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WHO IS LOOKING AFTER THE PM AND THE OLD DEAR?

What. A. Disaster.

Yes Gordon, it sure was. After all the statesmanlike comments in the national press, the wise words about Europe on the TV debate and the campaign trail growing in positive momentum - things were starting to look a little better for the beleaguered Labour camp.

Until someone forgot to check the leader’s mike was off. First rule of PR – look after your client. Where was his PRO? Why was he allowed to make such a crippling gaffe? One that has surely cost him another 4 years in power.

Whether one agrees or not with his choice of words, they were never meant for public consumption. Someone should have been looking after his interests and ensuring he was disrobed of his microphone and tucked safely away in his car for his next endless round of media opportunities.

He’s not blameless either mind – a schoolboy error on the part of the PM, who must surely know by now ‘if you don’t say it, they won’t print it’ and that old adage ‘the walls have ears’.

He wasn’t looked after that day, but I bet his spin-doctors are wrapping around him like a blanket now.

Who’s comforting the old dear he insulted though? Have we not learnt any lessons from the ‘SuBo’ fiasco? You cannot parachute and old lady from Rochdale into the international media glare, and expect her to cope. I hear today she has a PR agency on board – I hope their representation includes a bit of good old fashioned care and common sense.

But I suspect the next photo-call is already being arranged for polling day, when her lifetime tick in the Labour box will change for good.

Passion for your product really cuts it

By Kari Owers

It’s always easier to sell your story if you believe so passionately about it you can get close to tears. That was the case at an Entrepreneurs’ Forum event I attended this week with internationally renowned hairdresser Trevor Sorbie.

With a career that many of us would kill for, Trevor’s brand is known around the world and his ‘stylist to the stars’ status means he doesn’t have to get out of bed for less than £10,000 a day if he doesn’t want to.

But nowadays Trevor works for nothing - diddly squat. The way he stood up and promoted his new venture Mynewhair.org you were left in no doubt as to why money just doesn’t cut it for him these days.

My newhair.org is a charity set up to train hairdressers how to style wigs for people suffering from medical hair loss, most especially people affected by cancer.

It’s not just the practical tips on cutting a wig being taught, it’s how to talk to someone going through cancer treatment. For any woman especially, having their hair done is a kind of therapy, but for one that is seeing her whole identity disappear as she loses her hair, it really is ‘psychological medicine’ as Trevor puts it.

Mynewhair.org is training hairdressers across the UK how to offer the service at their salon, and hopes to see it become a way of life for people facing wearing a wig, whether they live in a remote village or a major city.

I listened to Trevor talk, and yes I did shed a tear. His passion for helping women when they are at rock bottom, by quite simply letting them face the world with a brave face and a head of hair – was simply moving.

He admitted he needs to get the word out there and asked us to spread his message. So that’s what I’m doing writing this blog. But more than that, Trevor summed up what I’ve always believed in. No matter what your business or message – if you believe in it passionately you will reach people.

This is one cause it isn’t hard to put some PR weight behind. Give that man a tip. Donate or get involved at http://www.mynewhair.org/

O-Vote Joe

Gemma Clarke, Account Manager

A record 19.1 million of us tuned into the X Factor final last weekend. Simon Cowell must have been seeing pound signs in his eyes.

And why was this show one of the most viewed ever?

Was it purely down to Geordie Joe’s singing ability or the fact that almost half the population of teenage girls have been going ‘Radio Ga Ga’ over Olly Murs’ dance moves?

I believe what made the show one of the most successful and what inevitably helped Joe to win was down to the media frenzy that surrounded what could be dubbed as ‘Joe-Gate’.

As a region that is fiercely proud of its people and nurtures its talent, the overwhelming regional support that we have given local lad Joe McElderry is not surprising.

From illuminated boards at the entrance to the Tyne Tunnel, which have the words ‘X Factor – Vote Joe’ to South Shields Town Hall flying ‘Vote Joe’ flags at half mast, people actually changing their names live on the North East’s Real Radio via deedpoll to ‘Vote Joe’ - the region went well and truly Joe crazy.

An image of Joe’s face was also projected on to South Shields’ Town Hall for three hours prior to last Saturday’s show and the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle put up a flag, which was visible from the Tyne Bridge.

It was hard to tell at first whether this ongoing promotional campaign was coming from the X-Factor’s PR machine or whether we ‘as a region’ were just using all our own resources to support Joe– and gain a little PR for ourselves at the same time. I believe it was the latter.

