Preparing For A PR Campaign – #1 Set Clear Goals

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Breakthrough creative ideas, solid journalist contacts, storytelling craft, strong press release writing skills are all things that go towards preparing for a PR campaign and making it great. However, to achieve the best results for a PR campaign, we need to go right back to the start.

The brief. And more specifically, the goals.

First Steps… Preparing For A PR Campaign

Setting Clear Goals Is Key!

If the brief for a PR campaign is too vague then it will fail before it’s even started. With no clear goals and objectives to aim for, how can success be measured? How can a client and a PR practitioner know they have been on the same page in their aims to succeed?

Communication Is Important

Both sides need to spend time communicating and questioning at the very beginning of a relationship to gain the facts and test mutual understanding of what any PR activity is trying to achieve. This is essential before embarking any further on working together.

Understanding Your PR Aims

It’s also crucial that the person requesting the PR understands what it can achieve and how it fits into the wider marketing mix and sales funnel. PR is not going to drive direct sales, although many people believe that’s what they’re going to get by spending money on it.

That belief will only get you disappointment, I’m afraid.

Defining SMART Goals

So, if you’re the PR deliverer or PR requester it’s vital that you both sit down and define what the goals are for the activity and how that’s going to be measured. If the goal is ‘to appear in Time magazine’ when you’re an SME based in a small village in Lancashire then, sorry to break it to you, but that’s not very realistic. Nothing is impossible (depending on budget and how creative you are willing to get!) but it’s not very likely.

Better goals are ones such as ‘to increase the visibility of our brand in relevant trade media’ or ‘raise the profile of our MD as an expert in X subject matter’. Any decent PR person will be able to come up with a relevant campaign to achieve either of those two.

However, to get the best out of your PR campaign, the goals need to be SMART ones and need to be made collaboratively with the PR team so they both meet your objectives and are achievable with any activity proposed.

Once you’ve set the goals with your PR team, then to achieve them you need to trust their advice on what is going to give you the best chance at hitting them. They are the experts you are employing to do the job so let them do what they are good at and ensure you have regular reviews on what progress they are making.

Tips For Developing A Career In PR

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A career in PR can be extremely rewarding and it sounds incredibly cliché, but every day is different, truly! Unfortunately, it can be said that PR has a PR problem. It’s not currently taught in the school curriculum, and whilst there are university courses out there, they aren’t as abundant as the likes of business management and classic marketing. In a bid to tell you more about what working in PR is like, and how you can enter this industry, we’ve put together our top tips for developing a career in PR below.

We are also hiring, so if you have experience in communications, social media, marketing or similar, then we’d love to hear from you. Please do drop our friendly team a message, or, read on!

What Does A Career In PR Involve?

‘Public relations’ is the maintaining and growing a brand’s reputation. This can be anything from handling crisis communications when things go wrong, to the more positive and exciting task of getting a business’s name ‘out there’. Day to day, working in PR can include writing and issuing press releases, running CSR (corporate social responsibility) campaigns, managing social media accounts, creating website content, and so much more! At Source PR, we always say we act as an extension to our client’s marketing and sales teams, supporting them at every step. This is great as it means for us, no day is the same, and for our clients, it means they get a passionate team of professionals working on their account.

4 Tips For Developing A Career In PR

Does PR sound as though it may be for you? Great! The good thing about this industry is that it can be home to all types of people with different skill sets. PR needs its mix of introverts and extroverts, as well as people with different capabilities whether writing, creative thinkers, planners or simply confident communicators. You may already have some experience in PR, or you may have none at all. Either way, here’s our advice for you.

  1. Go and seek experience

PR is a real ‘hands on’ job, so when developing a career in PR we’d always recommend getting some industry experience under your belt, whether that’s through a placement year or doing some internships (you don’t have to be a student do to them!). Entry-level PRs sometimes find they are pipped to the post by applicants who have a little more experience than them, you can help combat that by bolstering your CV with time spent at agencies and businesses. Most PR agencies will gratefully take on interns and individuals for work experience, so the best thing to do is ask!

  1. Be proactive with your learning

When working in an industry as versatile as PR, things can change quickly. So, we always encourage our own team to be proactive in the steps they take to keep their knowledge up to date. There’s a wealth of industry conferences, training days and resources out there for you to dip your toe in. If you’re looking to get ahead in your career, we couldn’t recommend this enough. Plus, you never know who you’ll meet at events, they’re great for networking!

