc

July 10, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Technology, PR News, Communications PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Access Intelligence plc, a leading supplier of Software-as-a-Service solutions for communications and reputation management, and owner of Vuelio, has appointed Christopher Satterthwaite, the former Chime plc chief executive, non-executive Chairman. He takes over from Michael Jackson, who will remain on the board as a non-executive director, on 1 September 2018.

Satterthwaite spent 15 years as chief executive at Chime where he remains a non-executive director. During Satterthwaite’s tenure as chief executive, Chime grew operating income from £54m (in 2003) to £246m in 2016. In 2015, he oversaw the sale of a majority stake in the business to Providence Equity Partners for £374 million.

He was also the senior non-executive director at Centaur Media plc and former Chairman of the Marketing Society and The Roundhouse. He became a CBE in 2017 for services to the arts.

Satterthwaite said: ‘I’m delighted to be joining a market-leading company in this sector at such a dynamic time in media, politics and communications. Reputation management is more important to business success than ever and technology is transforming how communications are monitored and managed.

‘Vuelio, the group’s flagship reputation management and comms platform, is supporting public relations and communications professionals through this disruption and helping them take advantage of these changes.’

Joanna Arnold, CEO, commented: ‘We are tremendously excited about Chris joining us and bringing his extensive media and communications experience to the team. He could not be better placed to help us steer the Vuelio business as we look to capitalise on further disruption in the communications and reputation management market and take advantage of numerous new opportunities.’

Political Headlines – BoJo out, May’s new cabinet, Williamson blaming Russia and Farage’s earnings

July 10, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines includes Johnson’s resignation, the first meeting of the revamped cabinet, Williamson blaming Russia for Dawn Sturgess’ death and Farage’s high earnings.

Johnson resigns, launching attack on May’s Brexit proposals
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s resignation dominates today’s papers. The Times carries details of his resignation letter, in which he asserts that the Brexit ‘dream is dying’ and that the UK is ‘truly headed for the status of colony’. The paper adds that the Prime Minister has vowed to fight a confidence vote if MPs demand her replacement. The Daily Mail adds that Johnson has faced criticism for staging photos of himself signing the letter. Lib Dem MP Layla Moran described Johnson as a ‘poundshop Churchill impressionist’ and Labour MP David Lammy accused him of being a ‘self-obsessed, vain egomaniac devoid of substance’.

May holds first meeting of revamped Cabinet
The BBC reports that Theresa May is to hold the first meeting of her new Cabinet this morning. Following the departures of David Davis and Boris Johnson, May has appointed Dominic Raab as Brexit Secretary and Jeremy Hunt as Foreign Secretary. Matt Hancock has succeeded Hunt as Health and Social Care Secretary, Jeremy Wright has taken Hunt’s role as Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, and Geoffrey Cox follows Wright as Attorney General. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused May of presiding over a ‘sinking ship’.

Williamson blames Russia for death of British woman
The Financial Times says that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has blamed Russia for the death of Dawn Sturgess, the British woman poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury. He told MPs that it was ‘the simple reality’ that her death was the result of the Russian attack on the Skripals earlier this year. According to the paper, Government officials have said that Williamson went too far in his claims.

Farage has highest outside earnings of any UK MEP
The Guardian claims that Nigel Farage has the highest earnings outside the European Parliament of any of the UK’s 73 MEPs, making between £524,000 and £700,000 from television and radio work in the last four years. The claim is made in a Transparency International report, which also shows that Farage has the seventh highest earnings overall.

Williamson establishes team to consider amnesty from prosecution for veterans
The Daily Mail reports that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has set up a team that is considering ways of preventing former soldiers from being prosecuted for historical allegations. Williamson told the Commons that the issue had gone on for ‘far too long’.

Commission recommends Government backs just one new nuclear power station
The Guardian says that the National Infrastructure Commission has recommended that the Government only backs one new power station after Hinckley Point C, suggesting that renewable energy sources would be a safer investment. The Commission recommends that by 2030 a minimum of 50% of power should be generated from renewable sources.

Gauke to announce in-cell phones for prisoners
According to The Daily Telegraph, Justice Secretary David Gauke will today announce the introduction of in-cell telephones to prisons in England and Wales at a cost of £7m. The Government says that queues for public phones in prisons are a factor in violence and fuel demand for illicit mobile phones, while improving inmates’ family relationships is a key factor in reducing reoffending rates.

New anti-terrorism laws could criminalise the ‘inquisitive’
The Guardian reports that the Joint Committee on Human Rights has warned that proposed counter-terrorism legislation would put academics, journalists and people with ‘inquisitive and foolish minds’ at risk of prosecution and receiving a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Political news too chaotic to follow? Find out how the Vuelio Political Services team can make your life easy.

Interview with You Could Travel’s Cory Varga

July 9, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Cory and Gergely Varga are the married couple behind You Could Travel, the travel blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Travel Blogs for the first time. Specialising in soft adventure, You Could Travel presents travels for everyone, no matter what your background or means. We caught up with Cory who told us about the travel blogging communities, adventures around the world and working as marketers with PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
You Could Travel is a soft adventure travel website aimed at couples. We know and understand that not everyone can travel all the time, so we want to help others tailor their travel itinerary to ensure their holiday is perfect. We make mistakes so our audience doesn’t have to. We are honest and transparent and we love recommending ways to help our audience become more eco-friendly.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
We started blogging two years ago. Blogging hasn’t change much if I’m perfectly honest. Perhaps what happened is, with time, we became more aware of our competition and over time we understood what it is like to have your blog as a business. When we started, there were very few people focusing on our niche, but now, everyone talks about ‘off the beaten track’, for example. As with every industry, it’s important to make the right predictions and stay well ahead.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
It depends as with every industry. We are part of some seriously tight blogging communities where we all help each other. We made so many friends all around the world who we continue to meet during our travels. Of course, there are other communities that are driven by rivalry. We prefer to exit those as quickly as possible as we believe there is enough room for everyone in the blogging sphere.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
Spending a few months in Japan. Our time in Japan changed our lives and drove us to become bloggers. That country is unique and beautiful. We can’t imagine anything better than living in Tokyo and enjoying a never-ending travelling adventure.

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
We flew, of course, we took the ferry, the bus, the train…I think so far, we love driving the most. It’s easy and convenient and a little more eco-friendly than flying (it might sound unbelievable, but it’s true!). Our dream is to buy a Tesla and travel the world by electric car.

What’s your scariest experience while travelling?
Luckily, we don’t have many scary experiences while travelling. We tend to be overly cautious if anything. I guess the scariest thing was when we got lost in the mountains in Tenerife and we almost missed our last bus back to the city. We had no food or water with us so we weren’t exactly prepared to camp under the stars. Looking back, it was an adventure of a lifetime.

What should PRs know about you?
We take our time to craft the perfect marketing campaign to fit their client. We always deliver the highest quality marketing material on time, no exceptions.

