Filament PR

Sarah Pinch joins Filament PR

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Sarah Pinch and Anne-Marie Lacey

Anne-Marie Lacey, managing director of Filament PR, has announced the appointment of Sarah Pinch as non-executive director.

Sarah has been a director of communications in a number of organisations before she started her own agency, Pinch Point Communications in Bristol. She was also CIPR President in 2015 and is a non-executive for the Health and Safety Executive.

Sarah has a reputation for ethical practices and championing diversity in public relations; she is ranked in the FT and HERoes’ top 50 women in business for diversity and, in October 2017, was made chair of the Taylor Bennett Foundation.

Anne-Marie first met Sarah in 2015 at a CIPR event in Newcastle, when Sarah was President of the Institute.  Anne-Marie approached Sarah to set up a nation-wide network for young communicators and together they founded the CIPR’s Young Communicators’ Forum.

Anne-Marie explained that Sarah was the first person she called when she originally set up Filament PR, and described Sarah as her ‘professional mentor, number-one-cheerleader and at times a challenging critic’. Launched in October 2016, Filament PR is based in the North East of England and specialises in lifestyle, leisure and entertainment. The agency works with clients – including Enesco, which sees the team work with Pusheen, Beatrix Potter and Disney – across the UK.

The non-executive director role is a formalisation of a relationship that has been in place for many years. Sarah’s importance to Filament PR’s success is highlighted by Anne-Marie, who said: ‘I’m certain Filament PR’s success story to-date has been – in part – down to the strategic guidance and direction given by Sarah.’

Sarah will continue to run Pinch Point Communications along with her other professional commitments. Her new role at Filament PR will see her provide strategic direction and insight to the Board, and she will help to grow the business that is continuing to go from strength to strength.

Sarah said: ‘I am delighted to be joining Filament PR as the Non-Executive Director.  I have had the privilege of mentoring Anne-Marie for the last three years, watching her develop as a highly professional PR practitioner and successful business woman.

‘By formalising our working relationship in this way, I look forward to helping Filament PR deliver ever more successful work for our clients and build a strong reputation for excellence.  It is a very exciting time indeed.’

Anne-Marie said: ‘For me personally, having become a Chartered PR Practitioner and winning the national title of Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year at the CIPR’s Excellence Awards last summer, it’s given me a great platform to raise the profile of Filament PR and bring in a raft of new business, especially over the final two quarters of the financial year.

‘Having recently hired an Office Manager to oversee the administrative side of the business and with Sarah on board too, we’re looking to expand our team over the course of the year with a number of other key associate appointments across design, digital, content creation and marketing communications. It really is a very exciting time for us all and I’m delighted Sarah is at the helm, supporting me and my team through her strategic direction to help make our aspirations for 2018 and beyond a reality.’

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 17 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which are still dominated by Carillion. The press has also covered Macron’s Bayeux Tapestry offer, the minister for loneliness and the Government’s risk of missing carbon targets. 

Carillion collapse affects 30,000 firms
As The Guardian outlines, 30,000 firms could be owed money by Carillion, while the Government has ordered investigations to be fast-tracked. The Financial Times says that Jeremy Corbyn has called for ‘an end to the rip-off privatisation policies’.

Macron to announce loan of Bayeux Tapestry to the UK when he meets Theresa May
According to an exclusive report in The Times, French President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK when he meets Theresa May on Thursday. This would be the first time the tapestry has left France in 950 years, subject to safety tests. The paper also reports on a speech given by Macron in Calais yesterday, in which he outlined the immigration issues that he hoped to discuss with May.

May appoints a minister for loneliness
Today’s Daily Mail reports that Theresa May has given Tracey Crouch, already Minister for Civil Society and Sport, ministerial responsibility for loneliness. The move, which had been recommended in a report by the Jo Cox Commission for Loneliness, will see Crouch draw together different Government departments, announce new funding, and ask the Office for National Statistics to devise a means of measuring loneliness.

Government at risk of missing carbon targets
The Committee on Climate Change has warned that the UK will miss its legally-binding carbon targets if the Government does not take urgent action, The Guardian says. However, it has also praised the Government for its Clean Growth Strategy. The Committee’s Chair, Lord Deben, said ‘even if they do all the things they say they are going to do, to the maximum, there will still be a gap.’

New Tory vice-chair called for vasectomies for the unemployed
The Mirror has the news that the Conservative Party’s new vice-chair for youth, Ben Bradley, called for the unemployed to have vasectomies. Bradley made the comments in a blogpost in 2012. Bradley has now deleted the posts and apologised for the remarks, with the paper claiming that Theresa May is now under ‘huge pressure’ to sack him.

Johnson warns May that she must make NHS funding commitment
The Daily Telegraph claims that Boris Johnson has warned Theresa May that the Government must make a public commitment to giving the NHS an extra £100m a week after Brexit. An ‘ally of Mr Johnson’ told the paper ‘Boris thinks that for the Tories to beat Corbyn it is fundamental that the government delivers on NHS funding and he will continue to make this argument until it happens.’

Rees-Mogg elected to lead influential Brexit group
As The Daily Telegraph reports, Jacob Rees-Mogg has been elected unopposed as Chair of the influential European Reform Group of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs. He said ‘As Chairman I intend to be helpful, vigorous and supportive towards Government policy of making a success of Brexit.’

Unprecedented life expectancy falls in some regions
The Times says that life expectancy has fallen by more than a year since 2011 in parts of the country, according to official figures. Theories for the fall include economic stagnation, cuts to services, rates of obesity, smoking and drinking, loneliness and lack of care. Experts say that the falls are unprecedented in peacetime and are urging ministers to investigate.

Do you need political insight? Learn more about Vuelio political services

The Ambient – a new publication for smart homes

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Paul Lamkin and James Stables have launched The Ambient, a new site dedicated to smart homes. A sister publication to Wareable, which covers wearable tech and the ‘connected self’, The Ambient will focus on smart home news and product reviews.

With lighting, speakers, thermostats and security now all part of the smart home, Lamkin and Stables believe now is the perfect time for a dedicated publication. And as 154 million European and American homes are expected to be smart by 2021, there’s a huge untapped market for smart home news.

We caught up with Paul Lamkin to talk about the launch and how The Ambient will work with PR and brands.

James Stables and Paul LamkinJames Stables and Paul Lamkin

Why have you decided to launch The Ambient now?
When we launched Wareable, we noticed that wearable tech wasn’t a clear focus for any of the other mainstream tech sites, so we decided to try and fill that gap and become the voice of authority for an emerging consumer-tech genre. It’s the same idea behind The Ambient – no one is giving the smart home the justice it deserves; it should be much more than just a note on the site.

How long will it take for smart homes to become the norm? 
I think they are already becoming the norm. The rise of smart speakers and assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Siri through Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant have proven themselves to be the missing link to truly smart homes.

What’s The Ambient’s relationship with Wareable?
For now, we’re keeping it pretty flexible. James (Stables), Sophie (Charara) and I are pretty much ‘full-time’ on The Ambient (while keeping an eye on Wareable), and the Wareable team will also be contributing to The Ambient (Michael Sawh and Connor Allison in the UK and Hugh Langley and Husain Sumra in the US). In a few months’ time, we’ll take stock and structure the teams a bit more formally.

