Another Award Win!

Congratulations to the team at Epping Forest Burial Park, on their latest award win.

At the finals of the Essex Business Excellence Awards last night, the woodland cemetery was named winner in the fiercly competitive Innovation category.

No stranger to award wins, Woodland Burial Parks has amassed quite a collection over the years, all of which showcase their high standards, environmentally friendly ethics and committment to customer service.

www.woodlandburialparks.co.uk

The Humble Apostrophe...

I came across an amusing You Tube video recently, highlighting the widespread plight of the misunderstood – and misused – apostrophe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc2aSz9Ficw

Now, you might be of the opinion that it’s not a big deal if you get into a muddle over punctuation, but trust me there are people out there who do care - and who interpret sloppy copy as an indication of your general approach to business.

For some, poor punctuation is as careless as leaving your fly unzipped – so be warned.

If you’re committing something to print then double and triple check your spelling and punctuation. (And certainly don’t expect a graphic designer or web guru to read/correct your copy – they’re creatives, not proofreaders!)

So what’s this got to do with PR? Well, remember that everything your company does may be seen as a reflection of your values – from how you answer the telephone to how often you wash your delivery vans.

And for at least a few people it really matters if you know your onions from your onion’s.

PS Don’t take the lyrics of the You Tube song as gospel – opinions about the rules are divided!

Story of the Week: Invasion of the Giant Rats

Now it is the silly season, and it was in The Sun – but it’s a great story.

In case you missed it, ‘ratzillas’ have been discovered on an estate in Bradford where residents have described how rats the size of bulldogs terrorise their cats and keep them awake at night, screeching around the rafters like drag racing cars.

As well as speaking to worried neighbours, The Sun also sought expert opinion, talking to the Mammal Society (good PR opportunity) and the Yorkshire Rat Club President (I’m not kidding). The Sun concluded its report with an appeal for anyone who’d seen the MONSTER RAT to get in touch.

And I’ve got to hand it to the press office at Rentokil, who feature in a follow up entitled Gnaws II in today’s Sun. They’ve produced pictures of a two-foot long beast that they recently caught in Lincoln – after reports of a pair ‘stalking’ the grounds at night.

Hundreds of Sun readers have also been in touch, describing their encounters with ‘whopping’ rats – including a lorry driver who’s too afraid to get out of his cab at night.

Regardless of what you make of the story – it can’t be ignored from a PR point of view. Local papers will be demanding to know what their local council is doing about rat control and what measures are in place to cope with an INVASION OF THE GIANT RATS.

Pet shops could come under fire for encouraging rat ownership and hardware stores might need to gear themselves up for a run on traps and poison, no doubt sparking fears for the safety of young children and other pets (a new angle to keep the story running). Before you know it, rat terror will be gripping the country. Just the thing for the silly season.

Of course you never read The Sun, but one day you could find yourself unexpectedly in the spotlight – so be prepared. It’s no good protesting that they make it all up – remember most people believe what they read…

And don’t forget time is of the essence in situations such as this – no doubt Rentokil’s competitors are kicking themselves.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3102460/Invasion-of-the-giant-rats-in-Bradford.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3104027/Gnaws-II-Giant-rat-caught-in-Lincoln.html

Look For The Quirky Angle!

You’ve got to take your hat off to the Aussie tourist people, when it comes to PR.

Last year 34,000 people applied for the ‘Best Job in The World’ – as caretaker of Hamilton Island, Australia. And now the South Australian government is tempting bored Brits with a wild range of jobs.

If you fancy being a ‘roo poo’ harvester, Koala catcher, beer taster or shark personality profiler then South Australia’s the place for you it seems.

The gap year market is big business, with destinations around the globe competing for the traveller dollar. And while Australia has its fair share of ‘must sees’ and ‘must dos’, what sets it apart from most countries is that it’s possible to get a work permit while you’re there.

Now, the reality is that most ‘gappers’ will probably look for work in bars, restaurants, offices etc, but what the tourism PR people realise is that travelling is ultimately about adventure.

So, armed with research highlighting that 60% of Brits are bored with their jobs, they’ve come up with a quirky campaign to sell Australia’s ‘uniqueness’. As they say: “take the usual trail, do the usual jobs or go for something that you can’t get anywhere else in the world…an experience you’ll be dining out on for years, the sort of experience you’ll be telling your grand-kids about.”

