PR Show 2013 - A Review

The PR Show 2013 was held on Tuesday 26th November 2013 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. A compact exhibition with three education streams and a CIPR Taster Workshop area, the PR Show 2013 was lively and educational. Over 1000 PR professionals and students attended and exhibitors included news desks, merchendisers and media outlets. 

Kerry Savage from Savage Communications was an excellent speaker, talking about the correct way to set PR strategy, she talked through the planning cycle and setting a brief for each project internally, with the same level of detail that you would develop from an agency client. Kerry's Golden Rule was that PR objectives should align with the wider business objectives in order to provide the full benefit of PR for ROI and other goals such as market share growth. Kerry encouraged us to question the root of objectives, such as why do you want to raise awareness, is this to grow market share, and is this to become a market leader in order to gain new investment or to expand in to global markets? Map all stakeholders and consider their value to your plan in order to establish the priority of engagement. Finally strategy must come from insight, which comes from research. Research is the key to a well versed and successful PR plan, but is often the element that lack of time and priority eradicates. 

Andrew Smith talked about Social Media and Measuring and Evaluating PR. It was interesting to consider PR from a mobile and digital perspective. Quoting that 90% of all media interactions are screen based and the smartphone is the first touchpoint for 2/3 of the population. Google is moving from search engine to trust engine and Google+ is vital to future content verification. Video is the most visible and shared form of content on Facebook and with the majority looking at social media within 15 minutes of waking up, social media must be adopted strategically for the future of PR. Sites like mention.net and Googles consumer insight, make audience research easier and clearer when choosing the most appropriate channel to meet your objectives. Andrew quoted Lord Kelvin in his Measuring and Evaluating PR talk saying, "When you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind". PR commonly suffers from a lower rate of investment than its cousins Marketing and Events as ROI is often unclear. Andrew suggests forgetting press clippings and AVE in favour of web/mobile and screen driven reality. Using tools such as Consumer Barometer, Google Trends and Think with Google should demonstrate clear outcomes rather than outputs and can be translated into ROI. 

Caroline Black talked about successfully selling in your stories, suggesting that you should build a relationship with the top ten journalists to your industry or target audience. Make sure you understand the journalism process and environment, in order to ensure your contact if quick, efficient and directed at the correct person in the right format. Don't waffle, don't harass and make sure you have done proper research. Good stories are concise, have all of the facts, and contain a human angle, for example triumph over tragedy. Stories should have truth: Topical/timely, relevant, unusual, tension and human interest. Finally prioritise your list of Journalists. Coca Cola have vowed to eradicate press releases by 2015, setting the future of their PR on digital platforms. This is definitely a recurring pattern within the PR industry, at the SPS Group 70% of communication is digital, leaving just 30% for press releases, newsletters and other traditional mediums. 

Kate Betts suggests having a crisis plan in place, that can be rolled out quickly. Kate believes that many organisations fail to prepare and this causes irreparable damage to reputation. Ensure the most appropriate spokespeople are selected and are fully media trained. Have an immediate response prepared that shows concern, action and reassurance. Understand the correct channels to use and the needs of the press, so that in a crisis situation your reputation is safeguarded. After the event, is there further opportunity to work with the press, have you kept your promises and are there opportunities for further engagement or CSR?

Top tips from the PR Show 2013:

1. Ensure your PR strategy is aligned with the overall corporate strategy, in order to give clear KPI and ROI indicators. You should know the business plan for this year, next and year three at least.
2. Have a crisis and a crisis of perception plan in place. Ensure the key spokespeople are identified and given full media training. Ensure your spokespeople are able to confidently and expertly talk about issues in your industry.
3. Fully utilise free Google metrics, analytics and consumer insight sites to give your PR plan, a stronger foundation.
4. Research, research, research. Dig deep and remove the layers behind the brief's objectives, then understand your audience, leading to a targeted strategy. 
5. Choose your social media platform according to your target audience, not what is available. Many organisations use the core social media to promote a single message, but this is not as effective as a tailored approach.