What’s the editorial structure of The Ambient?
Sophie, as associate editor, is essentially running the show editorially, with James and I going back to being ‘writers’ for the first time in a few years.

What’s the expected audience of The Ambient?
We’re certainly looking at tech enthusiasts and early adopters but also users focused on outcomes and driven by design. Yes, they’re passionate about their home but no-one gets excited about a thermostat or a light bulb. This readership will be passionate about their home more so than the tech.

Our readers want to enjoy a smarter home and an easier life without compromises. They want to benefit from better and more enjoyable experiences in the home and impress their friends, without having to ruin the aesthetics of their home. Tech now goes hand-in-hand with great design.

Do you have any targets for traffic?
We grew Wareable from zero to a site that had a record month of almost five million unique users, so we certainly have a standard we want to achieve.

What content/pitches are you looking for from PRs/brands? 
We’re here to test and review the best gear on the market, explain how to get your smart home up and running and show you how to get the most from it. Therefore, we need to know, and be able to test, all the new devices hitting the market.

What’s the best way for PRs and brands to work with you?
Pitches over email work best and face-to-face briefings are also great. Also, take us out for beers. We like beers.

 

The Ambient and its editorial team are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other publications, journalists and influencers. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 16 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Carillion collapse, Labour MPs threatening to leave the party, the EU toughening up its Brexit position and Boris’ claim that £350m was too low.   

Carillion collapse raises questions
Yesterday’s collapse of Carillion dominates the headlines today. As the Financial Times reports, the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee is to open an inquiry into government sourcing; Labour has questioned why the firm continued to be awarded contracts after issuing a profit warning; and former pensions minister Steve Webb has questioned the company’s decision to continue to pay dividends. The paper also analyses the reasons for Carillion’s collapse, describing outsourcing as a ‘messy business with little margin for profit’, and Carillion as ‘a lawful sort of Ponzi scheme’.

Labour MPs threaten to leave party if deselected
The Times claims that moderate Labour MPs are threatening to quit the party if they are deselected, and would instead sit in the Commons as independents. Fears of deselection have been intensified by the victory of three Momentum candidates in elections of the party’s National Executive Committee, including the organisation’s founder Jon Lansman.

EU stance on transition period toughens, as Cabinet is split on future trade deal
The Financial Times reports that the EU has toughened up its conditions for a transition deal, including on free movement, maintaining trade agreements, and fishing quotas. The paper also has details of a split in the Cabinet over the direction of trade talks, with Philip Hammond favouring a ‘top-down’ approach and Boris Johnson a ‘bottom-up’ one.

Boris claims that £350m figure was actually too low
In an interview with The Guardian, Boris Johnson has suggested that the Vote Leave campaign’s claim that the EU costs the UK £350m a week was too low, and that the true figure is £438m. He told the paper that when the cash becomes available to spend ‘the NHS should be at the very top of the list.’ The paper says that the claim is ‘likely to provoke some remain supporters’.

Plight of the Rohingya people raised by select committee report
A report by the House of Commons International Development Committee raises concerns about the plight of Rohingya people being returned to Myanmar, as detailed by the BBC. The report calls the situation a ‘huge human tragedy’ and warns of ‘prospects of it becoming a powder keg of radicalisation’. While the report welcomes the Government’s plan, it says that it faces ‘substantial challenges’.

Select committee demands action on white goods electrical safety
The Guardian reports that the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has criticised the Government for being slow to overhaul ‘slow and poorly resourced’ safety procedures which led to 1m potentially dangerous tumble dryers being in use in the UK.

Explanations demanded over release of cancer data
According to The Daily Telegraph, ministers are seeking explanations from Public Health England over the decision to hand over medical data to a firm working to tobacco giant Philip Morris. The Commons Health Committee is due to question the body today, and its chair Sarah Wollaston said that she wanted to see evidence of ‘due diligence’.

Hard Brexit could cost Scotland £12.7bn a year
Analysis by the Scottish Government has found that Brexit would cost the Scottish economy £12.7bn a year, the BBC reports. Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, said that keeping single market membership would be ‘least damaging’, but the Scottish Conservatives dismissed the analysis as ‘completely over-the-top scaremongering’.

Want more political insight? Find out more about Vuelio political services

Hawaii missile

Hawaii missile alert due to drop-down menu

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The Emergency Alert that was accidentally sent to Hawaiians on Saturday was caused by two options on a drop-down menu being too close.

As part of the morning routine at Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HEMA), staff test the Emergency Alert system. As the Washington post reports, last Saturday’s error was caused by a staff member selecting ‘Missile alert’ from the computer programme’s drop down, rather than ‘Test missile alert’.

We’ve all clicked the wrong things at work and even sent emails in error, but this mistake was catastrophic. An alert went out to citizens and tourists, which said: ‘BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.’

Panic ensued, as thousands attempted to seek shelter and see loved ones. It wasn’t until 38 minutes later that the error was corrected (President Trump should have managed three holes on the course in that time).

Investigations into the error are ongoing. The Post reports a statement from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, who said: ‘Based on the information we have collected so far, it appears that the government of Hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards or process controls in place to prevent the transmission of a false alert.’

There are now new safeguards in place to correct and avoid similar blunders in future, including a cancellation option that can be triggered within seconds of a mistake. HEMA has also suspended internal drills until the investigation is over, and put a ‘two-person activation/verification rule’ for tests and real alerts.

Any system that allows a simple mistake to have such a devastating – and public – impact, is clearly one that needs fixing. Communications professionals know the importance of checking, and double checking, comms before they go out but this is a timely reminder to check the whole system’s set-up, something that can often be overlooked.

Of course, if HEMA had been using Vuelio, they could manage who in the team had permissions to send alerts and know, before any communications were sent, who was due to receive what.

Whether you work with the public or media professionals, find out how you can avoid system errors by using Vuelio.

The Guardian

Reaction: The Guardian’s new look and tabloid size

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The Guardian has been redesigned and its print edition is now tabloid format. As ever with change, the new look, masthead, colour scheme, font and size has divided the public, with some believing the it really works, while others think the Guardian has stepped back in time.

The redesign is part of an ongoing cost-cutting exercise at the paper, in an attempt to reduce significant losses; The Guardian plans to break even in 2018/19. As reported in Press Gazette, the new-look also spells the end of regular columns from Paul Mason, Deborah Orr and Giles Fraser.

The Guardian has, itself, curated reactions from the media industry, including The Daily Telegraph’s masthead now including ‘Britain’s biggest & best quality paper’, and The Sun’s ‘£1.50 less than tabloid Guardian’.

Over on Twitter, a big concern is that the redesign has made the paper too similar to other publications; whether that’s The Times’ Twitter profile pic:

Or the Evening Standard’s print edition:

And if this tweet is believed, the paper might be moving into a new line of doing ‘favours’:

 

Some have expressed concern of the practicalities of the size change now it’s smaller; including this letter from a ‘reader’:

And this cartoon:

 

For some, the lack of being able to customise the print experience is just too much:

 

The publisher has been praised for consistency across all mediums:

Though not all design choices are universally liked:

What do you think of The Guardian’s new look? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

No matter what it looks like, The Guardian is still listed in the Vuelio Media Database, along with all of its journalists and editors.