From the support of South Tyneside Council, Newcastle Airport, Real Radio, Metro Radio, Tyne Tunnel, and indeed Newcastle College – to name but a few – who have all ran their own promotional ‘Vote Joe’ stories, we have all helped to create Joe McElderry mania – surely a collaborative award winning PR campaign in itself!

What also created mass hysteria in the region was the power of social media. This year, the X Factor created an online buzz, which the programme has never seen before.

Famous regional names such as Kevin Keegan ‘tweeted’ his support for Geordie Joe as did, top Toon radio presenter Tony Horne amongst many others.

But Joe faced stiff competition to take the Christmas crown this year. Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing In the Name Of’ pipped the cherubic Geordie to the post, thanks to an online social media campaign through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

It seems that the nation has had enough of the X Factor winner taking the top spot.

Simon Cowell is said to be ‘furious’. Yes, he’s furious that he has under estimated the power of social media. This was an example of social media marketing at its best and something that is sure to go down in history.

Joe McElderry The Climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNXayt_UiyQ

Rage Against The Machine Killing in the Name of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkuOAY-S6OY

Be a social animal

Kari Owers, Managing Director

Networking may not come naturally to everyone, but in today’s world there has never been so many options open to us and it doesn’t always mean leaving the office.

As part of any PR strategy we always review a client’s networking activity, on and offline, and make recommendations as to how they can raise their company profile by making clever connections.

In this region we are spoilt for choice. As well as the industry networks such as NEPA, a:design association, CIM and the CIPR to name a few, we have business to business networks like BNI, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum and NECC. The list is endless, but knowing which are right for your business and the best use of your time requires a strategic approach.

All networking takes time, which is a limited resource, so use it wisely. Consider your target customer, and what level they are at in their organisation and then identify their hunting ground. For me the CEO and Managing Director of the business is usually the one with an interest in strategic PR, so events like the NE Business Executive of the Year or the annual CBI dinner are a great way to meet senior level executives.

Remember, an event where you are forced to press your business card into another’s hand, or where a bell rings every two minutes, is not where the real decision makers will be hanging out!

Networking isn’t all about sales either. It can help you find like-minded people for advice and direction in growing your business. For me, an organisation like the Entrepreneurs’ Forum allows me to meet other entrepreneurs further along in their journey for inspiration, contacts and guidance. It can also make you more visible in your sector and lead to partnerships and collaboration with affiliate companies for greater combined returns.

Recruitment is another good reason to network. Your next recruit will be out there at your industry events, and meeting people at all levels in your own industry is a great way to make connections that could be your next appointment.

The key to good networking is to be real. Seek out people you really want to meet at the event before deciding to go, research the attendees of the event as much as you can, and have something to say to them other than a sales pitch. And always follow up afterwards if you feel you could benefit from meeting again on a one-to-one.

So what about social networking? I can connect with hundreds of people without the hassle of having to don a black tie and give up my evenings, I hear you say.

It is true that social networking sites such as Twitter, Linked In, and to a certain extent Facebook are a great way of making contacts, but more importantly I believe they are a better way of keeping in contact. Converting networking to sales is not an overnight exercise, and social networking can help you build a rapport.

The most popular brands in social media tend to post less about their products or services and more about things that help their customers get to know the people and personality of their company.

Our social media strategies for customers encourage them to be more about engaging their customers than selling to them, about starting conversations, having a valid opinion (and sharing it) and being tactical in growing their online networks - and not just socially networking with a small group of people they are already connected to, as many people often mistakenly do.

As long as you treat online social networking just as you would if you were doing it in person it can reap massive rewards for your business. The first rule is to be in the right places, just like ordinary networking not every party is worth going to. Work out where your customers are likely to be online and focus on that.

The second rule is to represent. Give your social media presence the attention it deserves, and ensure those responsible for populating it do so with your brand values in mind. Give it a personality too, be unafraid of that. There is nothing worse than a corporate Twitter page that has no feel of the people in the business.

Finally, be active. Just like the effort it requires to drag yourself to a breakfast seminar, social networking is not for the lazy. To use a cliché: you get what you put in.

Free news is good news

So Rupert Murdoch has decided that money no longer lies in free news.

He’s pulled the plug on The London Paper free sheet, and is proposing to slap a subscription fee on all News Corp’s online news content. But is it realistic to believe consumers will pay for “quality journalism” when diverse news content is still available for free elsewhere?

We all keep hearing about the supposedly imminent death of the newspaper, and the internet has been named as the number one culprit. It’s a no brainer really. Why make the effort to leave the house and buy a paper which will be chucked in the recycling bin at the end of the day, when you can access up-to-date, real-time news and opinion from the comfort of your own bed, office or train seat?