  1. Get social media savvy

As social media experts ourselves, naturally we see having your own social media presence as important! Though it’s not vital in developing a career in PR, it certainly helps. You can use Twitter and LinkedIn as vessels to share the things you’re doing that are industry-related, and also use those platforms to network too. We love using our own social media channels to share updates on what life is like here at Source PR, as well as broadcasting some great bits of coverage for our clients. You can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as Facebook and Instagram.

  1. Hone the right skills

The most crucial thing to us is passion, so make sure that PR is the industry you want to pursue your career in. Once you have that nailed down, then you can focus on the skills you need to be successful in the sector and develop them. As eloquently written by our PR intern Bridie, there are a number of different ways you can ‘enter’ PR, whether that’s through a traditional PR course at university, a journalism or English one, or no degree at all! We think the attributes most crucial when developing a career in PR are:

  • A creative nature
  • Great writing skills
  • Proactivity and enthusiasm
  • Team player
  • Friendly and personable
  • Willingness to learn
  • Being organised
  • Passion for PR

The PR industry is incredibly supportive and whether you’re just getting started or are looking to make your next move, there are a bounty of resources out there to help you along your way. As we mentioned earlier, we are currently growing our team here at Source PR. We’re a small, hardworking team that has a genuine desire to do the best work for our clients. We care about your development and help each other out every day. If you’d like to find out more, you can check out our job post on LinkedIn, or pop us a message to hello@sourcepr.co.uk.

Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-black-iphone-5-5053835/

Greenwashing In PR: Making Sure Your CSR Messages Are Whiter Than White

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Greenwashing is a hot topic and hit the headlines recently when The Independent revealed that the number of adverts banned for “greenwashing” has tripled in a year.

But what does greenwashing mean? According to the Cambridge dictionary, to greenwash is to make people believe that your company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is.

When it comes to a business’s values, environmental issues are often top of the agenda for many in 2022, but it’s clear that the public are becoming savvy when it comes to CSR (corporate social responsibility) claims with regards to an organisation’s green credentials.

Below, we examine some businesses accused of greenwashing in an attempt to gain positive PR and look at an example of a brilliant business that is genuinely making a difference when it comes to climate change.

Ryanair

Ryanair is known for cheap flights and more recently for establishing one of the most talked about accounts on TikTok. In 2020 the Dublin-headquartered airline made the headlines for all the wrong reasons when announcing itself as Europe’s “lowest emissions airline.” The Advertising Standards Agency promptly banned these adverts as the claim was simply not true. To make this claim, the airline had pulled stats out from 2011 and not included some of the major airlines in their table of C02 emissions, as well as failing to factor in seating density.

Epic fail.

Shell

Oil and gas giant Shell were left red faced and accused of gaslighting in 2020 when the social media team posted a poll asking followers if they were “willing to change to help reduce emissions.”

Under normal circumstances this would be a fair question, however given around 1-2% of global CO2 emissions come from Shell’s activities every year, while it continues to invest billions in oil and gas, this didn’t sit well with many. The queen of environmental campaigning herself, Greta Thunberg, even waded in on this one.

Shell’s poll and replies can be found here.

Backlash: Greta tweeted about Shell

Pura

Perhaps it’s self-indulgent to mention one of Source PR’s own clients as an example of some good (or great, even if we say so ourselves) positive PR that is centred around an environmentally savvy business. We’re particularly proud of this one so we’re going to shout about it. Pura is a new client for Source PR and one that the team were excited to work on. Founded in 2020 by new parents and husband and wife duo Guy and Abi Fennell, Pura’s aim is to prevent baby wipe and nappy pollution by creating plastic free, biodegradable baby products. When the couple’s new baby Ezra arrived, Guy and Abi were shocked at the number of nappies and baby wipes that their new addition required every day and that ultimately end up in landfill.

After discovering that baby wipes containing plastic often take over 100 years to degrade and nappies up to 500 years, the pair have been on a mission to create positive change.

When Pura teamed up with Source PR, one of the first media announcements was an initiative supported by the Welsh government to resurface 1.4 miles of road with dirty nappies. Pura and nappy recycling experts NappiCycle teamed up in the resurfacing of the road between Cardigan and Aberystwyth.