Politics on Sunday – 14 January 2018

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Sunday marked the 2018 return of all the usual political shows, which meant there was a plethora of guests being interviewed.

Alongside new Chair of the Conservative Party, Brandon Lewis and Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, Andrew Marr had guests coming from Holyrood and Hollywood with First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon and Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Emily Thornberry did very little to convince Donald Trump he would be welcome in the UK, labelling him ‘a racist’ and an ‘asteroid of awfulness’. The Shadow Foreign Secretary did not stop there, saying Theresa May had humiliated the Queen by inviting the President to the UK. Marr pulled Thornberry up on her remarks by saying this attitude could lead to it being harder for the UK to secure a trade deal with the US, but Thornberry responded by saying trade deals are complex processes and it would not depend on the pen of Donald Trump.

Marr finished the exchange by saying we do not know how long Trump will be around, it could be three more years or it could be until 2024, and greater diplomacy could go a long way. Thornberry also spoke on John Worboys, stating he is a ‘threat to women’, and previous rape cases have not been prosecuted properly despite improvements being made.

Brandon Lewis took a different approach to Thornberry by saying it was right for Trump to be invited and discussed how Britain should pursue its relationship with the US, declaring it a ‘very important relationship’. Lewis did condemn Trump’s alleged remarks where he is accused of referring to African Nations as ‘shithole’ countries.

Lewis was asked about abuse of politicians online, and he pledged a tough stance from the Conservatives, saying any candidates who personally abuse politicians online will be suspended. Marr asked Lewis whether he would apologise for the abuse Diane Abbott receives from Conservatives; he didn’t apologise but pledged the strong stance. Marr then moved onto questioning how the online presence of the Conservatives compares to that of the Labour Party who are generally perceived as being better. Lewis said the Conservatives will aim to get better in a respectful manner.

Marr also called the reaction to this tweet from the Tories about banning credit card charges, ‘slightly embarrassing’ as it showed the Conservatives taking credit for EU legislation. Lewis also spoke on the Worboys case letting us know he understands the outrage and how the Justice Secretary will be doing all he can to make sure Worboys remains behind bars.

Sturgeon on Brexit
The First Minister of Scotland was given a very different line of questioning, mainly focusing on how Brexit will impact Scotland. Sturgeon put forward her view that staying in the single market and the customs union would be the least harmful option. When asked whether she accepts that Scotland will be leaving the EU, Sturgeon said she wants an alternative and for the least damaging scenario to be the one that is followed. Marr questioned Sturgeon on whether the Scottish people are actively interested in Scotland becoming an independent country as it does not affect their day-to-day lives. Sturgeon argued back saying this is a misconception people have been making for her entire political life. She said it is not a ‘constitutional abstraction’ as independence is linked to the economy and living standards.

Robert Peston’s headline guests were Culture Secretary, Matt Hancock and Jeremy Corbyn. Hancock suggested the amendments made by the House of Lords last week on Leveson and press regulation could be the beginning of the end for democracy. Hancock was then asked about pay at the BBC and his remarks that men are being paid too much at the broadcaster. When Peston suggested this may just be an operation of the market the BBC operates in, Hancock rejected this by saying the BBC has a ‘special responsibility’ to act on equal pay due to the licence fee. Hancock went on to say he will be having discussions with the Director General of the BBC in the next few weeks about pay for stars. Like Lewis and Thornberry on Marr, Hancock was asked about John Worboys and said it is a positive step that the Ministry of Justice will be considering this case after questions were raised over the process.

Corbyn on Trump
Jeremy Corbyn let Peston know he was not disappointed by Donald Trump cancelling his visit to the UK but took a more measured view than Thornberry by saying he will eventually come. He faced questions on the Labour Party’s position on Brexit, where Corbyn made it clear the Party is not calling for a second referendum on the terms of the UK’s Brexit deal but instead a meaningful vote in Parliament. Peston noted that Corbyn was speaking in the present tense so he was not ruling out changing this position later. The Labour leader took issue with remarks Nicola Sturgeon (and some of his backbenchers) have been making by calling for the UK to join the single market, as for him, leaving the EU means leaving the single market.

Other points of note from Sunday’s shows were Chuka Umunna on Sunday with Niall Paterson, claiming the remarks made by Corbyn were wrong. More disagreement in the Labour Party could be seen when Barry Gardiner told Sunday Politics that he would not have used the same language John McDonnell used to describe Esther McVey after a video emerged of him quoting an activist who said she should be ‘lynched’.

UKIP Chairman, Paul Oakden also told the BBC that party leader Henry Bolton would have to make some tough decisions to make.

Check out our Canvas from Sunday’s political shows and learn how to make your own here.

Canvas

Great Monday

5 ways to combat Blue Monday

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Today is apparently the most depressing day of the year. Don’t let this Monday’s bad PR get you down, take a few minutes to work through our tip list and defeat Blue Monday.

Created by Sky Travel in a 2005, Blue Monday is the result of a pseudo equation that draws on factors such as weather (DON’T LOOK OUTSIDE), debt level, time since Christmas, time since failing New Year’s resolutions, motivational levels and the need to take action.

It’s obviously not true (unless you work in public comms in Hawaii and then it might), but to really stick it to Blue Monday, here are five things you can do now, to ensure an excellent day:

1. Contact PR pros you don’t work with
Plan a meet up, even if it’s just a quick coffee, with someone you normally ‘don’t have time’ to see. Spreading creativity, talking about the industry and sharing success stories is a great way to feel refreshed and invigorated.

 

2. Learn something new
Are you great at pitching but struggle with analysis? Maybe you love the high pressure world of fire-fighting issues but think writing press releases is mundane? Pick something you know you could improve and learn more about it. Whether you talk to a colleague who has more experience or book a full training course to become expert, finish the day smarter than you started.

 

3. Agency? Research new clients
You do this anyway, but why not take 10 minutes as a team to quickly find potential clients. When the 10 minutes are up, pitch them to each other and decide if any of them deserve more work. The short time limit will boost your energy and sharpen your focus for other projects.

 

4. In house? Create a new campaign
As a team, spend 10 minutes creating new ideas for campaigns – and no idea is a bad idea. At the end of the 10 minutes, agree on the best and whether it needs more work. It’s a great way to bond with your team and get the creative juices flowing.

 

5. Build one new relationship
You have your media contacts, you know which journalists and bloggers are most receptive to your brand and message – but there are always more. The Vuelio Media Database lists thousands of potential media partners for you; search, find someone new, check their contact preferences and strike up a conversation. Maybe you can pitch them a new campaign or maybe they can cover an existing project, either way it’s time to grow your network.

How are you going to combat Blue Monday? Got any tips? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 15 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including questions over Carillion’s liquidation, on-the-spot fines for hiring fly-tippers, scrapping the immigration target and Penny Mordaunt addressing ‘public concerns’ about aid spending.   

