Angharad: Two for the price of one from me this week!

First up great PR for Sainsbury’s this week who after a letter from a 3 year old girl last may has renamed their Tiger bread to Giraffe bread. This is such a sweet idea that did the rounds on Twitter back last year and for the company to come back several months later with a name change really does give the idea that they’re family friendly and aren’t afraid to mix things up a bit. And actually it wont hurt sales either – I love Tiger bread but now if I fancy some Giraffe bread there really is only one place to get it (and yes I know it’s the same product!) Well done to Sainsbury’s for running with an idea from one of their youngest customers.

Some not so great PR in my opinion for some of the top drinks brands this week after an italian model and designer redesigned iconic bottles to make them child friendly. All in the all the finished product is a little creepy and whilst the point of the campaign is to highlight the dangers of alcohol abuse I don’t think it quite works. The bottles are eye-catching but I’m not sure the brands that have been used on both sides will be pleased with the campaign – so for me this is a bit of a miss.

Angharad: Stand out story for me this week is the Snickers Twitter campaign that’s now being investigated by the ASA for inappropriate promotions. If you’re not aware of the campaign it involved celebrities like Katie Price and Rio Ferdinand tweeting uncharacteristically from their accounts before revealing it was actually because they needed a Snickers – you can read a scathing review of it here. It was an interesting campaign and got people talking – mainly because reading Katie Price tweet about fiscal stability was quite shocking to see! It will be interesting to see how the ASA handles this case because it will set a definite precendent for future social media PR campaigns.

Lauren: This week was Farmhouse Breakfast Week in the UK, and one of our clients Creed Foodservice decided to highlight the importance of eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast with special offers on some of their breakfast related items to customers. Here are some important breakfast facts from the organisers:

“Firstly, the word breakfast literally means ‘breaking the fast’, after going 10-12 hours overnight without food, your energy levels will be low.  Your body and brain need food to top-up the stores and restore blood sugar levels.  Imagine it like trying to start your car in the morning without having any petrol in it!

What is a healthy breakfast?

• Breakfast is the first meal of the day, eaten within two hours of waking and providing calories in the range of 20-35% of daily energy needs.
• Eating bread and cereals for breakfast provides carbohydrate for energy, as well as vitamins, minerals and fibre.
• Having a piece of fruit starts you on your way to 5-a-day.
• Milk and yogurts provide protein and calcium.
• Beans, eggs, low fat bacon and kippers all provide added protein and can add a bit of variety to breakfast.”

Weeks like this one are a great PR tool for large and small businesses. On @leapfrogbuzz we’ve seen countless tweets every day detailing in house promotions and showing support for the cause. If you’re ever looking for a good PR angle it’s definitely worth checking out if there are any special weeks related to your business and riding off the back of them!

Felicity: Coffee culture has become so integrated in to society in the UK that it’s hard to imagine what we did or where we met friends before coffee houses! Having said this the UK still has a way to go in moving towards a sophisticated coffee offering and you only have to look to the coffee culture in Vienna to see the difference. In my judgement there is definite scope to develop the current coffee culture towards this kind of model. Businesses that lead the evolution would definately be adding value to the UK consumer and the high street for a truly sophisticated coffee experience.

Angharad: If you follow me on Twitter you will know that I’ve been on a massive health kick since the beginning of December and so have been very aware of food and fitness, so the news that J D Wetherspoon sells the unhealthiest meal on the high street really struck a chord with me. The almost 2,000 calorie Mixed Grill has earnt them the title and in a society where health and obesity are such issues this is not good PR for the chain. Having said that there are patrons of the chain who won’t care about the calorie content of anything on the menu which is fine – but if Wetherspoons ever wants to rebrand or appeal to a wider demographic they are going to have to rethink their menu and try to work back from accolades like this one.

Lauren: A restaurant in the US claimed this week that it’s where the Cheeseburger originated back in the 1920’s. Local diners at The Rite Spot in Pasadena, California say that young chef Lionel Sternberger accidentally burned one side of the hamburger he was cooking and rather than throwing it in the bin, flipped it over and added cheese to it. Needless to say the customer who received his burger must have enjoyed it, and the rest is culinary history.

