Sasha: Affluent London women aged between 25 and 45 with a passion for fashion. We were overwhelmed with the response to our launch issue, so it seems there are a lot of these women out there, hungry for a magazine that talks to them.

 Fiona: aMuse is a first: a free monthly title. What’s your vision for the title? 

Sasha: I would love to see aMuse achieve a distinctive presence in the free magazine market in London. From a reader’s point of view, I want our readers to look forward to the last Monday of the month, not just for payday but because that’s when they’ll be able to pick up their copy of aMuse. I want them to love the magazine and identify with our positive view of London women and our tremendous achievements.

Fiona: What’s aMuse’s social media strategy?

Sasha: We are on Facebook and gathering friends at pace, and the office is filled with enthusiastic tweeters who use Twitter (@amuse_mag) to update our readers on events, new products and any random object of desire that catches their eye. We’re shortly to launch on Pinterest and will have an aMuse magazine app in September.

Fiona: What’s your view on free publications – what is their place in the media landscape and will we see more of them?

Sasha: As a former editor of ES Magazine, and deputy editor of The Times Magazine which are both, effectively, free publications, I absolutely think there’s a place for free publications in the media landscape. Readers now expect the highest quality from their free titles – and they are right to. And of course, where the readers go, the advertisers follow.

Fiona: You’ve been a journalist for 15 years, what’s been your best bit?

Sasha: aMuse is the first launch I’ve worked on and it’s been the most tremendously exciting, rollercoaster ride. It’s been a chance to dream up a magazine from scratch which is full of the stories, people and trends that I love. Definitely the best bit.

Fiona: And your worst?

Sasha: My first job was at Cosmopolitan Magazine and I’m struggling to decide which was the worst bit. Yes, I have it! Dressing up as a nun to run round Hyde Park on the hottest day of the year, having my photo taken for a story about nuns putting small ads in recruitment magazines.

Fiona: What’s been your proudest achievement?

Sasha: I’m deeply proud of aMuse and the team who work on the magazine, who are just so talented and brilliant with great futures. I’m also hugely proud of getting Kate Moss for the most recent cover of Pomp Magazine.

Fiona: And how can PRs best work with you across your three titles?

Sasha: I’m in the lucky position of being able to work with three totally different and very strong brands, so if a story doesn’t work for one of them, it might well work for another. I love hearing about anything new that’s happening in London, preferably via email in the first instance.

When conversations with industry folk turns to how my career in PR has taken me to my new role at Firefly, I know my in-house background is a good conversation starter. A common question is which discipline I prefer. Having given it some serious thought (then deciding I needed to use Jungle Book metaphors to explain it), it’s an unanswerable question that ask.com could have featured in one of my favourite 2010 tactical press releases.

It’s possible to argue a case for both; however the best answer is to do both. It’s the only way to guarantee a leopard changes its spots and in doing so, ensure a PRO understands the pressures and needs of both prowls.

The established norm with agency folk is that you learn your living in agencies first, and then earn your living in-house.  Having chosen a different path already in my career, I can see obvious pit falls in their concept that you rise in an agency and then step into “semi-retirement” in your in-house home.

Now I’m back agency side (I first worked in an agency after studying PR at Uni – the merits of which is a debate for another blog), here’s what I appreciate and respect about in-house heroes:

• They know an industry and its media inside out
• They work with executive stakeholders across different disciplines
• They understand how to build relationships with non-paymasters
• They don’t just talk it – they do understand the bigger picture
• Working as a function that doesn’t directly generate revenue, they have to constantly justify their existence and importance in the company food chain

Now I’m working for a successful and driven EMEA PR agency, here’s what I understand about agency action junkies:

• We have to be meticulous, analytical and know the value of time resources and a plan of action
• The risk and rewards are greater. You can progress faster, but if you can’t deliver you will be found out
• We are constantly striving for balance; balance between content generation and execution and the desire to produce your best against the time constraints
• A valued in-house colleague can open up internal contacts and content for the agency to craft media opportunities, allowing them to fulfill their role as expert media consultants
• There are constant commercial pressures

These values are interchangeable, but unless you have played out both scenarios, it can be difficult to see that both sides are more alike than most people think. In the end it comes down to how you contribute to business growth, which at a granular level is determined by the human condition.