Unsurprisingly this environmentally-friendly and innovative piece of news received regional and national media coverage from the likes of BBC News, ITV News, The Daily Mail and The Mirror.

BBC Pura coverage

When you’re setting out to publicly talk about a particular cause, such as helping to save the planet, it’s crucial to critically examine claims and statistics in order to make sure you don’t end up creating a PR disaster over a PR coup.

Here at Source, we will make sure that you have nothing going on in your business that will contradict the claims you want to state before we speak out loud about them. This can make the difference between a PR crisis or a PR celebration.  If you think we could help you with your paid, earned, shared and owned media activity, then get in touch.

Are April Fool’s Day Campaigns Still Effective For Brands?

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Written by our PR intern and university student Bridie Buckingham…

We all have iconic April Fool’s Day campaigns that come to mind, whether that’s from years gone by or more recently.

Perhaps it’s Ant & Dec’s fictional rebrand to Dec & Ant? Or the Teletubbies’ dive into cryptocurrency with TubbyCoin? What about Paddington’s shocking revelation last year that actually, he’s not that into marmalade anymore.

For 364 days a year, brands work hard to create content that builds and strengthens trust with their audience. This is the bread and butter of PR, and it isn’t easy!

But on a single day (or even just the morning, if you’re the superstitious type) in April, many brands suspend those trust-building efforts in the name of creating content deliberately meant to fool (or worse, make fools of) their audiences.

Does April Fool’s Day really give brands a reason to break the rules and craft fake content and ‘sell’ faux products?

Should You Pull An April Fool’s Day Campaign With Your Brand?

To sum it up in a sentence: if your brand has never used humour-based content before, don’t do it.

April Fool’s Day pranks can, and do, work for businesses that can make them relevant, but if your brand isn’t prepared to devote significant resources to develop a thoughtful, well-executed campaign, it’s not worth dabbling in. There are plenty of examples to justify that.

As is often the case with other awareness days and national holidays, sometimes brands may attempt to be involved in a particular celebration because it’s trending, but actually have nothing topical to contribute. Some call it woke washing and this can actually do your brand more damage than good. Don’t be a ‘jack of all trades, and a master of none’, get involved when you know you can do it well. Here at Source PR, we’re all about not just posting for posting’s sake, we love relevancy – and that’s what PR in 2022 should be all about.

Is It The Right Time For April Fool’s Day Campaigns?

As Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, we are in a similar to predicament to that of 2020, where we asked whether it was appropriate to execute April Fool’s Day stunts at all, no matter the brand? It’s an interesting question and certainly one there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to. So, our Account Manager Jess asked the PR population of Twitter, here’s what they said…

How To Execute A Branded April Fool’s Stunt (At Your Own Risk!)

However, if you feel like an April Fool’s gag is the perfect stunt for your brand then, our advice would be…

  • The most believable April Fool’s jokes often come in the form of e-commerce landing pages for gag products. This approach is your best bet if your main goal is media mentions or backlinks since it gives journalists a perfect place to send their readers.
  • If your content is fresh, unique, and valuable, media and other sites are more likely to talk about it, so make your stunt trendy.
  • Use the 1st of April as a time to test audience response to products or services that seem outlandish. Maybe a bacon-scented candle may work after all?!
  • Use a separate landing page for your content – don’t mix fact and fiction on the same page. Your consumers won’t thank you for that.
  • Don’t develop a promotion that disrupts your audience’s use of your products or services.
  • Harness the appeal of an immediate reveal, don’t lead your customers on and make sure you’re putting your content out at the right time, especially if using social scheduling content.
  • Make the content relevant and satisfy the audience’s curiosity quickly.
  • Finally, invite your audience inside your humorous content efforts and enlist their help (in the form of hashtags or other interactive features) in spreading the fun on social media.

Hopefully, we’ve supplied you with some food for thought. But always bear in mind that April Fool’s pranks can go very wrong very fast. You can never be assured that your joke will go down well with your entire audience. Think about the risk vs. reward.

We’d love to continue the conversation on social media, so if you have any thoughts to add please do let us know on Twitter.

Influencer Vs. Creator – Who’ll Come Out On Top In 2022?

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In a recent webinar with Head of Ryanair’s social, Michael Corcoran, one of his arguments that I found particularly compelling (and perhaps a little controversial) was that influencer marketing is on the decline, and is about to be replaced with working with creators instead. Will creator marketing catch on? I’ve been thinking a lot about it since, and here’s what I think.