We have a 100% satisfaction rate and positive feedback from all our clients. We are not just bloggers, we are marketers. We worked in the digital industry as creative and technical directors for over ten years. Together, we worked with hundreds of companies in over 20 countries, so we really do know the ins and outs of the industry.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
We love working with tourism boards as the sky is the limit. Together, we usually come up with some explosive marketing ideas that actually work, especially because we understand how to properly target the right audience. In the past, we loved working with Beauty of Japan, a Japan-based company that specialises in activities for foreigners. It was the time we dressed up as an Oiran and Samurai for a day and it was incredible.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
We’ve been talking about it for so long. I think it would be great if the industry would be better regulated. I would say yes, we do need an industry association.

You Could Travel, as well as Cory and Gergely, is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Can Theresa May survive another comms crisis?

July 9, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR Club PR, Comms Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

David Davis has resigned from the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU). There is no denying this is a crisis for Theresa May, but is it a comms crisis that can be managed, or an irreparable rift in the Government?

At first look, the Government’s lead negotiator resigning just months before a final agreement is due to be voted on by the EU seems like a catastrophe for May. Davis’ resignation letter explained ‘the current trend of policy and tactics’ was making it ‘look less likely’ that the UK would leave the customs union and single market.

On Radio 4’s Today programme, which we know is hugely popular among MPs, Davis gave his first interview and said he did not believe the latest Brexit policy agreed at Chequers on Friday was workable. He added: ‘The best person to do this is someone who really believes in it, not me.’

Again, this looks terrible. But how much difference will it actually make?

David Davis has spent just four hours in negotiations with Michel Barnier this year, that’s less time than most people have spent with their kettles. In the background, civil servants have been working on the negotiations with their European counterparts but mostly there’s very little to negotiate because the Government hadn’t agree its position.

On the first point, May can appoint a new Brexit Minister swiftly – which is what she’s now done in the form of Brexiteer Dominic Raab – without any serious problems with continuity. Friday’s agreement means there is also a new position from which to negotiate, so Raab won’t really be caught up in legacy talks.

The second comms win for May was Davis’ timing. As he announced his resignation just before midnight, the front pages of today’s newspapers were already decided and the majority now won’t be able to cover the story in full until tomorrow. That means Raab has a chance to change the conversation. It also means that today’s story of Davis’ resignation is shaped by the (generally) less partisan broadcast media.

Davis may have missed the papers deliberately, which would suggest a kindness towards May and her position. Or perhaps his timing shows how fragile the Government is. Davis said on the Today programme that he did not intend his resignation as a means to bring down May, as the optimum time for that would have been after the previous election. He also said a leadership contest would be the wrong thing to do.

So, is Theresa May out of the woods?

No. While she has done everything right from a comms perspective, which is not surprising considering her track record, ultimately the Conservative party will decide her future. The 1922 Committee meets later today, and it is there it will be decided if May has had one crisis too many or if the Party can’t afford the chaos of a leadership challenge and, potentially, another general election.

Thanks to ComRes, we now know where the Tories get their news, which means we know the sources that may help to influence the party members’ decision on May’s future. The Conservatives favour Sky News, Guido Fawkes, Andrew Neil, Quentin Letts, Matthew Parris, Daniel Finkelstein and Fraser Nelson. Keep your eyes peeled.

Political Headlines – David Davis, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Carillion and electric cars

July 9, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines includes David Davis’ departure, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s warning, the Carillion report and new homes to feature electric car chargers.

David Davis quits, leaving Cabinet ‘in crisis’
The Times says that the Cabinet is ‘in crisis’ following the resignation of Brexit Secretary David Davis late last night. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Davis said that ‘the current trend of policy and tactics’ was making it less likely that the ‘mandate of the referendum’ and manifesto promises to leave the customs union and the single market could be delivered. Friend of Davis tell the paper that he has also felt ‘ignored’ by May.

Jacob Rees-Mogg warns that he’ll vote against May’s proposed deal
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that he and other Eurosceptic Conservative MPs will vote against Theresa May’s proposed deal with the EU. He accuses the plan of ‘defeatism’ and ‘managing decline’ rather than focusing ‘on the world of opportunity outside the EU’. Theresa May has also written for the paper, claiming that her new strategy is ‘necessary to move the negotiations forward’.

Report into Carillion warns of flaws in Government outsourcing
The Guardian carries the findings of a report by the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee into the collapse of Carillion. The report concludes that the Government’s ‘aggressive approach to risk transfer’ has led to companies taking on unacceptable financial risk. It also finds that the Government often does not understand risk levels and fails to recognise the level of quality being offered by different bidders.

New homes to feature chargers for electric cars
The Times reports that new homes and all new streetlights will have to feature chargers for electric cars under the Government’s plan to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is to claim that the plan will be ‘the biggest overhaul in road transport technology’ since the motorcar was developed, although the paper adds that environmentalists are likely to criticise the plan for being unambitious.

Report highlights role of defence in the UK economy
The Guardian says Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has published a report by former defence minister Philip Dunne which claims the military has ‘played an integral role in British prosperity’. Meanwhile, the BBC covers a new report by the Centre for Entrepreneurs that calls for use of veterans’ knowledge and experience to improve defence innovation.

Ofsted head to warn against minority groups dictating school policy
The Daily Telegraph previews a speech to be given to Police Exchange by Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Executive, today. She will warn that schools must not permit minority groups with a ‘sense of religious or cultural entitlement’ to influence policies on uniform or the curriculum, and say that schools should teach children about being a British citizen.

NHS needs £18bn just to fill ‘gaps’
According to analysis by NHS Providers featured in The Times, the NHS needs to spend £18bn over the next three years just to meet targets, deal with backlogged maintenance and improve staffing levels and finances. The organisation, which represents NHS trusts, said that ‘filling the gaps’ would take up ‘much if not most of the new money’.

Fallon tables amendment to prevent prosecution of Troubles veterans
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals that former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon is to table an amendment to the Northern Ireland Budget Bill today to prevent money from being spent on prosecuting British military veterans who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and are accused of murder, manslaughter or homicide during their service.

Are you notified of the biggest political news as it happens? Find out more about Vuelio Political Services.

Five Things: MPs and the media, Eddie Mair, Pride, Copyright and It’s Coming Home…

July 6, 2018/0 Comments/in Five Things, PR Pulse, PR, Media Press and Bloggers, Media Analysis, PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

This week’s Five Things includes a top story from ComRes about where MPs get their news, Eddie Mair leaving the BBC for LBC, Pride in London, Copyright law rejected in the EU (for now) and football, which is, I believe the saying goes, coming home.

1. Where do MPs get their news?

ComRes has asked 151 MPs for their favourite news sources to see where our leaders are getting their news. The BBC News Channel is the most popular news ‘programme’, followed by BBC Radio 4 and BBC 6 O’Clock News/BBC News at Ten. For Labour MPs, BBC News is the most popular but for Conservatives it is Sky News.

The Evening Standard is the most popular daily print newspaper, read at least twice a week by 45% of MPs, followed by The Times (36%), The Daily Telegraph (27%), Daily Mail (22%) and The Guardian (21%).

Online it’s a different story, The Times is the most popular site, followed by The Guardian, Mail Online and The Daily Telegraph.

