DADult life

Blogger Spotlight: Zen Terrelonge, DADult Life

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Zen Terrelonge is the founder of DADult Life, a new parenting blog started by Zen during his partner’s pregnancy. With baby Roma now just over five months old, we caught up with Zen to talk all things proud parent, joining a crowded parenting blogging industry and working with PRs.  

What inspired you to create your blog?
Finding out I was going to be a father filled me with such incredible pride and passion that I wanted to scream the news from the rooftops – I couldn’t for 12 weeks, of course.

In the meantime, I contented myself by writing about what was happening behind-the-scenes and finally decided I’d make it a regular thing, leapt two feet in and had a website launched.

My close mates aren’t dads yet, so, being something of a lone wolf in that regard, I wanted to share my thoughts throughout pregnancy, birth and fatherhood to reflect on the serious and the funny. And if anyone takes something away from what I’ve written, then even better.

I’m a journalist by trade, so writing is something I do on a daily basis, but with parenthood and my family, they make me feel so strongly and deeply that writing is even more of a pleasure than I would have thought possible.
Zen Terrelonge What is the most challenging part of being a blogger?
I suppose the biggest challenge is giving people a reason to listen or to sit up and pay attention. There are a lot of blogs in operation, so getting heard in the noise of the online world can be tricky.

Launching a blog in such a popular space almost feels like being the new kid in a school. It can be quite cliquey and you just hope someone wants to be your mate instead of flushing your head down the loo or writing about you in their Burn Book – the blogging equivalent of which I guess would be indirect tweets.

How have you built up your audience?
I’ve been as engaged as possible. Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram or comments on the site, I’ll make sure I react to what people are saying and attempt to foster conversation.

And as I mentioned, given that writing is my profession, I pride myself on the content I’m pushing out, so I won’t rush anything or put out a blog that’s been written with a half-arsed approach.

Since starting your blog, what have you learned about the industry?
I’ve learnt that there is a genuine community of parents who love to talk and share. As someone who doesn’t know lots of young parents, it’s been a brilliant way to connect with others going through the same things I am, as well as learning from others further ahead in the parenting journey or offering my experiences to those just starting theirs.

Struggling to reach influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in parenting, travel, lifestyle & more.

Get in touch

Is there any advice that you would like to share with any PRs or aspiring bloggers?
To PRs: please spare a moment and take the time to recognise who you’ve approached – make sure what you’ve sent is relevant and addressed to the right person. Respond to all emails if they’re genuine because everyone starts somewhere, and look beyond high follower numbers – what is the content itself really like?

To aspiring bloggers: You’re not alone – come and say hello! I don’t have snacks, but I have memes and hug emojis to provide.

How do you like to be approached by PRs?
I’m flexible; email is great because it spells everything out in front of you and it’s fast, and phone calls are also welcome – but if you call someone and don’t get an answer, leave a voicemail!

I’ve become friends with some PRs over time, and ones I’m pally with will just send a message via WhatsApp for guaranteed delivery and convenience.

Do you consider social media an important tool in directing traffic toward your blog?
Certainly. You can showcase your personality via social media in terms of what you’re about with posts, whether that’s through pictures, statuses, videos and even captions, so doing so should support redirection to the meatier stuff on the blog, which ultimately has the richest content of all.

What are your plans for DADultLife in 2017/18?
I’m embracing fatherhood as much as possible, so naturally that’s going to result in some interesting scenarios. In just under three months since Roma has arrived, I’ve been blasted by a poozooka, invented the prambrella, as well as taken her to the cinema and a festival – not locations you’d normally associate with a newborn.

I’m having an incredible amount of fun while also gaining knowledge with parenting, which I hope comes across with my work – I plan to continue that, meeting other amazing dads and mums along the way.

What kinds of PRs or campaigns are you interested in working with/on in the future?
I can openly say my knowledge of baby and parenting brands is still a work in progress. I’ve tried a few gadgets and gizmos and whosits and whatsits, as well as various nappy brands, but I’m by no means an expert.

If any PRs want to educate me on the wares of their clients, then I’ll be only too happy to listen to what they have to say – I’m one of the good guys.

Just as long as it doesn’t involve me using ten brands of teeth whitener like a reality TV star, I’m open to suggestion and available to talk.

 

Zen Terrelonge and his blog DADult life are just two entries on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

Newsnight, Channel 4

Newsnight’s Ian Katz appointed Channel 4 director of programmes

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Channel 4 has announced that Ian Katz has been appointed director of programmes, following Jay Hunt’s departure in September.

Katz is currently editor of BBC’s Newsnight and was previously deputy editor of the Guardian. His new role will propel him to one of the most influential positions in British broadcasting, as well as earning him a reportedly significant pay increase.

Jay Hunt’s 2016 bonus of £180,000 in the role was more than Katz’s entire salary £151,600.

Hunt left Channel 4 after missing out on the role of CEO, which later went to Alex Mahon, and was recently appointed creative chief at Apple’s European video operations.

As the Guardian reports, Katz has limited experience of commissioning programmes but a Channel 4 source praised his ‘history of risk-taking’ and ‘promoting new talent’.

Alex Mahon backs this up, he said: ‘Ian is an inspirational leader who assiduously builds and nurtures talented and empowered teams. He has fantastic instincts and intelligence, huge editorial strength and is a proven creative and digital innovator, who lives and breathes the Channel 4 values.’

Katz is the latest high-profile departure from the BBC, after the director of news and current affairs, James Harding, and the former head of its political team at Westminster, Robbie Gibb.

Gibb was succeeded by Replacements for Harding and Katz are yet to be announced.

Talking about his appointment, Katz said: ‘I’m impossibly excited to be joining a broadcaster whose unique combination of innovation, risk-taking and elan I have admired for decades as a viewer – and more recently as a frequently envious rival. Channel 4’s deeply held values and relentlessly challenging sensibility have never been more important or relevant and I feel incredibly privileged to play a part in shaping the next stage of its remarkable journey.’

Katz starts in the new year, when he will take over from interim chief creative officer Ralph Lee.

All media moves and changes are updated in the Vuelio Media Database. 

Dog blog

Blogger Spotlight: Rosemary Kind, Alfie’s Diary

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Continuing our spotlights of amazing pet bloggers – who all feature on the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs – we’ve caught up with Rosemary Kind, author of Alfie’s Diary. The blog has been updated every day since its creation in 2006 with the exploits of Alfie, the ‘leader of the Pet Dogs Democratic Party’, Aristotle and Wilma. Alfie has three books to his name and they have accompanying merchandise.

We caught up with Rosemary to talk about Alfie’s fame, the best pet products and her advice for PR professionals.

How would you describe your blog?
Alfie’s Diary is the world through the eyes of Alfie, Aristotle and Wilma, three Entlebucher Mountain Dogs, each of whom have their own views of the world. Alfie is the serious one and is founder of the Pet Dogs Democratic Party. Aristotle is too clever for his own good and Wilma is everyone’s friend and loves life.