Carillion enters liquidation as ministers face questions
Construction firm and public sector contractor Carillion collapsed into liquidation this morning, following talks with its lenders and the Government. The Times says that ministers, including Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, are facing questions over their decision to continue to award the firm contracts while it issued a series of profit warnings. The Government is the firm’s biggest client, paying it around £1.7bn a year.

£400 on-the-spot fines for householders who fail to stop fly-tipping
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Government is considering giving councils the power to issue £400 on-the-spot fines to householders who do not check if a business is licensed to transport waste, if it ends up being fly-tipped. The paper says, ‘the move is likely to spark fears that the fines could be abused and used as a way of generating income for cash-strapped councils.’

Immigration target should be scrapped, select committee says
An article in the Financial Times says the Home Affairs Select Committee has released a report calling on the Government to scrap its immigration target, replacing it with a three-year plan set out and overseen by the independent Migration Advisory Committee

Mordaunt pledges to address public concerns about aid spending
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt makes five pledges which will ensure that money spent on foreign aid cannot be ‘better spent’, including to ‘not invest when others should be putting their hands in their pockets’ and that ‘our focus will increasingly be on helping developing countries stand on their own feet’.

Sexual harassment – Guardian
The House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee is to launch a formal inquiry into the laws around sexual harassment, The Guardian claims. The committee’s chair, Maria Miller, told the newspaper, ‘I think it’s clear that the current system is broken’, while Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary, said, ‘The government has removed protections from women and they have made it harder for women to get justice.’

Andrea Leadsom describes John McDonnell as ‘truly evil’
Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, has described Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell as ‘truly evil’, The Daily Telegraph says. The remarks come in the context of a dispute over comments he made in 2014 and 2015 about the new Work and Pensions Secretary, Esther McVey. Asked about the remarks, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, ‘I would rather stick to where I disagree with somebody on their policies.’

UK and France in danger of drifting apart
Lord Ricketts, UK ambassador to France from 2012 to 2016, has warned that the two countries are in danger of drifting further apart. The Guardian reports that the claim is contained in a report for the Royal United Services Institute. Ricketts says that co-operation has ‘become even closer in response to recent terrorist attacks. It is crucial that Brexit does not adversely affect this.’

British favour ‘European-style market economy’, Hammond says
The Times has details of an interview with Philip Hammond by the German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag. He said the British, ‘have a strong attachment to a European-style market economy’, that the UK wanted certainty on the transition period before the European Council summit on March 22, and there would be no deal that did not include services.

Want more political insight? Get Vuelio political services

12 January

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 12 January 2018

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This week’s Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed from the world of media, PR and comms includes YouTube’s response to Logan Paul, Facebook’s news feed changing, Steve Bannon, the Daily Mail and Virgin Trains argument, and Carrie Gracie’s BBC pay row. 

 

1. YouTube and Logan Paul

YouTube has apologised for taking so long to officially respond to the Logan Paul controversy of last week. The video-sharing platform posted an explanation on Twitter, claiming it was upset with the video Logan Paul had posted. It finished the thread with:

 

The ‘further consequences’ were later revealed, when YouTube announced it had cut some business ties with the viral star. This includes removing Logan Paul from its Google Preferred programme, the platform that allows brands to sell ads to the top 5% of content creators – which is likely to severely damage Logan Paul’s sizeable income. They’ve also put original projects with Logan Paul, including a proposed film, on hold.

Further details about the steps YouTube is taking to ensure ‘videos like this’ never circulate again are yet to materialise, but the YouTube community will be keeping a close eye on any policy or algorithm changes.

 

2. Facebook to change news feed

Facebook news feed changes

Mark Zuckerberg has announced the news feed algorithm is to change, with more focus on friends and family posts and less on those from businesses, brands and media. This is after feedback that the latter group is ‘crowding out the personal moments that leads us to connect more with each other’.

In Zuckerberg’s lengthy post on the decision, he says: ‘We feel a responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being. So we’ve studied this trend carefully by looking at the academic research and doing our own research with leading experts at universities. The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people we care about, it can be good for our well-being.’

The move from ‘focusing on helping you find relevant content’, to ‘helping you have more meaningful social interactions’ is very much going back to Facebook’s roots. The social platform was, for many years, primarily focused on posts from people you knew rather than promoting itself as one of the biggest content delivery platforms in the world. This change is likely to hit thousands of publishers very hard, as for many sites, Facebook is the biggest single source of traffic. The announcement has led to a drop in Facebook’s share price when markets opened. If the plan is properly followed through, expect corporate backlash, businesses closing down and huge changes to the media landscape.

 

3. Sloppy Steve

Perhaps it’s a rite of passage for all of Trump’s ‘enemies’ – once they get a nickname, they know they’ve really riled him. Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist, “Sloppy” Steve Bannon, was this week fired from his role at the helm of Breitbart News. It is the latest part of his tumultuous relationship with Trump and his supporters, from genius insider to detractor and traitor. After his comments about Donald Trump Jnr’s ‘treasonous’ meeting with Russian contacts appeared in Michael Wolff’s explosive book, Bannon’s departure from Breitbart seemed inevitable. Trump was quick to distance himself from his former ally, before laying into him:

 

 

4. Daily Mail attacks Virgin

Daily mail row

It was revealed this week that Virgin Trains has stopped selling the Daily Mail due to its incompatibility with the Virgin Trains brand. The company stopped carrying the paper back in November, but at the time it told the Daily Mail it was ‘saving space’ by selling only three papers: the Mirror, FT and Times.

Drew McMillan, head of colleague communication and engagement at Virgin, sent internal staff a memo that said: ‘Thousands of people choose to read the Daily Mail every day. But they will no longer be reading it courtesy of VT. There’s been considerable concern raised by colleagues about the Mail’s editorial position on issues such as immigration, LGBT rights and unemployment.

‘We’ve decided that this paper is not compatible with the VT brand and our beliefs.’

The Daily Mail struck back; a spokesman said: ‘It is disgraceful that, at a time of massive customer dissatisfaction over ever-increasing rail fares, and after the taxpayer was forced to bail out Virgin’s East Coast mainline franchise, a decision strongly criticised by the Mail, that Virgin Trains should now announce that for political reasons it is censoring the choice of newspapers it offers to passengers.

‘It is equally rich that Virgin chose to launch this attack on free speech in the Aslef trade union journal. For the record Virgin used to sell only 70 Daily Mails a day.’

They then made the issue about Brexit, as the spokesman continued with: ‘They informed us last November that to save space, they were restricting sales to just three newspapers: the Mirror, FT and Times. They gave no other reason, but it may be no coincidence that all those titles, like Virgin owner Sir Richard Branson, are pro-Remain.’

Critics of Virgin’s move suggest the company is censoring ‘free press’ whereas supporters believe the company is well within its rights to choose which publications it sells to its customers.

 

5. Carrie Gracie and the BBC pay row

BBC

Carrie Gracie stepped down from her role as China editor at the BBC this week, after accusing the public broadcaster of ‘breaking equality law’ and ‘resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure’. She highlights an ongoing struggle to be paid equally to the other international editors, particularly John Sopel, US editor, and Jeremy Bowen, Middle East editor. Her struggles proved fruitless so she’s quit her post and will return to the UK newsroom.