This is something Mowgli gets by the end of The Jungle Book and should be a bear necessity for fulfilling your PR potential.

This year, adding to that mix are two extra summertime “PR opportunities” (as we and our clients love to call them).  Both neatly plug the “occasion gap” that tends to take place in the early-mid summer. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (5^th June) and The Olympics: London 2012 (27^th July-12^th August) – both give brands the theoretical chance to emotionally engage with their audience over a shared national occasion.

For London 2012, the chance is indeed theoretical in the most part, though… The Olympics, with all of the associated jurisdiction, means potential engagement riches for worldwide partners that include global power-brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds and P&G, and London 2012 partners including BMW, BT and EDF – but not for chancer brands trying to tactically “jump on the bandwagon”.

So it’s no wonder that it’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee instead, where we’ve already seen brands exercising their creativity to engage with their audience. It’s been fascinating from a brand perspective, to watch how brand managers and their marketing and PR teams, have embraced this seasonal opportunity for patriotism – often sprinkled with some distinctively British humour.

So, what makes Britain, British?  What makes Great Britain, Great?

The marmite sandwich of course! Or sorry, should that be the Ma’amite sandwich? And of course, it could only be on Queensmill. A very patriotic looking and sounding sandwich indeed.

And what about the traditional British cup of tea and a Kitkat at 3pm?  Or as it will be for a limited time only, a Britkat.  Or if you’d prefer a bit of variety in your chocolate, how about a box of Jubilations, perfect for sharing around at your jubilee party?

Quintessentially British too of course (much as some of us may like it not to be) is the garden gnome. Which is why B&Q was one the first brands to take the opportunity to create a patriotic limited edition. Introducing Diamond Jubilee Gnomes – B&Q’s opportunity to cash in on the “royal”ties.  Riches that will be seen in terms of PR value more than sales value, “one” suspects.

All of these limited editions are quintessentially British, all with a bit of humour (some of which makes us cringe even as we laugh).  Some could say that this sums up the Royals themselves too.

Happy Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend from all of us at Firefly!

Originally tasked with raising mainstream awareness of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and establishing CEDR as a leading voice in the industry, the latest brief will see Firefly focus on the organisation’s not-for-profit work via the CEDR Foundation. This will include support for some of CEDR’s most ambitious undertakings to date, including UK Public Inquiry reform and corporate governance dispute resolution.

The campaign will encompass two core projects, the first being CEDR’s ‘Inquiry into Public Inquiries’, being undertaken in partnership with former Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Woolf of Barnes. The project will assess the role ADR can play in improving the Public Inquiries process. The second project involves CEDR’s partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), forged to equip emerging market businesses with the right tools to handle board-level disputes. In both cases, Firefly is providing PR counsel and awareness-raising via top-tier media relations.

Andy Rogers, associate director at CEDR said, “From a PR perspective, our campaign focus is on topics – including board conflict and Public Inquiries – that have significant media currency. In choosing Firefly, we are re-engaging with an effective PR partner who can create the right environment to discuss CEDR’s evolution, including our pro-bono work.”

The SABREs are often thought of as “Oscars” of the PR industry – and with these gorgeous golden trophies, you can see why:

Our Give as you Live “All I Want for Christmas” campaign, which we talked about in a blog post back in November 2011, also made the PR Moment Golden Hedgehog south shortlist ; making this our second award nomination of 2012, for this PR campaign.

We have been nominated in the EMEA SABRE’s “Web based Business” category.  In the nominations, we sit alongside web based brands Netmums and Totaljobs amongst others; and alongside PR agencies including Brands2Life and The Red Consultancy.

