Paperplane Media

Phoenix rugby site rises...

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Well, everyone is talking about the Olympics and at Paperplane Media we have also been working on a project with a sporting theme...

We have just launched a new website for London-based rugby union player management agency 'Phoenix Sports Management'. The company specialises in the sourcing and negotiation of elite player contracts, sponsorship and commercial deals. They have extensive knowledge of the global nature of the rugby world and have players and coaches in all of the major rugby playing nations.

Features of the site include Player Profiles and a Media Centre linked to a scrolling news feed. The site features Flash animations to add movement to the site but is built in HTML to ensure it is picked up by search engines. It is backed by an easy-to-use content management system, enabling Phoenix Sports Management to update content online as and when they want to. To see the new site, visit www.phoenixsm.com.

Paperplane launches Smokefree Northwest website

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Earlier this year we won a competitive tender to design Smokefree Northwest's website. We worked with Smokefree Northwest to create a creative identity for the new site to tie in with their new branding. The result is an animated 'landscape' incorporating elements of Flash but built in HTML and backed by a content management system, enabling them to upload and delete large amounts of information freely.

We also worked with SFNW to write and edit copy for the site. To view the resulting site, which will evolve over coming months, go to: www.smokefreenorthwest.org.

Could your website do with a refresh? We specialise in creative design to inspire and inform your target audience. For further information call Chris on 0161 918 6712 or email design@paperplane-media.com.

Special Needs Teacher is Best by Miles!

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:14:00 +0000

Press Release

Award-winning teacher Anne Gough is so good at her job that families have relocated from other parts of the country so their children can be taught by her.

Anne, who teaches at the Royal School for the Deaf and Communication Disorders in Stanley Road, Cheadle, Cheshire, has been named Special Needs Teacher of the Year in the North West Teaching Awards for her work with children who have complex learning and communication difficulties. Watch BBC North West news clip here. Watch Channel M news clip here and read the Manchester Evening News article here.

The judges said: “Anne Gough’s reputation precedes her. Families have even relocated from other parts of the country after hearing of the excellent work she does with children who have communication problems.

“Colleagues and parents describe her as “a truly amazing human-being” who has devoted her career and life to children with special needs. Within her department, she wears a multitude of hats including teacher, senior manager, departmental manager and mentor. Her tutor from university said Anne was one of the best teachers of the deaf she had ever trained, in a 30-year career.

“Parents also love her approach and the way she has changed the lives of families. One described how the whole family had relocated from the South of England so their child could attend the school, and another said: “She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She has the most amazing initiative and intuition; she just knows what to do.””

Anne has dedicated the past 13 years of her career to the charity’s Sensory Support Unit, where she manages a team of ten learning support assistants. The Department teaches students who have a combination of hearing, visual and learning disabilities including autism.

Anne, 48, lives in Bramhall and has two sons James, 23, and Jason, 21, with husband Nick. She said: “When I found out that my colleague Lauren Haynes, an NQT, had nominated me, I could have killed her! I am still in shock after winning but it’s wonderful. It feels a bit strange because what we do doesn’t work unless you have a strong team so this is in no way just about me. I spend time with children and parents if they want to come here and it’s nice of them to say I’m part of the reason they decide to move but if the leadership of the school wasn’t so progressive we couldn’t do the work we do.

“I feel like I have the best job on the planet. If a child has been told they won’t be able to walk and you can provide a walking frame, or that they won’t be able to communicate and you can help them tell their parents what they want at home, that is the best feeling possible.”

Hilary Ward, Headteacher at the Royal School for the Deaf and Communication Disorders, said: “In one’s lifetime, you may be very privileged to work with someone who is outstanding, and Anne is one of those people. It’s a pity we can’t clone her.

“Her work, particularly for deaf-blind children, is nationally recognised and families have moved house so that they can be closer to the school. Anne has very high expectations for her pupils and works tirelessly to think of innovative and exciting ways to help them make progress. Anne champions for the rights of pupils with complex needs in the wider community and has written and delivered training for teachers in the region and nationally.”