Gracie made the announcement hours before she was due to host the Today programme, which she has done all week. In a plot worthy of W1A, Gracie was unable to talk about her own news story, due to impartiality rules, and so couldn’t cover the biggest story of the day. Other journalists who had expressed support for Gracie were also banned from discussing the issue on air.

In a further twist, it has now been revealed that John Humphreys and John Sopel were recorded discussing the story off air, and Humphreys made several derogatory remarks including: ‘I could save you the trouble as I could volunteer that I’ve handed over already more than you f***ing earn but I’m still left with more than anybody else and that seems to me to be entirely just – something like that would do it?’

This might not be the last time we see Mr Humphreys in Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 12 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Trump cancelling his visit to the UK, Nigel Farage’s second Brexit referendum, Government ordering illegal migrants’ accounts to be closed, and a threat to the Royal Marines and paratroopers. 

Trump cancels UK visit
This morning’s Daily Mail revealed that President Trump has cancelled his visit to the UK. He was expected to visit next month, but has not offered a new date. According to a senior source, Trump cancelled ‘because he was unhappy about the arrangements and the scale of the visit’. However, he tweeted last night that he cancelled the trip because he was unhappy with the deal that led to the new embassy being built.

Nigel Farage floats the possibility of a second Brexit referendum
The Guardian reports that Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader, told Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff that ‘maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership’ in order to kill off arguments about Brexit. In this morning’s Daily Telegraph, Farage rows back on this stance, claiming instead that he is ‘beginning to fear that a second plebiscite may well happen anyway.’

Government to order banks to close illegal migrants’ accounts
The Daily Telegraph says that the Government is to hand banks a list of illegal migrants suspected of hiding in the country, and order that their accounts be closed. New immigration minister Caroline Noakes argues in the paper that innocent people have nothing to fear.

Merger threat to Royal Marines and paratroopers
According to The Times, defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been presented with three sets of defence cuts, cutting armed forces numbers by more than 14,000 and combining paratrooper units and the Royal Marines in order to save money. The cuts could leave the armed forces with fewer troops than at any point since the Napoleonic era.

Crisis talks held over Carillion
The Financial Times reports that senior Government ministers including David Lidington (Cabinet Office minister), Greg Clark (business secretary), Jo Johnson (transport minister), Liz Truss (chief secretary to the Treasury) and Rory Stewart (justice minister), as well as ministers from five other departments, met yesterday for talks about the future of Carillion, a major Government contractor that the paper says is ‘close to collapse’.

Theresa May meets financial leaders, whilst EU ambassadors debate transition extension
Details of a meeting between Theresa May and representatives of the financial services sector are reported in the Financial Times. She said that financial services would be ‘at the heart’ of a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. However, The Times says that Downing Street has disputed Philip Hammond’s suggestion that the UK could keep paying into the EU budget after Brexit in exchange for privileged access for British banks to the EU market. Separately, the Financial Times also claims that EU ambassadors have begun debating whether the transition period can be extended and, if so, what price should be attached.

Chris Williamson resigns as shadow fire minister
Chris Williamson, Labour’s shadow fire minister, has resigned after he said that council tax should be doubled on high-value homes. The Guardian says that Williamson is now ‘expected to act as a leftwing outrider for the Labour leader from the backbenches’ and that Jeremy Corbyn is expected to announce a series of junior frontbench appointments today.

Peter Bone leaves wife for physio
The Sun’s front page story today is that Tory backbencher Peter Bone, famous for mentioning his wife in Parliament, has left her for a married physiotherapist and former Conservative candidate, Helen Harrison.

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Judicial Office

Lords vote for second stage of Leveson

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The House of Lords last night defeated the Government after Baroness Hollins tabled an amendment to the Data Protection Bill pushing for the second stage of the Leveson inquiry.

The second part of the Leveson inquiry was originally intended to address: ‘The extent of unlawful or improper conduct within News International, other media organisations or other organisations. It will also consider the extent to which any relevant police force investigated allegations relating to News International, and whether the police received corrupt payments or were otherwise complicit in misconduct.’

As the amendments arose as part of the new data protection bill – part of GDPR in the EU – it is now intended that the second phase should particularly focus on data breaches made by the press.

This is in contrast to the first part, which looked at the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

The second stage was dropped from the Conservative manifesto in the election last year, as the party claimed the first stage had been sufficiently comprehensive. As reported in the BBC, the Conservatives also believed the criminal investigations that might arise from stage two had already occurred as a result of stage one.

Crossbench peer Baroness Hollins wasn’t satisfied with this and claimed victims of crime were ‘promised’ a second phase of inquiry and it should be honoured as a matter of ‘good faith’. The vote backed her amendment by 238 to 209.

The Government’s new culture secretary, Matt Hancock said the Lords had voted to ‘restrict press freedoms’. In a tweet, he goes on to say, ‘This vote will undermine high quality journalism, fail to resolve challenges the media face and is a hammer blow to local press. We support a free press and will seek to overturn these amendments in the Commons’.

The Lords also voted in favour for another measure – one which would force newspapers not signed up to the regulator to pay both sides’ legal costs in any court cases of data protection breaches, no matter the outcome of the case. This measure could arguably hit local newspapers hard, if any cases were to be brought against them.

The amendments will now make their way back to Parliament, where they are likely to be overturned by the Government. Previous proposed press reforms have struggled in the Commons – and the press’s relationship with the Government was a big part of the first stage of the Leveson inquiry – whereas the unelected Lords typically take a harder line.

Ayo Adepoju

Blogger Spotlight: Ayo Adepoju, We Plug GOOD Music

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We Plug GOOD Music (WPGM) features the latest and best emerging music from around the world. Written by a team of contributors under the direction of editor-in-chief Ayo Adepoju, We Plug GOOD Music recently made the Top 10 UK Music Blogs. We caught up with Ayo to talk about the best artists in the world right now, working with PRs and brand collaborations.

How would you describe your blog?
We believe in the power of good music. An innovation borne out of passion for new and emerging music, and efforts to revolutionise the way new music is discovered and consumed, WPGM provides a relevant platform to promote and raise awareness for the best new music and artists.

What makes your blog successful?
Our diverse contributors and writers and the wide range of new and exciting music we showcase and highlight.

Who was the best artist of 2017?
Hard to pick one, so here are five: Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, St. Vincent, Vince Staples and SZA. Honourable mentions to JAY-Z and J Hus.

Is there a breakthrough music act we should be looking out for in 2018?
Yxng Bane, Team Salut, IAMDDB and Yaeji.

What are the last three songs you listened to? (Be honest!)

  • Sona – Feeling You
  • Jack Da Union – Lock Down
  • Travis Greene – Made A Way

What’s your preferred method of listening to music (streaming, downloads, vinyl, cassette)?
Streaming.

Want to work with influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in Music, Film, Arts & more.

Get in touch

Name a musical performance in history you wish you could have seen
Jay-Z at Glastonbury.

How do you like to work with PRs?
We prefer to be contacted via email.