It’s great news for us – and the PR industry – that, in shortlisting us, the judges recognise the impact that well-executed PR and social media-led campaigns can have on hard web-based business results.

Our “All I Want for Christmas” campaign, saw Give as you Live’s shopper numbers increase by over 65% in the important build-up to Christmas.  That’s a lot more Give as you Live shoppers; all raising funds for the charity of their choice at no extra cost, and spreading the word with their friends and networks.

Utilising social media networks to spread words and raise funds, has now become an important success model for our client, Give as you Live.  The “All I Want for Christmas” campaign inspired a new campaign called Mums for Good, which Firefly worked with Give as you Live and its marketing agency, to bring to life.

This brand new, PR-led campaign aims to work with the large and influential BritMums community, to create 10,000 new shoppers for Give as you Live, all incorporating this new fundraising tool into their daily shopping habits, to reveal the hidden millions available to UK charities.

We’re excited about attending the 2012 SABRE Awards EMEA ceremony, at the end of May in Brussels – we shall report back!

If this all sounds a little cynical, well…it’s not, entirely. There will, in due course, be a concerted effort to control (or at least own) the newly-merged companies’ “everything’s fine” narrative in the media. If you think Instagram is too small for any internal upset to become a reputational risk, then maybe think about Skype and eBay for a moment…

There’s too much at stake, including a very, very big flotation.

As a PR person, I’ve served on both ends of the M&A lifecycle, representing one client post-merger and another in preparation for the acquisition of a rival firm. These experiences were very different from each other, but a common theme in both was company culture. According to a Mercer Transatlantic Study, “75 percent of executives surveyed said that communicating with employees and harmonising corporate culture were the most important factors for postmerger integration.” The piece goes on to state that successful cultural integration is necessary for the two organisations to create (customer, shareholder) value.

However, according to Nicole Utzinger, a change communications expert and director of EMEA Communications Consulting, “any M&A process is complex and depends on an effective strategy and detailed planning. Unfortunately, organisations and communications teams often get carried away with theoretical expertise, programmes and tools and as a result, the focus on people happens almost as an afterthought.”

The people/culture piece is vital to communicators organising an M&A announcement – specifically, having an acute awareness of the cultural differences and how these impact buy-in before and after a merger. It relates to external communications, if for example, the media are to believe that it’s a good match with obvious synergies; and as stated earlier, it relates very immediately to employees, who should (ideally) project an understanding of the deal in big picture terms. As a professional communicator in the midst of all this complexity, including the need to work in an information gatekeeper capacity, it’s a tricky balance between heading off fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) and communicating responsibly. Throw social media channels into the mix and the picture becomes even more complex. But experts are quick to suggest using social media to maximise opportunities for positive engagement during an M&A.

“Social media is no longer just an option or add-on, but a real ‘must’ when it comes to corporate and internal communications. Yammer, Facebook, Twitter and blogs – to name just a few – provide a crucial channel for collaborative dialogue between staff and management. Real-time and authentic communications flowing top down, bottom up and peer-to-peer allows everybody to join discussions and share information,” continued Utzinger.

How Facebook’s communicators will choose to leverage the excitement (controversy?) surrounding their new, bright and shiny object remains to be seen. I personally hope the ‘cultural cross-pollination’ story – and I’m 99% certain there is one – is told, for even in the relatively short distance between Menlo Park and South Park, the air is most certainly different, as are the native styles to doing business.

Instead of producing fertile ground for PR-able content and campaigns, the games come with large, “Private Property – Keep Out” signs attached. Case in point: Locog (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) has been signing agreements with Twitter and FourSquare to prevent brands who are not official sponsors from cashing in on the London 2012 name.