Angela Sutton, 43, and husband Trevor Smith, 48, themselves both teachers, moved from their home in Kinston-upon-Thames in Surrey so their son Elliot Smith, six, could start at the school last September.

Angela said: “He was in a signing support deaf unit at a mainstream school but we realised he needed to be in a more specialist place. We visited a few schools and were all set to sign up for one in the South East where we lived when we came to visit. When we looked around and met Anne and saw what went on we realised it was no contest, we had to move to Manchester.

“We were impressed by the whole school but it is true to say that when we met Anne we thought she was amazing and wanted her to teach Elliot. The way she was with other students and with Elliot was fantastic. We loved where we lived so it has been a bit change but we have never regretted it for a single moment because Elliot loves it so much.”

Anne will now go through to the national finals of the Teaching Awards in October.

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Tips for confident copywriting

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:44:00 +0000

Writing about your own business should be the easiest thing in the world. After all, you know it inside-out because it's what you do every day. So why is it that so often when we finally sit down to write that pesky copy for the website or other publicity materials, the pen hovers hesitantly and the mind goes blank?

1. However tempting it may be, don't put it off. Once you get started you will find this can be both enjoyable and valuable in terms of the future direction and growth of your business. When you start to put down what you do in writing, you get a clearer and more solid picture of your achievements and the direction you are going in. Sometime seeing what you do in 'black and white' can help you to distance yourself from what you do - and recognise your achievements.

1. Firstly, try to give yourself an adequate amount of time for the project. Spend perhaps half an hour initially just jotting down notes and thinking about what you want to achieve from the copy you are going to write. What is your target audience? It is quite distinct or do you need to keep your language quite general in order to appeal to a wide target audience? Jot down key words you want to get across.

3. Next, decide if you are going to write in the first person eg 'We' and 'I', or third person eg 'Jones-Taylor is an award-winning firm of Chartered Accountants based in Manchster. They specialise in...." If in doubt, look at a few different websites - particularly relating to your industry - to see which tone feels most appropriate.

4. Most of the time it is a good idea to strip out jargon and keep the language direct and tight. Go through each sentence and strip out unnecessary words and phrases. There are some exceptions to this, however. Do you work in a technical industry where certain terms will demonstrate your knowledge and appeal to target customers? In this instance you should use techical terms where they relate to products and services.

5. Once you have finished writing your copy, put it away for at least a day if time allows this. Then go back to it and proof-read carefully, making any necessary changes. If you have a good relationship with a client in your target audience, ask them to cast their eye over it. Once the final copy is finished, pat yourself on the back and keep a copy of the finished text handy to review and update as necessary regularly.

We offer copywriting consultancy and training courses - if you think you could be interested call Clarissa on 0161 918 6712 or email clarissa@paperplane-media.com.

Join the 'One Club' Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Press Release

Ambitious start-up and ‘early years’ companies are being invited to showcase their services free of charge at a unique expo at One Central Park in East Manchester.

The first ‘One Expo’ will take place on Tuesday, July 15^th, hosted by members of ‘One Club’ – a dynamic networking group set up by businesses based at One Central Park – www.onecentralpark.co.uk.

Small companies from Greater Manchester, based at business incubators and at the early stages of development, are being invited to exhibit.

It will also be free to attend as a visitor. Businesses in and around Central Park and throughout Greater Manchester are invited to attend the Expo, which is being supported by Midas – Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency.

David Auckland, CEO of One Central Park, who helped establish One Club, explains: “The essence of One Club is to get people out of their offices, sharing ideas and expertise and unlocking growth potential. Time and time again we are seeing the amazing results that can emerge when innovative new companies meet, talk, and do business together.

“Now we want to extend the invitation to small early stage businesses across Greater Manchester. The managers of these enterprises are the business leaders of tomorrow. The businesses they run will drive tomorrow’s economy. One Expo is devoted to this most important sector. It is run by small companies for small companies and is the only one of its kind in the North. And it’s free!

