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International Women’s Day 2018: PR Women, Part 1

March 8, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

It’s International Women’s Day.

Women make up the majority of the UK’s PR industry, but get paid significantly less. Sexual harassment is endemic and assault all too common. Women continued to be overlooked, underrepresented and side-lined.

This #IWD2018, we’ve spoken to a number of leading women in comms to find out what it is like for women in this industry, their thoughts on International Women’s Day, and advice for other women who want to enter the world of PR.

This is part one, read part two and three here.

Shamima Begum is an executive director at Golin

The recent PRWeek/PRCA/Women in PR sexual harassment survey makes for grim reading. What’s it like working as a woman in the PR industry today?
I’ve been very fortunate to work at Golin for such as a long time, as diversity and inclusion has always been a top priority for us. Our leadership team at Golin is 64% female, which includes our MD, Deputy MD and Finance Director, who are all strong, inspirational women. This culture has provided the opportunity to lead and not be afraid to do so. Working in the male-dominated technology PR sector has occasionally created challenges as a woman, but we have a strong, diverse team at Golin who work together to tackle any issues.

How would you use public relations to promote International Women’s Day?
It’s a great opportunity to profile some of the most inspirational women within your business and this should be done at all levels, with people from all different walks of life who have achieved or made an impact despite any adversity or obstacles they faced. People are inspirational for different reasons and we need to use IWD to tell their stories.

What advice would you give women who want to enter the PR industry?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. When I entered the world of PR nearly 15 years ago it felt daunting. For many years I never came across a woman in a leadership position from a BAME background, never mind someone who was born and grew up in East London. By being myself and speaking my mind, I’ve found that the right people are receptive and value my opinion. Personally, it’s got me to where I am today.

Sarah Hall is a PR and marketing agency owner, founder of #FuturePRoof and President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) for 2018

The recent PRWeek/PRCA/Women in PR sexual harassment survey makes for grim reading. What’s it like working as a woman in the PR industry today?
I’ve had some bad experiences in the past but right now it feels like a great time to be a woman in public relations. Change is definitely in the air. It’s long overdue but we’ve seen a series of high profile female appointments to senior roles and there are all kinds of support networks now in place designed to support female talent, such as the Women in PR and PR Week mentoring scheme.

Culturally we are seeing a huge shift within the world of business where there is finally a recognition that certain behaviours are no longer acceptable. But while the Government now requires organisations with more than 250 employees to publish their salary data, this still doesn’t go far enough to close the pay gap.

Businesses should all have to carry out gender and diversity audits and as per this #FuturePRoof blog, there are steps we can all take to pay the workplace a fairer place to be.

How would you use public relations to promote International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is designed to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

The challenge is that while there is a crescendo of voices, they tend to be mainly female.

I’d embark on an influencer relations campaign recruiting senior male leaders to promote and encourage female talent. If the C-Suite recognises and communicates the value of so called ‘softer skills’ in the boardroom and workplace, we can finally stop this nonsense about women needing to be more assertive, which actually just reinforces the status quo.

We are different to men and difference is good. We need to focus on harnessing our complementary skillsets and then ensure there is equal access to opportunities, which is where the discrepancy lies right now.

What advice would you give women who want to enter the PR industry?
Here’s a few ideas to help both men and women:

Find your own path and choose your own measures of success
Outside hobbies are good for your mental health so don’t give them up – PR can be a very demanding business
Don’t be afraid to try different things. Public relations is a diverse career and continues to evolve. Explore your options until you find what you love
Think long-term. Don’t just build a tactical skillset. You need strategic, ethical and leadership competencies too
Identify role models and mentors who can provide inspiration and help you on your career journey
Find like-minded people and collaborate on new projects. It’s hugely rewarding and a fantastic way to continue your professional development
If you’re coming back from maternity leave, be firm in needing flexibility. If your employer isn’t prepared to consider agile working, even in this world of 24/7 media and community management, it might not be the right workplace for you so move on
Get involved with an industry body like the CIPR. You’ll build your knowledge and networks and enhance your employability for sure

Bibi Hilton is the president of Women in PR and MD of Golin London

The recent PRWeek/PRCA/Women in PR sexual harassment survey makes for grim reading. What’s it like working as a woman in the PR industry today?
I think, as with most things, the experiences of women working in the PR industry today are incredibly varied. That a gender pay gap exists, and sexual harassment is prevalent, is unfortunately a shock to no one. But it is shocking that as an industry we are not yet effectively and consistently addressing the harassment and unacceptable behaviour towards women that does exist. Women make up the majority in our industry and every one of those women has the right to do her job without being harassed, to have access to fair and clear channels to report unacceptable behaviour, and to feel confident it will be properly addressed and not swept under the carpet.

How would you use public relations to promote International Women’s Day?
One of the most important things about International Women’s Day is that it brings so many groups of people together who are focused on driving change. There is a lot of noise around International Women’s Day, but for us on the committee and our members, every day is Women’s Day. We have decided not to create our own events this year but instead to use our network and profile to support existing IWD events. We are supporting the Media Trust’s breakfast panel debate and some of our members are volunteering as mentors. We have also shared discount codes as one of our member benefits to numerous events being held in London.

What advice would you give women who want to enter the PR industry?
Young people today have more paths of communication between themselves and potential employers, recruiters and career champions than ever before, and they should make the most of it – network like hell, on and offline! With sites like LinkedIn it is so easy to build your own network and profile with potential employers.

I think my main advice would be to be brave. Be brave enough to ask senior professionals for guidance where you can, so that you can learn from their experience and open up new opportunities. Be brave in the content you create to showcase your creativity and skills. Create a blog or Instagram feed that you can show to a potential employer to demonstrate your writing and imagination. And finally, be brave in asking for what you want. Research shows that the gender pay gap opens for women so early on in their career, and this is often because they don’t negotiate their first salary. So, I would say go for it and negotiate – you may not get it but they will definitely respect you for asking.

Blogger Spotlight: Jen Walshaw, Mum in the Madhouse

March 7, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Jen Walshaw is the author of the number one mummy blog in the UK – Mum in the Madhouse. Covering family fun and creative crafts. Mum in the Madhouse has become a must-read for anyone after some creative inspiration and content. We spoke to Jen about being creative, finding her audience and working with brands.

What makes your blog successful?
I think my blog is successful as my family is relatable and authentic. We are just your average family with our ups and downs. Over the years, it has gone from strength to strength, some readers have been with us from the beginning, others found us while looking for a specific solution. It has stood the test of time and remains a trusted voice in a saturated market.

Why did you start your blog?
My blog started out as a diary after a health scare. I had two boys under three with 14 months between them. It was my way of recording our day to day life while reclaiming time for me. I had always wanted to be one of those people that had a batch of journals to look back on but never found pen and paper that appealing long term. I loved being able to create my own digital photo album with words!

How are mummy blogs different from dad blogs?
I am not sure that they are all that different, but I do love that fact that people feel they provide a different perspective. I also love that they are much more prolific than they ever were. I would much prefer to just be pigeonholed as a parent blogger rather than a mummy blogger, however, like every aspect of my life, being a parent is just part of it.

What’s it like to be part of the mummy blogging community?
I have to say that I adore the whole blogging and online community. There will always be someone that has experienced what you have and able to offer insight and advice. Whether it be dealing with the death of a loved one or how to get the tween off the XBox! We relocated (or boomeranged) back to our native North East when I was pregnant with Mini, and the mummy blogging community has enabled me to have an online village to support me while I raise my children. Some of my closest friends have come from blogging.

How do you plan content with the kids?
We talk about things we would like to blog about as a family and then schedule it in. When it comes to cooking and crafting, that is very much just part of our everyday lives so as long as they are happy for me to document it then I will. I want to be respectful of their stories and privacy. As they get older, then they are starting to provide their own content with recipes and reviews.

How do you feel about your kids growing up and reading the blog?
I have no issues with the boys’ reading the blog or any of the posts. I have always been conscious of their privacy and always check with them before posting images of them online. I know a lot of their friends follow me on Instagram and read the blog. Some of them even send me pictures of crafts they have made or recipes they have used.

What’s your favourite collaboration with a brand or PR?
It is so hard to pin it down to just one collaboration. We are big fans of family experiences and have been lucky enough to work with some fantastic brands and have lots of fun at the same time. There have been different favourites depending on the stages of our family life. The man of the house loves car or holiday collaborations, the boys are particularly keen on theme parks, technology and festivals, while for me, like most mums, am happy when the rest of the family is. However, I do love going to concerts, visiting new places and experiencing new things. I am also partial to tea and fabric!