Why did you start your blog?
Alfie was just 10 weeks old when he moved in with us. We were living in Belgium and so much around us was new and different. It coincided with me leaving a more traditional career to write full time. The blog was initially a way to share all the funny things that were happening living abroad with a new puppy and a way to make sure I wrote every day. I planned to write it for a year or so, but as it became popular with a much wider audience we just carried on. Alfie has missed posting his diary one day in nearly twelve years and that was because of unexpected hospitalisation so he couldn’t get the password from me!

What’s it like having a famous pet?
It’s really fun. He’s been interviewed in a radio studio and I regularly get people coming up to introduce themselves to him and ask about him and the others.

pet blogger

How does your pet cope with the pressure?
He’s doing well. He hasn’t let it go to his head and now he’s older he’s taken semi-retirement, sharing the workload with Aristotle and Wilma. Wilma being the youngster is usually up for anything and will be off to meet the Swiss Ambassador in a couple of weeks.

What’s your favourite pet product?
Oh, that’s a hard one. At the moment, it’s probably Wilma’s new rucksack. It means she can carry her own things when we go out for the day. Their answer would be different. I’m guessing they’d all say they couldn’t live without their Bonio bedtime biscuit.

What’s your favourite post?
Alfie has written some lovely Christmas messages over the years but one of my favourite posts was the one he wrote as a message to young pups.

How do you like to work with PRs?
It can be great or difficult depending on how they approach things. At the end of the day, I earn my living writing and whilst the blog is mainly for fun it takes me time and when companies ask for ‘something for nothing’ it is a little unreasonable. There has to be give and take and if for any reason what is proposed is not something that is a good fit for us then it is far better if PRs accept that and don’t try to keep pushing.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I won’t say I’m interested in something if I’m not!

What’s a memorable campaign you’ve worked on?
I think the Panasonic Home Monitoring and Control Kit has been one we had most fun with!

 

Rosemary Kind and Alfie’s Diary are just two entries on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which lists thousands of bloggers, influencers and journalists, editors, titles, publications and channels. 

Halloween feature

Top 5 brands doing Halloween right

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In a world where we now apparently say Happy Halloween, the haunted seasonal event has firmly embedded itself in the awkward summer’s-over-but-Christmas-isn’t-really-here-yet advertising cycle. Here are five of the best campaigns for this year’s Halloween.

Google’s doodle

Google has taken a page right out of the John Lewis Christmas Advert playbook with its Halloween doodle this year.

The heart-warming tale follows ‘jinx’ the ghost trying to fit in with trick or treaters that aren’t ghosts. In an attempt to blend in, the ghost uses a variety of costumes before eventually Jinx is just accepted for who it is. That’s nice.

As with the annual John Lewis advert event, this sentimentality has struck accord with viewers:

Fanta’s 13th floor

Moving in a completely different direction from Google, Coca-Cola’s biggest Halloween investment has come in the form of a Fanta elevator-crash VR experience at Thorpe Park and Westfield Stratford.


If you’ve been on Twitter in the last week, you’ve probably seen the promoted tweets already using the #Fanta13thFloor. The campaign has spread further to allow anyone to experience it online. While not as immersive as the VR experience, the content has still managed to hit the right scare notes among its audience.

Hammer House of Horror’s Hoxton Hive

Hammer Films, responsible for nearly every great British horror film pre-1980, has created an immersive theatrical experience at Victorian music hall, Hoxton Hall. With over 105 ‘scenes’ to explore in the two-hour ‘Vampire Hive’ show, the makers promise a unique and unforgettable experience. The run has also been extended, due to its popularity, until 4th November.

 

Make Halloween Great Again

Trick or Treat is back on the menu with Beano.com’s take on one of the ‘scariest’ outfits for children according to its poll of 2,00 parents. The Donald is ranked alongside Voldemort and Frankenstein as one of the top outfit choices for children this year. To celebrate this, Beano.com enlisted the help of reader Jonathan McCarthy, 6, to take to London’s streets and say amazing things like ‘Halloween is fake’.

 

Stranger Things

Have you seen it yet? All 458 minutes of series two has been out since Friday – which means you could have watched it 14 times already! Outside of the awesomeness that is Steve and Dustin (no spoilers), The Drum has very helpfully detailed all the brand collaborations with Netflix’s Stranger things, including Oxford Circus and Top Shop takeovers (the latter displaying a Barb shrine), Reebok’s limited Ghostbusters release (thank you Dustin), Eggo’s waffles (obviously) and even the nicest cease and desist letter ever.

Seen something better for Halloween? Don’t leave it in the upside down, link it in the comments below!

Baking Fanatic

Blogger Spotlight: Philip Friend, Baking Fanatic

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Philip Friend is the Top 10 UK Baking Blogger who writes Baking Fanatic. Featuring bold twists on classics, Baking Fanatic also specialises in the perfect bakes for Philip’s favourite – afternoon tea. We caught up with Philip to discuss his quirky bakes (crab meat profiteroles!), viennoiserie as comfort baking and working collaboratively with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
A collection of recipes for bakes that I love to bake and eat, without any shame whatsoever. The lack of shame is crucial as I feel that with baking, one should never feel guilt and should enjoy the bakes and share the baking love. I also include masterclasses for perfecting bakes such as croissants, cake decorating tips, macarons and breads that I have honed over years. My recipes are rooted in the classics, but I often have my own twists on them, such as my chocolate, orange and cranberry sourdough loaf and my warm savoury choux buns filled with crab meat in a chive mayonnaise.

What’s the best thing about being a baking blogger?
Meeting other bloggers, either virtually or in person, and discussing anything baking related, whether it is dissecting a new recipe or chatting about the latest trends in baking.

How much does Great British Bake Off affect your blog?
Most of the technical and other bakes on Bake Off have featured in my blog, often before the episode is aired, as I love to try and second-guess bakes that could pop up on Bake Off. I get many emails from others who love Bake Off and after episodes are aired I get people asking me if I have a recipe for a bake that has just featured.

What’s your favourite bake to make?
Croissants and any related viennoiserie. Very much a labour of true love, but for me croissants are the epitome of comfort baking.

Baking fanatic

What’s the best bake you’ve ever eaten?
My multi-tiered chocolate and raspberry cake that I made for my anniversary of my Civil partnership. This also featured on a recent episode of James Martin’s ITV cookery show.

What makes your blog successful?
I think my blog is set out simply and without too much fuss. My recipes are easy to navigate now that I have an index, and my photographs have improved considerably in quality: several people have commented to me that my photos often ‘sell’ my blog and make people want to get in the kitchen to have a go; it is always nice when others want to do that.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I like to be guided with what it is PRs want and I have established a good, warm working relationship with many PRs over the years. Once I am given a brief, I love the challenge of working through it to deliver, what I aim to be, a bake that others want to make for themselves.