 The PR Show 2013 was a great arena for knowledge, but did lack a sense of innovation and trends within the industry. The exhibition was small but all stands were relevant and useful. I really enjoyed the CIPR Taster Workshops and would recommend all of the speakers. For 2014 more exhibitors and a focus on the changing face of PR would be my recommendation. There was also a lack of interactivity, which was a shame, a showcase of recent award winners would have been a nice touch, maybe even a virtual newsroom as it was established that the majority of attendees had never visited a working newsroom. With journalist and blogger relations remaining so key to PR practitioners, a stronger link to media relations would have been beneficial. 

Maria Parker - Harris

Group Marketing Co-ordinator

The SPS Group

www.thespsgroup.co.uk

The PR Show 2013 - http://www.prshow13.co.uk 

#POS, #retail marketing, #marketing, #Google, #social media, #PR, #Public relations, #communication, #crisis, #analytics, #evaluation, #PRSHOW2013, #CIPR, #thespsgroup

Meetdraw - The Art of New Business - A review

Held in Redweb’s Loading Bar and sponsored by Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, ‘The Art of New Business’ (@theartofnewbiz )Meetdraw (@meetdraw) event promised to inspire the art of great pitching and lead generation. With excellent networking opportunities and delicious White Russian cocktails, the event was lively and informative. There were four key speakers and a panel to discuss the new business process from initial contact to pitch. Topics included relationship management, the issue of free work before pitch and how to make your first touch point engaging.

Andy Edwards from @nine5three spoke enthusiastically about ‘Relationomics’. His talk made us think about consumer behaviour and about how our personality traits can be utilised when pursuing new business. Splitting the audience into four personality colours, it was interesting to see how our approach should be tailored depending on the colour of the client. I was Yellow, which means enthusiastic, persuasive and sensitive, but also frantic, self-centered and superficial. He suggested that instead of treating people how you would like to be treated, treat them how they would like to be treated. Build rapport, relationships, respect then the result is killer advice for contacting prospective clients!

(R x d) + (V x t) + A = Sale – A sale comes from deep relationships, that add value, are timely and have good attitude. Simple! To summarise Andy said, “The real currency in any organisation is not £, but it is relationships”.

Chris Head from @xopherhead talked about the use of comedy when pitching. The classic use of set up – punch to frame your point, give impact and drama. Far more memorable and impacting than just stating the point. The subtle use of comedy skills such as framing, context, misdirection and pacing, give pitches engagement. This vital for making your pitch memorable and successful. Duncan Cook from @3SIDEDCUBE discussed personalisation of contact with prospective clients. His anecdote about the personalised invitation, web questionnaire and app was inspiring! I would absolutely have followed the golden invitation, through the un-branded digital journey to find out what I was invited too and who had taken the time to understand me and my business. The results were clear, with an extremely impressive response rate and many pitch meetings in the pipeline. Duncan’s mantra is simple – be the best at one thing, not average at many.

Katie Streetwise and @randomapricot from @redweb pitch to win, believing that you should win no less than 80% of all pitches. If you do lose a pitch, in depth analysis is key to understanding why, gain feedback from the client and improve for the next pitch. Ensure your resource library is up to date, for easy strategy and collateral build for each prospective client. Show your workings and the creative journey rather than what you believe should be the end product. You don’t know enough about the client to give accurate end solutions at this stage, but a client can understand you process and how this way of working would complement them. Clients buy people, so asking them to view your team and office are important to set the scene for you as a business partner. Ensure your pitch is well prepared, know the room and key players to bring to your pitch, understand your audience and have key word on the slides, not the full pitch. Keep the conversation flowing after the pitch and challenge the brief to give the best result to client are all excellent tips from Redweb.

How many times have you been cold called by someone that has no idea about you or your business? Imagine a personalised point of contact that appeals to you as an individual, for example the supplier that contacted Jim from Jimmy’s Iced Coffee focused on their mutual love of surfing rather than ramming product in his face. He offered a surf meet, rather than a standard pitch meeting, and mention of his service offering was subtle and much further down the agenda. The result, the client agreed to meet for a surf and the start of a business relationship. The panel were bogged down with cold contacts, so much so that it impacted their ability to complete work. Do you want to be another irritation lost in the noise of cold contact? No? Well personalisation and research is essential!