Do you have any examples of favourite brand campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
Some of our fav brand collaborations have been with Lipton Ice Tea, McDonalds, Pepsi Max and adidas.

What other blogs do you read?
Trench Magazine, The FADER, Conversations About Her.

 

Ayo Adepoju and We Plug GOOD Music are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other amazing bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 11 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Government’s environment strategy, Hammond calling on the EU to help with Brexit, Sadiq Khan’s warning that ‘no-deal’ could cause half a million job losses and the possible future leaders of the Tory party.   

Environment strategy unveiled
Theresa May will announce the Government’s environment strategy in a major speech today, the Daily Mail reports. The 25-year strategy will target the elimination of all ‘avoidable’ plastics, with calls for supermarkets to create ‘plastic free aisles’, a consultation on a levy on single-use plastics, extending the 5p carrier bag charge to all retailers, phasing out plastic cups and cutlery from Whitehall, a £10m scheme for schoolchildren to visit wildlife sites, and using the £13bn foreign aid budget to clean up oceans.

Hammond calls on EU to help with Brexit trade deal
The Financial Times says that the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has called on the EU to give a signal as to the type of future relationship it wants with the UK. Hammond also called on the EU to abandon any ‘narrative of punishment’. The Daily Telegraph adds that Hammond has refused to rule out making substantial payments to the EU in order to secure access for UK-based financial services firms. The Times says that this approach was being considered by countries including Germany, although it had not yet been approved by Angela Merkel.

No-deal Brexit could cause half a million job losses, Sadiq Khan says
An economic forecast for the Mayor of London says that a no-deal Brexit could cause the UK to lose half a million jobs and nearly £50bn investment by 2030, The Guardian says. The report concludes that ‘the harder the Brexit, the more severe the economic damage could be’.

Gove: Future Tory leadership election could be between Williamson and Hinds
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said that a future Conservative leadership election could be between Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and new Education Secretary Damian Hinds, The Times reports. In The Daily Telegraph, May’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy also tips Hinds as a future leader and says that Justine Greening blocked tuition fee cuts.

Hospital bosses tell Hunt to spend more on the NHS
NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, has written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to tell him that the NHS will be unable to meet its constitutional care standards without tens of billions of extra funding, The Guardian says. Yesterday, Hunt told MPs that the NHS would need ‘significantly more funding’ over the next decade. The Mirror has an article by an A&E doctor, who tells the Government ‘Don’t forget us. Defend us. Please.’

Government accuses Lords of voting to restrict press freedom
Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has accused the House of Lords of voting to restrict the freedom of the press, after Labour and Liberal Democrat peers voted to force the Government to launch either a new investigation into alleged breaches of data protection law or the second stage of the Leveson inquiry. Another amendment would require all publishers which are not part of Impress to pay the cost of data protection legal actions, The Times reports. Hancock has vowed to reverse the changes in the Commons.

John McDonnell to visit World Economic Forum
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is to attend this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, according to The Times. A spokesman said he would ‘use the opportunity to set out why it is vital we rewrite the rules of the global economy’.

Tim Farron regrets saying that gay sex is not a sin
Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron told Premier Christian Radio that he regrets saying that gay sex was not a sin, the BBC reports. Current leader, Sir Vince Cable has said that Farron’s personal views do not represent party policy.

 

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PMQs: Theresa May’s word cloud – 10 January 2018

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In the first Prime Minister’s Questions of 2018, Theresa May faced questions from MPs on the NHS, Brexit and the reshuffle. We present the word cloud for Theresa May’s answers at PMQs on 10 January 2018.

In what was an unusually short PMQs compared to normal, one of the key talking points from the session was when the PM was forced to backtrack after she began to remark on the absence of shadow education secretary Angela Rayner from Prime Minister’s Questions, only to be told that Rayner was undergoing medical treatment.

10 Jan 18

The NHS

As usual, Corbyn fired numerous statistics at May on the NHS, asking questions on winter preparedness, A&E waiting times, cancellation of operations, social care, funding and the role of private companies. May argued that the NHS had been better prepared than ever before for the winter pressures, but apologised to those who had planned operations cancelled to cope with the surge in demand.

Brexit

The SNP’s Ian Blackford focused on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill and how ending the supremacy of European law will affect the Scottish government’s powers. Blackford described the bill as ‘nothing more than a power grab from Scotland’. May claimed that the Government was seeking to improve the section of the bill in question, and that the ministers were ‘intensifying’ their discussions with Holyrood. Another SNP MP, Pete Wishart, asked the PM to rank her Brexit efforts on a scale of one to 10 – to which she replied saying that she is ‘getting on with the job’.

Reshuffle

Corbyn also made comments about Mr Hunt’s new job title, arguing that the new title ‘will not hide the fact that £6bn has been cut from social care under the Tories’. Separately, an early reference to the ‘housing secretary’ by the PM indicates a major shift in the priorities of the newly named Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

A and R Factory, Stefan Toren

Blogger Spotlight: Stefan Toren, A&R Factory

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A&R Factory launched in 2012 and is one of the most prominent blogs in the A&R scene. Promoting new and emerging talent, A&R Factory was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Music Blogs. We spoke to Stefan Toren, A&R Manager at the blog, who told us about Yebba, his favourite methods of consuming music and working with brands. 

How would you describe your blog?
A&R Factory is representing new and emerging unsigned music from across the world. Our readership includes independent and major labels, publishers, management companies, radio stations, PR and sync companies from across the world who use our website as a resource to discover and sign acts.

What makes your blog successful?
Staying independent and true to new and unsigned music.

In your opinion, who is the best artist of 2017?
As always, Ed Sheeran never disappoints!

Is there a breakthrough music act we should be looking out for in 2018?
Yebba

What are the last three songs you listened to? (Be honest!)

  1. Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (don’t judge)
  2. The Beatles – I Am The Walrus
  3. Wolf Alice – Moaning Lisa Smile

What’s your preferred method of listening to music?
Streaming / Download / Vinyl

Name a musical performance in history you wish you could have seen?
Queen (Live Aid 1985).

How do you like to work with PRs?
Connect with us via email, no spam. Let’s work together on breaking new artists.

Want to work with influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in Music, Film, Arts & more.

Get in touch

Do you have any examples of favourite brand campaigns/collaborations you’ve worked on?
Last year, we were honoured to work with Zippo lighters promoting the limited edition download festival lighter.

What do you prefer to call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creators etc)?
Tough call, I would say an Influential Blogger!

What other blogs do you read?
Music Business Worldwide, Ditto Music Blog, Hypebot.

 

Stefan and A&R Factory are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 10 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including women and minorities promoted in the second day of the reshuffle, the confusion around no no-deal minister, an extended plastic bag charge and Germany’s opposition to a bespoke Brexit trade deal.   

Reshuffle: Women and minorities promoted
Theresa May concluded her ministerial reshuffle yesterday by ‘axing a string of white men in their 50s and 60s while promoting a number of younger, female and minority ethnic MPs’, as the Guardian reports. However, according to Sutton Trust analysis, the Cabinet is more privileged than before. The Times quotes Theresa May as saying that the Government ‘looks more like the country it serves’.