What’s a memorable campaign you’ve worked on?
For Macmillan Cancer Research, I showcased a few of their bakes for last year’s Coffee Morning – this was an honour, as it is a charity so close to my heart.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I keep my blog posts honest at all times and pride myself on both the quality and clarity of my writing.

What other blogs do you read?
So many, but I am a very regular visitor at The Pink Whisk, BakingQueen74 and Deliciously Ella.

Philip Friend and the Baking Fanatic feature on the market-leading Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Facebook people

Diversify or die

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Last week Facebook ran a test in which publishers’ content in six countries only displayed on a secondary ‘explore’ feed. The impact was immediate and devastating – one Slovakian journalist called it the ‘biggest drop in organic reach we’ve ever seen’. Though the test was quickly stopped, the obvious lesson to PRs is: diversify, diversify, diversify.

Before social media, Google and the internet, the job of a PR was arguably much more straightforward: build relationships with journalists and secure coverage in the press. If you fell out with one journalist, or a publication changed its approach to printing PR content, you had other choices and relationships throughout the traditional media landscape.

But what happens when the people you have a relationship with can’t control their content?

Google, Facebook and, to a lesser extent, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram have the ability to make or break publishing, PR and the entire content industry with just a few lines of code. Facebook’s experiment was seen by some as a way to make more money from publishers – forcing them to pay to feature on a user’s Newsfeed, which is the internet’s second most valuable spot (after the first page of Google’s results).

If Facebook were to roll this out (and as it stands, that’s not the plan), then publishers’ traffic will drop, alongside content from brands and businesses. The lesson here is simple and definitely nothing new – don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

While this should be obvious for PR pros, we sometimes forget how little control we have online – deceived by the ability to create posts, pages and profiles on platforms that are actually run by untouchable and unreachable behemoths.

Being great on only one platform is a very risky strategy.

If you’ve nailed your brand’s Facebook content, now is not the time to rest on your laurels – spread out that excellence to Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to avoid any ‘nasty’ surprises to Facebook’s practices.

You may also have relationships with all the ‘right’ Instagram influencers, but would you be ready for a rule change that censored adverts? On social media, influencers are key to success and making sure you have the right influencer for the right platform is vital. The Vuelio Media Database lists thousands of regularly-updated influencers, so you know you can reach the right people in the right way.

Google’s algorithm changes still send shivers down the spines of content creators – that SEO strategy you’ve been tweaking for months and years is suddenly worthless. It may seem that Google’s whims are hard to prepare for, but if you’re spread out – using all your media contacts at all the right publications and platforms – you have time to adjust your strategy while still securing valuable exposure.

And don’t neglect offline mediums – print is not dead yet and great publishers are still in control of their output and audience, making them arguably as valuable as ever.

We are working in the age of digital content, where a handful of tech giants now control a majority of what people see online. But if we’re smart and creative (and as PRs what else is there?) then we can diversify to manage our success and make sure we keep coming out on top.

How much do you diversify? Let us know in the comments below!

Blogger Spotlight: Twice the Health, Emily and Hannah

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Twice the Health is written by nutritionist Emily Kier and personal trainer Hannah Tyldesley, and covers food, exercise and travel. We caught up with the pair to talk matching outfits (obviously), planning content and working with PR professionals.

How would you describe your blog?
Twice the Health is simply our way of sharing what we love to do, eat and enjoy! The message behind everything we do is happiness through health, whether that’s enjoying your favourite chocolate treat whilst cosied up with Netflix, or running 50k through the Grand Canyon. Everyone’s happiness, and therefore health is totally different and we want to embrace and celebrate that.

How do you work together on your online content? Do you each take roles?
We definitely both have different strengths, and we support each other on these. We always chat about everything, and work together on all our content and projects. The fact we both excel in different areas is a bonus as we are able to bounce off each other, and bring two sides to one story.

Emily Kier and Hannah TyldesleyDoes exercising together add extra motivation?
Absolutely. We often say we are each other’s biggest motivation. We know each other well enough to know when the other can be pushed a little harder, or be encouraged to run a little further. All it takes is a little tease or nudge in the right direction!

How do you plan online content?
We try to keep things as natural as possible. If we have campaigns or projects scheduled in, we’ll work around this to ensure it’s kept varied and exciting. Other than that, we tend to run with what’s going on that day or week!

What’s the next big fitness trend going to be?
Matching outfits… obviously! Or at least it will be if we have anything to say about it!!

What makes you successful?
We think what’s worked for us is simply staying true to ourselves. We’ve been careful to only work with brands we absolutely love, and companies we believe in. I think this shines through in our content. It’s obvious when someone is passionate about something and it’s equally obvious when they’re not!

What’s the best thing you’ve done as influencers?
We hate to leave this on a cliff hanger, but I think it’s yet to come! We have a few very exciting projects next year, one in particular that I think could be our best yet. Watch this space!

How do you like to work with PRs?
The key thing is that they understand us and we understand them. From knowing both brands, to knowing how each works. We’ve been lucky enough to work with many excellent PR companies who have all been incredible in being sure to know our brand and know what best fits.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
We always wear matching clothes. If it don’t match it ain’t TTH!

What other influencers do you follow?
There’s a whole host of blogs and vlogs we love, from Zanna Van Dijk, to Hazel Wallace to The Lean Machines. We also love to watch Tally Rye’s vlogs, Jamie & the Jam vids and can never deny ourselves a quick Carly Rowena catch up. We also LOVE podcasts, especially Tough Girl and Ben Coomber!

Emily Kier, Hannah Tyldesley and Twice the Health feature on the market-leading Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 27 October 2017

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This big stories of the week from the world of PR, media and communications, including Snapchat’s warning, Apple’s hire, Piccadilly Circus, Radio 1’s listening stats and Facebook’s publisher experiment.

1. Snapchat’s first ASA warning

Snapchat

Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson was cautioned this week by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for falling foul of its advertising rules. This is the first time the social network has provoked a caution for a user not clearly labelling an advert.

The Snapchat post that drew a complaint. ‘showed an image of Marnie Simpson holding a Diamond Whites product close to her face. Text on the snap stated “50% off everything from Diamond Whites! Swipe up [Heart emoji]” and “www.diamondwhites.co”.’

While Diamond Whites argued that Marnie’s two-year relationship with the company was their grounds for believing the advert was clear, the ASA still ruled it was not correctly labelled as an advert and so upheld the original complaint.

What is unique about the case is that, due to the nature of Snapchat, the advert only appeared for a limited amount of time and was already history by the time the complaint was investigated. ASA ruled the advert must not appear again in its current form and all future adverts must include #ad. Whether this opens the floodgates for more Snapchat complaints remains to be seen, but what’s clear is the ASA is continuing to monitor social media to keep up with technological advances.