However, it looks like these tight guidelines may not be safeguarding the London 2012 brand as much as the organisers would like. Despite not being an official sponsor, Nike’s efforts have nevertheless enabled them to dominate online conversations around London 2012. According to Digital Agency, Jam, 7.7% of conversations about the Olympics is attributed to Nike, while Adidas – who paid a reported £100m to be the official sponsor of the games – received just 0.48% share of online conversations from the period 1 December 2011 to 7 February 2012.

Nike has managed to cleverly sidestep Logog rules with the Make It Count campaign, pulling in Olympic heavyweights Paula Radcliffe, Mark Cavendish and others. With the hashtag, ‘#makeitcount’, the campaign does more than suggest an alliance with the games through the combination of sport, the UK and the aforementioned Olympic celebs. The campaign kicked off with a video posted on New Year’s Eve 2011 asking, “How will you make 2012 count?”  This, following on from Nike’s accidental success through social media in the 2010 World Cup, should have sports marketing types having a re-think.

And it’s not just brands who are banned from mentioning London 2012. If you were hoping for some leaked backstage photos of Tom Daley eating a packet of Quavers, you are going to be disappointed. Locog has banned their 70,000-strong army of “Game Makers” (volunteers) from posting any information or photos from backstage at the games.

Despite many brands being affected during the summer games and beyond, it seems that Locog is not wanting to play ball and allow these brands (or its own volunteers) to share games-related information over social media platforms. While it is understandable that – like any brand – Locog will want to protect the London 2012 name, perhaps the committee is taking more than it’s giving. The media seem obsessed with churning out stories about how London and the wider area will be affected by the games in the summer – with overcrowded public transport, blocked-off roads and a flock of confused tourists heading to streets near us soon – what exactly will the Olympics bring to brands? Not even a tweet, it seems.

With all these limitations, Locog is trying to police the un-policeable – the digital sphere. It remains to be seen how Locog will deal with inevitable rule-breakers and what this will mean for future digital media campaigns.

For more information on what can and cannot be said regarding the London 2012 games, have a look at the official guidelines here: http://www.london2012.com/about-us/our-brand/using-the-brand.php

I’ve worked in technology marketing for most of my adult life and by good fortune I’ve tended to surf the wave of innovation: intelligent networks when they were all the rage, VOIP, optical ethernet, webTV and now fibre to the home (FTTH).

The market I’ve specialized in is B2B and always with a technical orient. In the context of social media, this is a distinct advantage as most of these tools are created and used at least initially by technologists, part of the very audience I need to reach with my messages.

But selling in the B2B space is a complex affair; with decision-making units and communities of interest to influence, it’s a multi-level sell. This means that the marketing has to be multi-level, too. While social media is very important, good old-fashioned ‘real world’ networking reaches parts which Tweets don’t.

In many ways, social media allows the delivery of messages quicker, faster and cheaper. But who’s the audience you want to reach and are you reaching them? Fortunately, social media is measurable and can be analysed in ways previously unimaginable. And measurement is key.

So, create an SEO-optimized website; I’d recommend investing in organic SEO as opposed to PPC. Blogging tools allow you to create your own platform, and while you should have your own agenda, you should also plan to react to what the market is doing. For example, when a much larger competitive company to mine made an announcement a couple of weeks ago, we wrote a blog as a response and it was online within a few hours. The weekly stats review showed a spike of website activity and when I checked this morning, that blog is still the most read blog on our site.

LinkedIn is also very important in this space and is closely related to Twitter – mainly because of the linkages between the two. A single Tweet, for instance, cascades through several (but not yet all) of the company’s employees’ LinkedIn profiles. Another area that’s really useful on LinkedIn is taking part in discussion groups. Not everyone that’s on LinkedIn in necessarily on Twitter, so again, is your message reaching your target audience? And if not, what are you going to do about it?

There’s a closed loop here: when posting a news piece (or blog), Tweet it; the Tweets get picked up on LinkedIn and via the web stats, you can pick up who has come to the site from LinkedIn. Twitter is also measurable in that it is supremely interactive. What’s more, everyone’s identifiable – and these last two points are where the value lies. Identify who is saying what and who is interacting with whom. It may be that there are some real opinion-formers in the audience.