Key advice from Cliff Van Wyk @bournemouthuni, Jim Cregan @jimmyicedcoffee and Jon Darch @farrowandball included not dominating the conversation with your agenda, don’t copy and paste and build the relationship first, the business can then follow. Don’t just accept any client if they are a bad fit for you organisation and strong creativity wins over in the end. The industry is so over populated with awards that clients never know which are worth noting and the impact of all awards is lost. Don’t shout about your noise, let word of mouth and your client portfolio shine through. Finally case studies are interesting, but aren’t the tipping point for a sale. Instead show that you understand your client and demonstrate strong working union.

Top tips from The Art of New Business are:

1. Understand you client as a business but also on an individual level. What is their context?
2. Personalise your touch points, use creativity and demonstrate your process to hook the client.
3. Focus on being great at one thing, be the best, be the experts and the awards, word of mouth recommendations and inbound enquiries will come organically.
4. Relationships come before business; nurture and prioritise them.
5. Research research research! Research the client, their business, the pitch and well everything!

This event was diverse and engaging. I picked up some great tips, insight from clients and research and perspectives I had not previously considered. The cocktails were delicious and the event had a great atmosphere with relevant speakers. My only negative was that as a newbie to the group, it was very difficult to network as everyone already knew each other, so thank you to those that came and chatted with me.

Maria Parker-Harris

Group marketing Co-ordinator

The SPS Group 

www.thespsgroup.co.uk

#pitch #TAONB #meetdraw #thespsgroup #retailmarketing #relationomics #setuppunch #touchpoint #redweb #jimmysicedcoffee #personalisation #3sidedcube #nine5three #whiterussian 

The 3D Print Show 2013 - A review

Held at the Business Design Centre in London on the 7th – 9^th Nov, the 3D Print Show 2013 was talked about as the tech show of the year, it certainly delivered! With a background in traditional sculpture and 3D CAD, I thought that I would take some time to have a look at the latest leap forward in 3D printing and see what all the fuss has been about. 3D printing has been around since the 1980's, however recent advances in technology and the reduced cost of this technology has created a renewed global interest. 3D printing is the process of creating a real physical 3D shape from a digital 3D model. The most common technique, demonstrated at the show involved multiple layers of hot PLA plastic built up gradually to create an object. Other techniques do exist, but at this time, this is the most common for small objects.

Alongside the big names in 3D printer manufacturing, it was nice to see so many ideas from individuals,with everyone contributing to the growing  3D printing industry. Some of the objects were truly inspirational. Artists, designers, scientists, engineers and teachers will soon be benefiting from the recent advances in technology. 3D scanning technology was also showcased with various desktop digitisers released. There was even a full body scanner area to capture the human form.  Don’t forget you need a 3D model to print out first, so scanning really goes hand in hand with 3D printing. The coolest thing was seeing people’s faces scanned and then printed in 3D, the face texture mapping looked very realistic! 

I am particularly interested in the range of materials you can use such as metal, plastics and ceramics  to name a few. There are also many applications to be considered if you also use 3D printing in addition to traditional manufacturing techniques. Imagine printing a wax wedding ring, taking advantage of the accuracy you can achieve by using CAD and having it made using the ancient lost mold technique. You could also make a detailed mold intended for vacuum forming.What does the future for 3D printing hold? Who knows but in future most corner shops or households could have this manufacturing capability? If you were to lose the petrol cap for your car, you could simply download the 3D model from the internet and create a new one at home. Imagine huge walking 3D printers that you leave for a few days and they build you a house! 

This is a very exciting time to be involved in 3D design in general, mixing in these latest 3D printing and scanning techniques will certainly aid more of us make our ideas a reality. 

Top tips from The 3D Printshow 2013.

1. Focus on improving quality of life with 3D printing, such as avenues for medical applications including prosthetic limbs and facial reconstruction.
2. Bees really inspired 3D printing back in the 1970's after needing somewhere to live, so look at insects and nature for inspiration when looking to design a new product.
3. Think in a more biological, organic way in product design. A lot of products look the way they do as they have had manufacturing methods influencing how they look, with 3D printing we can explore organic shapes that would be very difficult to create otherwise.

David Longworth - BA (Hons) 3D Design

3D Visualiser

The SPS Group

www.thespsgroup.co.uk

The 3D Print Show 2013 was an informative and well organised exhibition, with engaging talks and a wide range of exhibition stands. The highlight for me was seeing the wide range of 3D products closely rather that looking at inspirational images on the internet. 