 

2. Apple hires Jay Hunt

Channel 4

Jay Hunt, who engineered the acquisition of The Great British Bake Off from BBC to Channel 4, has been appointed creative chief at Apple’s European video operations. She has also previously worked at the BBC and Channel 5, and is responsible for the likes of Sherlock, Luther, Humans and Gogglebox.

Jay resigned from her role as chief creative officer of Channel 4 in June, after missing out on the role of chief executive of the broadcaster, which eventually went to Alex Mahon. The appointment signals Apple’s intent to get serious about content, as it looks to take on both existing channels as well as the established giants of on demand, Netflix and Amazon. Hunt takes up the new role in January.

 

3. It’s like Piccadilly Circus

The advertising hoarding in London’s Piccadilly Circus – called ‘The Curve’ – has been switched on after recent renovations. The, now, single screen is the largest of its kind in Europe, measuring about 780sqm. It is made up of 11.6 million bulbs and is expected to last 10 years.

Check out The Drum’s report from Piccadilly Circus above, as the lights get turned on.

4. Radio 1’s breakfast cheery-woes

Radio 1

Nick Grimshaw’s Radio 1 Breakfast Show recorded just 4.93 million weekly listeners in the third quarter of 2017, the lowest numbers the show has achieved since records began.

While the Breakfast Show achieved nearly double the audience under previous presenter Chris Moyles, station controller Ben Cooper is not publicly concerned as he originally set Nick Grimshaw out on a path to attract a new younger audience and ‘scare off’ over-thirties. The station’s social media following is in the millions, which contributes to what makes it, according to Cooper, ‘the most relevant youth brand in the UK today’. The aim for Radio 1 going forward is to remain in front of its closest rivals both in listeners numbers and across ‘new’ media.

 

5. Facebook’s great publisher experiment

pixinoo

Facebook ran a recent test so that publishers’ content no longer appeared on users’ News Feeds but on their ‘Explore’ feed. This secondary feed is everything that isn’t from your immediate followers, companies you’ve liked or sponsored posts. In six test countries – Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Slovakie, Serbia, Guatemala and Cambodia – the main News Feed ONLY had posts from your friends and sponsored posts.

As the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones points out, this included publishers who weren’t willing to pay to sponsor their posts. One Slovakian journalist wrote about the impact on Medium, in a post entitled ‘Biggest drop in organic reach we’ve ever seen’. Facebook quickly clarified its position in a blog post, claiming there were no plans to roll this out further – but the move had already sent shivers through newsrooms around the world. In the digital age, where a handful of tech giants control the majority of content the public sees, publishers are now at the mercy of coders and software developers.

 

What would you include in Five Things? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @Vuelio. And check out how Vuelio can make sure you never miss what matters to you. 

Toby & Roo

Blogger Spotlight: Harriet Shearsmith, Toby & Roo

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Harriet Shearsmith is the author of Toby & Roo, a Top 10 UK Parenting Blog. Harriet is mother to two boys and a girl and uses her blog to document their adventures and her parental experiences. We caught up with Harriet to talk being a good parent, working hard to be a blogger and developing good relationships with PRs. 

How would you describe your blog?
I describe my blog as a parenting and lifestyle blog aimed at sharing the wins and woes of parenting. I’m a chronic oversharer, so I tend to share everything on there – from family moments to parental trials!

Why did you start your blog?
I fell in love with a well-known blog called Babyccino Kids and I felt inspired by what they were doing. I wanted to share my own finds and parental experiences. I also wanted to stay at home with my children and this seemed like a really cool way to do that!

Harriet Shearsmith2What’s the best thing about being a parent?
That’s a tough one. There is so much I love about being a parent – from the proud moments to the loving cuddles in the wee hours. I think there are so many moments that are special and it’s not really one thing that defines parenthood as being great.

What advice would you give new parents?
Trust yourself and try to drown out the noise of everyone else’s opinion. You also aren’t a bad parent if some days you really regret having kids or wish you could take it all back – that’s normal for a lot of people!

What advice would you give new bloggers?
Don’t expect anything to come over night. It is something that you need to be prepared to WORK at. Blogging is work – it’s hard work, if you’re doing it correctly.

What makes your blog successful?
Dedication I think and treating this like a job, even before it was. I try to write from the heart but from the other side I try to deliver the very best I can for clients and treat them with professionalism. I want to go that extra mile – be great for my clients and my readers. After all, without the readers, there are no clients – without the clients, there is probably no job!

How do you like to work with PRs?
In the last year or so I have built wonderful relationships with PRs – I really like to feel a personality behind my screen. We’re both in jobs where a lot of our time is spent on a computer and, especially as a blogger, it’s awesome to create a relationship with a PR. I want to make their middle-man style job as fun and easy as possible and I want them to at the very least have looked at my name and the blog to know if their campaign will work for me.

I also love big campaigns where, ok there is a brief, but I can feel confident enough to go back to the PR and say ‘Hey, I had this idea, it fits loosely with the brief but do you like this idea instead’. Honestly and truthfulness (on both sides of course) are intensely important to me.

What’s one of your favourite collaborations?
I work a lot with Birds Eye and I have worked with two agencies with them now – Inkling and Reci.pe – and both have been a delight to work with. From the creative I’ve been given to the way that I know I can bounce ideas off the really awesome people that work at those agencies… even down to the lovely feedback from the brand themselves. I keep working with them because I truly believe their products are fab and I really enjoy their campaigns. They really encouraged me to get into video content and I have loved doing that!

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Honestly – I’m a normal person. I’m so passionate about our industry and I don’t work with clients that I don’t think are great, but I’m also keenly aware that I’m not performing open heart surgery so I don’t have any pretention or illusions of grandeur. Essentially I want the very best for my readers and followers, but I also want to deliver the best for the brand. I try to reply to every email and if I don’t think that I am the blogger for you or you have the brand for me I will say, but I’m always delighted to make that contact because you never know who will come along next time.

What other blogs do you read?
Oh gosh, I’m a dreadful blogger in that I don’t really get time to read too many different blogs! I rather love Hannah from Hi Baby Blog and some of Kerry from All About a Mini Norris’s posts bring me to tears.

Harriet and Toby & Roo feature on the leading Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Emma Hill

Journalist Spotlight: Emma Hill, His & Hers Magazine

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Emma Hill is the publisher of His & Hers Magazine and the recently launched accompanying His & Hers Magazine Blog. Launched in 2011, His & Hers Magazine is a lifestyle title in the North West of England.

We spoke to Emma about launching her own magazine, the importance of identifying your niche, moving into the blogging world and building long-term business relationships with PRs.