In terms of blogs, it will perhaps come as no surprise that Guido Fawkes is the most popular political blogger – read by 28% of all MPs. It is far more popular among Conservatives – 50% read it – than Labour – only 5%. HuffPost is the second most popular ‘blog’, but only read by 7% of MPs (11% of Labour but no Conservatives). The rest of the list breaks down along party lines as you’d expect.

For favourite broadcast journalists – Andrew Neil is the most popular, listed by 21% of MPs as a favourite (though again, party lines means that’s 36% of Conservatives and only 5% of Labour). BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg is second on 17%, and the rest (from Peston through to Crick) all manage less than 4%.

And finally, for favourite print journalists, there’s less of a distinction among favourites; Quentin Letts tops the list being chosen by 5% of MPs, then Matthew Parris, Daniel Finkelstein and Fraser Nelson on 4%. Party lines split as you’d imagine.

2. Eddie Mair leaves the BBC

It’s the end of an era, you might say. Eddie Mair, long-time presenter of Radio 4’s PM programme, has announced he is leaving the BBC after 30 years. In a statement, Mair said: ‘I thought this was the appropriate moment to step out and give someone else a chance, before I’m so old my sentences make no lasagne.’

Shortly after the announcement, LBC confirmed Mair would be joining the station to host a new show from September. The talk-radio broadcaster continues to grow in popularity, with its highest ever listening figures recorded in May.

Despite suggestions to the contrary, Mair has explained the decision is not motivated by money, or anything to do with the BBC’s ongoing pay issues. The veteran presenter had even offered, in writing, to take a pay cut from his salary of £300,000-£350,000 a year.

3. Everybody Say Love

Tomorrow is Pride in London and to celebrate, Vuelio has published the Top 10 LGBT+ Ranking. We also spoke to a number of leading bloggers, including top spot Justin Myers, of the Guyliner, Kate Everall, one half of LesBeMums, and Jamie Beaglehole, one half of Daddy & Dad.

Also, this week, Theresa May announced an LGBT Action Plan to ‘end anti-LGBT hatred’. While it goes some way to tackle issues facing the LGBT+ community, our bloggers feel it leaves a little to be desired – Kate said: ‘It doesn’t take much research to see Theresa May’s voting history when it comes to LGBT+ rights’, and Justin said: ‘Some of these action points are just previous pledges rehashed’.

Pride was also celebrated this week with the first LGBT STEM Day, an international day celebrating LGBTQ+ people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

London magazine Shortlist has this week published its Pride issue, which required every advertiser to support Pride and have their adverts framed by a rainbow border. Other brands to get involved include for Pride include the RSPB, the Royal Mail, Senate House, Lloyds Bank, Crufts, Great Western Rail, Southbank, Lorraine and Skittles (by no means an exhaustive list).

And one final mention for DublinBus and its tear-jerker Proud Dads campaign:

4. Copyright law rejected

EU lawmakers have voted to reject changes to copyright law that would have meant tech companies had to share more of their revenues, and memes may have become extinct. The vote was 318 against and 278 for, so the battle for ‘internet freedom’ is by no means over, with a second vote due in September.

There are a number of articles in the law that have caused concern, including a ‘link tax’ where the likes of Google and Facebook would have to pay for showing extracts and snippets of publishers’ content in search results and on feeds; and the ‘meme law’ where platforms would be liable for content uploaded by users that infringed on copyright. The second one was seen, among other things, as the potential death of memes, which are often made from copyright protected material. There are a number of notable names on both sides of this argument, so expect September’s vote to start it all up again.

In a second piece of copyright-law-online news this week, YouTuber Paul Davids has been called out for breaching copyright on YouTube. Bizarrely, it’s his own content that he’s infringed, and someone else who stole his music is seen as the original creator. Paul has very magnanimously allowed the other musician to continue using his track – and thanks to this BBC article – everyone now knows the truth.

5. It’s coming home

In the UK, 23.6 million people watched England’s penalty shootout against Colombia (spoiler: England won – the first time it has won a World Cup shootout ever), making it the most-watched five minutes of television since the Olympics.

Whether you believe goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had all six infinity stones in his glove, or were just there for Gareth Southgate being a decent human being (check out #GarethSouthgateWould), one thing has been inescapable this week.

It’s coming home.

Oh wow ?????? pic.twitter.com/rozxSn8blS

— It’s Coming Home ?????????????? (@ShaunyLong) July 5, 2018

It’s coming home! ??????? #threelions #EnglandvSweden #WorldCup18 #meme #itscominghome pic.twitter.com/68zhGAjPmr

— Chris Gillen (@chris_gillen) July 5, 2018

This is the best “it’s coming home” video I’ve seen ???????? pic.twitter.com/AxsOn6m1kF

— Waz (@wazzz_r) July 5, 2018

“Gentlemen, it’s coming home. Lawrence?” pic.twitter.com/07nN5rHIn8

— Seb Patrick (@sebpatrick) July 5, 2018

Football’s coming home! It’s coming home!#England #WorldCup #Ghostbusters @Baddiel @EnglandHour @England pic.twitter.com/JQydL5Xjk6

— David John Shields (@DavidJShields) July 5, 2018

@shaunycopp It’s Actually Coming Home #Itscominghome #Eng pic.twitter.com/4XT6pvXK3P

— Tom Hampton (@superhamps) July 5, 2018

What if I told you it’s coming home? pic.twitter.com/sUjxFLkGJo

— Puppy (@puppyvybes) July 3, 2018

It’s coming home ⚽ #England pic.twitter.com/fo0AFQRuz5

— Tori ?? (@ToriSand778) July 3, 2018

Kicking off on Tottenham Court Road. It’s coming home! #ENGCOL pic.twitter.com/3DdY0LebBQ

— Jamie Murray (@JMurray29) July 3, 2018

It’s just about still coming home. pic.twitter.com/NCwuVW9aCi

— David Baddiel (@Baddiel) July 3, 2018

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Political Headlines – Brexit summit at Chequers and Trump baby will fly

July 6, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include the Brexit summit at Chequers, the Labour Party’s antisemitism code, German minister accused of putting security at risk,and the Trump baby.

Brexiteer ministers expected to confront Prime Minister during Brexit summit
The Daily Telegraph expects at least six cabinet ministers to confront Theresa May during today’s summit at Chequers, following the revelation that her proposed deal would see the UK promise to obey EU standards on many goods after Brexit, with British judges following European rulings ‘where relevant’. A leaked document also reveals that this would make reaching a trade deal with the US harder. The paper says International Trade Secretary Liam Fox appears to have withdrawn his opposition after being given ‘personal assurances’ by the Prime Minister, but Jacob Rees-Mogg has claimed that the proposal is ‘not Brexit’.

Labour Party criticised over new antisemitism code
The BBC says that the Labour Party has been criticised by campaigners and some of its own MPs for its new code of conduct on antisemitism. While the party claims that the code meets the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, critics including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Councils and MPs Chuka Umunna, Liz Kendall and Anna Turley have accused it of omitting elements.

