Felicity: Great PR for CafeDirect earlier this week when their report on how climate change is affecting coffee growers in Peru got picked up by the Guardian amongst others. The report itself is a great trade story but by providing such a great supplier case study, Cepicafe, Cafe Direct was able to tap into the national media market. The human angle is the most important aspect of any great story and CafeDirect has used this to their advantage – resulting in a brilliant piece of coverage that talks about their plan of action to combat the problem and ends with a sentence about the new harvest of coffee beans coming in to the UK in the next few weeks. I wonder how many many people will pick up a coffee to go from Cafe Direct after this great piece of CSR?

Angharad: I think I’ve found the mother of all creative PR stories this week! Land Rover asked its agency Y&R Dubai to create a handy Desert Survival Guide for its drivers. Doesn’t sound foodie related? Well it is when I tell you they’ve made it edible! As a brand that invites its customers to take off-road adventures Land Rover obivously realised that whilst their cars might be able to stand the heat in a desert most human beings wouldn’t last very long. The guide features a reflective cover to signal for help; the metal binding can be used as a hunting weapon and the pages contain useful information about surviving as well as a map if you feel you could actually walk home. Best of all – if you get really desperate – the pages are made of potato-based starch paper and printed with glycerin based ink so are 100% safe to actually EAT. I’d get lost soon though because survival has an expiration date of February 2013.

This is brilliant PR for Land Rover who, after an original print run of just 5,000 have extended it to an extra 70,000 as the campaign idea went viral. You can read about how Y&R came up with idea here.

So now that we’re back what’s been going on in the world of foodie news? We’ve definitely picked a blinder of a week to write about…

Angharad: My favourite story this week came about without planning and is the perfect example of reactive PR. After Nandos ripped off this insurance advert in South Africa with their own tounge in cheek version they found themselves called out by company Santam for their ‘indiscretion’. Nandos was challenged to send meals to Johannesburg Children’s Home by 4pm on Thursday 26th April in return for Santam to ignore their blatant copycat ad.

In my mind there was never any question as to whether Nandos would step up and answer Santams’ request. Aside from the shedload of bad PR they’d have received for ignoring it, Nandos is generally perceived as a fun, family friendly brand and this game of cat and mouse is right up their street. And true to form they didn’t disappoint. Not only did they deliver all the meals on the order early (Wednesday 25th April 2012) they also promised to deliver the next day and then on the last Friday of EVERY month for a YEAR in their last video response.

This may well be my story of the year so far. It wasn’t part of a planned PR strategy for either company but they went with it and both companies will benefit from the PR. More importantly the children at Johannesburg Children’s Home get free chicken once every month for a year. Well played, Nandos. Well played.

PS. We’re delighted to be working with Whole Foods Market as they move towards opening their new store in Cheltenham this September! To keep up to date with all the latest news, recipe ideas, community events and competitions follow @wfm_Cheltenham or like them on Facebook

Angharad: Everyone jumps on the back of annual events like Valentine’s Day but some companies come up with some genuinely good ideas. Case in point some great PR for wish.co.uk this week who are offering romantic breaks for 3 in the Lake District this Valentine’s Day! The idea came about after an enquiry from a group of 3 wanting to spend a night together so a great piece of reactive PR from the company. Not sure how many bookings they’ll get but it will be interesting to see if there are any couples feeling brave or threesomes out there willing to take up the offer!

Lauren: My favourite story this week has to be the announcement that Ocado.com has launched a new libido boosting food for Valentine’s Day – The Cock and Bull Pie. Whilst not something I think I’ll be trying it’s nice to see something new being added to the never ending pile of aphrodisiac food we’re supposed to be eating this time of year and it definitely makes a change from champagne and strawberries! If anyone does end up trying one we’d love to hear from you – apparently it’s claimed the effects are more potent than viagra!

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!