 

Can you tell us about the publication and how it came about?
His & Hers Magazine is a free print and digital magazine produced in the North West with a firm focus on fashion and beauty. I’d always dreamed of publishing my own magazine, but decided to learn my trade first, working my way up from making cups of tea as a cub reporter at a local newspaper (the Chester Standard), then working for the North West’s best-selling homes and gardens magazine at that time, Concept for Living, where I was ultimately promoted to editor.

It took me almost 15 years of writing and editing titles for other publishers before I finally plucked up the courage to launch His & Hers Magazine. The plus side of waiting so long was that by the time I was calling friends at brands like Jo Malone London to tell them about my idea for a new magazine, they were immediately supportive because I already had good relationships in place through my previous roles.

 

What sets it apart from other magazines? Who is the target audience?
One thing that sets His & Hers Magazine apart from a lot of other magazines is that I was happy to define my editorial focus and target audience from the very beginning, rather than trying to be all things to all people, which can be tempting for publishers when you’re starting out and you’re hungry for ad revenue. His & Hers Magazine features a lot of fashion and beauty content, showcasing a mix of luxury brands and affordable high-street options.

The target audience is professional men and women with an interest in fashion, skincare, travel and entertainment (although we do attract more female than male readers!). These days, if anyone asks for advice before launching a new magazine, my main tip is: don’t be afraid to identify your niche early on. It’s almost impossible to create a magazine that will appeal to everyone, but if you target a niche readership and you know exactly what they want to read about, the same people will keep looking out for new content from you and will tell their friends. It may be a slower way to build your business than targeting absolutely everyone, but I think it’s much more sustainable!

 

his and hers magazine

What were the main challenges when getting a new magazine up and running, and how does that compare to maintaining and building upon the success of the magazine?
The biggest challenge when getting the magazine up and running was persuading ad agencies to take a chance on a launch title when so many new magazines fold within the first few months. I kept hearing that once the business was a bit more established, brands would be happy to come on board, which is frustrating when you’re on a mission to get a launch edition published.Thankfully, a number of big brands, including Malmaison, Topshop, Next and McArthurGlen, were supportive from the very early days, which made a huge difference.

These days, the challenge is to maintain those relationships, attract new advertisers, and find new ways to reach readers.

Our readers expect us to share new fashion and beauty news much more regularly than we used to on our website, and the challenge of adapting to their changing habits is one of the most exciting aspects of my role. It means constantly learning and adapting.

 

You have recently launched the His & Hers Magazine Blog. Can you tell us what motivated you to start a blog and how it differs from traditional print media?
I launched the blog as I’ve always loved writing and wanted to engage more directly with readers. A few weeks ago, after I’d written a blog about the dangers of glamorising violent celebrity relationships in the media, a reader commented that the blog post was particularly relevant to them because they had a violent ex, and that they appreciated my take on the subject. I was really overwhelmed by their comment. Since then, other reader comments have made me realise that it’s so much easier to start a thoughtful, informal dialogue with readers when you’re blogging than when you’re writing for print publications.

 

What do you enjoy the most about your job, and what are some of the more challenging aspects of your work?
My work’s pretty varied, which I’m very grateful for, but most days will involve writing, working hard to spread the word about my clients, pitching for new business and sometimes working on longer term projects, such as planning a big photo-shoot.

I’m also proud to have the opportunity to do some mentoring and occasionally write freelance features for a really broad mix of publications – from the Guardian to an international football magazine. I relish the daily opportunities for learning that my career has given me. In terms of challenges, I’d say that, like for anyone in publishing, reacting to a very rapidly changing marketplace is one of the greatest challenges. It’s also one of the things that I find fascinating!

 

Do you have a good relationship with PRs? What top tips would you give to PR professionals who want to work with you?
I have an excellent relationship with PRs and would say that this is one of the things that makes my work so enjoyable. I’m incredibly grateful to all of the talented PR professionals who I’ve worked with over the years.

My main advice for anyone who’d like to work with me is to get in touch!

I’m always interested in hearing from PR professionals with a view to building up relationships for the long-term, and have often continued to work with PRs as they’ve moved across different accounts or even different companies over the years. I know there can be an enormous amount of pressure to sell in stories in the short-term, but I still believe that building long-term business friendships counts for a lot. I certainly have a list of PRs that I’ll always go the extra mile for because they’ve been a dream to work with and I’m sure most journalists and bloggers would say the same thing.

 

What type of press material are you interested in receiving?
I’m interested in receiving press releases, features ideas, review suggestions and interview opportunities to name but a few. I always appreciate receiving emails from PRs who have clearly taken a close look at the His & Hers website or magazine and get in touch with a tailored suggestion that relates to our editorial style. I’m also extra grateful to PRs who attach press releases as Word documents, rather than PDFs (making them much easier to edit!) and attach a few relevant images or provide a link to images alongside a press release. I know these are really small things, but they make a surprisingly big difference to how likely we are to feature a story.

 

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Emma Hill, His & Hers Magazine and the new blog are among thousands of entries on the market-leading Vuelio Influencer Database including all the top journalists, bloggers, influencers, editors, publications and titles.

PRWeek Awards 2017

3 ways to win a PR award

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The PRWeek Awards last week celebrated 33 winners, including 22 awards for amazing campaigns. From the judges’ comments praising the victors, we can see what it takes to win such a prestigious prize.

Vuelio was delighted to partner the PRWeek Awards 2017, which took place on 18 October. Check out our Canvas to see the best content before, during and after the night, from social media and the news.

With hundreds of finalists, each winner had to be exemplary to claim their prize. From the judge’s comments published by PRWeek, we present 3 golden rules to win a PRWeek campaign award:

1. Be brave
Brave is a word used multiple times by the judges across a number of categories, but what does it actually mean? W Enterprise won the Healthcare: Ethical & OTC Consumer award for it’s the Future of Social Care campaign for Cera. Wanting to be the ‘solution’ the the NHS and social care’s major issues of bed blocking and delayed discharges, W Enterprise’s research found every major stakeholder was sceptical change could be made without huge sums of investment. With just a limited budget, W Enterprise managed to battle against this perception using personal pitches to journalists and collaborations with charity and NHS leaders.

Weber Shandwick were described as ‘Brave, clever, disruptive’, for its award-winning Kevin the Carrot Christmas campaign for Aldi. Seen to be taking on the giants of Christmas advertising, John Lewis, the campaign used a similar model to its rival, which had proved successful in the past.

A brave campaign is one that isn’t afraid to take on existing ideas and accepted norms. Winners use what they have in clever ways to challenge perceptions of market-leaders and ‘unchangeable’ circumstances.

 

2. KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid! The word simple is used by judges more than any other – PR professionals are story tellers and the simpler you can get your message across, the better. Taylor Herring’s The Real Mr Darcy campaign for UKTV’s Jane Austen season was described as a ‘Simple idea, but brilliantly executed’. It created a portrait of what an academic study considered Mr Darcy would have looked like in real life. This simple idea appealed to most national newspapers, leading to significant coverage.

