With so many products vying for our attention advertising creatives have got their work cut out.
The images shown here show that original ideas can still stand out in a highly competitive market.
Thanks to Vince Holt of 11 out of 10 for sending the images.
Unlike some professional services, PR and indeed marketing are not regulated. We do not need to pass exams or have membership of a professional body to be PRs or marketers.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing had a wish that all marketers would need the CIM Diploma. I have only been asked, as far as I can remember, about whether I had it once. It never hurt me passing the exam. It was worth it for the knowledge, but career wise it was a “nice” extra for an employer, nothing more.
PR is increasingly popular amongst graduates and journalists switching professions.
I was talking to an accountant recently and he told me the exams he did were hard and no more than about 55% passed. And that is 55% of very bright people that take it - with degrees and professional experience. The idea is to keep the industry exclusive and well-paid irrespective of how many people are capable of being accountants, whether that is right or wrong.
I am not claiming me and a select few have the right to do what we do and no one else has. I do not have a PR qualification and I would only want to study a PR course that had real value and not for the benefit of saying I have it. All mine are marketing focussed qualifications. And anyway it would probably be unworkable, as the CIM found out, to put in place barriers to entry into marketing and this would apply to PR for the IPR.
I have not conducted a study nor do I have hard evidence, but as more PR graduates are produced and journalists look favourably on switching surely it will become an issue, even though PRs switch careers as well.
There must be a threshold to how many marketers and PRs the world needs. I do not know the breaking point on our marketing/PR eco system but it must be there somewhere.
Of course the other argument, especially if a recession bites, is only the fittest will survive.
I was listening to xfm this morning and the presenter was reading out the latest sightings of Sabi Rock.
First Quay Street and then Trinity Way in Salford. I do not know if this is a regular occurrence, but if you can get yourself talked about on radio by simply walking round with a sign you are on to something.
I mentioned this to Jon Raduch of the Graphics Dept and he told me the man had been in his design agency.
What’s he like and is his music any good?
Jon compared him to Jack Johnson, not a good start. It is actually hard to tell from the website because the music sounds as though it has been recorded at home.
He explained Sabi Rock has a website. He has a selection of tunes but only b-sides on it. You cannot buy from him online! What a waste of effort: a marketing tactic that costs nothing except time and has raised his profile more than any other unsigned musician or band in the city and you cannot exploit all that exercise.
Why huff and puff with coming up with new ideas when you can do it with your feet?
Simon I have an idea….
(For a selection of images of Sabi Rock go to Flickr). I have tried to find copyright on this image. I am not sure if there is one or if anyone cares, but if there is please let me know and will accredit or take down).
The issue of stock photography was recently touched upon during the Greater Manchester Transport congestion “incident.”
It created a little bit of a storm as it purported to be showing locals but actually showed US models although it is not entirely clear.
It might be wrong, but is this such a shock? During my lunch break I saw at least 2 adverts that could have used stock models and “illustrative” cases and I have not heard, as these are long running commercials, any protests.
One was “I was working in the storeroom (in heels) and tripped and so had a right to claim the compensation” that she naturally”deserved.”"
This is a serious problem as the more people claim, whether right or wrong, the more premiums go up.
The difference could be we expect some adverts to be all front. But we expect Greater Manchester Transport to have higher standards, or it is a chink in their argument and it was exploited by opposition to the charge.
What is not in doubt for me is that companies that use stock images for their communications lose out.
The number of sites that do not show the directors and staff but deliriously people shaking hands or glowing with unabated glee at their computer screens communicates that the Internet site or mailer is not really reflective of the company. This in turn brings in questions about the copy.
This is not a fair comment in some ways as many companies communicate honestly. However, with all the competition to be heard and to be kept being heard transparency and tangible references are key.
Note to previous entries. Creative Concern the design agency at the centre of the congestion row has stated that SKV was not responsible for the “case studies.”
Gordon Ramsey! Who would have thought it?
Yes, even straight talking Gordon has been caught telling fibs.
In his latest F Word it shows him being manly, practical and a general Ray Mears catching fish.
But it wasn’t true. Yes, he fished. No, he caught nothing.
Luckily a local fisherman had some back-up sea bass - a valuable bit of thinking. The programme showed him wading in from the shore with his catch for a barbecue.
When the story broke Channel 4 apologised for misrepresentation.
Who really cares except a tabloid? Surely there is some room for journalistic license?
When Brazen PR were found out to have used staff and friends to pose a boyfriend and girlfriend there was a minor outcry. The story being that she liked chocolate so much that he filled up a bathtub with it. Except that the couple images were not the couple the story was based on.
There was a storm in a little teacup. It was a publicity stunt about chocolate.
Yes, some people were aggravated by Brazen being “economical with the actualite.” Some said it was par for the course. Why get upset? Personally I thought it was a waste of good chocolate - eat the stuff.
Last week it was the case of SKV and the fabled typical Mancs, who were as it transpired 4 US models, replete great dental work and an expression that looked as though they had an hour of being tickled and had thoroughly enjoyed it prior to being photographed.
The case studies were made-up and this was apparently not clear to residents.
This was something different - a serious issue - congestion charging - and its affect on travel for personal and business use. It rightly caused some anger. Not least because of the clumsy way the reaction was handled when people thought they had been patronisingly hoodwinked.
There has to be a line PRs must not cross. Of course there is a legal line as a restraint. A PR cannot claim a drug will cure a certain ailment if they know it does not.
For the good of journalistic PR relations and the image of the industry PRs must be careful how they present information.
Self-regulation rarely works, especially as there is no obligation to join the Institute of Public Relations to practise. These incidents will go on , the advice must be play straight on stories involving key issues otherwise there could be consequences.
As a user of Pandora I have been receiving news that high increases in royalties to record companies threatens the Internet radio market.