What should PRs know when contacting you?
I am a proud Northerner, so invites to events in the capital mean quite a chunk of travel! I want PRs to understand what I can offer them and their clients, and to develop long-term relationships. Things really need to be relevant to me and my readers. More and more it is about being a trusted voice. It is great to connect with people that understand what you do and see how you can work together for the benefit of their client. I like to provide unique relevant evergreen content that will meet their needs and appeal to my readers and new readers.

What do you call yourself (blogger/content creator/influencer)?
Jack of all trades! It depends on who I am talking to. So, blogger, freelance writer, content creator or that I run a website. I wear many hats, but I do not think that I fit the influencer mould or class myself as an influencer especially as I am all about communication, discussion and engagement with my readers; it is certainly a two-way relationship and I do not set out to influence them. Personally, I am thinking of myself more and more as a maker and creator.

What other blogs do you read?
I am an avid blog reader and love being part of such a wide-ranging and diverse community. I turn to blogs for pretty much everything, looking for a recipe then there is a great blog for that, planning a party, again I turn to a blog.

Jen Walshaw and Mum in the Madhouse are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors.

Blogger Spotlight: Clare Minall, Mudpie Fridays

March 7, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Mudpie Fridays is a new addition to the Top 10 Mummy Blog ranking. Written by Clare Minall, Mudpie Fridays features the adventures of Clare’s family featuring her two boys, Monkey and Kipper, as she strives to find a harmonious work/life balance. We spoke to Clare about the differences between mummy and dad blogs, being in the community and working productively with PRs and brands.

What makes your blog successful?
First and foremost, hard work! If I had realised how much work goes into running a blog and associated social media following, I probably would never have started. I spend most evenings working on Mudpie Fridays in some capacity. Don’t get me wrong, if I didn’t totally love it then I wouldn’t. I am also very blessed that my husband picks up a fair amount of the slack.

Secondly, honesty on all levels. My readers know that what they see is what they get. The house may be a mess. There are days when, as much as my kids are my universe, between them they have pushed every conceivable button and all I want to do is have some time alone. By writing about the good, the bad and the downright ugly elements of parenting, I hope to connect with other parents on this emotional rollercoaster that we are on.

Why did you start your blog?
After falling pregnant easily with Monkey, second time round we really struggled. Losing several babies in-between. Mudpie Fridays gave me an element of control in a time when I was struggling to come to terms with the fact we would probably not have any more children. The miscarriages made me want to document my days with Monkey even more. It started with an online diary of our adventures and has become so much more. Including documenting my final pregnancy with Kipper.

How are mummy blogs different from dad blogs?
I love dad blogs as much as I love mummy blogs. Often reading along smiling as I imagine my husband thinking and doing similar. Yet they are different to mummy blogs. In my experience mummy blogs are a lot more emotional and empathetic. And as a result, they connect with their readers at this level. They tend to share more craft ideas, sensory play, recipe posts and emotional ramblings. We should embrace the differences between the two. After all, we are all one big parenting community that should support each other on our individual journeys.

What’s it like to be part of the mummy blogging community?
When I first discovered the community, it was like someone turning on a light. I had no idea that such a community existed and it’s still a little surreal. Being part of it is like being in a private club. Many of my non-blogger friends don’t really get why I may get excited by the reach of a social post. Or how proud you feel when someone reaches out to you to tell you that your post has helped them. Or when the brand of your dreams gets in contact about a potential collaboration. The community gets it, they live it with you. I can honestly say I have met some wonderful friends through the community. But my story is no different to many other bloggers who have made the same friendships.

How do you plan content with the kids?
Monkey is now almost six so he will get asked if he wants to be involved in collaborations, day trips and even holidays. Ultimately, he gets the choice. Although he’s not planning content yet he does like to have his say on little videos. He often tells me how he thinks I should take the picture too.

How do you feel about your kids growing up and reading the blog? (Are there any posts you DON’T want them reading?)
No, there is nothing in the blog that I wouldn’t want the kids to read. I have been consciously aware of this from day one. I expect as they get older they will want to be less involved. Thankfully, at almost 6 and almost 2 there are hopefully many years ahead. Yet when they hit their tweens this may start to change. I have already had the discussion with Monkey around taking photos. He decides if he wants me to take it or if he’s having a day when he doesn’t want to be in front of the camera. I have no plans to change this. By being involved early I hope they will feel an element of control around the content and love recording our family memories as much as I do.

What’s your favourite collaboration with a brand or PR?
This is a tough one! We have been fortunate enough to have some fantastic opportunities and holidays. Although if I can only choose one then it would have to be working on the Discovery Adventures with Land Rover. We were gifted a Land Rover Discovery for a weekend adventuring in Cheddar Gorge. The reason it’s my favourite is that I will never forget my husband’s sense of satisfaction driving said car and Monkey’s pure excitement about being able to see over the hedges. It was the moment my husband finally ‘got it’.

Having never visited Cheddar Gorge before, we were blown away by the scenery and had a brilliant weekend exploring the caves in the lap of luxury. We would never had done this if it wasn’t for the blog. The special memories created by time together as a family are what I hold dearest and the collaborations that mean the most.

What should PRs know when contacting you?
I much prefer to work in partnership for a common goal rather than a relationship of provider/supplier. I would like the PR to have read my blog and understand a bit of what we are about. I have worked with some wonderfully professional PRs who genuinely care about the boys. For me it’s also about the relationship. As well as the blog I also work in the corporate world, as a strategic account manager in the finance sector. My job is all about helping small businesses reach their goals. With my skill set I can help the PR companies meet theirs.

What do you call yourself (blogger/content creator/influencer)?
Micro Influencer because that’s what we do. We create content which ultimately is aimed at influencing the reader in one way or another. Predominately looking for an emotional response or physical response to a blog post or social media message. That response is either to ‘feel’ or ‘do’ something. Something that is likely already in mind when writing the content.

What other blogs do you read?
There are so many that I read now it’s hard to pick only a couple. I couldn’t tell you the last time I read a fiction book! My favourites have got to be Laura at Five Little Doves, her posts quite often move me to tears! Laura at Dear Bear and Beany, whose girls are a similar age to my boys. Having always wanted a little girl I love to read about their adventures and draw similarities between our kids. And in case that sounds a little stalker-ish we are good friends too! Finally, Bridget at Bridie By The Sea, based in Brighton; she is an inspiration to all who want to embark on a new career!

Clare Minall and Mudpie Fridays are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors.

Blogger Spotlight: Amanda Coleman, Amandacomms’s Blog

March 6, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Amanda Coleman is the author of Amandacomms’s Blog, which was recently ranked one of the top 10 UK PR blogs. Amanda is the head of corporate communication at Greater Manchester Police and uses her blog to talk about communications across all types of businesses and organisations. She also provides a unique perspective on the public sector.

We spoke to Amanda about the changes she’s experienced in the PR industry, advice she’d give for people looking to work in comms and the PR/influencer relationship.

What makes your blog successful?
I am not sure but I am pleased that people enjoy what I write and I love getting feedback on my thoughts.

What has writing a blog taught you about the way bloggers see the PR/influencer relationship?
Writing a blog has been an eye-opening experience. Bloggers come in all shapes and sizes and it is vital that those in PR and communication recognise the impact they can have on brands and reputation. We need to take a new look at communication.

What’s the biggest issue facing PR today?
Demonstrating results that will breed credibility within businesses or industry.

What are the biggest changes to the PR industry you’ve seen over your career?
The biggest change over more than 20 years is the ability for anyone to become their own publisher. The technology developments have brought big opportunities as well as many risks.

Will print die out altogether?
No, if it was going to then it would have done by now. It has a place at the moment.

What’s the best social platform?
I like many of them as they do different things. Twitter is the way I get breaking news and signposts to interesting things, Facebook is for personal updates with close friends, Instagram brings visual updates, Pinterest provides a way to corral information and LinkedIn is all about professional updates. I use them all for different reasons.

What’s better, agency or in-house?
I would say in-house as that is where I am at the moment. It provides an opportunity to get into the DNA of an organisation.

What advice would you give someone looking to work in comms?
Get as much work experience as you can to make sure it is what you want to do. The reality may be different to your idealised view of the role. But despite that, it is a great profession for someone with creativity, drive and commitment.