So Wait… Who’s Who?

But first, let me explain, to my understanding, what influencers and creators are, and indeed what the difference between them is.

Influencers are who we’re more likely to be familiar with, as they’ve been around for a long time now… Think back to the pre-2010s when Zoella was just dipping her toe into YouTubing! Influencers are users of social media channels, most commonly Instagram now, who do what they say on the tin – they influence their followers to use a service or buy a product, mostly because they’ve been paid to say they like it.

Creators, on the other hand, are users who’ve built a following not through sponsored brand deals, but by making content that we love to engage with. The best place to go for a wealth of examples of this, is my favourite platform of the moment – TikTok. Think trainspotting Francis Bourgeois (2.2m followers) or comedian Cole Anderson (1.1m followers); they’ve garnered popularity by creating content that people enjoy.

The blinding difference is that most influencers are effectively paid to say they like and endorse something, whereas creators (at the moment anyway) don’t tend to get paid by businesses for what they create, they may generate revenue through other means such as TikTok’s creator fund, for example. The one word that comes to mind is authenticity.

Don’t Kill The Influencer!

In the interest of being completely transparent, I think ‘death of the influencer’ is very dramatic. Though I certainly see why marketing is shifting more to bespoke content creation (as I’ll come on to in a little while), I don’t think we can discredit the impact of influencers altogether. In fact, I’d continue to endorse using them for a number of businesses and think they are just as effective, if not more effective thanks to increased social media usage, than ever before. The shift, for me, is the need to focus on relevancy. Gone are the days where ex Love Islander’s promoting car air fresheners seems like a good idea (was it ever a good idea?!) and here are the days where we only work with influencers who have a genuine connection to our brands and an impressionable audience who trust the content that’s being posted by said influencer, sponsored or otherwise. This is what we’ve always done with our clients, and it’s what I believe is the next step for influencer marketing. Unfortunately, this inevitably means that influencers without a niche or a hard-earned following, such as reality TV stars, for example, will become less relevant. But what it does mean is we can start putting more weight behind smaller accounts that have just as good, if not a better, influence. Don’t just take my word for it, though, 89% of brands still deem influencer marketing as a vital string to their marketing bow in 2022.

Why Creators Are An Attractive Option

In the way that once, influencers would post a hybrid mix of organic and sponsored content which made them feel more impressionable and approachable, now, creators have stepped into those shoes and are becoming more popular for the same reasons. By not relying on brand deals, they are building and retaining audiences through the quality content they put out. They’ll often have a loyal following – which makes them particularly attractive to brands trying to reach new audiences. Plus, creators can promote products and services in new and exciting ways, and many a time you wouldn’t even know you’re seeing sponsored content until you read a disclaimer in the description. This is the ideal scenario for brands who want to be seen, but not in overly gimmicky way that feels bogus.

Will The Two End Up Merging?

Yes. I absolutely think that influencers will inevitably become creators and the lines will blur. For the most part anyway. In a way you could argue that influencers have already been creators, as they didn’t build a following through entirely promotional content – they’ve have had to create organic content at some point. To add to this, many of the influencers that we work with here at Source PR still retain that mix and balance, which gives them credibility, so in a way, I guess they are creators in their own right. As TikTok becomes harder to ignore, even overtaking Google as the most used website in 2021, I in no doubt expect to see more influencers moving over to that platform and diversifying their content to remain relevant. This is another reason I’d say that the influencer is not ‘dead’, so to speak because they always have the chance to change up their strategy and move with the times. I for one will definitely be keeping my eye on it over the next year, and look forward to seeing what opportunities arise.

So, Which Should You Use?

To end, let’s summarise. What’s best to use for your business, influencer, or creator? To put it very, very simply (and I promise influencer marketing is not this simple when you actually do it), if you have a product that is diverse enough to be marketed creatively and in different ways, then try your hand at creators. For example, I’ve seen a number of sponsored videos on TikTok now for food and hygiene brands as these can easily be inserted into any situation or scenario. Or, if you have something you’d rather be promoted in a specific way, then the influencer is your best bet as you can work with them to control the narrative. Remember though, always go for relevancy over vanity metrics, such as followers. In fact, research even suggested that mid-level reach is better than going big when working with creators too. I’d say travel businesses could test either, you can curate content with influencers to promote your accommodation/resort in a nice, manicured way, but could also work with influencers whose MO is to visit lovely places and create videos about them, to do the same for your business. The key with whichever form of third party marketing you utilise is to not expect magical results from it, be realistic and try different things until you find the perfect formula. You’ll be laughing when you do!