You could dismiss it all as a silly PR stunt but I think it’s a real winner – not only is South Australia highlighting the fact that you can actually earn some money while you’re there, but it’s offering travellers a bit of real Aussie adventure at the same time - and grabbing world headlines in the process.

Remember, a great PR campaign doesn’t necessarily mean doing anything new –sometimes it’s just about positioning things in a new light...

They’re Sending A Film Crew!

And that’s fantastic news - unless of course you’re involved in something dodgy or are hoping it was going to be a ‘good day to bury bad news’, in which case turn to the chapter on crisis management.

Anyway, a day spent with the BBC recently filming at the National Coffin Exhibition, Handled With Care, made me think back to previous experiences of working with film crews.

Generally speaking, things rarely go quite as you imagine, but at the end of the day you need to do everything within your power to help the press do their job. IT’S IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS!

So, a few things to bear in mind if they’re sending a film crew:

• Directions – make sure you provide clear directions, especially if you’re off the beaten track
• Parking – equipment is heavy so try to provide convenient parking
• Timing – filming schedules are constantly re-jigged, so it’s not unusual for crews to be running late, with less time to film than expected
• Ideas – try to get an idea of what the team has in mind before they arrive so you can get things into place in good time (people, equipment etc). Make suggestions by all means, but remember they’re the professionals.
• Health and safety – flag up any issues beforehand (eg will they have to sign a disclaimer? wear protective clothing? do any climbing? get wet/dirty?)
• Branding - don’t expect to get your logo into every shot, it’s not a commercial. If you’re asked to cover up branding don’t argue.
• Hospitality – think loos, coffee, cold drinks and sandwiches
• Crowd scenes - of course it’s exciting when a film crew comes to visit, but try to avoid having a crowd of onlookers, especially if they like to chat and ask questions…
• Manners – it’s OK to politely enquire (once) when the piece will be going out, but don’t expect them to send you a copy of the tape – a) they may not know and b) that’s not what journalists do
• Your PR professional – make sure they’re involved right from the start

The time will fly, so the more organised and helpful you can be the better. Then, you never know, they might want to come back!

What’s your experience of working with film crews?

Ask The Audience

There’s probably never been so much public consultation as there is now. Suddenly it’s all about bottom up decision making, stakeholder involvement, public engagement, consumer feedback, response mechanisms, user surveys…

And while it’s generally a good thing to take into account people’s views before implementing change, the challenge for PR professionals is to do it in a way that works. Fundamentally it has to be easy for people to take part, clear what you’re asking them and concerning something that they care about.

Not exactly rocket science, but why does it sometimes go so wrong? Take this week as an example.

Basically, the owners of some woods near where I live want to chop the trees down and build houses. Now, the first most people knew about it was when surveyors were spotted taking measurements and hammering in stakes. Outrage and uproar ensued, immediately putting the would-be developers on the back foot. And from what I’ve seen their week has gone from bad to worse, highlighting a few lessons to be learned:

• Don’t underestimate people’s passion for the environment
• Tell people what you are planning - before they get wind and are forced to draw their own conclusions
• If you’ve gone to the expense of spending a lot of money on leaflets and flyers make sure they actually get delivered
• Don’t expect people to plough through wordy literature – or to accept your point of view
• Don’t hold consultation sessions at short notice in venues that are difficult to get to
• Try to avoid holding important meetings on World Cup match nights
• Don’t expect people to ‘engage’, especially if they smell a rat (who wants to dig their own grave?)
• Remember that most people have better things to do than ‘engage’ with you
• Take comprehensive notes at public meetings – don’t expect people to have to tell you twice
• Make it easy for people to respond – via post, email, telephone and in person
• Choose your representatives with care – and make sure they know their onions and speak the same language as your audience

Only time will tell what the outcome of this week’s shambolic public consultation process will be. But what it has done is brought the community together – now at last people are getting to know their neighbours.

You've Got To Be In It To Win It!

Congratulations to CDI Worldwide http://www.cdiworldwide.com on being shortlisted in the 2010 East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards!

The judges have now sifted through the stacks of entries, naming the Beccles-based end of line packaging machinery manufacturer as a finalist in the Small Business of the Year Category.

As I've said before, regardless of what happens at next week's awards ceremony, it's a great achievement to be a finalist in such prestigious regional business awards.

It's a massive feel good boost for everyone involved and offers great PR opportunities. Who doesn't want to be associated with a winner?

Yes, at a time when British manufacturing is often described as being 'on its knees' it's great to be able to shout about local success stories.