What’s your favourite PR campaign from the last year?
Looking at campaigns is a very narrow view of PR I think there are many organisations that have been producing results through communication including London Fire Brigade who have had a challenging year.

What other blogs do you read?
I tried to read as much as I can from many people including Stephen Waddington, Sarah Hall and others in the Top Ten. But I also try to find new things through Twitter.

Amanda Coleman and Amandacomms’s Blog are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors.

Do you find collaborations and ad disclosure confusing?

March 5, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR News, Blogger PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Blogging collaborations and advertisement disclosure is a huge topic in the influencer industry, with many still confused about best practice and how to get it right. With penalties for getting it wrong, now is the time to refresh or learn best practice for all digital collaborations.

The rise of social media advertising, influencer marketing and ease of self-publishing, has led the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) to release refreshed guidelines to help all those in digital advertising understand their responsibilities for online advertising.

The guidelines cover three main areas of content and native advertising: brand-owned advertising; publisher hosted and/or made content (either advertiser controlled or joint advertiser/publisher controlled); and native distribution ad units (formatted ads that are populated with different types of content across the web).

The guidelines do not set out the rules, but help individuals and organisations comply with the CAP Code, which is enforced by the ASA.

The IAB has created a flow chart to help everyone understand if disclosure is needed:

The key guidelines are all about making advertising clear and obvious to consumers:

Provide consumers with visual cues, or verbal brand mentions in audio formats, so consumers immediately know that they’re engaging with marketing content
Brand logos and design features (such as fonts or shading) should be used for native ad units that clearly distinguish them from surrounding editorial content
Use a clear, up front label and/or verbal descriptor (as appropriate) to show there’s a commercial arrangement in place and identify the content as marketing (One option where space is limited (e.g. in social media) is the label #ad)
Take visibility into account and design disclosures so that they are clear and prominent in different formats and devices (e.g. on mobile and in-app as well as desktop)
Ensure the content of the advertising adheres to the CAP Code and all other relevant legislation

When paying for content and adverts, no brand should be trying to hide the true nature of the relationship. Sneaky advertising creates a reputation of distrust among consumers, which in turn leads to confusion and misinterpretations of the influencer industry – and also punishes earned media from hardworking PRs.

Christie Dennehy-Neil, Senior Public Policy Manager at the IAB, said: ‘Transparency is vital, not just because it’s required by the advertising rules, but because it is key to audience trust, which is so important for brands and anyone they partner with to create or publish advertising content.’

The IAB’s guidelines, therefore, not only allow everyone to follow the proper legal requirements, but also help improve the industry for all stakeholders, including the brands and businesses that advertise.

You can download the full guidelines here.

5 Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 2 March 2018

March 2, 2018/0 Comments/in Five Things, PR Pulse, journalism, PR, PR News Media Monitoring, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

This week’s five things includes the sexual harassment survey from PRWeek, the cancellation of Leveson II, Max Mosley’s bad week, Comcast’s attempt to oust the Murdochs and TWO national newspaper editors departing.

And there’s a sneaky sixth for all you PR fans out there.

1. Time’s Up

A survey from PRWeek, the PRCA and Women in PR has made for grim reading this week, after it was revealed that a quarter of women in the industry had faced harassment in the last year and one in six had been sexually assaulted. The shocking report also revealed that in nearly 45% of sexual harassment cases, it was a line manager or senior person within the organisation that carried out the offending behaviour, and in over two thirds of all incidents, the organisation took no action.

Bibi Hilton, president of Women in PR said: ‘We need employers to review policies and ensure there is a clear course of action for cases of sexual harassment: to train and empower men and women across their organisations in how to report and respond to cases, and to put in place clear codes of conduct for relationships between PROs, clients, journalists and influencers. Above all we need to drive real behaviour change. Failing to act is not acceptable.’

2. Leveson II cancelled

Matt Hancock, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport has officially closed the Leveson inquiry, quashing the hopes of some that the second part would be enacted. Hancock, speaking for the Government, believes the first part of the Inquiry was sufficient in bringing criminal convictions against wrongdoers and creating change within the newspaper industry due to the creation of IPSO (and to a lesser extent IMPRESS).

This a huge win for the press, as the Government has effectively endorsed the none state-backed regulator IPSO, and Hancock even revealed he is going to repeal Section 40 – a controversial piece of legislation that would have seen publishers pay legal fees for accusers in court cases, win or lose. For those that feel they have been victims of press intrusion and corruption, this is disappointing – but with the Government currently waging a publicity war over Brexit, having good relations with the press is a must.

3. Max Mosley’s bad week

Only partially related to the above, Max Mosley is having a bad week as he continues his war against the press, and they continue their war against him. Evidence of a racist leaflet Mosley published on behalf of Walter Hesketh (who was running in a by-election for Mosley’s father Oswald Mosley’s Union Movement) was found by the Daily Mail in archives in Manchester. The disputed leaflet reads ‘colour immigration threatens your children’s health’. The story led to this excruciating interview with Channel 4’s Cathy Newman:

Over the rest of the week, the Mail continued its attack on Mosley, discussing right wing links he allegedly had in the past – inadvertently drawing attention to the paper’s own right-wing links from the past.

The row is ongoing, with some members of IMPRESS – which is funded indirectly by Mosley through two charities – saying the revelations have made them reconsider their membership, as the Press Gazette reports.

4. Comcast aims to ruin Murdoch family fun

Completely unrelated to any of the above, the Murdoch family’s control over their share of the UK media landscape came under threat this week. Giant US corporation Comcast, stomped all over 21st Century Fox’s bid to take over the entirety of Sky, with their own, significantly higher, bid. The Murdochs have been attempting to secure Sky since 2016, but have hit multiple snags including the CMA’s uneasiness at the level of control over the UK media it would give them and the recent takeover of Fox by Disney.

Comcast’s bid may be favourable to the regulators, and a UK Government keen to be seen as open for business post-Brexit, but the Murdoch tradition in UK media is strong so it really could go either way.

5. Two National Newspaper editors quit

In a shock announcement, two national newspaper editors quit their roles this week, after their papers were acquired by Trinity Mirror. Dawn Neesom, the longest-serving female national newspaper editor (after 15 years in charge) has left her role of editor of the Daily Star to pursue a career as a freelance writer and broadcaster. Hugh Whittow has also left his role of editor of the Daily Express.

The moves led to a raft of changes at the papers, with senior Mirror staff now at the helm of each paper. How this will affect the political independence of each paper remains to be seen, but Mirror CEO Simon Fox remains adamant that his papers will stay on their respective political paths.

6. A sneaky sixth – Top 10 PR Blogs

Where do you go to read the best PR and communications content (other than Vuelio, of course)? If you don’t read them already, check out these leading blogs.

Why does nobody comment on my blog?

March 1, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

In this digital age where social media engagement decides what’s hot or not, and likes, emojis and retweets are the new way of expressing yourself, we look at the decline of commenting on blogs and what it means for you.

In the early days of blogging, and even as recently as a few years ago, blog posts received a lot of comments, and communities were created on the blogs themselves. There were link-ups and Follow Friday (#ff), which allowed a growing community of bloggers to not only drive traffic to their websites but also make connections with fellow bloggers covering the same topics. The higher the comments on a post, the more influential the post became, promoting the blog itself.

In recent years, although many blogs continue to use linkys and community sharing, there has been a strong increase in the use of social media to promote blogs. This has caused a notable decrease in the comments that bloggers receive on their individual blog posts.

Becky Wiggins, author of English Mum, says: ‘As my blog became more popular, I really enjoyed receiving comments from my readers and loved it when they chatted in my comments section. With the rise of social media, the days of receiving 50 plus comments are now gone.’

As it is for digital news sites, social media is now responsible for a much larger portion of a blog’s audience, with the audience interaction more heavily based on likes, retweets and pins. These often outnumber the comments that would have been left on a single blog post, but commenting still exists – it’s now on social.

Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl [pictured], another long-running blog, agrees that although comments on blogs have decreased, in her experience they have migrated to social media, which is an easier platform for commenters: ‘Like most bloggers, I will also share my latest post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and quite often someone will tweet their comment rather than commenting on the blog. They’re still commenting, just in a faster interface.’

As the lives of younger generations are now dominated by social media, promoting blog posts through tweets, pins and Instagram posts is an effective way of reaching new people and expanding an audience. Nowadays, almost everyone has at least one form of social media, which makes it much easier for non-bloggers to interact with blog content.