Not The Full Truth: Why Have Brands Gone Crazy For NFTs?

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If you’re still not entirely sure what an NFT – or a non-fungible token – is, it’s time to brush up on your vocab, because it’s a term that isn’t going away any time soon.

 

The concept emerged as early as 2014, but exploded in popularity and in the public consciousness last year – and has only continued to gain traction. NFTs are essentially monetised graphics that buyers mostly purchase with cryptocurrency. One of the most popular images that you might have seen on Twitter and beyond right now feature the ‘Bored Ape’ in its varying formations: wearing different clothes and accessories, even pulling different expressions. (The fact that this art style is inarguably ugly hasn’t stopped everyone from Eminem to Post Malone from buying one, and then changing their Twitter avatar to their new purchase).

 

The reason that NFTs reach so many headlines is partly due to the sheer cost of them. The average price is around $200,000, according to the Boardroom, with Bored Apes alone accounting for $1bn in transactions so far.

 

Going Ape

 

Eminem’s Twitter profile, featuring his NFT, via Twitter

 

But it’s not just the cost that has people up in arms. As mentioned, the graphics are mostly bought with cryptocurrency, including Ethereum.

 

Here’s an explanation from The Verge: “To keep financial records secure, the system forces people to solve complex puzzles using energy-guzzling machines. Solving the puzzles lets users, or “miners,” add a new “block” of verified transactions to a decentralized ledger called the blockchain. The miner then gets new tokens or transaction fees as a reward.”

 

This ‘mining’ of the currency uses a huge amount of energy in order to power the computer systems that harbour it. To put this into perspective, it’s estimated that Ethereum alone is currently using up as much electricity as the entire country of Libya. That’s a lot of energy expelled for a currency that cannot be physically touched – to buy an artwork that is only available digitally.

 

 

Brand New Ventures

 

So, why are we talking about this?

 

Because it’s not just digital artists trying their hand at the current craze: brands have also been hopping on the trend of producing NFTs. One-off digital art pieces have been produced for companies such as Nike, Clinique, McDonald’s and Ray-Ban.

 

It certainly make sense, economically, that a business would venture into such a lucrative trend. But with the controversy that comes attached to NFTs, is it really worth the trade-off?

 

What’s more is that many of the brands hopping onto this trend have previously publicly announced their commitment to sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. One example is French fashion house Balmain. In 2020, Balmain launched its first sustainable collection, and announced that ‘the future of the brand will be to create truly sustainable collections.’

 

According to L’Officiel, for this collection, “great efforts were made to reduce the carbon footprint during the manufacture and transportation of these parts.”

 

However, earlier this month, Balmain teamed up with Barbie for a collaborative collection of NFTs, which feature the iconic doll wearing Balmain clothes.

 

 

 

What Does This Prove?

 

It goes without saying that a company truly wanting to reform its carbon footprint, make serious strides into sustainability and help with the fight in climate change would avoid NFTs like the plague.

 

From a purely PR perspective, sending mixed messages is a sure-fire way to confuse and alienate your audience. Those who are interested in crypto and digital art might rejoice at the opportunity to purchase the NFTs: but others who may have celebrated Balmain’s move to more sustainable fashion will no doubt be left wondering if their previous aims were a surface-level attempt, driven by the recent push by consumers for companies (particularly those in the fashion world) to look closely at their practices.

 

Whether NFTs will be a passing fad or a new, long-term way of creating and dealing art is another question. The Guardian describes Bored Apes as ‘about ego and money, not art.’ Considering the standard of the art itself, and the number of millionaire celebrities that are lining up to buy them, there might be some truth to this claim.

 

But in the event that this digital art becomes more accessible, normalised, and even affordable to the average consumer, brands need to assess carefully whether they want to continue their creation of NFTs – or if they’re going to uphold their word regarding sustainable practices. If not, they might find themselves having to answer some very difficult questions from a consumer base soon to be populated with the ‘sustainability generation.’

 

 

What are your thoughts? We’d love to hear from you! Head to our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram to voice your opinion.