Weber Shandwick’s #BrutalCut campaign for ActionAid UK ‘cut’ videos of Kenyan girls facing female genital mutilation into videos from vloggers, digital publishers, celebrity posts, cinema ads, fesitval screens and outdoor ads. This digital ‘brutal cut’ smashed ActionAid’s targets, and was described by the judges as ‘Brilliantly creative, yet simple’.

Ogilvy PR’s white rhino campaign for Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy put Sudan – the only male of his species and most eligible bachelor in the world (with more than 7,000 female southern white rhinos to choose from) on Tinder. While Sudan can’t mate due to old age, the campaign raised huge funds for the Conservancy’s programmes.

Being simple is making it clear what your message is about from the very beginning. While it may not fit your campaign targets, being simple is the best way to tell a story because it’s likely to resonate with the most people.

 

3. Know your channels

Knowing where a campaign can be most successful – in line with a client’s brief – is vital for it to be triumphant. Vodafone’s winning ReConnect campaign showed, according to the judges, ‘how media relations can have a big impact’. Commissioning research and analysis from KPMG, Vodafone created complete news stories about the benefits of women going back to work after a career break – which led to wide-reaching coverage across multiple publications. It is a basic of good PR, but we sometimes forget that press releases are more likely to be published if its already a news story, rather than a sales pitch.

Unity’s Yours, Mrs Claus blog for ActionAid won the Most Innovative Use of Digital & Social Media award. The blog was designed to highlight women’s stories, as well as the women and girls ActionAid helps around the world. It was penned by ‘Mrs Claus’, and according to the agency ‘accessible to all, but delivered in such a way that only women would really see it’. Celebrities also contributed to the blog, driving up its traction with the target audience. The judges said: ‘A campaign that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the mechanics of the internet and the way different media channels play out across it’.

One Green Bean’s Best Use of Technology award for the relaunch of Nokia Snake on Facebook Messenger praised a retro game reaching a new, younger audience. While nostalgia seemed to play a huge part in its success, the game has now been played over 74 million times.

Working with clients to identify target channels, as well as knowing what will work for your campaign, is a must for modern PR professionals in the face of so many choices. And if you’re struggling, Vuelio can help you reach all of the right influencers, no matter what channel they’re on.

What do you think it takes to make a great PR campaign? Let us know in the comments below.

Disruptive PR

Disruptive business and destructive PR

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Our latest white paper, The Filth and the Fury, explores how innovative disruptors – from Uber to Amazon – are managing their reputations in a media world built for traditional businesses.

After Uber’s recent licence issue with Transport for London, a new spotlight is on the reputationally-troubled company for its practices and position in society. While Uber’s fans are legion, it hasn’t publically received the support a successful business might expect to enjoy.

Our whitepaper looks at why the mainstream media often targets disruptors and in turn what they’re doing to defend themselves. Though negative stories are sometimes deserved, there’s mounting evidence that the press has it in for the new kids on the block.

But does it matter?

The white paper also explores whether having a bad reputation in the media is bad for the whole company or if the right strategy is to look after your customers first.

If you’d like to learn more the benefits of disruptive PR, download our whitepaper by clicking here.

And if you think you’re ready to embrace disruptive PR, find out more about what Vuelio can do for you.

PRWeek Awards 2017

PRWeek Awards 2017: all you need to know

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The PRWeek Awards celebrated its 30th anniversary last night in true 80s’ style. Vuelio were delighted to partner this historic event and celebrate alongside 1,000 guests and 33 winners.

PRWeek’s editor Danny Rogers then introduced the evening’s event, explaining how the nature of PR has changed as we’ve entered the age of stakeholder marketing. He then introduced a very special presentation.

Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, took everyone by surprise when he arrived to induct his friend and colleague Alan Edwards into PR Week’s Hall of Fame. Edwards is the founder and chairman of Outside Organisation, and has over 40 years’ experience working with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Prince and David Bowie.

Edwards’ was the first of many awards on the night, which were presented by Katherine Ryan. The Canadian comedian kept the audience entertained with a hilarious routine, outrageous comments and the occasional sing song.

The biggest prizes on the night, two Gold Awards for Consultancy of the Year and In-House Team of the Year, were won by Weber Shandwick and English Heritage respectively. There’s also a special mention for Iris, who won the Vuelio-sponsored Best Influencer Marketing Campaign award for its Adidas Glitch launch.

Social media was ablaze throughout the evening, with #PRWeekAwards quickly shooting to the top of Twitter’s trending topics in the UK, such was the reach of a room of the best PR professionals in the business. We’ve gathered the our favourite posts from across all forms of social media and online stories to make a dedicated Vuelio Canvas, the simple tool that easily tells your PR story.

Click here to see the full PRWeek Canvas.

PRWeek canvas

 

JustinRoiland on twitter

When isn’t bad PR, bad PR? When it’s Szechuan sauce

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McDonald’s made headline news last week because of a cult cartoon’s obsession with a promotional dipping sauce that was last seen in 1998. But was the lack of Szechuan sauce really a PR disaster? Or was it a stroke of genius worthy of Rick Sanchez Dimension C-137 himself?

*Warning: this post contains references to Rick and Morty – wubalubadubdub*

McDonald’s originally launched the Szechuan sauce for the release of Disney’s Mulan, but season three of Rick and Morty drew a new focus to the ‘delicious sauce’. Rick claimed: ‘it’s what it’s all about’ and he doesn’t care if it takes nine more series to get it back.

Fans were quick to pick up the campaign on social media and this was enough for McDonald’s to leap onto the good PR opportunity, gifting the show’s creator a giant container of the sauce.

Obviously, this fuelled the fanbase’s desire for what was effectively teriyaki and ketchup mixed together (let’s put that to one side). Keeping its PR cool, McDonald’s was coy, announcing a limited-edition release of the sauce for one day only.

Fans went mad for it, camping outside McDonald’s restaurant locations and travelling hundreds of miles to get a taste. And what happened? McDonald’s didn’t supply enough – some locations had none and many more had a measly 20 samples.

Who the squanch believes this was anything but a carefully choreographed strategy? Are we really expected to think THE fast-food giant couldn’t organise enough sauce deliveries?

The ‘disaster’ hit headline news around the world, as people were left disappointed by not having enough of a McDonald’s product. How would you feel if your product or service was in the news because people couldn’t get enough of it? Probably pretty good.

And what did McDonald’s do next?

That’s right, as an ‘apology’ it’s making the sauce more widely available so fans can get it everywhere. Bravo McDonald’s, bravo.