This change has meant that bloggers now share everything from their blog on at least one social media channel. Wiggins explains how her approach to interacting with her audience has shifted since the rise of social media: ‘I feel that I get a similar sense of community from talking to my readers on Facebook or Twitter. I confess, I’m also guilty of not commenting on blogs any more but will often RT a post I liked on Twitter.’

It’s clear that although bloggers may have enjoyed receiving comments and interacting with followers on the original blog post, most have adapted and now use social media to maintain these relationships with their audience. Wiggins mentions Facebook and Twitter, but for a lot of bloggers, there is often one social media platform on which they have the biggest following.

Batliwalla explains how important it is to prioritise a platform: ‘It makes sense to spend time where the most engagement is and right now, that’s on social media. If you have a strong community on Instagram, you are going to spend most of the time engaging with followers there.’

Instagram has been one of the fastest growing social sharing platforms, reaching eight hundred million users in September 2017. As a photo sharing tool, it proves most popular for bloggers who cover visually appealing content, which are often lifestyle subjects such as food, fashion, beauty and travel. There are many features, including the comments and likes, which allow bloggers and their audiences to interact. But it is another feature that is perhaps a factor behind its popularity with the blogging community.

For professional bloggers, who need to make money through their blogs, Instagram’s ‘Paid Partnership’ feature is a big hit. And this has created its own niche communities, as Batliwalla explains: ‘As Instagram has become the main platform for monetising, we’re also seeing bloggers forming comment pods to increase the engagement on each other’s accounts to beat the algorithms.’

The blogging communities in the comment sections may be gone, but comment pods are a reminder that bloggers can still support each other when sharing a new post. In this instance, comment pods are formed by Instagrammers or bloggers who share content around similar topic; they will share a link to their most recent post and then the fellow users will follow the link, like and comment on the post. This is believed to promote the post within Instagram’s algorithm.

Bloggers are divided on the rise of social media. On one hand, there are bloggers who are happy with engagement being spread across several platforms. Batliwalla explains the positives in relation to Disneyrollergirl: ‘Even if there are fewer comments on the blog post itself, the level of engagement from Disneyrollergirl followers (clicks on links, social media comments/likes) is the same if not higher than ever.’

Wiggins, on the other hand, has experienced some frustrations with the impact that social media is beginning to have on bloggers: ‘I do sometimes feel that I’m judged by brands for not having a huge amount of Instagram followers, and I often find myself explaining that my blog is my main outlet. I have a loyal following, and get frustrated when Instagram followers are ranked over unique visitors.’

While some bloggers have adapted their style of blogging to include social media, creating more image or video heavy posts and content that is easier to interact with on a social platform, those that include a large amount of written content or who cover less Insta-friendly topics, may struggle to create social content that acts as an extension of their blog.

Those with an existing loyal following can continue growing their community on social media. But without a strong presence on social platforms, it seems that in an attention-economy, it will become increasingly difficult for bloggers to gain new followers.

Do you miss comments on blogs? Let us know, leave a comment below!

Leveson inquiry closes: no part II

March 1, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, journalism, Media Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

The sequel to the Leveson Inquiry has been cancelled by Matt Hancock, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.

Hancock made an announcement to the house which explained he would be ‘formally closing the Inquiry’.

In the speech, Hancock praises the first part of the Inquiry: ‘The Leveson Inquiry was a diligent and thorough examination of the culture, practices and ethics of our press in response to illegal and improper press intrusion.

‘There were far too many cases of terrible behaviour and having met some of the victims, I understand the impact this had.’

He outlines how it heard from over 300 witnesses, led to 40 convictions and created two regulators: IPSO and IMPRESS. Hancock explains that IPSO regulates 95% of national newspapers by circulation and that it ‘largely complied’ with Leveson’s recommendations.

Hancock’s endorsement of IPSO in this speech will be a relief of the newspaper industry that has feared being forced to join the state-back regulator IMPRESS.

Hancock said there were improvements to IPSO and that he ‘hopes’ there are more to come.

Hancock suggests the second part of the Inquiry is no longer valid as the industry has changed dramatically – he cites figures that circulations have fallen by about 30% since the conclusion of Leveson part I; that for every £100 lost in print revenue in 2015, publishers made just £3 in digital; and how more than 200 local newspapers have closed since 2015.

He explains that ‘Sir Brian [Leveson] agrees that the Inquiry should not proceed on the current terms of reference but believes that it should continue in an amended form’.

What that form is has not been explained.

The other major feature of Hancock’s speech was the repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which would have meant that papers would have to cover BOTH sides of court cases against them, no matter what the outcome was.

While this speech is likely to be met warmly by the press industry, no everyone is happy. Hacked Off, the ‘campaign for victims of press abuse’ has tweeted: ‘The Gov has just announced that they are formally closing the 2nd half of the Leveson Inquiry. It has chosen to turn a blind eye to press and police corruption at the demand of corporate press owners. Victims have been disgracefully betrayed.’

While no decision pleases everyone, Hancock detailed the public consultation (which had 174,000 respondents) and clearly believes this decision is in line with public consensus. The move means the struggling press industry doesn’t have to worry about Government regulation, but in some sections of society, disappointment at the status quo will continue to be against them.

All change at the Daily Express and Daily Star

March 1, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, journalism Media Database, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

The editors of the Daily Express and Daily Star have resigned, following Trinity Mirror’s acquisition of the titles. Dawn Neesom, the longest-serving female national newspaper editor, has left her role as editor of the Daily Star and Hugh Whittow has left his role as editor of the Daily Express.

The Press Gazette reports that Hugh Whittow is retiring and Dawn Neesom will pursue a freelance writing and broadcast career.

While Simon Fox, chief executive of Trinity Mirror, promised the papers would remain independent in terms of their political leanings – ‘The Daily Express is not going to become left-wing and the Mirror is not going to become right-wing’ – the departures have caused a string of changes across the publisher’s portfolio:

Gary Jones, editor of the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Daily Express
Alison Phillips, former editor of the New Day newspaper, has been appointed editor of the Daily Mirror
Jon Clark, associate editor of the Daily Mirror, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Daily Star
Caroline Waterston, deputy editor of the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, has been appointed deputy editor-in-chief of the Express and Star titles

How these changes affect the editorial output of the papers remains to be seen, but Fox is still promising editorial independence and has said both acquisitions ‘have the freedom to operate accordingly’.

All editorial changes are verified and kept up-to-date in the Vuelio Media Database.

Blogger Spotlight: Sarah Stimson

February 28, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Holly Hodges

Sarah Stimson is a Top 10 UK PR Blogger and chief executive of the Taylor Bennett Foundation. A champion of diversity and making the PR industry accessible, Sarah is a prominent figure in the PR industry. We caught up with Sarah to talk about diversity, the changes in PR and advice for newbies.

What makes your blog successful?
I have two blogs with slightly different perspectives. Sarah Stimson is my personal blog and it’s where I tend to give my opinion on PR and recruitment of comms talent. PRcareers.co.uk is mostly other people’s opinions and is related to career development in the industry. The latter gets a lot of traffic on the 150 PR internships and graduate schemes I publish each year. There’s a real lack of information on PR as a career choice out there, so I have tried to bring together perspectives from practitioners, students and academics

What has writing a blog taught you about the way bloggers see the PR/influencer relationship?
I often see bloggers saying they’re frustrated at the lack of understanding of their blogs from PR practitioners; that they get pitched irrelevant content all the time. It happens to me too and I have a new sympathy for bloggers and journalists who must get far more pitches than I do. I have never published a sponsored post or been paid to write content for my blog – I’m not saying I’d rule that out forever but at the moment I’m very selective about what I publish and it’d have to be super relevant for me to consider it.

What’s the biggest issue facing PR today?
As CEO of the Taylor Bennett Foundation, my working life is dedicated to addressing the lack of diversity in PR and it’s definitely one of the issues the industry is struggling to deal with. There is huge appetite from employers to find solutions and to make PR workplaces more inclusive and diverse so the intention is there, but there is still some way to go in taking practical steps to make a real difference.

What are the biggest changes to the PR industry you’ve seen over your career?
I remember speaking to a financial PR agency about ten years ago who told me they don’t talk to their entry-level hires about digital because it’s not relevant in financial PR. That has changed completely. No matter what sector or discipline you operate in as a comms person, digital is integral to everything you do these days.