#thespsgroup #POS #retailmarketing #marketing #experiencialmarketing #print #3Dprint #3Ddesign

Senior Creative Account Manager Vacancy

*Position is now filled*

Location: Ferndown, Dorset

Salary: Experience dependent
Job type: Permanent
Division: FMCG, POS, Beauty and Fashion Clients and Industrial B2B.

Senior Creative Account Manager 

If you are an Account manager with Creative agency experience and are looking for a new role at a boutique specialist agency then read on…

we are seeking the right person to join and help shape the future of a varied and dynamic creative agency.
Working as a Senior Account Manager on key accounts within the business you will be delivering on integrated campaigns including Branding, Literature and POS from concept and ideas generation through to implementation. You will be working with a great internal creative team and working closely with the Head of Creative and a Board Director of the main Group.

Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

•              Direct management of key clients
•              Writing creative briefs
•              Managing creative and planning teams
•              Reporting and feedback
•              New business development and growing existing clients
•              Research and insight
•              Creative planning and implementation
•              Team management
•              Scheduling the operational jobs with the Head of Creative.

•              General studio admin and management duties when needed

The agency is an ideas-led creative agency whose focus is working in a collaborative environment and delivering the highest spec work to FMCG, Beauty, Telecoms, Industrial and  Fashion clients. The culture is fantastic and the team is made up of extremely talented individuals. Also being an integral part of a young team you will need a positive forward thinking attitude.

Why should you apply?

Working in a non hierarchical, creative environment with a buzzy team culture and direct contact with the board means your opinions are heard - you are a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to the overall direction of the business itself and you will have the luxury of working with amazing clients.

You:

You will be an experienced SAM or AM and will ideally have FMCG experience. Personality is key and having a creative mindset is essential. You will need to have experience in this area of at least 5-8 years. You will need strong strategic thinking and planning skills, be passionate and motivated by creativity with the ability to build strong relationships.

For more information on this role or on any other roles I am currently recruiting for please contact me on mark.starmer@thespsgroup.co.uk.

The SPS November Hall of Fame

Welcome to the November SPS Hall of Fame. These pieces have been celebrated for their design, construction excellence and innovative use of materials.

5. At number five we have La Roche – Porsay

This FSDU was interactive and allowed the customer to diagnose their skin care needs using the spinning questionnaire at the top of the unit.

We love it because:

• The unit was interactive and engaging
• It had clear calls to action for the customer
• There was visual segmentation for the product range
• The design was durable and long-lasting to customer touch

Do you have multiple products in a range that could use clearer calls to action? Maybe your range suits different people and customers would benefit from clear personality or need matching?

4. Number four is the seasonal Vichy Idealia FSDU

The design of this product is intricate and effective, clearly designed to draw the eye to the full product range. This unit can hold product literature as well as a standardised number of products for simple replenishment.

We love it because:

• The design uses the Vichy 'V' branding to draw the eye down the full product range.
• The design is strong and safe to knocks and bumps from crowds of customers.
• The unit is designed to hold a specified number of products, for ease of replenishment.

Do you have a product that could benefit from intelligent branding and design? Maybe your packaging could be used to create an eye-catching call to action?

3. Great Gatsby Panuflex

This is a design we created internally to celebrate the release of Great Gatsby. The concave design 
of the patented Panuflex allows the image to be seen fully from all angles. Delivered flat packed and with lock-in assembly requiring no tools or kit, this really is convenient POS.

We love it because:

• It can be assembles within seconds
• Due to the design, two products or campaigns can be displayed on one unit – giving added value.
• Messaging is not lost from any angle due to the concave design.

Could your campaign benefit from a cost effective design, which showcases your product or message from any angle? Do you have a bi-product campaign and would like to halve the 

cost of POS? Perhaps you are looking for a unit that can easily be enhanced with 3D lug ons? Well Panuflex is your solution!

2. At number two we have the Maybelline FSDU

This design was intricate and ergonomic, allowing for a display that fits your products exactly. The highly skilled Clockworx and CAD (Computer Aided Design) teams ensured that the unit was easy to replenish and durable to wear and tear. Products were displayed attractively and by colour for ease of purchase.

We love it because:

• It is designed to fit the product exactly
• It is simple to replenish and allows fast purchase decisions
• CAD design can be used to shape the unit into theme, branding or an eye-catching and unusual design.