German minister accuses EU of putting security at risk in Brexit talks
The Times claims that German interior minister Horst Seehofer has attacked EU negotiators for putting the ‘security of citizens at risk’ during Brexit talks. He made the claims in a confidential letter to the European Commission. Seehofer has caused chaos in Germany’s coalition government this week over his stance on migration.

Hammond refuses to overhaul business rates
The Daily Mail says that Chancellor Philip Hammond has been accused of ‘betraying struggling high street retailers’ after he refused to overhaul business rates. Writing to MPs, he said that he would not consider the issue until after an inquiry into taxing digital firms was completed. Former retail boss Bill Grimsey, who has written a report on saving town centres, claimed that Hammond was ‘divorced from reality’.

McVey rejects calls for a further apology
The Guardian reports that Work and Pensions Secretary Ether McVey has refused to apologise to MPs for misleading them about the progress of welfare reforms, despite being forced to appear in the Commons to answer an urgent question. She has only apologised for claiming that the National Audit Office had called for the process to be sped up.

Brexit shows dangers of global trade war, Carney says
The Financial Times carries remarks made by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney in which he warns world leaders that the UK’s economic performance after Brexit shows the dangers of deglobalisation. He warned that the imposition of further tariffs as part of an international trade war would hit global growth.

Williamson would accept amnesty for IRA terrorists in return for one for soldiers
According to The Sun, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has written to the Prime Minister to say that he would back an amnesty for IRA terrorists if this allowed former British soldiers to escape investigation over killings of civilians during the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Giant baby Trump to be flown during presidential visit
The Daily Mirror reports that Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has given permission for a giant blimp in the shape of a nappy-wearing Donald Trump to be flown during the US President’s visit to the UK next week. Strict conditions will be imposed on the flight of the £16,000 inflatable baby from Parliament Square Gardens.

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Spotlight with Top LGBT blog LesBeMums

July 5, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight PR, Press and Bloggers, Media Database Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

LesBeMums was created in 2012 by Kate Everall and her wife Sharon when they started their journey to become parents. Recently ranked second in the Top 10 UK LGBT+ Blogs, LesBeMums now posts about family life with young T, and reviews days out and family activities. We spoke to Kate about the LGBT+ community (and why the bloggers are so supportive), politics and working with PRs who understand the value in bloggers.

What makes your blog unique?
Not only are we a same sex family, but we are two mums raising a son. In a male dominated world, we have the challenging task of making sure we raise a decent man, while also making sure he is not automatically hated for his gender. We talk a lot about tackling outdated stereotypes, raising a feminist, and hitting prejudice in the backside.

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
When we first started blogging, and reading blogs prior to writing one, the LGBT+ blogging community was almost non-existent, especially in the UK. Most of the blogs we read were in Australia and the US. Because of this, we decided to start our own blog and build on that community, to make families feel less isolated and to find others just like us.

Over the years the community has grown, and I am proud to see a number of families online and being visible; from adoptive two-dad families to single gay-mum families. It’s a wonderful community to be a part of – I don’t know anything quite as supportive.

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
While the UK is moving forward when it comes to LGBT+ rights, it seems the rest of the world (especially the US) is moving backwards. One of the biggest issues I see for the LGBT+ community at the moment is religious freedom. While I respect those that believe in religion, I see no purpose for it in modern society if it means members of the LGBT community – humans – are being denied the same rights and services as heterosexual people.

Where is the best Pride event?
I’m biased when I say Brighton, but what more could you want from a Pride event? Sun, sea, and (stone) beaches. It’s a wonderful place to be during the Pride weekend, with an amazing atmosphere, and while I’d love to visit other Pride’s across the world, Brighton will always have my heart.

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
While it is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t take much research to see Theresa May’s voting history when it comes to LGBT+ rights, and as a member of the LGBT+ community I will never forgive the implementation of Section 28 in the 1980s. Therefore, I am always apprehensive when it comes to new Tory legislation. Nevertheless, I am pleased to see that the Government has listened to so many voices and I welcome any work that changes the way schools can address homophobic bullying as well as how Police can tackle hate crimes, but I want to see results (and real funding!) before I start dishing out the praise and high fives.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Being a two-mum family, we’re open to something that bit different. Not THAT you filthy animals(!), but something that may challenge gender stereotypes and norms, or even challenge what ‘family’ looks like. We would love PRs to think outside the box and be more inclusive when choosing families to be a part of a campaign. If I don’t feel represented it puts me off a product. I want to see a variety of families taking part in campaigns.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
Being a part-time blogger, I don’t often have the time to take part in massive campaigns. We’re often overlooked because our stats are a lot lower that others, but one of the biggest campaigns (for us, anyway!) to date, is collaborating with Camp Bestival. We’re still pinching ourselves to this day that they invited us to work alongside loads of other wonderful travel and family bloggers. The festival really represents us as a family, and considering we had only been once the previous year it really gave me a confidence boost that I was doing something right as a blogger. It proved to me that stats weren’t the priority or that important, but instead the interaction and engagement we got from our loyal audience during the festival was much more valuable.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Absolutely! Blogging as a business is hard work (which is why I still work full-time in a difference sector!) and it’s made even harder when either the media make a mockery of bloggers and ‘influencers’, or when PRs are still offering peanuts (and expecting a lot) for the work we produce. It’s hard to fight back when we don’t know where we stand or what our rights are.

There needs to be clear guidelines and rules like any other job role in another industry. Bloggers clearly have a purpose and a role to play, otherwise why else would 66% of marketers in 2017 use blogs as their social media content? Not to mention the money that’s now being invested into bloggers (we’re talking thousands for some).

What other blogs do you read?
Other rainbow families are always going to be at the top of our list, families like Tom & Daniel from The Unlikely Dad, Amy and Laura from MamaEdenandMe, or Kirsty and Clara from My Two Mums, but we also like reading lots of other blogs, like Nyomi from Nomi Palony and Lauren from Scrapbook Blog who each tick different boxes for me, which I love. We’ve been reading blogs a lot longer than we’ve been writing them. We love finding new blogs to read!

LesBeMums, Kate and Sharon are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

The number one LGBT+ blogger in the UK – Justin Myers

July 5, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Justin Myers writes The Guyliner, the number one LGBT+ blog in the UK. Blogger, writer, columnist and novelist, Justin uses the Guyliner to write about everything from dating advice to LGBT+ issues – and, of course, his famous Guardian Blind Dates reviews. Justin told us about the uphill battle that LGBTQ people face to be accepted in society, the joy of Pride and what it means to have a space to just be you, and why PRs need to be relevant.

What makes your blog unique?
This is a very good question but I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer it – you’d have to ask my readers. I suppose I have built up a loyal following over the years by being consistent. I speak honestly about issues and am not interested in being controversial just for a second under the spotlight.

The issues I write about resonate with people but I also vary my tone – I am lucky in that I can write about very emotive or serious subjects, and also write comic or satirical pieces, and can find an audience for both. I can’t speak for anybody else, or to a particular uniqueness, but light and shade can be hard to pull off, especially in the world we live in right now, which is one of extremes.

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
I’m proud to be recognised as an LGBTQ blogger and journalist, and there are some fantastic writers and commentators out there. I like to think we are generally supportive. Journalism can be filled with people pulling the ladder up after them but I prefer to pay it forward – I know lots of others are the same.