Will print die out altogether?
Not in the foreseeable future. Print will always have a place. The way people consume their news has changed in the last twenty years and the move to online media has reflected that, but some people will always prefer to hold an actual paper or magazine in their hand.

What’s the best social platform?
I’m a fan of Twitter, for work. I’ve met lots of interesting industry people having first built a relationship with them on Twitter and it’s possible to contact people who might otherwise be difficult to reach. For personal use, I like Facebook. I have very few industry people on my Facebook so if you’re one of them you should feel special – although photos of my children and cats are not everyone’s cup of tea.

What’s better, agency or in-house?
Both. I often get asked this question by young people looking to start out in the industry and I honestly think both have pros and cons. In agency you’re likely to be able to learn from a range of PR practitioners, work on a multitude of different clients, and get new business experience. In-house you can really get under the skin of one organisation, might get experience of managing an agency relationship, and quite often will end up doing more senior level work very quickly because the teams can be smaller.

What advice would you give someone looking to work in comms?
Set up a blog. Blogging gives you the opportunity to showcase your writing skills and to ask established PR practitioners for their opinions to include in blog posts. It’s a way to get your personal brand established before you’ve even started your career. It costs next to nothing to do and writing regularly is a good discipline.

How do you work with PRs as a blogger?
I very rarely work with PRs for Sarah Stimson but for PRcareers I’m always looking for new, interesting content related to career development, specifically focused on the comms industry. I also feature PR practitioners at all levels and I’m keen to shine a spotlight on people who have trod a less traditional path into a comms career and those who are breaking barriers – particularly women at the top, BAME, LGBT, and PR folk with disabilities.

What’s your favourite PR campaign from the last year?
I like firms which make the most of the news agenda and piggyback on that – for example, when Madame Tussaud’s put Donald Trumps’ waxwork in London after he cancelled his trip, and Iceland trolling KFC with billboards during their chicken crisis. It takes smart, creative people to recognise opportunities and they’re usually very amusing stunts.

What other blogs do you read?
Loads! Richard Bailey at PR Place does a good round up of industry blogs each week so I tend to head there to see what’s new. It also features PR students and their blogs are an interesting insight into emerging talent in the sector.

Sarah Stimson and both her blogs are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors.

Comcast plans to dethrone the Murdochs

February 27, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, journalism, Media Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Comcast has announced a bid for Sky, rivalling the existing 21st Century Fox bid and threatening to dramatically reduce the Murdoch’s influence on the UK media landscape.

Fox already owns 39% of Sky and has been attempting to take full control since December 2016. This process has hit several snags, including regulatory issues with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, which is concerned about the level of influence the Murdoch family has in the UK.

The recent deal between Fox and Disney, where the latter has agreed to acquire Fox’s entertainment assets – including Sky – for $66bn, has cause further confusion over the Sky takeover. It was this deal that led to Comcast’s bid; the American communications giant has been looking at acquiring leftover Fox assets since the Disney deal was agreed.

Comcast’s bid for Sky, of £12.50 cash for each share, is a significant 16% premium over Fox’s bid.

Comcast, which is a massive player in the US and owns NBCUniversal and DreamWorks Animation, is looking to use the acquisition of Sky to push for growth in Europe. Brian Roberts, chief executive of Comcast, said he was confident the offer would be cleared by regulators.

While he has made it clear that he would be willing to co-own Sky with either Fox or Disney – assuming Comcast had a majority stake – Roberts would rather complete ownership. He said: ‘We would like to own the whole of Sky and we will be looking to acquire over 50% of the Sky shares’.

The BBC reports that analysts from Liberum have said there is a ‘very good chance’ that Comcast’s bid would succeed: ‘We expect this deal to go through as we do not think Fox (or Disney, who are acquiring the Sky assets as part of their purchase of various Fox assets) will want to get into a bidding war, especially given the complications surrounding Sky News.’

They also suggest it would appeal to Sky shareholders as it’s a higher bid and comes with less regulatory risk. Shares in Sky have already jumped 19% and are now priced at over £13 each.

A deal of this magnitude takes time to be approved by all stakeholders, including shareholders and regulatory bodies. But with the UK Government focused on global deals after Brexit, turning away an American bid (that doesn’t present the same issues as Fox’s) may not be possible in the current political climate.

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 23 February 2018

February 23, 2018/0 Comments/in Five Things, PR Pulse, PR, Media PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

This week’s Five Things includes the billion-dollar power of Kylie Jenner’s tweets, Corbyn’s media attack, the Westminster council lobbying story, KFC’s chicken crises and the Guardian’s new media editor.

1. Kylie Jenner wields the sword of influence

Last week’s Five Things, included a report that revealed 44% of the public think influencer marketing is damaging to society. This week, we’ve learnt that 100% of Snapchat’s shareholders think influencer marketing is damaging to their company.

On Wednesday, Kylie Jenner tweeted: ‘sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me… ugh this is so sad’, and promptly wiped $1.3bn off Snap’s stock market value. Within ten minutes she said she still loved snap, her ‘first love’, but the damage was done.

The biggest issue facing Snapchat is its recent update, which prompted a petition that’s achieved over a million signatures. While Snapchat bullishly said people would get used to it, this recent dip may cause them to change their minds. And for what it’s worth, a member of the Vuelio Political Services team has stopped using Snapchat because of the update too (though we think the share price is safe from him).

2. The name’s Corbyn, I-love-and-hate-the-press Corbyn

By now we’ve all heard the ‘Corbyn was a Czech spy’ allegations that seem to have little to no evidence as support, as pointed out by Andrew Neil on Daily Politics:

While at first, the Labour Party and Corbyn ignored the allegations, the remarks from the press and Conservatives reached fever-pitch this week and Corbyn addressed the accusations in a video. But his focus was less on how ridiculous the accusations were and more an attack on the press – Corbyn outlined (in a little bit of a passive aggressive/threatening kind of way) that if Labour gets into power, ‘change is coming’. Needless to say, his video rubbed the press up the wrong way.

Watch the full video below:

3. Westminster councillor schmoozed

Robert Davis, Conservative deputy leader of Westminster city council, has been described as the ‘most schmoozed politician in Britain’ this week, after details of 514 gifts and hospitality events came to light.

Labour has called the register of interests, evidence of a ‘broken culture at Westminster council’, and said there was a ‘clear perception that senior Conservatives councillors have a very close relationship with developers’. The concerns are around the property developers on the list of ‘schmoozers’, as the district has failed to meet affordable housing targets, and Davis chairs the council’s planning committee, which is responsible for approving deals with developers over affordable housing levels.

A Westminster city council spokesman said ‘the idea that any councillor has been ‘bought’ by the property lobby is demonstrably untrue’. Davis further defended his meetings, saying: ‘These meetings were all properly declared and open to anyone to examine. Their sole purpose was to ensure and encourage the right kind of development in Westminster and ensure that anything put before the council was going to benefit the city as a whole.’

4. OMG, WTF KFC

KFC hit the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons, when the UK’s branches ran out of chicken. Due to teething problems with the company’s new delivery partner, chicken wasn’t reaching stores. Outrage has hit the nation, with one woman furious with the closure, complaining: ‘I had to go to Burger King’ (This woman became the focus of escalating offers from KFC and Burger King, including a year’s supply of fresh ‘King Boxes’ from Burger King.

KFC’s initial response was relatively low key, and as a business that’s mostly made up of franchisees, the company is in a tricky position to resolve a branch-by-branch issue. That didn’t stop it from today launching a full-page newspaper apology with the letters ‘FCK’. [We’re shocked it didn’t go with any of the three alternative crisis plans we suggested].

5. Jim Waterson appointed media editor at the Guardian

BuzzFeed UK’s political editor has been appointed media editor at the Guardian. The role is prestigious within the industry, as regardless of one’s political leanings, the Guardian’s media pages are read widely by journalists and media professionals.

Waterson has been the political editor at BuzzFeed UK since he helped launched news coverage for the site. Before that, he was a politics and business reporter at City AM. Waterson is likely to shift the section’s focus onto digital media, something both Waterson and Guardian editor Katharine Viner have mentioned about his new role.

Many people on Twitter have suggested stories for Waterson, which led to our BuzzFeed-inspired ‘10 Story Leads for the Guardian’s New Media Editor’.

The news comes off the back of BuzzFeed’s recently announced staff cuts – and the company has yet to name a replacement for Waterson. Media fans will be keen to note that Waterson went from traditional media to a digital start-up, dragging the latter towards traditional media status, and is now joining a traditional media company that’s arguably going in the other direction.

