Context Public Relations

Social networking- everyone’s doing it. And rightly so, after all it is a great way to get messages and campaigns across to your customers and key demographic, and keep up the profile of your company.

But while online social networking and social media is important to your overall PR and marketing strategy, we believe that good old-fashioned face-to-face networking is just as important.

Sending the quick tweet or updating your facebook page might be a good way to keep people updated on daily activities, but for times when a more in-depth conversation is needed, face-time with journalists is key.

We recently organised some media briefings for a couple of senior executives of one of our international clients who were visiting London. This gave editors and reporters of our client’s key trade magazines the opportunity for a one-to one. This gave them real insight into the business and in-turn generated a great deal of in-depth coverage in the titles which were important to our client.

So remember, while tweeting and blogging is great, it’s important to strike a balance. Put a face to your client’s name by getting them out and about and take your clients to events and briefings. Nothing beats face-time; it’s the best way for your clients to make an impression on the journalists who matter. 

Tags: Marketing Mix, Public Relations by Priya
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With England’s hopes of bringing the World Cup home now well and truly crushed, it seems both the players and manager Capello have some work to do if they want to regain the respect of the public and press.

But with most of the team avoiding press conferences and staying tight-lipped over reasons for their lacklustre performance, fans are getting impatient and refuse to welcome the team back with open arms.

That’s why in this kind of scenario, it’s even more vital that players think wisely about their next move and are seen to be doing the right thing, in order to win back the support of the press, but more importantly the people.

A start, at least, would be to forego any plans they might have to jet off on luxury holidays and not be seen flashing the cash at expensive hotels. After all, the public need an explanation, so seeing players drown their sorrows in 5-star luxury would only rub salt in the wounds of fans who have invested time and money supporting the team.

If players were to share some of this wealth with charities however, and appear to be doing the right thing by supporting worthy causes, it may give them an opportunity to regain favour with the press and their fans.

But more importantly, the public need an explanation. Rather than staying tight-lipped over their World Cup woes, the players should swallow their pride, hold their hands up and justify their poor performance to fans. Only then, will they stand a chance of getting the public back on side.

Tags: Public Relations by Laura
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Why do people keep saying that all publicity is good publicity? If ever you needed an example of when some publicity is very damaging look no further than the story of four star General Stanley McChrystal. 

A few weeks ago he was a saviour and now he has handed in his resignation after President Obama stripped him of his duties in Afghanistan. And why? All because of an unguarded interview in Rolling Stone magazine. 

It seems a lesson we just have to keep on learning. Senior people in any business or public office need to be media savvy as well as being good at their own job. No encounter with the media is without risk. It can be a risk worth taking but don’t expect journalists to advise you on the fall out from any loose talk. I guess the only positives we can take from this is that there is still a free press in the west and that mighty generals just like humble squaddies, when they step out of line, get slapped down.

Tags: Public Relations by Priya
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The new iPhone 4 has finally hit the UK and after queues at phone shops up and down the country (we are British afterall), customers have discovered that the latest version of their beloved iPhone has a bit of a glitch. Users are finding that if they cover the bottom left hand corner of the phone while on a call, they often lose signal as this covers the new location of the phone’s antenna. So, what have Apple got to say about this? Well, the direct quote from Steve jobs is: “Just avoid holding it in that way”. Not, perhaps, what many disgruntled customers were hoping to hear.

Apple did elaborate on this slightly, but while the advice was ultimately the same, the official statement from their PR department managed to provide customers with a solution. No, not an instruction on a better holding technique, rather that the problems of lost signal could be avoided by investing in a rubber case for the phone…strangely enough this was the first time Apple had issued such a phone case. They cost £25 each.

You have to hand it to Apple though. While the issues of signal loss have dominated many of the headlines since the launch, underneath this Apple has a brilliant product, which has also been recognised. Now along with strong demand for the iPhone 4, Apple is also seeing a sudden surge in sales of their new £25 rubber phone cases. So that’s extra revenue and even more exposure for the latest launch…not quite the disastrous launch many reviewers may lead you to believe. 

Tags: Public Relations, Technology by Debbie
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A survey of technology trade and national press journalists has shown that twitter is the most popular social sharing site used by journalists, with over 50% sourcing their news from this social media tool.

Social media is already something that is being heavily utilised by businesses to get messages and campaigns across to their customers, as it’s a quick and simple way to target their key demographic. But it now seems that it’s also a good way to get news and messages across to journalists and create even more exposure for your stories.

More people are starting to see the value in social media, not just for recreational purposes, but also for business, and the majority of consumer-facing companies will now have either a facebook or twitter account.

So although journalists will probably still expect and rely on traditional press releases for your latest news, integrating social media into a pitch by tweeting the latest customer win or product launch may be worth a go.

Tags: Public Relations by Priya
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The chaos caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland and subsequent closure of UK airspace has highlighted the opportunity for excellent public relations in a midst of a disaster.

Thousands of travellers have been stranded abroad and airlines have seen profits plummet as volcanic ash moved across Europe causing severe disruption.

The travel operators have been the first to react to this disruption offering discount rates to the masses of stranded travellers. Between last Thursday and Sunday, an estimated 50,000 people travelled by Eurostar, up 30% on normal passenger numbers.  Car-hire suppliers have also seen a rise in one-way car hire, those stranded preffering to drop the hire car at a different location as they tried to get back home successfully. Taxi drivers have also seen profits from those taking ridiculously long journeys across Europe. John Cleese took a taxi from Oslo to Brussels costing £3,300. Not bad for a day’s work.