“For the Greater Manchester business community as a whole there will be opportunities to network with a wide range of businesses during the day. It will also be a unique way to find out about the innovative businesses operating in the area and the excellent services they can offer.”

One Central Park was set up by the Universities of Greater Manchester and MANCAT to stimulate the creation and growth of new businesses in the area. There are numerous successes, some of which will become leading companies of the future. They will be exhibiting at one Expo and include Winning Pitch, Foresight Health, Sinter Studio, Citrus Lounge and Tree2MyDoor.

One Expo takes place on Tuesday, July 15^th, starting at 11.30am with seminars held by Baker Tilly, E-financial Management and Salisi Human, followed by a barbecue, networking and exhibiting until 4pm. Places must be reserved in advance – please contact Liz Lancashire by emailing liz@lancashirebusinesssupport.co.uk or calling 07891 524776.

Photography - A photo of One Club members will be taken on Monday, June 23 and emailed to media contacts. If you would like a copy, please call the contacts below.

Editor’s Notes:

One Club case studies:

Winning Pitch www.winning-pitch.co.uk

Winning Pitch focuses on assisting individuals and companies to achieve profitable breakthroughs in revenue performance. Their interventions are based on the application of tried and tested methods used by the world's most successful entrepreneurs. Founded by chief executive John Leach, 42, in 2005, Winning Pitch floated on the stock market with a valuation of £2.5m last year and recently opened a new office in Liverpool.

Foresight Health www.foresighthealth.co.uk/

Foresight Health specialise in providing ‘tailor made’ employee and personal health care solutions. They help clients to develop a healthcare strategy that promotes a policy of wellbeing throughout the entire organization. Their range of benefits includes Cash Plans, Health Screenings, Dental Insurance and Occupational Health Services. Michelle Clarke, who established the business in June 2006, was recently awarded the runner-up prize in the Business Start Up of the Year category in the North West Business Awards run by the Northwest Women’s Enterprise Forum. Click to view the NWDA press release.

Sinter Studio www.sinterstudio.com

Sinter Studio specialises in providing decorative tiles for clients seeking new designs and materials with rich colours and textures. The company works directly with a Spanish tile producer and other European and English tile manufacturers to bring fresh designs to the UK tile market. For many of its mosaic designs, Sinter Studio collaborates with two UK mosaic artists, Mark Kennedy from Manchester and Adam Stanley in London. Sinter Studio is based within the Venture Space business incubator at One Central Park.

For further information, please contact Clarissa Langham at Paperplane Media on 0161 918 6712 or 07711 895 832 or Liz Lancashire at Lancashire Business Support on 07891 524776.

Adams Coaching E-newsletter Lauches

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Are you looking for a new direction in life? Or maybe you want to take your business to the next level? Then sign up for the Adams Coaching newsletter which we have just designed for Helen Adams.

Email info@adamscoaching.com to be added to the newsletter or visit the Adams Coaching website at www.adamscoaching.com. Helen has just launched the Adams Coaching Club - a networking and business coaching club which will help businesses to realise their business goals and achieve greater success.

Regional Food magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:55:00 +0000

Here is an article on the front page of Tastes of Britain magazine this month, written by Paperplane Media's Director Clarissa Satchell. Clarissa is an ex-journalist and still writes features for magazines occasionally, alongside offering professional copywriting services.
If you're interested in food and interesting place to visit in the UK, check out the magazine http://www.tastesofbritain.co.uk/, which specialises in stories about the best quality regional food. Clarissa's latest article is about the World's Original Marmalade Festival, which takes place in Cumbria in February - details here www.marmaladefestival.com. If you know of any interesting potential stories for Tastes of Britain, get in touch with us.