For those who are inspired by the humble beginnings of the now legendary cheeseburger, and perhaps want to have a go at creating one yourself, why not check out the ‘Burger Challenge 2012’ as mentioned here on Eat Out, and you never know, if you’re successful people all around the world may be enjoying your own unique creation 100 years from now.

As well as Lord Taylor attending members and their guests heard from an impressive line-up of speakers from the industry – Dr John Williams, Head of Materials for Energy and Industry at NNFCC, the UK’s National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials, Dr Richard Swannell, Director of Design and Waste Prevention at WRAP and Mr Dick Searle, Chief Executive of the Packaging Association. If you would like to, you can now download speakers’ slides from the FPA website.

Felicity: I was a little saddened to hear the news about Little Chef this week, although not at all surprised. Whilst a popular staple with families and motorists since the late 1950′s the company made the now obvious mistake of not reinventing itself properly. The key to the success of any company is a strong brand presence that keeps it fresh and relevant to the public; something Little Chef failed to recognise. Whilst it’s still an iconic brand it conjures up feelings of nostalgia rather than those of a place you would want to eat in the 21st Century. Other companies should take this as a valuable lesson in brand rejuvination and plan to stay one jump ahead of the competition in 2012 and beyond!

Angharad: It was reported towards the back end of last year that only eight people used QR codes in 2011 that didn’t work in PR or Marketing – an apparent 50% increase on the year before. Whilst those statistics don’t make for great reading America has already moved on to something new. Introducing SnapTags! They work in the same way as a QR code but can be branded, making them look more user friendly and recognisable for consumers. Accessed from smart phones the brand name or product fits inside a ‘code ring’ that is read by the app when scanned and programmed to do something – take you to a website or download a free game or whatever. Big brands in the US like Coca Cola are already trying it out and we’ll be keeping an eye to see what opportunities, if any, there will be for UK brands. Everyone jumped on the QR code bandwagon without much success; my guess is we’ll hold back on SnapTags until we’re sure they’re worth it. Watch this space!

Lauren:It has been announced this week that McDonald’s are planning to hand out books with Happy Meals as part of a partnership with publisher HarperCollins. Each book comes with a finger puppet which, according to the restaurant chain, will “help parents bring the stories to life for their children.”

I think the idea is brilliant and is a great way to get children interested in books and reading from an early age. There are, of course, some critics who will argue that this is cleverly constructed plan to manipulate parents into taking children to the fast food chain and feed them with junk food, and perhaps rightly so, although McDonald’s do stress the books can be purchased for 99P without any food.

I believe a treat every now and then never did anyone any harm, and claiming a free book to enhance a child’s learning and development, regardless of where it comes from, could never be called a bad thing.

Angharad: Merry Christmas everyone! I’m getting to that age now where I finally understand what my Mum used to get so stressed about this time of year – the presents, the decorations, the family all coming round is an absolute nightmare! Something I’ve noticed a lot this festive period is the increased pressure put on people to have the ‘perfect’ Christmas, starting with the food. This story cropped up in the Daily Mail this week to help people prepare the best Christmas dinner possible and I must confess I got a little angry. Whilst recipes and tips are helpful (especially for those who don’t cook a lot!) telling people they have to serve ‘Ultimate Roast Potatoes’ and ‘Gorgeous Gravy’ is not just lazy marketing speak it’s also loaded with unnecessary pressure at a time when emotions are already running pretty high. I’m not sure what an ‘Brilliant Brussel’ is supposed to taste like – but as far as I’m concerned my Mum has always served them and that’s what’s important about Christmas. It’s about time we remembered that.

Lauren: We’ve all done it – forgotten to eat something in the cupboard at Christmas. But my pick of this week’s news is a bit extreme! A cinnamon spice cake baked in 1911 is celebrating its 100th birthday, but I’m sure it’s not going to be eaten at the party! You can read the full story here and is surely the best excuse for indulging this Christmas. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year.

Merry Christmas and a ‘Hoppy’ New Year from all the Leafrog PR Team. Here’s to the next leap forward!