As mentioned, many of these tools are “free”, other than the opex needed to service them. Once you’ve started blogging or Tweeting, you can’t stop (there’s nothing worse than seeing that the last blog on a website was posted weeks or even months ago!).

However, if there’s a plan – a measurable messaging strategy with targets in mind and suitable resource allocated – then social media will get your messages to the people you need to reach. But remember, the CEOs of your customers are less likely to be on Twitter than on LinkedIn.

And real world networking trumps the lot.

By Neil Fairbrother, Neil Fairbrother Interim Marketing Ltd 

http://web.me.com/neilfairbrother1/neilfairbrothermarketing/Welcome.html

However, beyond the deliberation around which is most accurate, Klout or PeerIndex, a new report from The Altimeter Group has found that neither really defines how users influence their online networks.

According to Brian Solis who produced the report, the scores these sites bestow on social media users should really be defined as a measure of “social capital” rather than of “true influence”.

Solis highlights many interesting counterarguments to the use of social media influence scoring, concluding that “brands are potentially misallocating precious resources based on the lack of understanding of what influence is and the role influencers play within customer markets.”

So, what does this mean for us PRs? Well, it is important that we are not complacent, and that we do not rely on social media influence scoring, over traditional and professional media understanding.  As is the case with many aspects of 21^st Century PR – and I have to be careful here, as my colleagues will agree that I am the first to get excited about a new-fangled digital tool! – there are many digital options that claim to make our lives easier, but in reality don’t. Social media influence scores are a great guideline but are certainly not the be-all and end-all. Media relationships are important; and understanding the media, key stakeholders and the target figures we work with, and developing these relationships to build a holistic media understanding, should trump the use of influence scores completely.

But who knows, social media and web integration is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Google is hot on the case in developing new algorithms that better integrate and analyse social media users across its already prolific news and media search platforms. It is therefore safe to say that, perhaps we are not far off being able to access tools that are accurate enough to truly index individual presence and influence across the media, both on and offline.

Firefly will be utilising its pan-European network to service the account – with the hub operating from London, and the network running across Firefly France, Firefly Germany and our sister agency in Spain.

The story was covered by several industry publications, including The Drum and Gorkana; we replicate the Gorkana story here:

Published: Tuesday, 13 March 2012, 11:42am 

Vimeo win for Firefly
Vimeo has brought in Firefly to handle its European PR

Firefly Communications has been brought in by video sharing website Vimeo to handle its European PR following a five-way pitch.

The agency has been briefed to build consumer awareness of the brand via tech, lifestyle and consumer titles. It will also continue to communicate with the brand’s heartland creative audience.

The team will also build on the momentum from Mobile World Congress 2012, helping Vimeo to be recognised by other potential brand partners and localise its global reach to different markets.

The account will be led by Fiona Hughes, head of consumer Europe at Firefly in London, with support from European agencies in Paris, Munich and Madrid.

The team will report to Vimeo’s marketing comms director, Deborah Szajngarten, and European PR lead, Nikki Thompson.

Deborah said: “Vimeo is a global site that continues to experience tremendous year-over-year growth. We sought out a European agency-partner that could truly aid us in our international communications expansion.

“We needed someone that understood Vimeo’s unique culture and could easily assist us in properly localising our global messages. We chose Firefly as our European PR partner because they have a clear understanding of the variety of cultures and countries that make Europe such an interesting and challenging market.”

Fiona said: “This pan-European win puts Firefly’s new consumer practice firmly on the map. Vimeo is high performing, ambitious, creative and passionate, meaning it has all the ingredients for a brand we’re all very excited to be working with.

“Our work for Vimeo will take us right into the heart of what we do best at Firefly Consumer – community engagement and media conversation on and offline.”