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
We are still oppressed. Homophobia and transphobia are still rife; it hasn’t just fallen away thanks to marriage equality. Trans people are taking a battering from the press and this is a concern, as we all know this kind of resentment filters down.

Racism toward LGBTQ people is a problem, both within and outside the LGBTQ community. Intersectionality is often dismissed by those on the outside but the fact is, being an LGBTQ person in the UK today is never just about being ‘gay’ or ‘trans’ – there are other factors affecting your life too, and most of these are about changing others’ perceptions of you, which can be fruitless and exhausting.

Youth homelessness, too: the Albert Kennedy Trust says 22% of young homeless people identify as LGBTQ and an astonishing 77 percent of them found themselves in that situation because of coming out to their parents. Again, this is about changing how other people treat us for just being, not something we have actually done wrong. The battle is all uphill but we can’t stop.

Where is the best Pride event?
I went to Stockholm Pride once and that was fun. Obviously, I live in London and that is a huge event, as is Manchester. But I think I’d like to give a shout out to the smaller UK cities who don’t have huge corporate sponsors and have a community with more diverse needs and less of a ‘scene’: Pride in Hull seems to be doing some great work, as does Edinburgh, Leeds and Bradford.

Pride can seem like a huge party in some cities – and that’s no bad thing – but in smaller towns and cities with less access to LGBTQ services, venues and general support, they can be a huge lifeline, a chance to truly be! But I couldn’t really pick between any of them – they’re all generally a force for good.

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
Any publicity for LGBTQ issues is obviously a good thing, but some of these action points are just previous pledges rehashed. The proposed ban on ‘gay conversion’ therapy made a lot of headlines, but what about the more insidious forms of conversion therapy, through religion, peer or parental pressure, or even societal norms? Society as a whole must see that all forms of coercion and conversion are unacceptable if we are to live free, happy lives.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I only talk or write about issues that I feel my readers would generally be interested in, are relevant to my or their experience, and would make sense to them. The last thing I want someone to say is, ‘Why the hell is Justin talking about this?!’ I say no to much more than I say yes. I want to talk about things that matter, or entertain, or that people will love.

Political Headlines – Brexit customs plan, hospitals missing targets, JLR’s warning and McVey

July 5, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include the new Brexit customs plan, hospitals missing targets on the NHS’s 70th birthday, Jaguar Land Rover’s Brexit warning and McVey misleading parliament.

Government reveals some details of its new Brexit customs proposal
The BBC reports that the Government has set out some details of its new customs plan, as Theresa May prepares to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel today. The ‘facilitated customs arrangement’ would allow the UK to set its own tariffs, with technology used to determine whether UK or EU tariffs would be payable on goods, and the UK would mirror EU regulations, with Parliament deciding where to deviate from them. The Daily Telegraph claims that Brexit Secretary David Davis has written to May to warn her that the plans will not work and that the EU will reject them.

Hospitals missing targets as NHS celebrate 70th birthday
An investigation conducted by The Times to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS has found that just one hospital trust met its main targets last year, with 25 out of 139 trusts failing on all three main targets – seeing 95% of A&E patients in four hours, treating 85% of cancer patients in 62 days, and offering 92% of non-emergency patients treatment in 18 weeks.

Jaguar Land Rover warns of hard Brexit impact
The Financial Times says that the Chief Executive of Jaguar Land Rover, Ralf Speth, has warned that a hard Brexit would cost the firm £1.2bn in trade tariffs and that the wrong deal would lead to the firm having ‘to close plants here in the UK’. He revealed that the company needs certainty in order to invest £80m over five years and that it has already spent £10m on contingency plans for Brexit.

McVey faces calls to resign after she admits misleading parliament
According to The Guardian, Labour and the Lib Dems are calling Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey to resign after she had to apologise for misleading parliament. She had told MPs that the National Audit Office had called for the roll out of universal credit to be sped up, but the body’s head Sir Amyas Morse said that this was a misinterpretation of its report on the programme which had actually called for a ‘pause’ in implementation.

New cybercrime court announced
The Times reveals that the Lord Chancellor David Gauke has announced that a new specialist court to tackle cybercrime and fraud is to be constructed at a cost of £300m. Gauke said that the new court would be ‘a further message to the world that Britain both prizes business and stands ready to deal with the changing nature of 21st century crime’.

Councils better at improving inadequate schools, research shows
The BBC carries details of research commissioned by the Local Government Association that shows that council-maintained schools are better at improving schools judged to be inadequate than sponsor-led academies. Changes introduced in 2016 mean that all schools found to be inadequate must now be taken over by an academy chain or trust.

Corbyn calls for bank holiday if England win World Cup
The Daily Telegraph says that Jeremy Corbyn is calling on the Government to introduce a bank holiday if England win the World Cup. Meanwhile, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock has accused the SNP of deliberately forcing votes in the Commons during England’s game against Columbia.

Mordaunt becomes first MP to use sign language in Parliament
The Sun reports that Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt made history yesterday, becoming the first MP to use sign language in Parliament. She was making a statement announcing the Global Disability Summit on 24 July, which will be jointly hosted by the UK and Kenya. Speaker John Bercow also responded in sign language.

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Interview with leading LGBT+ blog Daddy & Dad

July 4, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Jamie Beaglehole and his partner Tom write Daddy & Dad, which was recently ranked in the UK’s Top 10 LGBT+ Blogs. Covering life as a two-dad family, with adopted boys Lyall and Richard, Daddy & Dad features everything from the adoption process and the realities of parenthood to days out with the kids. We caught up with Jamie to find out more about the LGBT+ blogging community, why Leicester has the best Pride and how the blog works with PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
I started producing the Daddy & Dad blog back in 2014 when Tom and I adopted our boys, Lyall and Richard. Back then, there was very little first-hand information from same-sex adopters online.

I set out to plug the gap with stories about the reality of adoption with an honest, unfiltered approach. There are already hundreds of ‘Pinteresty’, pastel-coloured parent blogs which omit the difficult bits, so I include all the ‘bad’ bits too – sibling rivalry, soft play centres, school run tantrums, supermarket squabbles but, equally, the cuddles, fun and games we have together.

The blog’s unique because Tom, the kids and I all get involved in Daddy & Dad features and collaborations; it’s a team effort!

What’s the LGBT+ blogging community like to be part of?
I’ve been lucky enough to meet several like-minded bloggers through events and awards ceremonies, not least The Dad Network (of which I’m an active member) and their network of lovely dads. I’m also a member of a regional blogging group who meet up at PR events in the local area.

Thinking about the LGBT+ blogging community, the LGBT+ parenting niche is still fairly small so I tend to find myself rubbing shoulders with the wider blogging crowd. That said, we do get involved with the local LGBT+ community through trips to pride and the gay pub in town – the locals absolutely love Lyall and Rich!

What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBT+ community today?
There is a prevailing masculine culture that tells children that boys and girls are supposed to behave in a particular way. It leads to LGBT+ children hiding their true feelings from their friends and families. It ultimately contributes to mental health problems and suicide among LGBT+ kids.