We couldn’t go up to the newstand and take the front page from The Sun, the media supplement from The Guardian, the comment pieces from The Independent and then strike up a conversation with hundreds of other readers about what they thought about an article. The internet provides all this - and it’s all free (well, except for the monthly bill...)

Media is business, so news has to make money somehow, but with print circulations plummeting and no great success stories for online adverts, advertisers are getting cautious with budgets. So where an obvious alternative may be to charge for online content, the general consensus seems to be that this will drive surfers away whilst alternatives still exist.

Here is a cross section of comments from The Guardian in response to the original story:

"Well, I won't pay.”

“Won't affect me as I don't read his rags so I really do not care. For every crap rag that starts charging, 10 better ones can be found online for free.”

“If I have paid for the print editions of the three papers I buy daily, am I then expected to be happy if I am asked to pay to get updates on their websites?”

Consumers are always on the lookout for a bargain - better still a freebie. So maybe companies like Spotify have got the right idea. Listen to music tracks for free but expect to hear an advert every few songs which cannot be skipped or turned down. Convert this to The Sun or The Times etc, every 3 articles you click on, a tailored advert appears.

This is not to say however, that the paid-for content model is not working in some circumstances. Take the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Its editor, Walter Hussman, was profiled in last Sunday’s Observer. The 62 year old started charging for online news content in 2002 and has continued to make a profit and see print sales increase. If you’ve got something niche or exclusive though there’s always potential to make money.

If Rupert can be guaranteed to get the scoop on every story, then there’s a chance he could pull in the online readers. But until all online news content is subscription only, it’s difficult to see how this can be a billion dollar idea.

And where does this leave bloggers or independent news sites? Will they be sucked into this new, potentially profitable internet landscape?

It’s clear that the face of news is in a state of flux. Consumers are after free, up-to-the-minute exclusives with pictures, videos and comments. It seems that unfortunately quality is no longer the priority, so where is the money in this? There must be a way for the media to capitalise on the internet boom - but I don’t think this is it. I know I won’t be paying. Will you? Comment and let us know.

Janelle Hardacre (The Intern)

Vivienne Westwood helps us go green...

Kari Owers, Managing Director

Last Friday we took part in Green Britain Day by having a team swap of old clothes and Rob started his weekly 25 mile round trip bike ride to work (click here to read the story).

A passing PR stunt or a serious commitment to the environment? You know it started as a bit of fun, but just taking part started me thinking.

Just what is this climate change thing really all about and what can one little business do to help?

After a busy week, I tuned in to the regular Friday night fix of Jonathan Ross and was excited to see my all-time favourite designer Vivienne Westwood on the line up. Love her clothes with a passion (as everyone in the office knows!).

Reminiscent of her activist days in the '70s in this interview she was passionate about the need to tackle climate change. Strange for a fashion designer you might think, with fashion the epitome of unnecessary consumerism.

In just a few minutes of airtime she made me realise that climate change is a real issue for every single one of us. We have just 96 months left to tackle the problem or we face the point of no return.

In case you missed Vivienne on Wossy, read this http://tinyurl.com/kwa7eu.

So, what can one small business really do to stop climate change? Well we are about to find out. Follow us on our journey to understand how our daily 9-5 impacts on the environment, and what small steps we can take to be better global citizens.

And I’ll be doing my bit at home too. Starting with neutral shopping. For every consumer item we buy as a family, we will give one away to a worthy charity. We’re also switching to a more eco-friendly heating system and insulating our home.

I’m sure there’ll be more tips I can share, so follow us as we find out more on www.twitter.com/ocommunications and please RT to get everyone thinking about the little part they can play in the climate change crisis.

Kari Owers

Get to 'Know the O'...

Ever wondered what Kari's favourite song is, or who Rob's dream client would be, or even what Gemma would spend her last £10 on?

Well wonder no more! Check out our latest video below and find out all the news from the O Team...

Gemma’s not-so glamorous world of PR.

Gemma Clarke, Account Manager

FOR an industry that is all about reputation, PR has had a hard job in losing its Ab Fab Luvvies connotations, but since the industry was given its chartered status in 2005 things have been looking up.

However, when I was presented with the task to promote the Miss Sunderland 2009 beauty contest I did start to worry about what my fellow professionals in the world of B2B PR would think about this rather ‘fluffy’ campaign task.

Heading up the ‘Lifestyle’ division at O Communications, I have to admit though, that the thought of promoting Miss Sunderland 2009 did, actually, thrill me!