1 video you shouldn’t have missed:

Blog Spotlight: Stuart Masson, The Car Expert

February 22, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Merryn Williams

Stuart Masson is The Car Expert. Featuring in the Top 10 UK Automotive Blogs, The Car Expert covers car news and reviews as well as focusing on financing and buying new cars. We spoke to Stuart about developing his blog, the issues in the automotive industry and being honest with products and services from brands.

What makes your blog successful?
Independence and authenticity. We don’t pander to anyone or offer opinions in exchange for free stuff. We provide plain-English advice and information to car buyers without catches; no commissions and no compromises.

I also take time every day to answer reader questions, and The Car Expert has become a powerful resource for confused car buyers and owners.

How has your blog developed from when you first started?
The Car Expert started off with me writing articles that answered a lot of questions that I used to get when selling cars (like ‘Should I buy a diesel car or a petrol car?’ and ‘How does car finance work?’).

It is now part of a larger company, and employs freelance journalists to provide specialist reporting. We’ve had to upgrade server hosting numerous times to accommodate continually growing traffic, and have had to deal with ever-increasing demands on our time to keep producing quality news and advice articles, weekly newsletters, fulfil media opportunities and other things I was never expecting.

We are now more rigorous about producing content to deadlines and on a regular basis, whereas it used to be very much an ad hoc thing where I would write articles as and when inspiration struck and time allowed.

What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?
Certainly the most memorable was an Alfa Romeo 8C supercar. It was a very rare limited-edition model, in left-hand drive and very noisy, and I had to navigate it across south-west London in peak hour traffic, through Hyde Park and out onto the Westway. 80% of the drive was at about 20mph and I was terrified of damaging a £150,000 car that was for sale! It was like being a celebrity, as people were taking photos of the car every time I stopped.

What’s your dream car to own?
A classic 1960s Ferrari. Entirely analogue, beautiful to look at and (apparently) beautiful to drive.

What do you drive at the moment?
My day-to-day car is currently a MINI Cooper hatch, and I also have a 1973 Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 [pictured below] that only comes out on weekends and sunny days.

Can you predict what year autonomous cars will become ubiquitous?
Ubiquity is still a long way away – probably sometime in the 2040s. It’s not about when the first truly autonomous cars will arrive (probably the mid-2020s), but when the majority of used cars are autonomous. It will take decades to eventually replace the 35 million cars currently on UK roads with autonomous versions.

What’s the biggest issue facing the automotive industry at the moment?
Cheap credit propping up sales figures. The car industry is totally reliant on people buying cars they don’t need with money they don’t have. It can’t be a sustainable business model to force your customers into ever-increasing debt to afford new cars every three to four years, and that bubble is going to burst sooner or later.

How do you like to work with PRs?
When they have taken the time to understand who we are and what we do, rather than simply trying to shoehorn mentions, links and ‘brand messages’ for whatever they’re promoting into our content. Unfortunately, that’s becoming the exception rather than the rule these days, and we end up swerving a lot of PR ‘opportunities’ because they involve compromising our values for the benefit of a large, rich company that can frankly afford to behave better.

What’s the best campaign you’ve worked on and why?
There have been a load of highlights along the journey so far, but the common thread – whether huge and elaborate or small and simple – is where brands or agencies don’t try and place expectations, and welcome constructive criticism rather than trying to spin their way out of it. We don’t bash brands or products for sensationalist purposes, but we will criticise where we think it’s fair. Some brands are fine with that, others seem to have dropped us off their Christmas card lists…

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator etc)?
I actually don’t know anymore. It feels like these titles have all become blurred and rather meaningless. I’m not a trained journalist, although we do employ journalists for specialist reporting. I suppose when I write, I’m a blogger, but I tend to think of bloggers as people writing about their own personal life stories, whereas I write advice articles based on professional experience.

I’m also an editor, a sub-editor, a publisher and a director, but those roles are all much more easily defined!

What other blogs do you read?
All sorts – I tend to read by topic, rather than following specific authors or bloggers. While I’m following a topic, I’ll zero in on particular authors, but then once I’ve moved on to another topic I tend to leave them behind. That’s probably a reflection of how my own website has always been structured, which is topic-based rather than the story of my personal adventures (or anyone else’s).

Stuart and The Car Expert are listed in the Vuelio Blogger Database, alongside thousands of other influencers including journalists and editors.

Blogger Spotlight: Paul Hadley, Motor Verso

February 21, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Blogger, Blogger Spotlight, Influencers Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Paul Hadley is the author of Motor Verso, a Top 10 UK Automotive Blog. Covering the hottest cars and latest rides, Motor Verso has built a huge following from visually stunning content. We spoke to Paul about amazing cars he’s driven and wants to own, how he works with brands and what’s next for the car blog.

What makes your blog successful?
One of the things that has made Motor Verso such a success, in my opinion, is our way of delivering the content to the user. We focus on consumable, highly visual content that is easy to digest. It’s no surprise that attention spans are short these days, so we try our best to work with that rather than against it.

How has your blog developed from when you first started?
Every day has been a school day on this blogging journey. I’m obsessed with learning and improving Motor Verso to grow both the audience and the business. Since we first started, everything has changed – from how we write content and take pictures to the overall look and feel of the website. I have learned so much over the five years of operation – and most of it the hard way.

What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?
This is the number one question you get as a motoring journalist, and certainly one of the most difficult to answer. Every year I’m impressed with the range of crazy cars I get to drive, and picking the best car is tough. Of course, it always depends on what you’re looking for. Last year the most expensive car I drove was the Rolls-Royce Ghost that I took on a tour of Wales. The fastest was the McLaren 720s which is warp-speed crazy. Still, I personally love the Tesla Model S P100D. It’s insanely practical, its 0-62mph is faster than most supercars and it’s full of the latest technology.

What’s your dream car to own?
Following on from the previous question, the Tesla Model S P100D is my current dream car. It’s not too crazy or out there – I’m not talking about owning a McLaren F1 or LaFerrari, but it is really the car that I’d want to drive every day. It’s certainly a car I think is well built, well priced and lots of fun.

What do you drive at the moment?
For the past few years, I’ve been in the process of testing cars on a weekly basis and haven’t really needed my own car. However, in 2018 I’m focusing a bit more on the business side of things, and improving the reach of the quality content we have. When not driving a test car around, I use a Range Rover Evoque for a bit of luxury. I most recently bought the Nissan Leaf. It’s actually a bit of a Motor Verso project car at the moment; we’re going to create content around the Leaf, exploring daily life with a pure electric car. As the automotive industry is looking at moving away from combustion engines, we want to make sure we’re testing relevant cars and creating relevant content.

Can you predict what year autonomous cars will become ubiquitous?
In short: no, I can’t tell you that for sure. But I can certainly tell you that it is coming. There are lots of cars about out there with certain elements of autonomous capabilities. Here are a few examples: today you can buy a Kia Picanto that has autonomous emergency braking. So if the car thinks you are about to have an accident it will perform an emergency brake for you. Cars such as the Discovery Sport have features such as automated parking that will steer the car and parallel or bay park for you, no hands needed. And then we look at the Teslas and Volvos of the world that currently have pilot assist features, which perform motorway driving to a high standard. So, the technology is definitely out there and working, but the question is more when will we be ready as a society to accept it.

What’s the biggest issue facing the automotive industry at the moment?
Emissions have certainly been a hot topic for many years. As much as I love fast cars with big engines, I do think that it’s important to look at the damage cars do to our environment, and how long things can be sustained for. The use of alternative fuels like electric and hydrogen-powered cars are real feasible options. I’m excited to witness this transition in the motoring industry as we move away from fossil fuels and onto whatever comes next.

How do you like to work with PRs?
All year round we work with different brands on editorial content. We’re not only creating the best possible content for our audience to enjoy, but also maximising the reach and exposure to the companies that we work with. We’ve done photography work, editorials, social media promotions, face-to-face interviews, workshops and product testing with a wide range of brands.

What’s the best campaign you’ve worked on and why?
We have worked on lots of good campaigns with different clients over time. One of the most memorable, purely from a selfish perspective, was creating content around the new Kia Picanto. We travelled to the coast of Tuscany, Italy, on a luxury private jet, and stayed in one of the best hotels I’ve ever seen. We got to drive their cars around the Tuscany area for two days to create some promotional content for Motor Verso – I enjoyed that.