As a gay little boy back in the 1980s myself (a dark time for gay people), I’ve experienced how insidious homophobia creeps into the classroom, usually unchallenged by teachers. Lyall and Rich are eight and nine and neither of them are aware of a single LGBT+ pupil in their whole school of 400 kids. For me, alarm bells are ringing. Why are LGBT+ kids still hiding in plain sight in 2018 when they can look forward to a happy life of marriage and kids of their own? It’s very worrying.

Where is the best Pride event?
We love local Pride events. Our favourite Pride is Leicester Pride. We take the boys along every year. Lyall and Rich love the rainbow flags, the fairground rides and the colourful people. We sing and dance to the pop groups and drag queens on the big stage and wave our flags around all afternoon.

Leicester Pride’s grown from quite a humble event into an enormous festival; this year we’re expecting around 3,000 people in the parade and over 10,000 at the festival in Victoria Park. It’s on 1 September – fingers crossed for sunshine!

What do you make of Theresa May’s LGBT Action Plan?
When Tom and I watched Justin Trudeau’s tearful apology for the wrong-doings by Canada towards its LGBTQ2 community, we wanted to swap him for Theresa May immediately. But, to be fair, she has

spoken on behalf of LGBT+ people in this action plan. So-called gay cure therapy should have been outlawed years ago – it’s torture – to be honest I’m always stunned that it exists. The PM needs to push this through quickly and enforce legal action against anybody who continues to try to cure gay people.

Tackling bullying in school? Blimey. Mrs May is going to need a lot of help. This is an issue for society as a whole. It requires full cooperation and no ambiguity, with a loud, clear, public message from politicians, influential celebrities, the media, school teachers, faith school leaders, religious leaders, parents, local councillors, everybody. I honestly don’t know how she’ll manage it, but I’ll be watching closely and doing everything I can to help.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
One thing? Oh crikey. We’re established, we have an engaged audience and we’re ready to work with you!

As a family, we throw ourselves into PR and brand collaborations enthusiastically (literally if it’s a new waterpark). The whole family gets involved – our boys had a very turbulent start to their little lives so we like to make up for lost time by enjoying all these amazing new experiences together.

What are the best campaigns or collaborations you’ve been part of?
We’ve been very lucky to attract the attention of some prestigious household brands.

So far this year, we played ‘Never have I ever’ with Pizza Express dough-balls in an unscripted TV advert – that was fantastic fun although we were more than a little nervous about what the boys might say on camera! Tom and I also appeared in the 2018 Birds Eye #Solidaritea film alongside some of the UK’s favourite parenting influencers.

We reviewed a monthly board game for Asmodee, promoted a ‘Hobbit Hole’ holiday for Campsites.co.uk in a Lake District travel feature, launched a new Lazer Quest toy, starred in our own My Magic Story books and last weekend we reviewed a beautiful penthouse apartment in Canary Wharf. And that’s just the highlights!

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I don’t know much about this, to be honest. But, I do have experience with PR work and blogging as a business. The blogging industry is unregulated and compensation for similar jobs can fluctuate drastically. I know some people expect fledgling bloggers to work for free or for the promise of exposure. I can’t think of any other industry where that kind of transaction could legally work.

As a copywriter, I tend to apply my writing rates to blogging work. Generally speaking, every collaboration or sponsored feature can be broken down into chargeable segments. Like any other business, a blogger should at least charge for the parts and labour (travel expenses, time and effort).

If everyone collectively said no to free work, or work in lieu of exposure, businesses would sit up and listen.

What other blogs do you read?
My favourite blogs tend to be relatively small and beautifully written. I love travel blog Birkenstocks and Backpacks, aspiring writer Rachel Horne’s blog Let’s Get Real, freelancing blog Michelle Abrahall, and Mush & Bean Daddies, which follows young couple Joe & Craig in the early stages of their adoption process – they’re just starting out on their own Daddy & Dad adventure!

Daddy & Dad is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Vuelio podcast with Chris Player of Playerbakes

July 4, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Podcast, Blogger Spotlight Press and Bloggers, Media Database, PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Chris Player is the genius sourdough baker behind start-up Playerbakes. With fresh bread deliveries, a weekly menu and baking classes, Playerbakes is going from strength to strength as Chris looks to grow his business organically (much like his sourdough starter).

We caught up with Chris to talk about the trials and tribulations of starting your own business from scratch and how best to use digital media – including his blog and popular Instagram account – to promote yourself online. Unsurprisingly, we also talked a lot about bread, including the health benefits of sourdough!

Check out the podcast below:

Let us know if you like the podcast on Twitter, and get in touch if you’d like to take part in a future podcast.

Political Headlines – Vote Leave, Brexit, fishing and Unite

July 4, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include Vote Leave to be found guilty of breaking electoral law, the dangers of a hard Brexit, post-Brexit fishing plans and Unite’s stance on Brexit.

Vote Leave campaign expected to be found guilty of breaking electoral law
The BBC says that it has been told that the Vote Leave campaign is expected to be found guilty of four charges of breaking electoral law. A draft of an investigation by the Electoral Commission concludes that the Brexit campaign broke spending limits and failed to obey campaign rules, but former Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliot has denied the claims.

Hammond to warn of hard Brexit dangers at Cabinet summit
The Times alleges that Theresa May has asked Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark to warn of the dangers of a hard Brexit for tax revenues and businesses when the Cabinet meets on Friday. According to The Daily Telegraph, May is set to face an ‘almighty row’ with Eurosceptic ministers, with a source telling the paper her plans were ‘a fiction designed to keep us in the EU and single market’. The Financial Times adds that May is ‘pleading’ with EU leaders not to reject her proposal, with an EU diplomat telling the paper she didn’t ‘want to be fighting on two fronts’.

Gove sets out post-Brexit fishing plans
The Daily Telegraph reports that Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove is to set out his post-Brexit fishing plans in a white paper today. The proposals would see the UK own the sea and the fish it contains for up to 200 miles from the coast, with a ‘zonal attachment’ scheme based on the distribution of fish stocks replacing EU quotas.

Unite says it is ‘open to the possibility’ of a vote on the Brexit deal
The Guardian says that Unite has issued a statement at its conference, claiming that it is ‘highly unlikely’ that Labour will back Theresa May’s Brexit deal in parliament. The union also reveals that it is ‘open to the possibility’ of a public vote being held on the deal. The paper suggests that this ‘could increase pressure on Jeremy Corbyn’ to follow suit.

NHS may offer medical cannabis ‘within weeks’
The Times claims that medicinal cannabis may be available from the NHS ‘within weeks’, following a review by Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer. Her report said that current controls on the drug were ‘very difficult to defend’. A further report on rescheduling the drug will now be produced by the advisory council for the misuse of drugs.

Home Office forced immigrants to take DNA tests
According to the Financial Times, the Home Office has admitted that it forced some foreign parents of British children seeking to remain in the UK to take DNA tests, despite this contravening the department’s own policy. After the paper informed the Home Office of the cases, immigration minister Caroline Nokes ordered an urgent review.