After setting objectives and strategy, actually getting down to the grit of promoting the competition was not at all as glamorous as you might think!

Indeed we’ve have had a ball in meeting some well-known faces such as the Star of ITV’s Paris Hilton’s My British Best Friend Emma Beard, ITV’s X Factor finalist girl group, Bad Lashes and Sky 1’s The Gladiators.

But being part of one of the biggest events on Sunderland social calendar- the glitzy Grand Final – definitely saw the glamour factor hitting a top note. Here we, (amongst other things!) got our glad rags on and sipped champagne whilst mingling with the glitterati of Sunderland, watching a fashion catwalk and being entertained with live music. We were then – in true glamour style – whisked off to the after show party at Sunderland hottest night club, Cosa Nostra where we entertained clients until past 2am!

Behind the scenes of this of course, is a somewhat different story. The pressure was on when I had to chair a meeting with the editor of the Sunderland Echo and try to secure his support to be the official sponsor of the event this year as well as arranging technical issues such as a text voting system. We agreed the deal, but this high profile business meeting was sure the sharp end of PR.

Then there were the actual photo calls and press interviews. The most memorable non-glam moment has to be the press launch. The day after the launch there was a fantastic picture story in the regional dailies featuring two beautiful girls standing in front of an Audi banner – what people didn’t actually see was our team standing on the football pitch at either side on the banner hoisting it up with our high heels digging into the ground!

We then spent the rest of the day running up and down the pitch sides, in and out of the tunnel , changing rooms and conferencing suite dragging the models and celebrities in front of a microphone to speak to the many journalist that had arrived that day. Keeping up with their schedule and print deadlines was very demanding, let alone following up and securing the coverage afterwards.

At the end of the day the glamorous bits far outweigh the gruelling groundwork but the Miss Sunderland 2009 experience was a blast and we have generated loads of press coverage and secured sponsorship deals – this is the true value of PR.

In my view, the aim of the PR game is to work hard and play hard!

Job done x

Spring is here and everyone is Tweeting...

Charlie Grant, New Media Executive

Twitter still seems to be the word on everybody’s lips as a new survey by O2 has revealed that over 6000 UK small businesses are now signing up to the site every day.

As the social networking phenomenon continues to flourish Twitter is fast becoming a mainstream media outlet with consumers, celebrities, global companies and politicians all regularly ‘tweeting’.

Twitter can be an invaluable networking tool as well as a place to publish stories, exchange ideas and track news. The fact that it’s becoming so widely accessible, for example from mobile devices, means that potential audiences and opportunities are endless.

O2 is a fantastic example of a company that is utilising Twitter to really engage with customers. An O2 representative seems to be constantly on hand to answer customer queries ranging from problems with mobile phones, to complaints about stores. In this way Twitter can make companies more ‘human’.

But although Twitter is being branded as a cost-effective way for small businesses to communicate with target audiences, using it wrongly could alienate potential customers.

So what are the do’s and don’ts’ of micro-blogging?

In order to maintain a strong business identity on Twitter, it’s important to regularly post interesting links to relevant news and websites as well as your own website in order to show you as experts. If people comment on any of your tweets, follow and write back whenever you can. This way you are able to have a direct conversation with potential customers and can demonstrate that their opinions do matter. Also, the fact that so many businesses are now using Twitter means that you can monitor your competitors’ online activity.

To ensure your followers don’t tune out, make sure your tweets are regular, interesting and worth reading, but at the same time don’t bombard your audience. Purely pushing your own business via your tweets will also put people off, no one will follow you if all your links are just to your own website.

Sticking to these simple guidelines should will make your Twittering all the more worthwhile, even if it is a passing fad.

I’m off now to Tweet confidently if you want to follow us click http://twitter.com/OCommunications.

PR in a recession

Rebekah Ashby, PR Account Director

When all around are talking about credit crunches and economic downturns, history shows that dispensable functions, such as PR, can be the first to face the axe.

But, as the economy slows, it’s critical that businesses ensure they have a media profile to help them trade through – and out – of recession.

If companies opt to run and hide now, and don’t publicise themselves and their wares, they will find it even more difficult to win new business and survive the downturn.

In times of economic hardship, people rely more heavily on word-of-mouth and personal recommendations. They don’t want to take risks on the unknown and are less likely to believe – or indeed notice – traditional advertising.

But PR is credible and can get companies some invaluable third party endorsement.

Overworked journalists are under increasing pressure to provide more content for an increasing number of channels. Groups of regional newspapers are amalgamating across the country, with the same team of reporters now responsible for filling more than one title.