Reshuffle: no no-deal minister leaves Brexiteers ‘dumbfounded’
The Daily Telegraph says that Brexiteers have been left ‘dumbfounded’ after the Government abandoned plans for a no-deal minister to attend Cabinet, despite having promised them several months ago that this would happen. A Number 10 source told that paper that Brexit ministers ‘will be invited to come where relevant’.

New environment strategy will extend plastic bag charge
The Daily Mail reports that that the English 5p plastic bag charge will be extended to cover all shops (retailers with under 250 employees are currently exempt). A new 25-year environment strategy is to be unveiled tomorrow, with a deposit scheme for plastic bottles and new taxes on throwaway plastics apparently both under consideration.

Germany opposes bespoke Brexit trade deal as ministers visit
The Daily Telegraph claims that German opposition could prevent a bespoke Brexit trade deal. Angela Merkel is opposed to the British proposal for ‘managed divergence’ from the EU. The news emerges as Philip Hammond and David Davis visit the country on what the paper calls a ‘joint charm offensive’. The paper also reports that Brexit supporters, led by Steven Woolfe MEP, are to meet Michel Barnier today, presenting him with a hamper of English produce, which would ‘help illustrate our rich cultural and commercial offering’.

EU warns UK companies of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit
The Financial Times carries details of legal notices issued by the European Union to around 15 regulated industries in November and December, calling on UK companies to be ready for the UK to become a third country on 29/03/2019, with no right to operate in the single market. The memos warn of lapsing operating licences and the need to create EU entities. The documents have caused complaints from Brexit secretary David Davis.

Labour to commit to staying in EU customs union
According to The Times, Labour is to commit to staying in a modified version of the customs union by the spring. Whilst the policy is not yet confirmed, and still faces obstacles, sources have told the paper that such a move is likely. Labour would ask the EU to give the UK a seat when negotiating future trade agreements.

Government’s management of UK’s largest rail franchise criticised
The National Audit Office has ‘severely criticised’ the Government’s management of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, the Guardian reports. It found that Department for Transport decisions had ‘negatively impacted on passengers’.

Prime Minister will survive Brexit vote, says John Curtice
The Guardian has details of new claims made by elections expert John Curtice. He has said that Theresa May will survive the final Commons vote on Brexit, and that there is no evidence that enough leave voters now want to remain in the EU to force the prime minister to reverse Brexit, although polling carried out by NatCen has found that leave voters increasingly think that the Government is mishandling the negoticreations.

 

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Downing Street

Diversity still lacking after Tory reshuffle

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Last night, the official Twitter account for the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted that there will now be 10 women attending Cabinet meetings after the first part of the reshuffle, a rise from the previous eight. Four of the positions that are referenced in the tweet are MPs who are ‘attending Cabinet’ rather than being members of the Cabinet, which is an important distinction to make in terms of seniority. Only one new woman is attending cabinet, and she replaces another woman.

DOWNLOAD OUR CABINET RESHUFFLE WALL CHART

Ten women equates to 31.25% of the Cabinet, which measures up to the 32% of MPs that are women and outperforms the 21% of Conservative MPs that are women. Theresa May now has exactly the same proportion of women in her Cabinet as David Cameron did in his final Cabinet, and Cameron was celebrated for this achievement.

Almost 51% of the population of the UK are female and when we compare this to the numbers above it shows how much progress the Conservatives need to make both in the number of female MPs they have and in the number of female members of Cabinet.  If we look at the Labour Party we see a Party performing much better when it comes to diversity; 45% of their MPs are female and 57% of the total women MPs in Parliament take their seats on the Labour benches. Labour also do a lot better in their Shadow Cabinet having as many women as men.

Sajid Javid remains the only BME member of the Cabinet. Roughly 14% of the UK population is BME compared to the Cabinet’s 3%. The proportion of Conservative MPs who are BME is 6%, so the Cabinet is not even representative of the party. If we once again compare with David Cameron’s last Cabinet, then the number is not as encouraging as it was with women; Priti Patel was a part of Cameron’s last Cabinet along with Javid. To continue the comparison with the Labour Party, 12% of Labour MPs come from BME backgrounds and five members of their Shadow Cabinet come from BME backgrounds.

As two tweets from Press Association journalist Ian Jones point out, at 9am yesterday, the Cabinet had an average age of 51, was 70% male and 96% white.  Just 12 hours later, the Cabinet had an average age of 50, was 66% male and 97% white.

The narrative surrounding diversity does not read well for Theresa May. Justine Greening was the first openly gay women in a Cabinet position and the first state-educated Education Secretary, before she resigned. This is more problematic when you factor in Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt (who has been given additional power) and Chris Grayling – three white, middle-aged men, all Oxbridge educated, who have received far more criticism than Greening – and still sit in the Cabinet.

Swoon Worthy

Blogger Interview: Kimberly Duran, Swoon Worthy

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Kimberly Duran is the author of Swoon Worthy, which won the Best DIY & Interior Design Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017. A self-confessed maximalist, Kimberly loves colour and print and big bold designs. Swoon Worthy impressed judges with its visual style and professional approach to blogging.

We caught up with the best interior design blogger in the country to discuss moving house, winning awards and why PR pros and brands should never resort to ‘cut and paste’ jobs.

Why did you start your blog?
I have always been an avid reader of blogs, ever since the late 90s when they were still called weblogs (showing my age there!). Fast forward ten years or so and I started following a lot of home interiors blogs – the first one I remember discovering was called Young House Love, which is a very well-known blog in the US. It was a young couple who had done up their own house in a beautiful but attainable way. I was inspired by them, so when we moved into our home in 2010, I decided I wanted to try my hand at blogging as well.

I started by simply cataloguing the changes we were making on the house and I thought a few people would be interested and I would be able to meet likeminded individuals. But, to my surprise, my audience started to grow and soon from what was simply a hobby, it developed into a full-time career.

After seven years of blogging about my home, we have just sold it and will be moving into another so I’m excited to share the process of decorating a totally new project with my readers.

Swoon WorthyCongratulations! Is it exciting to start on a ‘blank canvas’?
Massively exciting! My other half, Wayne, is an avid DIYer, so I think we make a very good team. He says I’ve got the vision and he’s got the ability! I tend to do all the decorating: I come up with the design concepts and the sourcing but I also do all the painting, the wallpapering, putting up shelves and mirrors, and he does my ‘hardcore DIY’, as I like to call it – the heavy lifting: plastering, tiling, electrics and all that good stuff.

How do you feel about leaving your current house?
I don’t think it’s sunk in yet to be honest! I’m sure when we start to pack up it will hit me harder. This house has been our passion project, so leaving it behind knowing that I started my blog here and it is the reason Swoon Worthy became popular… it holds a lot of emotional ties! I think I’m more excited than sad, but ask again when the house is all packed up and I’ll probably be crying in a ball in the corner thinking, ‘What have we done?!’