Corbyn tells Unite conference Labour is ‘the political voice of the working class’
The Mirror reports that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Unite’s policy conference that ‘Labour is back as the political voice of the working class’. He said that more needed to be done to ‘give a real voice to working class communities who feel they aren’t heard in politics’ and accused the Conservatives of ‘posturing’ over Brexit, putting jobs at risk.

Reports warn of Brexit’s regional economic impact
The Guardian says that two reports have found that Brexit will make people outside London worse off. Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research warns that households outside the capital will be disproportionately affected by price rises in the event of a hard Brexit. Research by Oliver Wyman found that poor areas would be worst hit as households spend a greater proportion of their income on weekly shopping and transport.

Find out how Vuelio Political Services can keep you informed of the latest political updates.

Travel story telling with top travel blog Along Dusty Roads

July 3, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Along Dusty Roads is a brand-new entry in the Top 10 UK Travel Blogs. Written by Andrew Sim and Emily Gough, Along Dusty Roads celebrates slow travel and focuses on savouring the country you’re in. We caught up with the self-confessed tea addicts, who told us how travel blogging has changed, the joy of chicken buses and working on positive PR collaborations.

What makes your blog unique?
Aside from our unrivalled ability to drink lots of tea, we think there’s a few things that make Along Dusty Roads a little different.

Our photography and travel story-telling style, with a strong design aesthetic, helps us to stand out in a crowded space and seems to genuinely grab people’s attention. Our readers really value our in-depth and experience-based advice on destinations to help them plan their own adventures and make their own travel memories; the number of messages we receive each month about how people have relied solely on our posts for short and long-term trips is quite remarkable! In the age of instant and constant social media, having content that looks at things a little differently, a little more in-depth, and in a way which feels like a conversation between like-minded travellers, most certainly still has a place and powerful voice.

We know how we like to travel, and everything we do is to really help people to travel more and travel better – we think that resonates with people once they find us.

How has travel blogging changed since you started?
The growth of Instagram and YouTube has certainly changed the expectations of what some travel content should be and look like, while also increasing the overall numbers of sources that people go to for travel advice and inspiration. This has meant that travel bloggers have had to diversify their product and focus on several different platforms. When we started, Instagram took up none of our time – now it takes up an awful lot.

However, our main platform is our blog and we’re immensely proud of that. Despite the growth of various other channels, we’ve found that established blogs remain extremely valued, trusted, and respected by travellers looking for inspiration, advice and guidance.

What’s the community of travel blogs like to be part of?
When we moved back to London after two-and-a-half years on the road, it meant that we had a ready-made network to plug in to. That made such a difference for us and we’ve made life-long friends out of it. Starting the blog, we had absolutely no idea about the existence of such a community, and everyone is incredibly supportive to help the travel blogging sector improve its professionalism, reach, and output.

What’s the best travel experience in the world?
Hopefully something we haven’t done yet! For us, it will usually involve a road trip, a hike, and a moment that feels utterly unique. Ranking experiences in travel is something that’s difficult to do as well – so often something which could be very simple and forgettable to someone else, may actually make your entire trip!

What’s the best mode of transport you’ve ever experienced?
Public buses in Guatemala (usually referred to as ‘chicken buses’) are mostly colourful refurbished American school buses. Usually jam-packed, usually bumpy, they are always an experience; much more fun than a tourist shuttle with air-con.

What was your scariest experience while travelling?
Honestly, we’ve both been incredibly fortunate in our time travelling (both individually and as Along Dusty Roads) – up until now nothing, touch wood, has gone majorly wrong. A big part of that will be luck, but we also like to think that we’re overall quite sensible when on the road and very much aware of our surroundings.

What should PRs know about you?
Our partners often tell us that our professionalism and business-like approach is refreshing within the blogging industry. We also work bloody hard because we want our partners AND our readers to be happy.

Essentially, if they like what we do at Along Dusty Roads and partner with us, they can rest assured that all the content we create will be as thoughtful, meaningful and unique as everything that made them want to work with us in the first place.

What are the best campaigns you’ve worked on?
All the campaigns have been overall positive experiences for everyone involved, but the very best have been those that have really allowed us the time and space to deliver a true ‘Along Dusty Roads’ experience somewhere. A degree of flexibility on both sides of the table is so important in the initial stages when devising what will work best for our partner’s aims, and our audience.

We’re currently GWanderers (brand ambassadors) for G Adventures, a global adventure travel company, and it’s great to have a partner that values our ideas and approach to content creation so that we can deliver something beautiful, different, and engaging.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Any body that supports standards, shares best practice and creates clearer guidelines for both bloggers and their potential partners is always a step in the right direction.

What other blogs do you read?
We don’t tend to read any blogs on a regular basis, but when we’re seeking information or inspiration on a new destination, they are our go-to resource.

Andrew, Emily and Along Dusty Roads are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Talking beauty with top beauty blogger Jasmine Stewart

July 3, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight PR, Press and Bloggers, Media Database Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Jasmine Stewart writes Jasmine Talks Beauty, the beauty blog that was recently ranked in the Top 10. Covering beauty for all budgets, Jasmine Talks Beauty is not a tutorial site but an outlet for Jasmine to share her love of all things beauty.

Jasmine told us about Instagram’s influence on beauty trends, the development of her blog and working in the right way with PRs for long term success.

What makes your blog unique?
I’m not sure that there’s such a thing as uniqueness in a blog any more, but that doesn’t bother me as such, I just try to give my honest, in-depth thoughts on the products I’ve tried in a chatty and engaging way. If that connects with people then amazing!

How has your blog changed from when you first started to now?
When I started, my design and photography definitely wasn’t good! These are both things I’ve really invested in, both in terms of getting better equipment and in terms of time to hone my skills. Content-wise I still think I do a mixture of single-product reviews and more general posts. I’m just lucky enough to receive products to review now, meaning I can create more content that people are interested in.

What is the biggest trend in the beauty world right now?
Instagram makeup is huge at the moment: the bold brows, overlight nude lips, lots of highlighter and flawless full coverage base.

What will the next big thing in beauty be?
You also have the response to the Instagram look with brands like Milk Makeup and Glossier, which have a very minimalist makeup vibe; that is definitely more my sort of thing. I see more and more brands bringing out natural, fresh makeup-skincare hybrid products.

What’s your favourite beauty brand?
I really love ColourPop at the moment – they bring out such exciting, high-quality, low-cost products. I’m also loving independent makeup brands.

What should PRs know about you?
I often think PRs don’t realise just how many products bloggers receive! We physically can’t review every single one but, unless the product was sent without asking, I will always let my contact know if I liked something, if I didn’t and what content I’ve made on it or if I’ve decided not to feature it.

I know some are willing to post ‘reviews’ after short periods of time, however I really test out a product and share my honest thoughts on them. Most do appreciate it, though there are a few out there who either get annoyed if you don’t sing a product’s praises or chase you for reviews.

My aim here is to: a) try the product properly and b) include it on my blog in a way I think people will enjoy. The vast majority can appreciate this and these are the people I develop long-term relationships with, but if PRs are funny about me not liking one product in a box of five, just send out blanket press release emails or hassle me a lot about something I’ve literally just received, then I just don’t think that’s compatible with how I work, so I don’t choose to work with them again.