So how can you Get Schwifty like McDonald’s? Follow these simple rules:

  1. Track mentions of your brand on and offline – if McDonald’s hadn’t been aware of Rick and Morty’s fandom’s desire for Szechuan sauce, this would have been dead in the water. Make sure you have the best monitoring available so you don’t miss a single opportunity.
  2. Don’t be afraid to engage with your audience – speaking to fans and responding to their demands is one of the main purposes of social media for brands; get stuck in and have fun with it.
  3. Approach the right influencers first – McDonald’s sent the product to Justin Roiland, co-creator of the show and voice of leading characters Rick and Morty. Don’t know who your influencers are? Get a database that does the work for you.
  4. You’re allowed to have ‘bad press’ – McDonald’s aced this situation by undersupplying the promotional product. There’s very few ways this could have backfired – if no one had claimed the sauce then it wouldn’t have mattered. You shouldn’t be worried about your fans wanting more, this gives you all the power. And if the media thinks you’ve made a mistake? Ride it out, all the press does is make you seem more desirable.
  5. Give the people what they want – McDonald’s has now made moves to make the sauce available for everyone. If it had remained elusive, they could have pushed fans away. It moved quickly to ‘rectify’ the ‘mistake’ giving the fans their pay off.

No one wants to be a PR Morty, and McDonald’s has shown how easy it is to be a PR Rick. What did you think of McDonald’s stunt? Let us know in the comments below:

Storytelling with Vuelio Canvas – WEBINAR

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Looking for a creative way to tell a story? 

Whether you’re helping your team make sense of ongoing news, pitching a client, or reporting on a campaign or an event, curating content from a range of channels is a daily chore for most.

Visualising and presenting this data can be a daunting task, but we have just the tool to help you nail yours!

Join us on 24 October 2017 at 11am to learn how you can bring your presentations to life with Vuelio Canvas. Impress your boss, co-workers and clients by transforming your data and content into engaging stories. We will show you how you can bring together individual elements from millions of media sources, be it news stories, social media activity, charts, PDFs, video or audio files into beautiful presentations made in seconds.

Stop wasting time on old fashioned spreadsheets and emails and transform the way you present your PR. Save your spot for our next webinar now! Even if you can’t make the live broadcast, we’ll send you a recording after it airs.

Webinar: Storytelling with Vuelio Canvas
Date: Tuesday 24 October 2017 
Time: 11:00 am BST
 

 

 

Willrow Hood

Is your management social media savvy?

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IMPRESS, the press regulator backed by royal charter, has taken the unusual move of banning its chief executive and three board members from dealing with major newspapers after their behaviour on Twitter. What does this teach us about management on social media?

Jonathan Heawood, chief executive of IMPRESS, was found to have tweeted or rewteeted over 50 attacks on the Daily Mail in a one-month period, as well as sharing messages that attacked the Sun including a retweet of: ‘#dontbuythesun or any other ‘newspaper’. Support Leveson, support regulators like Impress. Remove this endemic corruption.’

Two of the board members were similarly critical about the Sun and the Daily Mail on Twitter, while a third was believed to have had too much of a relationship with the Hacked Off campaign.

The behaviour of these individuals is hugely embarrassing for IMPRESS, which had to follow the Sun’s investigation with its own report before banning the four from dealing with large newspapers. Though IMPRESS has no large newspaper members, the damage has already been done.

For some business leaders, Twitter seems to come easily. Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Arianna Huffington are names that people associate with inspirational leaders who somehow always seem to get it right on social media. Part of their appeal is having a captive audience ready to hang on their every word and not every MD or CEO is in that position.

So what if you’re not a business god?

As PR professionals, we’re often responsible for managing external communications no matter how personal they are. Sometimes that means tweeting on behalf of a CEO, or maybe looking on in horror as they go off-piste (Trump anyone?).

Thankfully, we can still learn a thing or two from the Musks and Dorseys of this world – and here’s our top tips for management to get it right on social media:

  1. Be yourself
    Too often a CEO’s tweets seem sterile or staged. Our business leaders haven’t got to where they are by being boring or toeing the line – injecting some of their personality into their Twitter feeds is vital for it to be successful. But that doesn’t mean they have to do it all themselves – presenting your CEO’s voice can, and should, be a group effort.
  2. Be positive
    Reading negative or complaining messages inspires no one. The occasional rant, done right, can be funny but more often than not the best business leaders on Twitter stick to the positive aspects of life, business and experience – always trying to find the lesson to be learned.
  3. Be careful
    Don’t fall into the IMPRESS trap! A CEO is never off the clock; they always represent the business they’re running and what they say can and will be used against them if needs be. Now for some people (hey it’s Trump again!) that doesn’t matter, but most will regret not thinking professionally when they’re tweeting, retweeting or liking.
  4. Be consistent
    This isn’t something you can half-commit to; you’re either tweeting or not tweeting. Building an audience takes time and effort and if you don’t have either, don’t start because infrequent and inconsistent messages help no one.
  5. Be valuable

No matter how big your business, the leader is likely to be successful to have got to where they are. Sharing insights and thoughts can often seem like something best left to the celebrity business leaders but success breeds success and you’ll be surprised how many people you can inspire.

How do you manage your CEO’s Twitter feed? Let us know, post a comment below:

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 29 September 2017

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Taking a brief hiatus from our podcast (and reverting to old-fashioned reading), we present five things you shouldn’t have missed from the worlds of media, marketing and communications.

1. Labour Party Conference

Labour Party Conference 2017

The Opposition party’s conference produced a plethora of headlines, from Emily Thornberry’s attack on Boris Johnson to John McDonnell’s pledge to bring PFI contracts in-house. Reports from the official four-day event also included the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg being given a bodyguard after receiving online abuse; the party tackling antisemitism in the party with new, stricter rules; the party’s position on the Single Market being debated by all sides; and Jeremy Corbyn’s closing speech calling Labour the ‘government-in-waiting’.

If you missed anything from Conference, you can see all of the biggest stories on this Vuelio Canvas. And, if you want daily updates from the Conservative Party Conference directly to your inbox – sign up here.

2 . Uber’s London licence

uber

Transport for London announced it would not renew Uber’s private hire operator licence after 30 September. They claimed the operator wasn’t safe or up to the required standard for the licence. The firm immediately vowed to fight the decision on appeal, which buys them time past the 30 September deadline. The ban has caused outrage among Uber’s 3.5 million London users and 40,000 drivers, many signing Uber’s petition against the decision.

Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi published a letter in the Evening Standard apologising for the mistakes they’ve made, Sadiq Khan claimed people should direct their anger at Uber rather than TfL, and reports emerged that two of the four reasons TfL gave for revoking the licence are actually its own responsibilities. With Prime minister Theresa May also now part of the story, calling the ban ‘disproportionate’, expect this one to keep going.

3. Twitter Trials Longer Tweets

Twitter bird

A small group of Twitter users are now testing double-length tweets. If the test is considered a success by the social network, then 280-character messages will be rolled out across the platform. Jack Dorsey announced the decision in a what was considered by some to be a verbose tweet.