Could your products benefit from bespoke display, which clearly and attractively brings the range to attention? Is replenishment of POS an issue for your products? We have a team dedicated to creating POS that fits your theme, budget and most importantly products.

The Olay one-second FSDU comes in at number one.

This patented product is durable, strong and incredibly convenient. Delivered to store as a flat pack, this fold-up FSDU saves on wasted time spent constructing complicated units. The unit can easily be adapted to fit your product and design, giving you an ideal POS display.

We love it because: 

• The unit is simple and hassle free to construct in situ.
• The unit design is flexible to fit your exact needs.
• The unit is inter-lockable, transportable and has no raw edges.

Does you POS take far too long to construct? Are the units often damaged due to unclear assembly instructions? Perhaps our one-second FSDU is that answer to saving you time and money? Check out our demonstration as http://youtu.be/OqzgYlQLl-s.

Maria Parker - Harris

Group Marketing Co-ordinator

The SPS Group

www.thespsgroup.co.uk

#thespsgroup #POS #retailmarketing #marketing 

Cross Media 2013 - A review

Cross Media 2013, held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, was focused on advancements in Marketing, Digital and Print. The exhibition was light and full of space, never feeling too crowded despite the high volume of visitors. Seminars covered all manner of topics including metrics, segmentation, digital, social media and print innovation. I was particularly impressed with Gareth Davies – Head of Digital for Waggener Edstrom. Gareth tackled personalisation of content for your target audience with great humour. A likening digital media to the world of dating and relationships, creating a memorable and relevant seminar.

The show featured cutting edge Augmented Reality in action. My personal favourite was the caricature feature from Documobi Ltd. I was drawn by a charming caricature artist, filmed and photographed. This data was then applied to the app, where I could scan my caricature and access the digital content associated, with instant social media links. The pictures were a really light hearted but memorable way of demystifying the concept of AR. Another highlight was the Interactive Portrait from Specialmoves. The feeling of being followed by an inanimate object was disturbing but really effective. AR was the underlying theme of Cross Media and is key to the success of future campaigns. Linking print and digital for a truly integrated campaign, AR gives the target audience immediate links to additional content, purchase opportunities and social media calls to action.

I think it was clear to say that the kings of VR were Inition who demonstrated their Virtual Reality Skydive and Vertigo Experiences. This was the most popular stand at the show and was never without a queue. VR is the next big trend for experiential marketing says Inition. My favourite seminar of the day was the House of Print vs. The House of Digital debate. The speakers were passionate and knowledgeable, issuing their point of view with true force. The House of Print won with a vast majority audience vote. This debate truly represented the feeling with in our industry and the conclusion was that if print combines closely with digital, creating a holistically integrated campaign then this is far more effective than adopting either as a solo strategy. AR, VR and social media are easy to use and the potential to start conversation, encourage brand engagement and maximise ROI is demonstrably clear.

Top tips from Cross Media 2013 are;

1. Treat social media like a relationship. Long term relationships need targeted and effort and attention to grow.

2. Augmented reality is key to the integration of print and digital. With a little understanding and engaging content from AR links, audience interaction can be maximised.

3. Experiential marketing engages with the senses of your target audience to create an emotional response to your brand. Using consumer behaviour psychology, you can really create memorable brand engagement that your audience will share to their wider environment.

4.  Integrate print and new digital techniques such as AR to create a holistic experience for the audience. Clear calls to action can ensure your campaign achieves the desired results. 

 
5.  Finally make sure that you sense check all experience or emotional campaigns. Music and video can often evoke stronger emotional responses that still images. Ensure that your campaign creates the behaviour or feeling that you desire by testing to destruction before release.

Cross Media 2013 was a slick and well organised exhibition, with engaging seminars and a wide range of stands. The highlight for me was the special features, which clearly demonstrated the new trends and developments for 2014. I would have preferred all of the seminars to be informative, as two were distinctly aimed as a sales pitch, which was a shame, but the majority were excellent.

By Maria Parker - Harris

 Group Marketing Co-ordinator

The SPS Group

www.thespsgroup.co.uk

Cross Media - http://www.crossmedialive.com/

#print #digitalmarketing #crossmedia #augmentedreality #virtualreality #experiencialmarketing