Unlike Gordon Brown, who seems to be taking over this ezine (see below), I have never been a fan of Coldplay. I find their music is not to my taste. However, I applaud their action in buying a £3,000 piano for a Gloucestershire primary school that lost its musical instruments during last year’s floods. Head teacher Bob Forster said: “It is fantastic. I was impressed they cared enough to want to help. Music is important to St David’s and gives huge pleasure to people inside and out of the school.” Well said. And well done Chris Martin and chums. Here’s a MediaMaster trophy. Now, could you turn up the backbeat a bit?

Gordon Brown returns for a second week to out MediaMug slot. This time, he gets the award himself. He has launched (or rather his PR advisors have launched) a YouTube site called “Ask the PM”. It’s not bad, just dull. The idea is that people will sit in front of their webcams around the UK, and set up a kind of virtual Question Time. Worst of all is the list of conditions you have to fulfil in order to ask a question. Open government? Well maybe not. A MediMug award is on its way to Number 10.

By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk

DELIVER IT, CHANGE IT, DELIVER IT

Some speakers, and they are few in number, deliver the same speech for many years, and simply “change the audience”. That’s fine, and if it works for you, skip on to the media tip. Still here? Thought so. Most of us, including me, have to keep our speeches fresh by changing them from time to time. How often? It depends. If you are a futurist, or talk about new technology, you will have to change your script every few months. If your topic is more enduring, then you may be able to use the same speech for a couple of years. Give serious thought to the stories you are telling. Some speakers never update their stories, and as a result, are speaking about events, companies or people that many members of their audience have never heard of. You should be constantly looking for new stories to make your key points. Don’t change them all at once, but include a new story from time to time, and see how it fits in and helps your speech develop. Lastly, don’t feel that you have to change everything. Here’s a rule; keep the good stuff and replace the rest.

 By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk

SO IT’S GOODNIGHT FROM ME No, not really. That’s just an example of a dreadful closing line from a speech. You need to leave your audience with a memorable sound bite that sums up your main point, and ideally calls on them to do something. It’s what marketers term the “call to action” that underpins every successful advert. Alas, many speakers simply tail off, thank the audience for being there, and wander off stage with a sheepish grin and a little wave. But not you. Your speech will build to a crescendo, reminding people of the most important thing you have told them, and giving them the impetus to change. And when, as will normally happen, you receive warm applause, maybe even a standing ovation, bask in it. You deserve it, and you must pay your audience the respect of proper acknowledgement. One more thing. Don’t forget the “double close”. If you finish your speech with powerful words, and then go into a Q&A session, remember to have another powerful finish (probably the same one, prefaced by “…as I told you a few minutes ago”), before you finally leave the stage. Take a bow. Good job. By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk

Anthony Hubbocks is the MediaMaster of the week – for a remarkable SMS message He sent a flirty text to a wrong number – and ended up engaged. Michelle Morris mistakenly thought his message was from a male friend of her own and fired off a cheeky reply, reported the Daily Mirror. Despite the fact that he lived on Tyneside, Tony has moved down to Wales to be with his fiancee. Hang on, my phone is beeping… Radio Teesside’s Andy Greener wins the MediaMug trophy this week, and well deserved it is too. He chatted away for an hour – without realising he had forgotten to press the broadcast button. He was effectively talking to himself while the station broadcast a back-up tape of music and jingles. Meanwhile, station boss Peter Dixon, listening at home, was trying desperately to alert the presenter on the phone. When Mr Dixon finally got through poor Andy realised the on-air light in the studio was not on. He later told reporters “I thought the show would be going down well. The studio phone kept ringing, but I was too busy talking to answer. I now know that the calls were from people pointing out my blunder.” Luckily, he has kept his job – as an unpaid volunteer DJ.

By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk

Presentation Tip of the Week

One of the great sports commentators, Sir Peter O’Sullevan, turned 90 this week. “The voice of horse racing” spent 50 years behind the microphone until he retired in 1997. He is first past the post, and wins the MediaMaster award by twenty lengths. Becoming the commentator who embodies a sport is a rare honour. My list would include John Arlott (Cricket), Dan Maskell (Tennis) and Harry Carpenter (Boxing). The latter of course, allows me to quote one of my favourite sporting links, by the wonderful David Coleman, who said on Grandstand one day “..and now over to Wembley Arena, where Harry Commentator is your carpenter”. To the CeBit technology fair, in Hamburg, Germany for our MediaMug this week. Vodaphone were demonstrating a new piece of natty software for mobile phones. You can take a picture of someone, and the Vodaphone image database will tell you who it is. That’s the idea, anyway. They invited German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, (probably the best-known woman in Germany) to the demonstration. Don’t get ahead of me here… OK, you guessed. The software had no idea who she was. Red faces all round at Vodaphone. At least it didn’t identify her as Helmut Kohl.