Twitter, in true Twitter style, panicked at the idea of change and then made it all a big joke:

4. Hugh Hefner dies

Hugh Hefner

The founder of what became the media empire Playboy, died this week aged 91. At its height, Playboy Magazine sold seven million copies a month but in later years its content model has struggled to keep up with the internet. Opinions are divided on the man, with some calling him a legend who sexually liberated America and supported LGBT and civil rights, while others saw him as a misogynistic user of women.

You can make your own minds up.

5. IMPRESS bans board members

British newspapers

The royal charter-backed press regulator IMPRESS has banned its chief executive and three board members from dealings with major newspapers. After the press ran their own investigations, IMPRESS published a report largely agreeing that Jonathan Heawood, Emma Jones, Maire Messenger Davies and Martin Hickman, had all taken positions that could create perceptions of bias against the press – from positive views of campaign group Hacked Off to retweeting negative messages about certain papers and publishers.

IMPRESS has no members that are considered major newspapers so the ban is, at the moment, somewhat moot. Though if the Government enacts Section 40, which will require all papers to join a royal charter-backed regulator or face heavy penalties, then this story could become huge.

Something we’ve missed? Let us know on Twitter on in the comments below. 

Labour Party Conference – Day Two

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Vuelio’s political services team is at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton to bring you all the latest news. 

Day two has been dominated by discussions about the party’s position on the UK’s membership of the European Single Market. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he would like the UK to remain permanently in the single market. John McDonnell said the party needs to make sure it takes into account the concerns of those who voted to leave.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry aimed parts of her speech at Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, claiming that Johnson should take a ‘paternity test’ to see the true origin of the arguments and false claims surrounding Brexit.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said this is a tragic moment for the Government, and it does not have the strength to govern. Starmer’s speech also picked on Johnson – he was listed alongside David Cameron and Theresa May – the ‘authors’ of the ‘Brexit tragedy’. Starmer touched upon the subject of the day, saying that Labour could keep the UK in a reformed single market and a form of customs union.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell delivered the keynote speech and will have made headlines with his pledge to end new Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts and bring existing contracts back ‘in-house’. McDonnell also said that he would attempt to introduce a cap on the interest payments on credit cards.

Don’t want to miss anything from Conference? Make sure you’re signed up to the Daily Updates. 

The biggest stories of the day are available on our Day Two Canvas – click here to see the Canvas in full.

Day 2 labour party conference

uber

Can Uber triumph in London?

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Transport for London last week announced it will not renew Uber’s private hire operator licence after its current licence expires on 30 September. While there will be a stay of execution to allow for the ride-sharing app to appeal, TfL is sticking to its guns and the end of Uber in London looks inevitable.

But is it?

While Uber is often under attack in the media, the service is hugely popular among its 3.5 million London users for a multitude of reasons, from price to feeling safe at night.

And for a company that reportedly spends £250,000 a month on PR and lobbying, Uber has unsurprisingly come out all guns blazing. A petition, started by Uber itself, has already attracted over 700,000 signatures and became Change.org’s fastest growing petition of 2017.

In the petition, Uber has attacked TfL and London Mayor Sadiq Khan: ‘By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and their chairman the Mayor have given in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.

‘This ban shows the world that London is far from being open and is closed to innovative companies, who bring choice to consumers and work opportunities to those who need them.’

By attacking Khan’s own claim that post-Brexit London is open, both to people and business, Uber is suggesting that this comes across as an anti-innovative move that inconveniences the people of the city. Khan hit back, telling the petitioning customers to direct their anger at Uber as they have been found at fault: ‘It would be wrong for TfL to licence Uber if there was any way this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety or security.’

But now the situation is escalating. The Financial Times has reported that TfL is under fire with suggestions it is responsible for two of the four reasons it gave when revoking Uber’s licence.

The two reasons in question are:

  • Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
  • Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.

The vetting and safety checks of Uber drivers are apparently carried out by TfL. James Farrar, an Uber driver and trade body representative told the FT: ‘To me this reeks. It’s a bogus charge from TfL. Uber will be able to remedy this in court immediately because DBS and medical certification are prerequisites for drivers getting their licences from TfL.’

And this licence ban affects so much more – what about UberEats, the food delivery service? Or the other towns and cities in the UK that Uber still operates in?

For the former, UberEats is safe – the licence renewal is about private hire operators so the delivery service is exempt. But as for the rest of the UK, it’s unclear how they’ll operate around London. Can they still visit airports? Possibly. Will they stop at the M25 and make passengers walk? Seems unlikely.

So, have we seen the last of Uber in London? Perhaps not – the tech giant has many resources to hand but most importantly, and perhaps this something that’s been underestimated, an army of supporters in the capital who rely on the ride-sharing service. Sure, there are other apps available, but people don’t like change; they like what they know and what they know will work.

Uber may have a bad reputation at head office in the US, and it may come out on the wrong side of black cabs struggling in the capital, but the service has focused on excellent customer service at a one-to-one level and is now wielding this significant reputation to fight its case.

Sometimes reputation isn’t top down, it’s down up – take care of the day-to-day customers and they’ll take care of you.

Robot handshake

Will AI make you better at PR?

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Artificial Intelligence is very much in the zeitgeist – building on 2016’s love of #BigData, AI is now the industry buzzword and it’s already making us better at PR.

We haven’t quite reached the level of Skynet (yet), but AI grows smarter every day, making our digital lives more personalised and data more understandable. It’s also everywhere –  from custom adverts across your online journey (ever felt like that product was following you?), to search engine results relying on natural language processing to serve up what you were actually looking for.

Aaron Cohen, writing for VentureBeat, claims AI will soon make us all PR superheroes. He points out that from identifying crises before they become pandemics to improving the way we speak, AI has the power to radically enhance our day-to-day activities.

And for those that fear AI will take over, Cohen points out there’s a slim chance we’ll be replaced by machines. According to Will Robots Take My Job?, PR specialists only have an 18% chance of being replaced by AI. Thankfully being excellent at PR requires too much creativity and humanity, which can never be replaced by 1s and 0s.

AI has already begun to make the life of a PR easier; Vuelio uses AI to link your contacts with their output via media monitoring, and allows you to track all of your stakeholder interactions with our powerful CRM. Not to mention all the cool things it does with distribution, analysis and data presentation.

As with any job, there are things PRs like doing and things PRs have to do. Don’t waste time on public relations, allow AI into your life to take on the necessary but dull jobs, while you focus on what’s important – building relationships and managing reputations.

And for those still not keen on AI, I’ve got bad news. Artificial Intelligence is coming (sorry Elon Musk), and we all need to embrace it. Make sure you know how AI can help you day-to-day and you too can be a PR superhero. Decide it’s just a passing fad and you’ll be left behind.

We all remember Blockbuster, right?