Pandora is an innovative free website that allows you to customise your listening and select tracks to sample. It works by listeners downloading tracks they enjoy although there is no obligation to do so. I have bought albums based on being first attracted to them on Pandora.
Unfortunately any help can only be supplied by US readers but here is the plea:
Hi, it’s Tim one more time…
Disaster looms! Yesterday a federal court denied a plea to delay the massive increase in rates webcasters must pay the record labels. This means that, absent immediate Congressional action, the new ruinous royalty rates will be going into effect on Monday threatening the future of all internet radio.
This is a very dire situation and I’m writing to ask one more time for your support. The effort you’ve made over the past four months has been extraordinary and has forced the rapid introduction of the bill, but the committee process has been sluggish and we need to once again remind the representatives of the urgency of this issue. This is perhaps the most important phone call you can make for us.
Please call your Congressional representatives in the Senate and ask them to force immediate action on the Internet Radio Equality Act and bring the bill to a vote. It is critical that their phones begin ringing off the hook starting early in the morning. If it’s busy, please try again later. Congressperson Scott Garrett: (202)225-4465 Senator Frank R. Lautenberg: (202) 224-3224
Senator Robert Menendez: (202) 224-4744
I’m sorry that we have to keep asking you for this - but it’s our only recourse. We are no match for the legal and legislative strength of the RIAA and we need your help.
Thank you again.
Gratefully,
-Tim Westergren
(Pandora founder)
Despite string assurances by the army some locals are not convinced.
It has emerged that the creatures are honey badgers and have been forced south by floods in the marshes.
They are harmless unless cornered and are indigenous to the region. They are not in the pay of the British although they started to appear near the army base.
This PR crisis should blow over as long as Greater Manchester Transport do not get involved.
How exciting can PR get when you can reference those days of Tricky Dicky, Woodward and Bernstein and it involves GMPTA?
Well I want to look at the reaction. I would like to state I have nothing personally or professionally against GMPTA, SKV or anyone else mentioned here although I am sure that I would not like the Busy Bee Bus.
Let’s start with GMPTA. What was their crisis PR strategy regarding not playing fair on their communications?
The latest news story on their website is “Buzz around Bury on a Busy Bee Bus! Strong messaging there with the exclamation mark, so do as they say if in Bury! As for the impending crisis nothing, that is just playing it cool.
Roger Jones chairman of the GMPTA, said it had been put together “very quickly” to make sure everyone had a chance to learn the facts about a congestion charge.
“With more time, maybe it would have been better to interview proper families, but I don’t mind if they are actors and actresses (pictured) as long as the information is correct. (So why not say they are not real people, but it gives an idea of a typical resident and how it applies to them)?
“I was one of the first to say a leaflet should go out to every house in Greater Manchester and I am really proud of what we have done.” Apologise and show some humility.
If he was a weatherman I suspect he would be in trunks and an ice cream reporting from the local sewage works saying the weather was fine when it was pouring and expect everyone to come out and build sand castles.
Blogger David Ottewell of the MEN thinks it has done nobody any favours and will not alter the congestion charge debate. David gives SKV the benefit of the doubt and is quite generous in saying that SKV had to balance the egos and agendas of councillors, GMPTA and others as mitigating circumstances. Don’t really buy into the last bit although I imagine it is a pain for the account manager.
He does rightly recognise that the blogger that revealed the American models posing as locals needs credit: Thomas McEldowney, a part-time photographer.
Manchester Evening News was factual in its reporting and not emotive.
The comments often are and show a wide range of opinion. However, cynicism about PR was reinforced. As Gavbad (I take it that this is not his real name) says: “PR companies and their methods DON’T make for a healthy and democratic public sphere. “
One thing is that people are not taken in by glossy leaflets and are more sophisticated than some politicians and marketers imagine. Commentator PW: ” The pictures in the leaflet did make me want to bring back my breakfast.”
Channel M did a spoof and as many ask, “how hard can it be to find a real person in Rochdale called Terry?” Well quite hard, it took 2 hours.
In conclusion, PR did not come out well and it reflects on all of us, which is not fair.
SKV will get over this even though they will have a little flack and I suspect they will not do this again.
GMPTA looks foolish, people will trust them less and we will still probably get the congestion charge. Whatever the rights of the charge it will be harder to communicate this from now on and so they will try to steam roller it in anyway. Opposition to the charge will get stronger and can use the “we cannot trust you” card at any time.
It all makes for a huge PR challenge; they are fortunate to have a PR agency in place.
SKV has used 4 “case studies” of Manchester residents supporting the charge. However, all 4 viewpoints are manufactured and the images are those of US models.
The £500,000 pro congestion charges campaign, organised jointly with Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and sister Authority body, has used a number of methods to get over the benefits of a charge and swing public opinion its way.
A tall order for any agency, if news of this debacle becomes more widespread then the campaign for congestion charges will backfire completely.
SKV’s website begins: “Reputation is hard to win. You can’t build a business or organisation without it. It is an asset to any business or organisation and must be protected and nurtured.“
Watch out for a lot of reaction on the How Do website over the course of the next couple of days.
I missed Monday’s meet as I had caught a little bit of a cold. Grapes, or the monetary value there of, welcome.
So I have been trawling through the reviews of those that attended to find out what was discussed.
The meeting comprised a wide range of bloggers including a PR Stephen Newton to a BBC broadcast journalist Robin Hamman to a professional blogger to an online search marketing agency PushON that persuaded me to blog to a Russian intellectual. (Links usually go to the attendees take on the evening).
The event was also covered by the BBC Manchester Blog owing to the presence of Robin Hamman and Richard Fair.
Below Rising Star of PushON Jamie Clouting is shameless in promoting his employer.
