This is quite a clever piece of marketing: a campaign to banish cliches from B2B marketing.

IAS, a marketing agency, has set-up a site called 101 cliches that invites readers to submit the worst offenders and vote on those already up.  Connected up through social media channels this could be quite a hit as it asks for participation and is fun.

It is heartfelt for me as I cannot stand stock photography – are so many work forces repulsive enough to buy dull bland images rather than expose them to the public? – I really think it is insulting and poor marketing as you want to see who you are going to be working with: we can all spot stock photography.  I have commented on this before on this site.

(The image is number two of worst offenders at present).

Anyway have fun and thanks to Dr Dave Chaffey – who won’t remember me contacting him in 2000 when he was a marketing lecturer and I worked at Congress, a sales and marketing agency for US Internet businesses looking to get into European markets; I can’t think what my question was about exactly or even inexactly, but Dave was helpful.  Thanks for the tweet.

Graham has been the marketing director for Matchbox Toys (which probably influenced my kindergarten career), and managing director of Dunlop Footwear and Remploy Textiles.

Today Graham uses his vast marketing and management experience to stimulate substantial growth in promising enterprises; his knowledge is also utilised to give business owners exit strategies – selling their businesses with good effect financially.

I started off by asking Graham about the building blocks that get you value, which are essential to growing businesses (especially in relation to marketing).

“Strategic marketing is all important.  But it’s not about creating a brochure or marketing material.  That’s tactical and not really where the battle to grow is won or lost.

The key is segmentation and positioning.

Let me talk about segmentation first.  The market is not homogeneous and to ensure resources and competencies are well targeted it needs to be broken down.

This all seems straightforward, but so many businesses just don’t understand buying behaviour or the routes to market.  It takes time, energy, objectiveness, willingness to embrace change and this is often underpinned by market research.

Yet, all too many businesses are too busy fire fighting or working in cruise control to address these issues.  In a recession you are even more likely to get found wanting, let alone not make the most of your product or service.

Positioning follows on: analysing and choosing the segments you can compete on in relation to quality offered, competition and margin.  Still too many businesses try to be everything to all and end up being of little note to anyone.”

And how does PR fit in to segmentation, positioning and the recession?

“PR can be a very targeted tool that can build up the appropriate reputation in the segment you want to be in.  Social media tools are also fine tools to support any PR campaign.  So PR is not an add on or nice to have, but central to engaging a strategic marketing plan.

Moreover PR can enable a smaller business to compete with bigger players or dominate a niche.”

Are there any sectors where PR agencies should target?

“Any industry that offers longer-term employment prospects is worth developing knowledge and contacts.

I think advanced technology and in particular bio-medical, chemical and environmental will be of crucial importance to the economy, especially in the North West.

I would also say hotel, leisure and tourism although that might surprise some in the current climate.”

Graham can be contacted through his website www.exceptionalbusinessresults.com and is also a coach for the North West’s High Growth Programme

The recent catapulting of Nicola Fisher to stardom and a  rumoured £50,000 fee for selling her “story”after being hit by a policeman at the G20 protests raises some interesting PR angles – ones that have been covered in other stories before but are worth looking at again.

I am not going to comment on the right to protest, whether it was excessive force or Nicola Fisher’s decidedly poor contribution to society (on benefits and never worked at 35 years of age; sorry I did for an instance).

The interesting things from a PR point of view is how the media can magnify certain stories – it is not a level all encompassing balanced view of our world, if you were in any doubt and Max Clifford’s involvement:

Perception moulded in the media

The issue of the right to protest in safety, police reactions to provocation and the myriad of causes represented by G20 protesters were discussed and rightly in the media during and after the G20 protests.

But I have just been reading about Police Officer Gary Toms on the Inspector Gadget blog.  Never heard of him?  Gary died tackling a robbery and barely made the media a week ago.  The author points out the distorted focus of our coverage (link above).

Yes the G20 makes headlines and there was video of the incidence to illustrate the story and there were the issues mentioned above, but so little interest in a policeman dying in the course of duty?

You have to accept the media is simply a lens to look at the world and not always “the true picture,” perhaps never a true picture depending on your point of view.

Max Clifford

On YouTube and on a number of blogs there has been a decidedly hostile view of Max Clifford’s participation.

Whether the cynicism he is accused of is of any interest to him or really damages him is doubtful.  The next person with a hit and tell or shenanigans at the FA will probably not be turned down by Max.

But I can’t help thinking that many people confuse his “ethics” and operating style as synonymous with PR professionals.  Of course they are not but it is once again for all of us to redress that record.

Ed Balls, former economic advisor to Gordon Brown and current secretary of state for children, schools and families, came out with a frankly staggering statement reported today by the BBC.

Addressing a Labour audience he said the financial crisis will be “more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s.”

Balls didn’t mince words,  “The reality is that this is becoming the most serious global recession for, I’m sure, over 100 years as it will turn out.”

What was he thinking?

Where communications is all important in politics how could he be so irresponsible?  It is not really the most reassuring messaging.  Well it is not messaging, it is just blunt.  Downing Street attempted to play down the comments.

Speaking after Gordon Brown used the word “depression” during prime minister’s questions (later explained away as a slip of the tongue) you would think all government ministers would be watching their words carefully.  The Labour communications team would be ensuring a clear, honest but confidence building message, well as much as is possible.

Now we have a situation where there has been a big balls up, which will make brown the colour of the week.

I get a little sick of businesses claiming that they are “ethical” as their selling point.

It seems to me to imply that all their other competitors are less than upfront and decent or not quite up to their Sir Bob standard.

And more dangerous for them, they have to scrupulously and comprehensively establish and maintain standards that meet their self-imposed Persil white credentials.

One company that seems to have failed the test is the self styled “ethical” fish restaurant chain Loch Fyne.  Allegedly it does not even pay the minimum wage, but makes up for the shortfall through tips.

It is actually legal but ethical, many would say not.

Such corporate self congratulation starts to work against it:

“(Loch Fyne) is an enterprise with respect for animals, people and ecology”.

“In everything we do, be it building a new restaurant, hiring staff or cooking the food we take huge pride in doing it to the best standard possible.”

If you are ethical describe your actions.  If you act ethically you do not need to say it, it  is there to see.

Let’s get “back to basics,” if you say you are morally and professionally superior you had better prove it or be prepared to head for a fall.

Anyway using the term “ethical” strikes me as a bit jaded  if nothing else.

Maybe I am being a bit too harsh.

I was traveling past the Manchester University student Union building and happened to see the mess of campaign banners for the student elections.  What struck me is for all their garish “look at me quality” they said nothing.

Well literally not nothing, they did not say anything that would give me a reason to vote.

One said “Rob Pinfold Mr Incredible” and another said “vote for Vicky its not tricky.”  One sounds like a night club Lothario and the other a silly schoolgirl.

I am sure this is the level I was at when I was at secondary school and I might be generous in that small appraisal.

Where is the messaging?  What do you stand for?  What commands me to spend my time voting for you and not in the pub?

I am not saying that I want them to be at David Ogilvy’s level, but you wonder when it so pathetic….