Felicity - This week’s review of the Great British High Street by Mary Portas (self styled ‘Queen of Shops’) for David Cameron appeared to steer clear of the coffee shop sector. It’s unclear as to whether this was a result of a lack of information provided by the sector for the presentation or if Portas has decided that coffee shops are already doing their bit to create communities on the high street but certainly the coffee sector has been growing steadily over the past five years or so and shows no sign of slowing down. From high street giants like Starbucks and Costa to smaller chains like Gloucestershire’s own SOHO Coffee and independent outlets like our favourite Coffee Bean in Charlton Kings – the coffee sector has done wonders for high streets up and down the country. Even during the recession it has continued to grow – with a coffee and a muffin a seemingly affordable treat on the way to work or when out with friends. The Portas Review, it would appear, has recognised the contribution coffee shops make to the high street – offering sanctuary from the rain during a shopping trip to enticing people into the high street to meet with friends and family. I for one am excited for the future in on-the-go food and drink and hoping the growth continues – we’d certainly like to work with more coffee shops in the future!

If you’re interested there’s a good piece about the report here

Angharad - On Twitter this week @BigHospitality asked followers whether hotels should stop charging for Wi-Fi. The responses were varied, but the general consensus seemed to be that at least for guests staying at the hotel Wi-Fi should be free., especially as a lot do now offer it as standard with rooms and communal areas and potential customers will look for hotels with a free Wi-Fi service. The fluidity of the work/life balance these days means that people can work at all hours in all locations if they want and hotels should look to accomodate this. Add in things like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare and actually free Wi-Fi seems a small price to pay for instant feedback and buzz about your hotel from guests as they are

staying with you. What do you think? We’d love to hear your thoughts about it on @Leapfrogbuzz!

Lauren - Something Christmassy from me this week – but not all is merry and bright! Website Student Beans decided to offer a solution to the increasingly expensive Christmas lunch – by recreating it for £2 a head. The result, I’m sure you’ll agree, is not pretty and as a student myself I would have to be very hard up before even considering resorting to this! The story was picked up by the Daily Mail which has been great PR for Student Beans. Do you have any less extreme cost-saving tips for Christmas? Tweet and let us know!

Felicity: I was sad to hear the news this week that Kraft is to cut 200 jobs at the Cadbury plant in Birmingham. Despite a pledge to invest £50million in the plant Kraft has announced the losses will be made through redeployment and voluntary redundancies over two years, starting next March. This is such a shame for Cadbury, a British institution that has been affected badly by the recession thanks to rocketing cocoa prices and the take over by US company Kraft. The BBC has written an interesting piece about the takeover and the impact it has had so far. Whilst Cadbury will continue to be a great British business in the future it will have to adapt to fit its new owners and the pressures created by the economic downturn.

Angharad: We all know  supermarkets are constantly extending their offering but this community board notice in Tesco was more than a little different to their usual products! It got a lot of people talking on Twitter when I posted it but so far no one has come forward as the mystery assassin. You have to wonder whether the board gets checked by staff regularly – but despite the services on offer not fitting with the Tesco brand, the offer of a potential BOGOF certainly does!

Lauren: The news this week is that Sherry is making a comeback. Despite not being around in its 70′s heyday I love sherry and am really pleased it’s back to being ‘cool’ again! Some have asked whether the revival is a result of the Downton Abbey effect and I don’t think they are far off. The show is so popular with a wide age demographic and no PR is bad PR in this case. Sales are currently up 9% this year – showing brands that with the right  exposure a seemingly unfashionable product can be brought back to life again.

Felicity: This week’s news that Starbucks (Dec 1) is planning to create 5,000 new jobs in the UK with the planned opening of 200 drive-thru units, comes on top of last week’s news that Nestle is creating 300 jobs through investment in its Derbyshire coffee plant.  Both of these indicate how well the UK coffee sector is holding up against the current tough economic climate.  If the sector is to continue this trend it will need to focus on continually re-inventing itself, as highlighted at last week’s European Coffee Summit held by Allegra Strategies in Berlin.  Those brands that embrace change and use every means at their disposal to entice customers in will continue to thrive.  Keeping the offering fresh and the menu interesting whatever the time of day and increasing relevance to the consumer will help keep growth ahead of the average.   Without a doubt, innovative use of social media will play a significant role in what that continued success looks like.