Many travel insurers have also confirmed that they will reimburse travellers as a goodwill gesture for travellers who have incurred the cost of the disruption.

So now it’s over and UK airspace has finally re-opened, airlines are reported to have lost at least £1bn as a result of the ash cloud; with the full cost to the economy yet to be calculated. Many are crediting British Airways, Chief Executive Willie Walsh with ending the travel fiasco. Whether or not this is true; British Airways has clearly got a PR boost from the affair. It couldn’t have happened at a better time for the airline as it tries to control the negative impact resulted from the strike action.

By reacting to the chaos many companies not only increased profits but also gained positive exposure, engaging with target audiences through the media successfully. In any disaster, in order to profit, companies must act quickly in order to ensure maximum impact. 

Tags: Public Relations by Jenny
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There has been a bit of a divide in opinion on who came out on top following the historic TV leaders’ debate last week where Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg went head to head for 90 minutes discussing issues on the political agenda.

While the media have focussed on Nick Clegg’s TV performance, PR/Comms experts seem to have identified Gordon Brown as the victor, saying they thought he had received the best media training.

For any spokesperson regularly facing the media, media training is a must. Talking to the media represents a fantastic opportunity to get your message across to your customers, partners, or the general public. Get it right and your message will come across in exactly the way you want it, but get it wrong and it could seriously affect the reputation of your business or organisation.

During an interview it’s easy for journalists, who are looking for a story, to steer the conversation to suit them. Good media training will help ensure their aims do not get in the way of yours, giving you the confidence and tools to get the message you and your company want to convey across.

Remember good spokespeople are a huge asset to an organisation. To find out more about media training and how it can benefit your organisation why not get in touch?

Tags: Public Relations by Priya
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The importance of communication in the midst of a crisis is vital. A plan must be in place to make sure everyone knows their duties and what courses of action to take. It is important that the following questions are answered – who is the designated spokesperson?  Who are the key audiences? What are the media policies and procedures? If handled correctly the damage can minimise the threat to the integrity or reputation of your company.

The one thing to remember is that it is crucial in a crisis is tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. If you do this, you can significantly help minimise any potential damage. To react as fast as possible it is beneficial to have prepared a template press release including prepared statements from CEOs.

What not to do in a crisis has been recently highlighted by Tiger Woods and his associates. He chose not to put a statement out or address the press in a conference which resulted in the media coming to their own conclusions. It has now been reported recently that Tiger Woods is understood to have hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleishcher as an adviser to help with his return to golf. A PR plan needs to be created carefully that will allow him to rebuild his reputation over time.

Crisis communications can be vital to securing the success of your company. Chances are your company will experience some kind of a crisis at some point in the future. It is how you handle that crisis with the media which determines whether the crisis builds or damages your company in the long term.

Tags: Public Relations by Jenny
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Social media has completely revolutionalised the way in which people communicate and more and more we are seeing sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook being used for PR and marketing communications, but how do you know when it is right to use these channels?

The most important thing to think about is what do you hope to achieve from your PR campaign and who do you hope will be reading your marketing communications? The answer to this completely depends on the area of your business. If you are a consumer brand, then you should be utilising major social networking websites such as Facebook to interact with potential customers and build brand awareness. However, if you are a specialist technology company, then a Facebook presence is far less of a priority. 

Developing a PR and marketing campaign is not about ticking boxes and return on investment is not guaranteed by having an active Twitter account. Think about who your target audience are and what communication channels they are likely to be using – these are the communication channels that you need to be using. Whether this is purely related to the online world of social networking websites, blogs, forums, etc. or spills over into face to face contact and events such as exhibitions, conferences and seminars, you need to know where your potential customers are in order to target them in the most effective manner.

If you’d like to discuss developing a PR and marketing campaign strategy that’s right for your business then why not give Context a call?  

Tags: Marketing Mix, Public Relations by Debbie
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With Easter coming up thousands of travellers will no doubt have made plans to go abroad over the break- especially as it’s the school holidays. However for many it may be a time of uncertainty, as once again strike action by British Airways cabin crew is threatening to ruin many peoples’ trips.

A cabin crew strike is inconvenient for passengers at the best of times, but a cabin crew strike at Easter is a passenger nightmare. It is estimated that around one million passengers could see their travel plans ruined if the union organises a 12-day strike during the school holidays in April. Unsurprisingly  the situation has been attracting a great deal of media attention, especially after the much publicised BA strike announcement over Christmas. To ride out the storm, British Airways need to be openly communicating with the press to ensure that all affected passengers are aware of what is going on, as well as trying to limit further damage to their reputation.

Good crisis management relies on a stream of open communication that is well planned, covering the facts of the situation and telling people what is being done to improve things. When done well crisis management can save your company’s reputation, but when done badly it can become a complete disaster.

Unfortunately, a crisis can’t always be avoided, so if one should happen to your business, don’t add fuel to the fire – have a crisis management plan in place and be proactive about speaking to the relevant media. If you have no experience in crisis management, then seek advice from those who do…it could be crucial to the reputation of your business.

Tags: Public Relations by Priya
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