Facebook Journo Case Studies group

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:18:00 +0000

A Facebook group has been set up where journalists can put out appeals for case studies and PRs can post information about their clients. Find it under 'Journo Case Study Requests'. Information from the group below...

"If you're a journalist looking for case studies for a feature and want to reach a larger range of people, post your request here!! And the more 'regular' people the better too as they're our targets! PLEASE, if you've got any case study requests, start a new thread on the discussion board. If you're a PR, please post on the wall. The discussion board is for case study requests.Thanks!!"

Off to Sandbox

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:44:00 +0000

We are off to take part in Meld Online at the University of Central Lancashire's 'Sandbox' new media centre on Monday. We've been working on our idea and we're looking forward to having the chance to develop it during the week and take part in a series of workshops. At the end of the week we'll be pitching our idea to representatives from Sky, Johnson Press and Haymarket, who are Meld project partners.

Also coming up this week, our client the Royal School for the Deaf and Communication Disorders in Cheadle is launching an innovative new college building. It features a life skills kitchen sponsored by John Lewis and a bespoke IT suite, which adapts to the need of the students. The official opening takes place on Thursday.

Paperplane chosen for Meld labs

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:25:00 +0000

We are really pleased to tell you that we have been chosen to take part in Meld - a five day residential lab at the University of Central Lancashire. Meld is an ideas generation and development workshops involving Sky News, Haymarket and Johnson Press, which brings journalists together with interaction designers.

Our team comprises Clarissa Satchell, Paperplane Director; Chris Satchell, Paperplane Creative Director, and Darren Harper, internet marketeer/search engine optimisation consultant and owner of Tangy Lemon search engine marketing agency in Halifax. During the week we will be working on a project which we pitched in response to briefs from the above media partners.

The lab takes place at UCLAN's new Centre for Digital and Creative Industries, Sandbox, which is running the project alongside the Department of Journalism. Meld is supported by the Northern Edge and the Northern Way and aims to find out what happens when teams of journalists, creative technologists/ interaction designers conceive and develop projects together.

Teams were invited to pitch seed ideas in response to industry briefs. These briefs can be found on the Meld website. Up to 8 teams (a maximum of 20 people) have been selected to attend the lab from December 10-14. Developed ideas will be pitched at the end of the week to a panel of industry commissioners. We are thrilled to be chosen and are looking forward to taking part.

Top 5 Festive Publicity Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:48:00 +0000

Well, whether we like it or not, the festive season will soon be upon us. The run up to Christmas is always a busy time for businesses but it also offers plenty of opportunities for publicity. The problem is that with so much going on, they can pass us by.

This article from an American PR company explains how one firm used their staff Christmas party as a recruitment tool by gaining media coverage. OK, so their party was a bit beyond the reach of many companies but you don't have to go to these lengths. Just keep your ears open for festive-themed good news stories.

It's also that time of year when the business media are pulling together their reviews of the year. Come early New Year they will be looking to the year ahead, predicting new business trends. You could try to feed into these articles or if you don't feel confident dealing with the media, why not post your own review or the year and business manifesto for the year to come on your blog or website?

Here are a few more quick yuletide publicity tips:

1. Look out for seasonal good news stories from your staff or clients. If lots of people seem to be talking about something unusual which has happened, it could interest the media.

2. Read the Christmas papers to see what sort of things they are interested in. Are companies in the same sector as you featured?

3. Have your own festive e-flyer designed instead of a traditional card - it's environmentally friendly and different.

4. If you like a traditional paper card, try something personalised or novel like a card with a discount voucher attached for use in January. Or send out a wall planner or calendar so you will be in front of your customers all year.

5. Combine celebrating with networking. The Institute of Directors is one of the many organisations holding festive-themed events with a Christmas shopping and networking event in Manchester on November 14th.