But another noteworthy campaign that we worked on was for a car brake company called Textar. They put on a workshop at one of the facilities so I could take my car down and learn the correct process for installing their braking components. I found that this method on a one-on-one basis was very valuable, and allowed us to create some good cornerstone content on the topic. It really provided a great basis for sharing knowledge on brake refittings while promoting Textar’s brand.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator etc)?
I mostly class myself as a motoring journalist, but I admit I’m a blogger when it comes down to it. I don’t think it really matters too much. I create content across forms – whether that’s written, photographic, or on video – so it always depends on how you interpret that.

What other blogs do you read?
I used to follow a lot of what was going on in motoring online through other car blogs; however, now I’m focusing that time and energy on building my business instead. The blogs I do end up reading are mostly SEO and marketing related. It turns out it’s less BHP and LB-FT and more CTR and SEM nowadays!

Motor Verso and Paul Hadley are listed in the Vuelio Blogger Database, alongside thousands of other influencers including journalists and editors.

10 story leads for the Guardian’s new media editor

February 19, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, journalism, PR Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

The Guardian has announced the appointment of its new media editor. Jim Waterson is joining the paper from his role of political editor at BuzzFeed UK. Jim has been with BuzzFeed since 2013, when he helped start the site’s UK news coverage.

On his new role, Jim said: ‘The media business is going through a period of enormous change, the public is waking up to the impact that major internet companies are having on society, and there’s huge interest in the behind-the-scenes forces which shape the news agenda.

‘I’m looking forward to reporting on these stories during an incredibly turbulent age for the industry.’

But where should Jim start? What stories should he be covering? And where will get inspiration for new stories?

Thankfully, Twitter exists. And when Jim announced his new role, the replies came flooding in. To honour the outlet Jim’s leaving, we’ve curated the best and present 10 story leads for the Guardian’s new media editor:

1. ‘Start with the Liverpool Anderson Echo’
Not particularly media-related but a solid place to start, Jim!

2. ‘Social media has replaced film as THE tool to influence and direct masses’
This may be a good point, though IS film the tool to influence and direct masses?

3. Please do something about the @mediaguardian online pages, which often appear stale and unloved
Especially important for corporate bloggers looking for media news…

4. Can’t think of anyone better to cover GDPR implementation and how GDPR will disrupt social media
GDPR will dominate the news on 25 May, but obviously the smart move is to get out ahead of it and publish a white paper on what is changing and what actions you need to take

5. Could you begin your tenure by folllowing the Guardian style guide, in which the ‘media’ (being derived from ‘medium’) are plural?
This should be everyone’s priority. The media ARE dying (don’t worry, it’s not)

6. ‘Will you address the appalling Guardian reporting on @jordanbpeterson that @theknifemedia gave an integrity rating of below 20%?’
Retrospectively assessing other people’s work is likely to be Jim’s first job

7. ‘I hope you will be presenting Jeremy Corbyn in a better light than he has been’
He’s MEDIA editor people, MEDIA

8. ‘There were still journos over the weekend claiming the US ‘only found’ 13 Russians at troll farm so that’s proof of no collusion/didn’t influence results. Shows a dire misunderstanding of digital marketing. Lots to do to educate your profession’
Yeah Jim, educate your profession

9. Please analyse the ideological migration in BBC news coverage over the last four decades
This could quite literally be complaining about the BBC being too left or too right, who can tell nowadays

10. We the people don’t want partisan media we want a free press who will hold to account the ruling party rather than scapegoat the other parties for the ruling party. Stop trying to control everything with politics it’s ruining free speech! Social media is breaking the propoganda
Stop ruining everything with politics, Jim.

We wish Jim the best of luck in his new role; the Guardian’s media pages are must-read across the industry.

Jim’s profile will be updated in the Vuelio Media Database.

Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?

February 19, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Webinars & Videos, PR News, Blogger PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Logan Paul’s controversial video, in which he showed a suicide victim and joked about the experience, catapulted vlogging into the public’s conscience and raised questions over moderation, censorship and quality control.

YouTube changed its rules, making it harder for creators to make money off videos, and kicked Logan Paul off the platform. The response protected the brands who didn’t want to be associated with negative content, but who is managing the uploads in the first place?

On Wednesday 7 March, Vuelio will be joined by top vlogger and freelance journalist Lucy Wood, who will guide us through the confusing world of brand collaborations on the video-sharing network and what best practice really is.

Sign up to the webinar here

As a journalist, writing for publications such as the Metro, Lucy is regulated. The press industry has standards bodies (IPSO and to a lesser extent IMPRESS), which manage complaints over accuracy and privacy. If Logan Paul had been working for a newspaper site – his video would never have been published.

But as a vlogger, Lucy is not restricted by such rules. Vloggers generally manage their own content – they may sometimes have agents and managers, but to a large extent their videos are created, edited and uploaded without passing through an external source. If someone made a controversial video at a newspaper, it would have to pass through editors and legal teams, who would advise on whether it’s sensible to publish the content – vloggers have no such luxury.

Since the controversy, Logan Paul’s videos are now being checked by his legal team – he thinks he is being censored but this is a man who seems to have learnt nothing.

So, what is the answer? Thankfully, we don’t have to work it out here, because we’ll work it out on 7 March with Lucy. And even if you can’t join us live, sign up for our webinar ‘Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?’ and we’ll send you the recording.

PR lessons from Center Parcs and Richard Littlejohn

February 19, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, PR Club PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Last week, Tom Daley and his husband Dustin Lance Black announced that they’re expecting their first child. Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn then wrote a piece headlined ‘Please don’t pretend two dads is the new normal’, which led to Center Parcs withdrawing their advertising from the Daily Mail altogether.

Littlejohn’s article was at best controversial and at worse homophobic and bigoted. But it’s not surprising, Littlejohn has written dozens of offensive articles and the views he expresses in this article are not out of character – so why the furore?

Stop Funding Hate, the campaign group that informs brands that their adverts are appearing next to offensive content, has gained huge traction in the 18 months it’s been running. It encourages readers to screenshot or photograph articles that are offensive next to advertisers on the same page and tweet them at the company. Among the group’s ‘victories’ are Lego and the Body Shop, both of which ended their relationship with the Daily Mail after public pressure.

For many brands, the issue is their advertising slots are not handpicked – in a digital world, your advert can go out through a third-party network and appear in places you might not have expected or desired. The brands can limit which outlets they appear on, but with the Mail’s huge online audience and massive output makes it an advertiser’s dream.

But when it goes wrong, what should you, as a PR, do?

Center Parcs was asked the following on Twitter:

Hey @CenterParcsUK does this mean same-sex parents shouldn’t bring their families to your holiday parks?? Pretty confusing message advertising with @DailyMailUK – please address. @StopFundingHate pic.twitter.com/GCu6lfHOvd

— Cal Stannard (@calwst) February 16, 2018

And it responded: ‘We take where we advertise very seriously and have a number of steps to prevent our advertising from appearing alongside inappropriate content.

‘We felt this placement was completely unacceptable and therefore ceased advertising with the Daily Mail with immediate effect.’

This caused division online with some believing they have made the right move by showing their values, and some believing they’re against free speech and should be boycotted themselves. The right action depends on your business and what you want to achieve, but these arguments are worth considering.

Brand Values
It’s building a brand 101 – what do you, as an organisation, believe in and stand for? This can be important to reach the right audience and grow as a company. Center Parcs’ corporate website explains the company’s concept is about ‘bringing families together and back to nature’.

It’s reasonable to believe that Littlejohn’s article, which suggested some families weren’t ‘normal’, goes against these values. And it is easy to argue that in doing nothing, Center Parcs could be seen as endorsing or supporting the content. Your values are your choice – and the decisions you make should align with them. If people don’t like it, they may not be the customers you want.

Getting political
It’s up to you if the brand makes political decisions or actions. Imagine telling Lush it shouldn’t be political – the brand is known for its support of animal welfare (among dozens of other issues) and its customers expect it to make decisions that align with that position. If a brand’s audience doesn’t like it taking a stance, perhaps the company has misjudged their customer base or their customer base has misjudged them.

Censoring free speech
No one is required to advertise in a publication and it’s not a publication’s right to be funded no matter what it publishes. Pulling your adverts is not censoring free speech, it’s making a decision that aligns with your company values and ultimately that decision is going to have an effect on you.