Developing PR Plans For 2022 – 5 Things To Consider

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As we look ahead into 2022, the team at Source PR shares below how they feel the pandemic has changed the way brands interact with customers and what PR and communication trends we’re likely to see as we head into 2022.

The pandemic has accelerated the changes in PR that have been coming over the past decade.  The move from more traditional ‘siloed’ communications towards a more holistic and integrated approach is complete.  For example, pure media relations can’t exist without reflective web content or supportive social media management – each communications silo needs to integrate and relate.

This has naturally led to a blurring of lines between PR, marketing and advertising, digital and offline – essentially requiring PR and marketing teams to develop plans that reflect an integrated approach to communications.

  1. Complete the shift to digital-first

The pandemic has ushered in a more digital world meaning companies should be looking at new ways of getting in front of their audiences and ‘meeting’ them in new ways.

In 2022, traditional PR strategies won’t work as well and companies need to adopt a digital-first strategy.  Marketers should however remember that although the platform is online that they’re targeting real people. We thrive on being liked, making conversation, and having meaningful interactions that we can relate to.

As we’re all individuals, this means that when it comes to engaging with customers, brands need to understand that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Customers care more now than ever about their experience with the companies they are buying from and don’t want to be bombarded with generic emails or social communications that just aren’t relevant to them.

Always remember that consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that they trust, have a relationship and can relate to.

  1. Engage with, or become an influencer

It’s hard not to be aware of the growing influence of the influencer.  But what is an ‘influencer’?  In short, it’s someone with a strong following who ‘creates unique content that reaches and engages people within a specific target audience’.  When chosen correctly, they can add credibility, authenticity, and personality to campaigns, providing they are harnessed in the right way.

PR agencies are well placed to work with companies and brands to shape and foster a community of advocates and influencers.  Influencers can also help humanise the brand in addition to boosting appeal and trust, promoting products and services to new cohorts, providing invaluable user-generated content (UGC), word-of-mouth recommendations and social media chatter.

When considering an influencer be sure to undertake the due diligence and to create genuine partnerships that have strategic alignment with brand values. As ever, key performance indicators (KPIs) will play a crucial role in demonstrating whether the return on investment (ROI) is beneficial.

If you’re a business leader with proven experience in a sector, what’s to stop you from developing your own profile as a thought leader in the sector?  2022 could be the year for this and we are looking forward to working with our clients to achieve this ambition for them.

Finally, although we live in the digital age, brands need to be backed up by real people, otherwise, they risk becoming faceless.  Analysis of the social media platforms we manage clearly show that consumers want to experience the human touch and to understand the people behind the brands.

  1. Develop a social conscience

There is also greater pressure coming from consumer organisations and the public to ensure the products we are consuming have been delivered in a sustainable way, haven’t unnecessarily damaged the environment or caused distress to people or the planet.

If companies are doing good work, it’s important to share the news or at least give a vision for the future that stakeholders can buy into or be part of.  In short, communicating with a conscience has never been more crucial.

We are however still at the stage where companies are positively viewed for their good works, however, in 2022 it’s likely that there will be a shift towards the greater expectation that a company is doing the right thing.  Not acting or doing the ‘wrong thing’ therefore poses a risk to an organisation’s reputation, which can quickly spiral out of control in a digital world.

Be careful not to virtue signal or publish ‘green guff’ as the public are getting increasingly savvy and there is a risk it could backfire.  If you keep your actions aligned to your vision, values and core principles you can’t go far wrong and always keep the communities you are looking to influence in the forefront of your mind when selecting a campaign to support.

2022 will be all about developing a PR narrative that allows clients to demonstrate their credentials in a meaningful way.  When done well, community-led storytelling is more acceptable and authentic than direct brand-led communication, but this community advocacy needs to be consciously harnessed and not left to chance.

  1. Create the right content

As we continue to embrace the digital era, social and web channels are only going to gain more momentum and be an increasingly critical communication tool. In the coming year, ensure that the content provided is authentic and relevant to your audience’s interests.

There has already been a monumental rise of short-form video this year, but more companies will use the format for sales and information, not just entertainment. Of course, the sales messages conveyed via video will have to be entertaining and engaging to capture and hold the viewer’s attention.