And the new home will become the new focus for the blog?
The house is always the centrepiece of the blog. When I started, it was rare to see UK interiors bloggers who talked about their own homes. I saw a lot of bloggers that were more focused on what was happening in the design world, different shows they were attending or trends in design (I talk about that as well but just on a more personal level). I like to think Swoon Worthy was probably one of the first in this country that allowed readers into the blogger’s home and made it a personal thing where people felt like they were along for the ride.

I think it was one of the things that made my blog stand out at the time – readers know the house, they know us – they even know our pets! Being able to really know the person behind the blog is a big part of my ethos.

How do you feel about having so much of you online?
I don’t share everything, there is a part of our lives that is private and I’m protective of that in certain ways. Though I’ve never shied away from being open with people. On posts where I feel like maybe I’m sharing too much, I’ve had a positive response and amazing comments; my audience always surprises and humbles me in that respect. My readers are warm, lovely and understanding – I’m very lucky in that I seem to have attracted a wonderful bunch!

Kimberly DuranWhat about the interior blogging community, what’s that like?
It’s amazing how supportive the community is. Maybe it’s because it’s a more niche subject, but I don’t see a lot of the pettiness, back stabbing or fierce competition I’ve seen in some other blogging circles.

Finding a group of likeminded people is so important when you’re blogging because it can be a very lonely journey. Most of us who do it full time are sitting behind computer screens all day and it can feel isolating. Throughout my day I’m chatting and talking to people in my community non-stop, and I also get to see a lot of them at events and press trips. I’ve made good friends through blogging.

What does winning the Best DIY & Interiors Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards mean to you?
It’s an amazing accolade, especially as the judges are celebrated people in their own industries. To be a finalist is an honour but to win is mind blowing. And I love the Vuelio Blog Awards – getting dressed up and coming together for a day where bloggers are celebrated is fantastic!

I don’t think the average person on the street understands how much work a blogger does and how many things you need to be very good at to be a successful blogger. So, having an industry that comes together and celebrates that, is absolutely amazing.

You have a great social presence, what platforms work best for you?
One of my biggest traffic drivers is, and probably always will be, Pinterest. It is so visually driven and you have a direct link from the image to your blog, so it’s a great traffic driver for a visual subject. I also LOVE Instagram – I can’t help myself. I know it’s not the best for traffic, but it’s good for driving awareness of my brand – although the algorithms are currently doing my head in! I’ve sort of lost my love for Facebook to be honest and Twitter is always good for networking but I don’t spend a lot of time on it.

My focus has and always will be blog, so that’s where I want people to land and all my social platforms are really only there to support the blog.

How do your social platforms work with collaborations?
Nowadays a lot of brands are focused on Instagram, so I’m seeing more collaborations where they want Instagram posts. Almost every collaboration will include social shares in some shape or form, maybe on one particular platform or sometimes across the board. I don’t have a massive Instagram following compared to others, but since I hit the 10K point last year, the interest from brands has increased and I have seen more requests for collaborations on Instagram posts.

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

I particularly enjoy styling specific items – showing my audience how something might work in a lifestyle setting. I think my readers enjoy seeing things in my home and in my ‘eclectic boho glam’ style rather than just using promotional images from the brand, and I like doing those kinds of posts because they are just more personal and more creatively challenging.

Want to work with influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in Interiors, DIY, Lifestyle & more.

Get in touch

What should brands know about you?
I have quite a recognisable style and what frustrates me is when a brand or PR will tell me they’ve ‘been reading the blog and it’s amazing’, and then, say, offer me a Scandi-style cushion. If they had looked at my blog for 10 minutes they’d know that Scandi is about as far away from my style as possible! It’s obvious to me that in those circumstances the brands or PRs haven’t registered or taken notice of my aesthetic at all. Any collaboration has to reflect the Swoon Worthy look and feel because I know that my readers will know immediately if I’m showing off something I would never buy for my own home. I don’t do any collaborations that aren’t the right fit for me.

Beyond that, I do understand that outreach specialists don’t have time to go through 750 blogs and know everything intimately! But just knowing perhaps that I’m American or knowing I’m in Manchester, not London, or they are aware I have pets but no kids – these are all little touches that tell me they’ve done their research.

I can always tell a ‘cut and paste’ jobs, so get to know me!

 

Get to know Kimberly; both she and Swoon Worthy are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 9 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Theresa May’s reshuffle under attack, Toby Young quitting the Office for Students, Davis consults lawyers over EU no-deal and the truth about Australian flu.   

Theresa May’s reshuffle under attack
This morning’s big political story is the continuing reshuffle. Yesterday saw the Cabinet being reshuffled, and the reaction from the press is less than positive. The Times calls it ‘shambolic’, The Daily Telegraph says it was ‘chaotic’, whilst the Guardian opines that May was ‘thrown off course.’ As The Times explains, May’s lack of authority was ‘laid bare’ when Jeremy Hunt resisted efforts to make him business secretary and Justine Greening left the Government rather than become welfare secretary, while the mistaken announcement of Chris Grayling as party chairman added to the chaos. The Sun suggests that at least a dozen MPs from the 2015 intake will be promoted today, while the Daily Mail expects ‘significant numbers of female and ethnic minority MPs’ to join the Government.

Toby Young quits the Office for Students
Toby Young, the controversial appointee to the board of the Office for Students, resigned from his post this morning. Writing in The Spectator, Young said that he appointment had ‘become a distraction’, adding that ‘some of the things I said before I got involved in education, when I was a journalistic provocateur, were either ill-judged or just plain wrong – and I unreservedly apologise.’

Davis consults lawyers over EU no-deal plans
According to a report in the Financial Times based on a letter from David Davis to the Prime Minister seen by the paper, Davis has consulted lawyers over the EU’s preparations for a no deal Brexit, claiming that the EU is harming British business and breaching the UK’s rights as a member state.

No major outbreak of ‘Australian flu’ – just NHS underfunding, says virologist
The Guardian reports that John Oxford, emeritus professor of virology at the University of London, has said that the NHS’s problems are not being caused by an outbreak of ‘Australian flu’ but that ‘there is a lack of investment, there are not enough doctors or nurses, and politicians are trying to blame the situation on influenza.’

Health minister: Seats were available at hospital
The Mirror says that health minister Philip Dunne provoked anger when he answered questions about patients sleeping on hospital floors by saying that ‘There are seats available in most hospitals when beds are not available.’ Justin Madders, Labour’s shadow health minister, described this as ‘an appalling and ignorant remark’.

Juncker: Brexit will go ahead
The Sun says that Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, told a conference, ‘Don’t believe those who say that it’s not going to happen and that people have realised their error in the UK.’ Labour MP Ben Bradshaw accused Juncker of being out of touch.

UK to mitigate VAT damage
The Financial Times reports that the UK is to ‘mitigate’ potential damage to 130,000 companies which face having to pay VAT upfront on goods imported from the UK post-Brexit. The Treasury said it would ‘look at options to mitigate any cash flow impacts’.

Corbyn: UK cannot remain in single market
Jeremy Corbyn has said that the UK cannot remain in the single market after Brexit, disappointing pro-EU MPs, The Guardian reveals. A ‘senior Labour source’ told the paper ‘The single market is not a membership club that can be joined so we seek through negotiation to retain the benefits of the single market.’

 

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