What do you think of the Littlejohn/Center Parcs issue? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 16 February 2018

February 16, 2018/0 Comments/in Five Things, PR Pulse, PR, Marketing, PR News PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

This week’s five things, includes misconceptions about influencer marketing, Unilever’s digital ads threat, the consolidation of Ogilvy PR, Max Mosley and Google’s adblocker.

The public doesn’t understand influencer marketing

A survey has found that 71% of people don’t think there are rules for brand collaborations with influencers, and 61% believe influencers don’t have to disclose they’re being paid to talk about a product. The survey, on behalf of Prizeology, also found that 44% of respondents thought influencer marketing was damaging to society.

The problem is a lack of understanding around an industry that is regulated by the ASA and has to comply with the same advertising rules as anyone else receiving money for exposure. This isn’t helped by the spate of recent negative stories, from Elle Darby’s hotel request (not really her fault) to Logan Paul’s suicide video (definitely his fault).

Influencer marketing and brand collaborations will be part of the discussion in Vuelio’s next webinar with top vlogger Lucy Wood. Sign up for Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?

Unilever threatens to withdraw digital ads

The world’s second biggest marketing spender, Unilever, has threatened to remove digital ads from platforms that fail to deal with negative content. Chief marketing and communications officer, Keith Weed, told a US conference: ‘It is in the digital media industry’s interest to listen and act on this. Before viewers stop viewing, advertisers stop advertising and publishers stop publishing.’

While he didn’t name platforms, Google and Facebook take the lion’s share of digital ad spend and face the most criticism for failing to deal with user content.

Weed’s speech was one year on from a similar speech given to the same conference by Marc Pritchard, of P&G. P&G went on to cut its digital ad spending by $100m and saw no negative effects on the business. Whether Unilever’s call will be heeded is unknown, but businesses are much better placed to force change where governments are currently struggling.

Goodbye Ogilvy PR – hello Ogilvy

Ogilvy PR and other ‘sub brands’ of Ogilvy are likely to disappear in the UK as the company follows the agency’s global approach of consolidating into a single, branded, integrated operating company. In an interview with PRWeek, newly appointed CEO Michael Frohlich [Pictured] made it clear the ‘One Ogilvy’ integrated operating system was a priority.

He said: ‘Ogilvy will be known as Ogilvy; that means the Ogilvy PR, Ogilvy One and the Ogilvy advertising logos will be replaced by one single Ogilvy brand. That’s coming in the next couple of months, we hope.’

Max Mosley and the newspaper industry

Max Mosley’s lawyers are attempting to use data protection laws to stop the press from talking about his past or accusing him of controlling government-back regulator IMPRESS. The papers, especially The Times and Daily Mail, have run negative stories this week and are concerned about being censored.

If the challenge was successful, papers would have to remove historical stories from their sites and not run future stories if they contained personal information. Mosley has defended his lawyers’ actions in an article for Press Gazette. Check out the full story on the blog here.

Google turns on adblocker

Google has started automatically blocking intrusive adverts within Chrome. The update released on Thursday, means that the browser 56% of internet users are on, will block full-page prestitial ads, flashing animated ads and auto-playing video ads with sound. The websites that will be targeted by the blocker are to be decided by the Coalition for Better Ads, a group made of members including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, P&G, Unilever, News Corp and Reuters.

Not only will the blocker select websites that repeatedly show the offending advert formats, but it will also target sites that have an advert density of over 30%. Sites that fall foul of Chrome’s new conditions will first be informed, so they have 30 days to change, before Chrome blocks the ads.

Snapchat petition passes 1 million signatures

February 16, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, social media marketing, PR PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

People don’t like change, and nowhere is that truer than on social media. Whenever a platform makes a change, no matter how insignificant, there is a backlash. But for Snapchat, that backlash has come with a petition that’s achieved over one million signatures.

Released on 29 November last year, Snapchat’s ‘new and improved’ format was intended to be organised around the user’s relationships. In a blog post and video, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel explained how the changes would make the platform more personal to the user.

Snapchat was attempting to get out ahead of a problem that every social network to some extent faces – content from the people users want to follow being overwhelmed by content from external sources, such as publishers and advertisers. Facebook has recently announced changes to its News Feed to tackle this exact issue.

For Snapchat though, the changes have not been welcome. In a short petition on change.org, Australian Nic Rumsey explains the update has made ‘many features more difficult’.

The petition goes on to say: ‘There is a general level of annoyance among users and many have decided to use a VPN app, or are using other risky apps or steps, to go back to the old Snapchat as that’s how annoying this new update has become.

‘Many ‘new features’ are useless or defeats the original purposes Snapchat has had for the past years.

‘This petition aims to help convince Snap Inc. to change the app back to the basics, before the new 2018 update.’

While any petition with a million signatures is a big deal, that number is dwarfed by Snapchat’s daily users of nearly 200 million people. But it’s not just the petition Snapchat has to deal with, celebrities have also complained.

As the BBC reports, Chrissy Teigen (model and social media star), tweeted [take that Snapchat!] that she didn’t like her followers not being ‘friends’ and said ‘How many people have to hate an update for it to be reconsidered?’. Kylie Jenner has also complained on Twitter – and if Kylie Jenner isn’t happy with your social network, you’re probably doing something wrong.

Platforms are infamous for ignoring their users who complain about changes and it’s easy to see why (is anyone still complaining about the star icon changing to a heart on Twitter?).

Snapchat’s official response was: ‘We hope the community will enjoy it once they settle in’.

Considering platforms are built on their user base, it is surprising how little power those users seem to have. But then, a petition isn’t power. If those that have signed really wanted to force change, they’d leave the platform altogether. And we all know how likely that is.

Max Mosley Vs Newspapers

February 16, 2018/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, journalism, Media Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Jake O'Neill

Max Mosley is reportedly attempting to use data protection laws to stop the press from talking about his past and accusing him of personally funding the Government-backed press regulator IMPRESS (a charity his family trust supports funds it). The Times reports his lawyers are demanding that papers stop processing data related to their client and block or erase data the legal team believes to be inaccurate.

Data protection laws, which are soon to be updated with GDPR, don’t apply in the same way to journalists, who generally have broad exemptions. If the case was successful, papers would have to remove existing online stories about Mosley and not write further stories about his well-reported past. The case would also likely be challenged again after GDPR comes into force on 25 May.

CONFUSED BY GDPR? FIND OUT EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW HERE

Mosley has responded to the story, writing in the Press Gazette about his lack of control over IMPRESS and how he has won, in court, the right to privacy. He writes: ‘It seems to me that I should do everything I can to ensure that reporting on the subject of press regulation is accurate and lawful, given that the newspapers’ self-interest prevents any balanced debate.

‘It is simply untrue to assert, as it [The Times] does in its first leader column, that I am seeking to prevent the public from knowing how Impress is funded. The reverse is true: I am seeking to ensure that they report this accurately.

‘Quite clearly we desperately need Impress or, indeed, any other independent Leveson-compliant regulator and the legal mechanisms to facilitate it.

‘No amount of lies and misconduct by sections of the press can conceal that.’

This is a complicated area as IMPRESS is considered largely unpopular and inadequate, while IPSO (the press regulator of choice for the press) is still run by the publishers and is considered unpopular and inadequate.

The press, to some extent, are almost certainly keen to paint Max Mosley – strong advocate of IMPRESS – in a negative light as they are hugely resistant to Government-backed regulation.

The Government is currently running a consultation into whether it should enact Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which states that any publisher not signed up to a Government-recognised regulator will be liable to pay legal costs of both sides of a complaint, no matter the outcome of the case. IMPRESS is the only recognised regulator and few titles are signed up to it.

While Government-backed regulation for the press is probably not good for free speech, attacking Mosley seems like a counter-productive approach to making this point. Now is the time for the press industry to make clear, sound arguments about why the Government shouldn’t be involved in regulation without resorting to the tactics that everyone wants to see an end of.

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International Women’s Day 2018: PR Women, Part 1

Blogger Spotlight: Jen Walshaw, Mum in the Madhouse

Blogger Spotlight: Clare Minall, Mudpie Fridays

Blogger Spotlight: Amanda Coleman, Amandacomms’s Blog

Do you find collaborations and ad disclosure confusing?

5 Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 2 March 2018

Why does nobody comment on my blog?

Leveson inquiry closes: no part II

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Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 23 February 2018

Blog Spotlight: Stuart Masson, The Car Expert

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Vloggers, YouTube and Brands – who is responsible?

PR lessons from Center Parcs and Richard Littlejohn

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 16 February 2018

Max Mosley Vs Newspapers

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