Angharad: Bad PR award for this week goes to Beachy Head Brewery in East Sussex which has decided to name its festive ale the Beachy Head Christmas Jumper. Unsurprisingly this has offended a number of families whose loved ones killed themselves by jumping off the notorious suicide spot and I’m left wondering if the ale is as tasteless as its name. The Brewery insists the name refers to a Christmas Jumper, like the one worn by Father Christmas, but it seems odd that no one at the company put two and two together as the name was being decided. Either way, the story has received coverage in the Daily Mail, Telegraph, BBC, Mirror, Sun and local Eastbourne press – whether it’s a case of no publicity is bad publicity or not time will tell but whatever the sales figures show after Christmas there’s no denying the company will have to work hard to build up its reputation again, particularly locally.

Lauren: This week Pride of Britain Executive Chef Peter Hancock ignited a debate in the hospitality industry by stating mobile phone use in restaurants is out of control. In an interesting piece in flagship industry title Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Peter went so far as to say that he would like to ban all use of mobile use and social media surfing in restaurants across Britain. I’m on the fence about this – whilst I was always taught it’s rude to use my phone at the table during family meals I love social media and can’t imagine not ‘checking in’ to my favourite restaurants or tweeting to tell everyone how good the food is. It might be an age thing, younger people like me are shown to be more adept at picking up social media and seeing the value in it, and by banning it I think some restaurants might be missing a trick. Instant reviews, photos of the food and a constant stream of check-ins can give a restaurant great buzz for very little effort and when handle correctly can increase business. Things like special offers and events are perfect for social media, even at short notice, so to discount it completely from restaurants would be silly. From the manners side of things though I can see the point he’s trying to make. You can read the full story here, let us know you thoughts either here or on Twitter: @leapfrogbuzz

Felicity: I’ve gone with a coffee theme this week, with two stories catching my eye. Food and drink giant Nestlé has announced it’s investing £110m in its Dolce Gusto plant in Derbyshire, creating 300 new jobs. It’s a brilliant bit of PR for them and for manufacturing in Britain – hopefully other companies will follow suit and invest in sites and workforces around the UK. Coffee is such big business in the Western World, thanks in part to Starbucks. They’ve really been at the forefront of social media – showing other businesses how they can utilise platforms like Google+ and Foursquare as well as Twitter and Facebook. This week they announced they’ll be launching their own instore mobile app payment system – and it’s looking like it will be the first on the high street. The reason? Simply that NFC technology was taking too long to take off and become mainstream – harking back to that great mantra ‘If you want something done, do it yourself’.

Angharad: My pick of the weeks foodie news is the story of a cupcake maker in Reading, Berkshire who has accused discount website Groupon of nearly ruining her business  after an offer she put on there became a bit too popular. You can read the full story on the Telegraph website as I’m not going to go into detail here but I do have a bit of a problem with the story. She’s obviously gone to the papers for a bit of free PR for her business but for me it makes her look bad not Groupon. If she wasn’t clever enough to put an order before date or a limited to the first 100 people on her offer then that for me is a failing from her, not Groupon. Apart from that we have some fab local bakeries in Gloucestershire – three of my favourites being Charmaine’s Cupcakes, Cirencester Cupcakes and Vanilla Pod Bakery – and I’m pretty sure they don’t charge £26 for a box of cupcakes and would know better than to put out an offer that clearly didn’t make sense in the first place. What do you think?

Lauren: I was disappointed to hear this week of a number of hotels and B & B’s, including one in Evesham, suffering because of false and malicious reviews on TripAdvisor. As if the hospitality business isn’t taking a big enough hit during the recession as it is, independent hoteliers are having to offer discounts or upgrades to guests who threaten them with a bad review on the website, even if there is nothing wrong with their stay. It’s disgusting to think that a bad review is being used as blackmail – and it’s not the first time TripAdvisor has come under fire for its policing of its own site. The company has not set up a new customer service line whereby hoteliers can challenge reviews about them but it’s a bad PR nod for them from me this week still. If you’re interested, the full story is here.