The power of speech as a search tool will continue in 2022. Already nearly a third (29%) of people in Britain now own a smart speaker and Forrester predicts the number of households with smart speakers in the EU will reach 57.5 million by 2024. When creating content consider speech search terms as well as those typically typed into Google as increasingly consumers will rely on voice to search for their favourite product or to request information.

  1. Manage your messages

As we develop a multi-channel PR and communications strategy, communications professionals should not be lazy but adapt their messages to suit the platform.  Whether LinkedIn, Twitter or TikTok adapt the message and content to suit.  As new platforms develop, they also become more mainstream so don’t write off Snapchat and TikTok as only being relevant to younger generations.  More and more Millennials and other older generations are becoming active there.

The final point to make is to ensure your messages are adapted for various audiences.  Although much of the above relates to acquiring new customers, don’t forget that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” and that retaining customers that are already engaged should be an equal focus for companies and brands in their PR and communications.

 

We’d love to know your thoughts on what you feel are the topics and trends for 2022?  Whether you agree or disagree with the above, I’m sure we can all agree that the only real risk is to those who choose to do nothing.  We’d happily meet to discuss or support your plans in 2022 and always love to hear or share ideas – you can contact us here.

Whatever you choose to do – we wish you the best of luck and hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022.

Photo by Djordje Vezilic from Pexels

Do We All Have The Same 24 Hours In A Day As Molly Mae?

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Written by our Senior Account Manager Jessica McDonnell…

There’s an age-old saying in the industry: ‘there’s no such thing as bad PR’. This is a statement that for the most part I’m inclined to agree with.  

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ll have likely seen the online backlash that 22-year-old social media influencer, businesswoman and reality TV star Molly Mae Hague has received. The reaction is off the back of comments made on a recent podcast. In Steven Bartlett’s podcast ‘Diary of a CEO’, Molly talks about how we all have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyonce. In Molly’s words, “I just think you’re given one life and it’s down to you what you do with it. You can literally go in any direction.”  

Molly, who in 2021 was appointed creative director of fast fashion brand Pretty Little Thing, has been slammed across the press and social media, being called ‘tone deaf’, ‘a hypocrite’ and ‘out of touch with reality’. The comments have also unearthed allegations of PLT paying workers just £3.50 per hour to work in their factories. 

However, many have leapt to Molly’s defence, stating that this short clip was taken out of context and in fact, podcast host Steven Bartlett agreed with the comments and has not received any backlash. 

The question is, is all this publicity going to have a long-term impact on Molly Mae and her brand?  

Social inequality has been placed at the forefront of many people’s minds due to the COVID19 pandemic, and arguably awareness on the devastating impact fast fashion can have on the planet is increasing, so the comments possibly couldn’t have surfaced at a worse time for Molly.  

During the backlash, the press reported a huge spike in searching ‘how to cancel PLT order’ by 2,967% – so that’s not ideal! However, as with many media scandals, these things are often short-lived. Remember when one half of TV presenter duo Ant and Dec, Ant McPartlin, was convicted of drink driving? He was back in the nation’s good books by the following year. Pop favourite James Arthur once sent abusive tweets to One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson and former X Factor winner Matt Cardle and has gone on to sell over 30 million records worldwide. 

Like any good PR team, Molly Mae’s people have released a statement defending the words she used and she herself has released an apology on Instagram, stating that her words were meant to inspire rather than offend. While we must always choose our words wisely, I don’t think that it’s fair to ‘cancel’ a young woman, for some potentially naive words. It will be interesting to see what Molly and her team do next to help with image damage control, watch this space! 

If you’d like assistance with your business’s social media (drama-free, we promise) then visit Source PR’s social media page and find out how we can help you. 

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

A Look Inside Google’s Year in Search 2021

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Written by our PR intern and university student Bridie Buckingham…

This year, more than ever, the world is searching for “How to Heal.”

Google premiered its 2021 ‘Year in Search’ film in 50+ languages worldwide. The highly anticipated short is built from Google Trends data highlighting the world’s most asked questions and most searched topics this year.

Take a look at what was revealed.

Last year, Google’s ‘Year In Search’ asked “why?” more than any other time in history. This year, the process of reflecting on the global events that have changed the world forever began. The challenges and tragedy of recent years became an opportunity to summon collective strength. It became a time to embrace scars and come back stronger than before.

We asked “how to honour someone?”

We asked “how to take care of your mental health?”

And we asked “how to be strong?”