Meld deadline this week

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:29:00 +0000

Submissions to MELD Lab - a world first project: bringing together the best northern journalists and new media practitioners - must be in this week. See below for full details. Briefs from are Sky News, Johnston Press and Haymarket Media Teams care now online. Teams can contain up to three people and one member must have journalistic experience. Meld are offering a ‘match-making’ service, so if you have an idea but don't know where to find a journalist or new media practitioner to join your team, ring Meld on 0114 221 0454 or mail info@meldonline.org.

Visit http://www.meldonline.org/ for further information or join the Facebook Group here . MELD is supported by the Department of Journalism and Sandbox at UCLan (University of Central Lancashire), Northern Edge and the Northern Way.

Six businesses wanted for filming

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:35:00 +0000

The Outbox, http://www.theoutbox.co.uk/ the NWDA’s new online resource for SMEs, is looking for six North West SMEs it can film in a series showing what impact the implementation of new technologies can have had on their businesses.
The venture is being funded by the NWDA which awarded the publishing contract to Junction YK. Junction YK in turn has now commissioned Daylight Moving Image to produce half a dozen films for broadcast on the site when it goes live.
Read the ull article on the How Do website.

Top 5 E-newsletter tips

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:47:00 +0000

We have been publishing an e-newsletter for a couple of months now. The results have been fantastic. As well as winning new business as a result of the e-newsletter we have had some great feedback and have built new business relationships with people who have received it. We sent a targeted e-flyer out about design services last week and have started some work for a company based in London who we had previously never spoken to!

Here are a few tips to help you make e-newsletters work for your company.

1. Choose the right package for you. Investigate the different options first. There are different packages available. You can either buy your own license for a one-off investment and send as many e-flyers as you want to or pay a monthly fee depending on how many you want to send.

2. Make sure you have enough time to commit to the e-flyer. If you don't but think it would help your company and you have something to say, hire someone to help you with the writing or distribution of the e-flyer.

3. Have your e-flyer designed to match your branding. This isn't expensive and only has to be done once. It is worth it as this is a great way to build your brand.

4. Take every opportunity to build up your database. Networking events are great for gathering people's cards and you can also find contacts through professional organisations you belong to.

5. Always include an unsubscribe link. This complies with email law and if you do not do this you risk annoying people who don't want to receive your newsletter. Give people the right to refuse your e-newsletter if they don't want to read it.

We now supply e-newsletters and can design a wide range of styles to meet your individual needs. Our packages are very competitive so if you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch for a no obligation consultation.

Media Coverage - Press Association Community Newswire

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:50:00 +0000

We have recently gained some publicity for the Royal School for the Deaf in Cheadle in the local media, as mentioned below. Our press releases have also been featured by the Press Association's Community Newswire. This is a free facility which charities can use to gain publicity by submitting a press release and photograph for consideration. They have featured one article about signing software and a second about the students displaying art work at John Lewis last weekend. Photo copyright Stockport Express and Times.

New Statesman and Business Insider

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:31:00 +0000

Paperplane Director and former Manchester Evening News journalist Clarissa Satchell has recently had an article published in the New Statesman magazine. The article is about inequalities in social care for the elderly. Click here to read the article, which appears in the 'Fair Care for All' supplement.

Clarissa also has an article about Age Discrimination published in this month's North West Business Insider magazine and has written an article due to be published in November, about green housing. Other writing commissions at the moment include a new food magazine focussing on high quality regional foods, called 'Tastes of Britain'.

53 Degrees - Chamber of Commerce magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:02:00 +0000

We appear in the current edition of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce magazine, 53 Degrees. We won a pitch to look after PR and e-newsletter design for the Royal School for the Deaf in Cheadle. View the article as an e-book here, we're on page 9. Thanks to 53 Degrees for the article.

Puppini Sisters website

noreply@blogger.com (Paperplane Media) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:43:00 +0000

We have recently been working on a website for the Puppini Sisters, a girl band signed with Universal Records. The band needed a website refresh in time for the launch of their new album and promotional tour. One of the challenges was designing a red lipstick to move across the front page and 'paint' the girls. See the updated Puppini Sisters site here for the result...