Presentation Tip of the Week

David Crystal, a linguistics expert at Bangor University, is this week’s MediaMaster. He’s been studying the new language used by prolific texters. For example, “book” means “cool” – because book is the word that first comes up when you type cool into your phone using predictive text. If a text says someone is in the “sub”, it means they are down the “pub”. When they get a “pint” in, it becomes a “shot” and the “barmaid” is a “carnage”. And if they are really lucky, after a few “shots” they may get to “lips” (kiss) the “carnage”. Oh dear – I’m losing the will to live. Fortunately, Mr Crystal says “There’s little chance many of these words will be incorporated into our language. They’ll likely fall by the wayside.” Fine by me (Dime ax of). The MediaMug Trophy goes to Italy this week (via the Dominican Republic). Martino Garibaldi, a 45-year-old shop owner, disappeared with £37,000 from a family bank account when he left Montecalvo with his mistress. Despite employing detectives to track him down his wife had found no trace of him. Then, a friend watching the popular movie “Natale in Crociera” (Christmas on a Cruise) saw Garibaldi and his mistress in the background of a scene. The movie was shot in the Dominican Republic and his wife has now traced him and launched legal proceedings demanding return of the money. I bet he didn’t even get a fee as an extra.

How to invest in your brand

Kim Stoddart from Blue Rocket Group looks at the process of brand building through marketing and PR.

Commercial success or failure can rest on the way a brand is perceived. Investing in your brand will increase the bottom line and give your company greater longevity.  Marketing and PR agencies will work on your behalf to raise your company’s profile, helping you to communicate with your target audience and improve your reputation. But it is important to understand the basic principles of branding if you are to get the most out of an investment in this area.  

How can press coverage build your brand?

If your company is not a well-known brand it can be difficult to persuade people to use your company. After all, why would anyone want to use your services when there are established brands that they can use instead? If you are a small business trying to compete with bigger companies, you need to make people believe in what you do by building your brand.   This is just one area that a PR company can help with. The public takes its lead from the media. They respect the journalists and publications that provide them with information. The fact that a journalist has chosen to write about your company, markets you in a way that is more effective than advertising. 

How to choose the right company  

Choose people you trust and think you can work with. Although they’re not based in your office it’s still vital you work well together. As more journalists become interested, you may eventually need to work with your PR contact on a daily basis.  Go for a straight-talking company. PR and marketing companies that use excessive jargon tend to be stuck in the past and less effective.  A company with a proactive approach will get more results. In the past PR focused on sending out press releases with company news. This doesn’t work any more. You need to be more creative. Companies need to come up with loads of different ideas to offer journalists. They also need to be selective in who they target. This generates more coverage because journalists appreciate useful information and ideas rather than being sent annoyingly irrelevant press releases. It can help if the company has experience of your sector, but it’s not essential as the skills involved are the same regardless of the industry. It’s more important to find a proactive, creative company than one with experience in your field. Try asking around to get a recommendation to find an agency that gets real results.  

Allocate responsibility

To get the best out of brand-building professionals you need to define your objectives. How do you want your company to move forward? Get them to understand your objectives and explain all the other business development work you’re doing. Then they can devise a PR and marketing strategy that helps you achieve your goals. If you don’t have someone in-house who deals with marketing, someone within your company needs to take responsibility for working with the contractors. They will be the main point of contact and need to be available to answer questions and make sure the press and the public get the right message about your brand. It is helpful if this person has a level of understanding about marketing or how the press works.  

How much does brand-building cost?

PR and marketing companies can have a reputation for being expensive. But you can keep costs down by shopping around. Some are much more competitive and others offer special rates for smaller companies. However, it is always important to watch out for hidden charges. While many companies operate transparent charges, there are some who charge for hidden extras like postage, meetings or even telephone calls.  Offset the cost of marketing and PR against the amount of money they generate in new business. A good campaign will pay for itself many times over.

How does charging work?

In general PR companies work on a retainer basis. You buy a certain amount of time, such as six days a month for four months. Most companies will produce regular activity reports and updates so that you can see clearly how the time has been spent.

Marketing companies usually put together a quote for specific materials such as a website or brochure. They will also quote you a price for market research projects.    

How much is PR worth?

Weighing up the value of press coverage is difficult. A feature in a national newspaper may get you 15 new clients, so it can be seen as being worth that amount in new business. But what about all the other people who read the article and are now more likely to become a customer in the future? Also how do you put a value on the way coverage makes your name more recognisable?  One way to gauge the value of press coverage is to compare it to the cost of advertising. For example a full-page advert in The Sunday Times costs in the region of £56,000. But, this is not a fair comparison as press coverage is more effective. Anyone can advertise if they have the budget, but for press coverage about your company to appear, a journalist has had to decide that your business is worth writing about – it shows the journalist respects your company.  Also press coverage tends to reach a larger audience than advertising. People read articles, but often flick through adverts, so more people will read an article in The Sunday Times than an advert.  

Can PR increase direct sales?

It’s well known that effective advertising can have an immediate effect on sales. Last November, Sainsbury’s most successful Jamie Oliver television adverts caused some stores to sell out of the products featured within hours. Can PR have the same impact? News stories can influence people’s behaviour. A press recommendation is the next best thing to a word-of-mouth recommendation. The public respect the opinions of their favourite paper or magazine and a positive article about a product or service will inevitably create direct sales as readers are influenced by the review.                    

Stay committed

Brand management requires a long-term commitment. It involves regular evaluations including surveying customers and employees for feedback. The odd mention in the press is useful and can create direct sales, but to grow a brand successfully you need to build on this momentum with regular high profile coverage in publications your target audience read. 

Kim Stoddart is managing director of media relations company, Blue Rocket Group. To find out more, visit www.bluerocketgroup.com alternatively contact info@bluerocketgroup.com or call 01273 779 196