What are the best campaigns you’ve been part of?
I’m pretty selective about the campaigns I’ve been included in so all of the work I’ve done has resonated with me and I’ve been excited to create and post the content. I really enjoy doing campaigns where I get to talk more about my personal experiences – I recently did one for a classic summer product so got to talk about some of my holiday memories and earlier in the year I was part of a skincare campaign, so got to discuss my skin journey over the years and the routine I’ve found that works for me.

What other blogs do you read?
There are so many! I love the photography and aesthetic of Pint Sized Beauty, Beauty By Kelsey and Gemma Louise. I read pretty much every post on Beauty Drama Queen, Laurzrah and LPage Beauty because they’re always posting on topics and products I’m interested in.

Jasmine and her blog are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Political Headlines – Brexit, fuel and alcohol price rises, LGBT Action Plan and Windrush

July 3, 2018/0 Comments/in Political Headlines, Government, Public Affairs Political Services, Political Database Blog Posts /by Thomas Stevenson

Today’s Political Headlines include post-Brexit customs, a potential price rise for fuel and alcohol, May’s LGBT Action Plan and Home Office reform needed after Windrush.

New customs plan will be a ‘significant step forward’, Downing Street claims
The BBC says that it has been told by a Downing Street source that a new plan for post-Brexit customs to be shown to ministers on Friday will be a ‘significant step forward’, allowing both an independent trade policy and friction-free trade. The Times asserts that Theresa May’s attempts to reach agreement with her cabinet were ‘plunged into chaos yesterday’, with ministers complaining about not seeing the plans and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson defending Jacob Rees-Mogg’s warning that the Government risked collapse.

Treasury considers lifting freeze on fuel and alcohol duty
The Guardian claims that the Government is close to ending the freeze on fuel duty, in a bid to raise billions of pounds in order to boost public spending, including the planned NHS funding boost. Other plans being considered by the Treasury include lifting the freeze on alcohol duty which was announced in last autumn’s budget.

May launches LGBT Action Plan
Writing in the Daily Mirror, Theresa May sets out her £4.5m LGBT Action Plan, which contains over 70 commitments based on the findings of the world’s largest LGBT survey. These promises include introducing a ban on gay ‘cure’ therapy, appointing an adviser on health inequalities and investment in anti-bullying programmes.

MPs call for ‘root and branch’ reform of the Home Office after Windrush scandal
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Commons Home Affairs Committee, which concludes that the ‘appalling treatment’ of Windrush migrants by the Home Office means that the department is in need of ‘root and branch reform’. The committee recommends that the Government reconsiders its hostile environment policies, establish why it ignored warnings and provide accurate information on the scale of the problem.

Nurseries could close under Government spending plans
The BBC reports that Conservative MPs have claimed that state-run nursery schools might close owing to Government spending plans which would see them lose almost £60m a year from 2020. MPs warn that children with special educational needs and disabilities will be especially affected, as private nurseries have no obligation to admit them.

NHS launches largest ever recruitment drive
The Financial Times reports that the NHS is launching the biggest recruitment drive in its history today. The ‘We are the NHS’ campaign, which will cost £8m, will target those aged between 14 and 18 and is particularly focused on increasing the number of nurses. It aims to increase job applications to the health service by 22,000 and to double the number of nurses returning to practice.

Mercer calls for reform of the armed forces
The Daily Telegraph previews a speech to be given by Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, a former soldier, to the Royal United Services Institute today. In the speech, Mercer calls for the armed forces to ‘do more with less’, warning that they are at risk of becoming a ‘jobs club’. He told the paper that funding increases should be on a ‘cash for reform’ basis.

Plans to encourage energy users to switch supplier hit by new data protection rules
According to The Times, plans to encourage energy consumers to switch suppliers by allowing rival companies to send them marketing literature could be put in jeopardy by new data protection rules. Lawyers for the ‘big six’ energy firms have warned that the companies risk being fined if they comply with the Competition and Markets Authority’s plan.

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5 Crisis Comms lessons with Greater Manchester Police’s Amanda Coleman

July 2, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR Club Media Database, Media Monitoring, News Distribution, PR, Comms Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Amanda Coleman recently presented the Vuelio webinar: Crisis Comms, Lessons from Greater Manchester Police. Amanda, who is head of corporate communications at GMP, talked us through the Manchester Arena bombing and the importance of keeping people at the heart of your response.

The webinar included a live Q&A, but due to the flood of questions coming in, we didn’t have time to answer them all. Amanda has very kindly found time to answer the rest, so we can present five (additional) Crisis Comms lessons.

Can you walk us through exactly what steps you took after the Manchester Arena attack?
The on-call press officer was contacted and called me, as head of branch, to run through a tweet we were putting out to say we knew something was happening and that we would provide further updates. That was sent out without any further authorisation around 20 minutes after the first call to police.

A more detailed statement confirming it was an explosion and that there were fatalities went out 40 minutes after the first call coming in. Regular updates were provided via Twitter and the first press conference was given by the Chief Constable at 3am and then another at 7am. During the night there were four staff in and we worked closely with the operational commander to ensure we could provide accurate and timely information.

I spoke to heads of communications in key agencies including Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and British Transport Police during the night. In the first few hours it was about preserving and protecting life and that had to be our focus. There was so much more we did after but that gives you the initial response.

What did you learn from the Manchester attack? What didn’t go well and what would you have done differently? Did you have any issues with other public services?
With every major incident there is a huge amount of learning. For me, it is very much along the lines of what I said within the webinar: people have to be at the centre of everything, welfare must be a priority for organisations and we need to be better at recognising the impact on us as comms teams.

I was really clear about what I would have done differently on the webinar, and that is to call for mutual aid much quicker. We also needed to recognise that the national plans would not fit and the liaison between the national counter terrorism communication structures in London and us in Manchester was going to add some delays into our plans. Working with the partners and other public services was good and, because we knew each other, we were able to have open conversations from very early on in the night. We have a strong network and meet regularly, so working between services was much easier to manage.

Do you ever have situations needing internal crisis communications at Greater Manchester Police?
Yes and the approach is very similar. We need to provide an open and honest response, provide timely information and do it over the whole lifetime of the event or incident. Being visible from the top of the organisation is also critical. Above all, keep the views of the people affected at the heart of how you decide to respond.

Do you have any experience of benefiting from ‘coming clean’ before a crisis is otherwise revealed/comes to light?
Being proactive is at the heart of communication for me. We should ask why we are not providing information rather than why we should provide information. If organisations or businesses look like they are withholding information, even if it is not the situation, then it will lead to concern and will impact on confidence. We have to make sure that we are as transparent as possible even when this may be challenging.

Can you provide any examples of poor crisis comms?
This is difficult as I know that often the response we see is something that may have been challenged by comms teams but senior executives take a different approach. For me, it is anything that fails to keep people at the heart of it, and which may appear overly legalistic. Thomas Cook is one I have mentioned before in relation to the death of two children in 2006.

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