There was a clear theme to this year’s searching. With all of us fighting our own battles, big or small, the desire to overcome was evident. Reflected in our Google searches, the motivation to get better, and to do better, was an important factor in our actions throughout 2021.

It goes without saying that various questions surrounding the pandemic featured in the top searches. “Will there be another lockdown?” and “when can I get the vaccine?” featured heavily as well as the heart wrenching “when can I visit my family?”.

2021 saw the return of (semi)normal life. Shops reopened, businesses began to recover, and sports, music, and theatre made a comeback. Clearly the search for “how to be resilient” was fruitful.

Spending a lot of time with ourselves also made many of us introspective. Searches for “how to be yourself” and “what is my purpose?” appeared frequently and with the coming out of Elliot Page and others this year as well as the outpouring of love and acceptance, 2021 has seen a lot of people step into their own.

Despite this, it was not all of us who felt the love. Searches for “how to move forward” and “stop Asian hate” spoke of the vast amount of people suffering from the world’s unkindness. With racist abuse targeting the BLM protests and Asian communities, many felt the need to turn for help.

Searches for “how to use my voice” also increased with many of us wondering how we can make a difference and use our voices to implement change and raise awareness for causes near and dear to us.

“How to help our planet”, “ways to help your community” and “how to be hopeful” round out the top searches and bring back a bit of positivity. With the influence of COP26 and the evident climate change we experienced in lockdown, people are looking for ways to help our planet as well as give back to their local community who supported them through the last year and a half.

Currently, the world is searching for “how to be hopeful” and I think that is very poignant, especially now. We have made it through the trials and tribulations 2021 has thrown at us, and while some of us have taken to looking forwards, many of us are looking inwards.

Let’s hope for the best for 2022. For ourselves and for the world.

Stay safe.

 

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Our Take On The Latest Social Advertising Bans

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The news broke last week that adverts promoting cosmetic procedures to under-18-year-olds have been banned in the UK. And that got us thinking… Is blacklisting the best way to eliminate controversial campaigns?

 

According to The Guardian, adverts promoting “breast enlargement, nose jobs and liposuction at under-18s” are included in the crackdown, which was orchestrated by the UK advertising watchdog.

 

Where won’t they be?

 

The new rules, which come into force from May 2022, bar these ads from appearing on all media outlets, from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, to billboards, posters, and newspapers. Magazines and radio are also subject to this new legislation, and influencers don’t get off scot-free either – they can no longer advertise to young, impressionable audiences.

 

Why has this happened?

 

Over the last ten years, the rise of social media, reality TV shows and the ‘influencer’ have led to more and more of us striving to achieve unattainable physiques, looks, and even new personality traits.

 

The saying ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ is quite apt here, and, sadly, many of the companies and individuals advertising these products and procedures have, in some cases, taken advantage of their younger audiences.

 

Arguably, we’ve all become a lot more impressionable throughout the pandemic because all we’ve been able to do is scroll and chat online. We’ve spent time looking into other people’s lives, routines, and health and fitness regimes on the socials to distract ourselves from the external circumstances, like the pandemic.

 

Has anything else changed?

 

Yes. Not only are companies unable to advertise their cosmetic procedures, but private doctors also aren’t allowed to practice them either. If they continue carrying out cosmetic operations to under-18s, they’re at risk of going to jail and paying fines.

 

Is this the first time this has happened?

 

This isn’t the first-time adverts and marketing campaigns have gotten out of hand. First, it was tobacco companies with the Tobacco Advertising & Promotion Act 2002 that prohibited tobacco products from advertising and sponsorship, and then more recently fast food and ‘junk food’ industries have been told to put a muzzle on their television and online advertising campaigns after 9 pm starting from 2023.

 

By implementing this latest ban, the UK government hopes it can reduce the obesity crisis and lower the number of people eating late in the day. The online aspect of the ban affects all aspects of paid online marketing, such as Facebook ads and promotions on Instagram.

 

 Are bans like these a good idea?

 

Yes, I think so. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some great campaigns in the past connected with food, cars, and even cigars and makeup. But, in the olden days, once you switched off the television or radio, they were gone. Now, they make their way into our inboxes, social media direct messages, and into our SMS messages.

 

These bans will prevent younger people from being too heavily influenced by their idols and feeling under pressure to purchase a product, or undergo a potentially costly and unnecessary procedure, to be relevant or to ‘fit in’.