Populating a website with news, blogs and videos, as well as filling their core newspapers, magazines and broadcasts, is all in a day’s work for the 21^st century journalist.

Thus, the days of animosity between journalists and PR professionals are fading, as the journalist experiences a growing need for information.

A good PR professional will provide the overstretched journalist with the basis of a story, which can then be worked up to fill their pages and homepages.

PR is about managing reputations and communicating with everyone that has an interest in your business.

Some businesses are choosing to run and hide from the press at the moment, fearing commenting in the media could ‘tempt fate’ or make them look ‘cocky’.

But this leaves a massive opportunity for the dynamic, ambitious businesses that are determined to survive – and thrive – through the current economic uncertainty.

They will snatch the limelight from the businesses opting to hide their light under a bushel – and maybe win their customers too.

It is also important that should difficult announcements, such as redundancies, need to be made that you have a safe pair of hands you can call on. PR people are an invaluable part of any crisis management plan and can also help manage internal PR so that messages get through to the right staff at the right time.

In a time of budgetary constraint, PR allows companies to do more with less expenditure.

It requires lower spend than advertising and can potentially reach more people and delivers a stronger message.

As recession increasingly requires people to justify their spend, PR provides a measurable and tangible way of seeing where the budget has gone.

So make sure, that while others batten down the hatches and take a ‘no comment’ stance, that you come out fighting and seize the current PR opportunities.

Rebekah Ashby

New Media Revolution gives US Presidents celebrity status

Charlie Grant, New Media Executive





With election fever gripping the world, it seems that everyone and his uncle know the names Barack Obama and John McCain. Even the British youth, most of whom wouldn’t know the leaders of our very own major political parties, seem to know not only where Sarah Palin hails from, but how much she spends on clothes and her penchant for high heels.

It seems that one of the major contributing factors for this world-wide know-all of the American election can be put down to the one thing that unites us all - the internet.

Never before has the World Wide Web been used to such effect; with blog, videos, podcasts and websites popping up all over, dedicated to what has been the most costly US presidential campaign in history. Not only has YouTube become a tool for passionate voters to express their opinions to the masses, but even the two sparring political parties have adopted the video revolution.

Both the Democrats and Republicans have issued videos for the Google-owned website. Obama has even managed to secure a video of his ‘A More Perfect Union’ speech in the ranks of the highest-watched videos of all time.

YouTube was once a place where like-minded individuals (all possessing very fast internet connections of course) went to upload their latest vodcast, or to mime along to the Backstreet Boys. Now it’s become an incredibly strong political tool. With over a billion internet users in the world, and over 100 million YouTube videos watched every day, it’s easy to understand why the spin doctors are using the internet to reach the voting public.

They did their job so well, in fact, that many non-Americans now feel passionate enough to show loyal support to a favoured candidate. And even this ‘across-the-pond’ support isn’t wasted. Eager Britons have posted their written and spoken opinions in droves. It would only take a few undecided US voters to happen across a convincing argument written by a British blogger to change the course of history.

The internet is a powerful tool. It can turn politicians into superstars and ‘nobodies’ into celebrities. The jury is still out on whether our own politicians should go the digital way and embrace the new media popularity contest, but who knows? In a few years, we could be watching Gordon Brown dancing around his room to some ‘90s Euro-pop in a fantastic attempt to attract the youth vote…

Charlie Grant

A busy year...

Kari Owers, Managing Director

I’ve just returned from a week’s holiday and boy was it needed – we spent the week before we left with all hands to the pumps preparing our entries for the CIPR PRide Awards, and it was a tough job deciding what to enter!

When we looked back over the last year we had so many fantastic projects to pick from we really had to be strict on what we put forward.

For example the Prince’s Trust Challenge Trophy was a project that created such a media frenzy, it was the most exciting and – true to its name – challenging media relations exercise we have ever worked on. At one point we were gaining newspaper, TV and radio coverage every single day running up to the charity sporting events. Plus working on a daily basis with the sporting greats from Alan Shearer to Peter Beardsley and Glenn McCrory was great fun. More to the point we did so much of the project pro bono, we felt great when we heard it had hit all its targets to raise money for disadvantaged young people in the North East.

We were also able to think of a case study for almost every category, which shows we’ve really grown into a PR and brand communications agency with a client list of some truly inspirational companies. The freedom our clients give us to develop new concepts for the brand and communications is a real testament to the trust they have in us to deliver a really effective campaign.

So fingers crossed for the PRide Awards, and well done everyone. Looking back at all the work done in the last year made us realise we’ve had some great achievements!

Kari Owers