MCC International has Got Talent!

With a range of technology clients, MCC International is used to running long-term PR campaigns – so it was an exciting change of pace for us this week to get involved with Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) hopefuls, Latin-American and Standard Ballroom Dance partners Kai Widdrington and Natalia Jeved from Southampton. We have been working in conjunction with the BGT press office to manage the more localised press enquires about the pair (we have been organising press interviews with local radio stations Wave 105, BBC Radio Solent, Jack FM and Breeze FM) whilst they both appeared on ITV daytime TV stalwart This Morning. We’ve also overseen the pair’s Twitter profile, which has ballooned to 1,200 followers in less than a week since they appeared on the show last Saturday. The sheer coverage that has been generated for Kai and Natalia is quite breath-taking and a good reminder that if you get the press’ attention the PR it can generate is phenomenal, especially in such a short space of time. If it you want to follow Kai and Natalia’s progress you can do so; on their website at www.kaiandnatalia.com – it also contains links to video clips and details of their twitter feed.

From the perspective of PR, Twitter can be a superb tool. However, from a press point of view there is a debate raging as to whether it can always be trusted. The reliability of news spread on social networking sites such as Twitter was in the spotlight again this week after false reports that one of the tunnels on the London Tube had collapsed were trending on the website. The claim was later proven to be false, but not after news-hungry journalists had Tweeted and Re-tweeted the story, as reported in a blog on Hotwire. The debate of course is over the real pros and cons of reporting ‘news’ from Twitter sources. In the right circumstances Twitter can be an excellent source of information (at MCC International we keep a keen eye on relevant Tweeters) which is simple to update from pretty much any location with a mobile signal and is a great way to reach out to your chosen audience. But on the flipside it can be populated by information that doesn’t go through the normal factual checks which more traditional news channels tend to uphold. Unfortunately Twitter has become the 21st Century’s popular outlet for the rumours mill as much as a portal for genuine stories (as a run of fake celebrity death rumours has proven!) so it can take more skill to reliably separate fact from fiction.

This Monday was St George’s Day in England, but it was also the 30th Anniversary of the launch of the legendary ZX Spectrum home computer. To celebrate both of these Google.co.uk’s home page on the day featured an image of St George rendered as if it were displayed upon the 1980s computer, with its garish, yet limited array of colours and pixelated appearance (as covered in an article on The Independent’s website). For those of us that fondly remember our Spectrums (or alternatively Commodore or Amstrad computers) it’s a nice reminder of an age when having the flashiest graphics or most outstanding sound wasn’t the ‘be all or end all’ of entertainment. In hindsight you can appreciate the skill and talent that went into producing enjoyable, spare-time dominating games on hardware that would now be totally eclipsed by a bog-standard smartphone! Of course if you really hunger for a bit of retro computer action the Internet is littered with PC compatible emulator software and the games so you can recreate the experience for the (likely unimpressed) younger generation.

It’s all about Reputation

Reputation – what does it mean to you? When you actually think about it reputation is a totally abstract concept – you can’t reliably measure it in the conventional sense and yet you know it exists. Abraham Lincoln had an interesting analogy – “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” In the world of PR and Marketing we can use metrics such as counting clippings, the number of readers reached or the number of hits on a web page, but beneath these is the more subtle realisation that getting the right kinds of positive coverage in the right press generates a deeper level of impact on the reader. Our clients will often tell us of a business lead generated from good press coverage, but equally a good campaign will generate a buzz that will present itself in recognition and notoriety from clients, suppliers, peers and even competitors. Being associated with insight in your industry is a great example. Being able to place well considered, relevant and even sometimes slightly controversial analysis or viewpoints of your sector gets you noticed by your peers and from those that buy or would consider buying from you. Good PR puts a face to a name, shows the personality of your company and highlights your expertise. We all know it is the substance of your business, the products and services, which are the main commodity and yet (as we have mentioned before) people buy from people and demonstrating you know what you’re talking about and can make a real difference is an almost immeasurable yet definitely tangible benefit.

The PR sector doesn’t often get to publically show its mischievous side, so we had a good chuckle at a spoof PR press release featured in The Independent this week which purported to announce a (fake) strike by PR professionals. Perhaps reflecting the recent spate of high-profile strike actions, the press release has its tongue firmly in cheek, with a good dose of hyperbole and self-deprecating mockery of the perceived PR clichés (such as constantly arranging press briefings and drinking too much coffee). Yet amongst the exaggerations there is a hint of the often symbiotic relationship between the PR industry and the press – who now more than ever rely upon good industry stories when restricted budgets dictate they provide the news with fewer resources than ever. Having been a journalist and in PR (I’m still trying to work out if I’m Poacher turned Gamekeeper or vice versa!) I can definitely say that there are many skill sets shared between both groups and a well-managed relationship with the press is a healthy two way street.

Cliff Richard sung about a Living Doll back in 1959 (or 1986 if you mainly know the version with ‘The Young Ones’) and it seems that is a step closer as covered on the Daily Mail website this week. Japanese robot designer Hiroshi Ishiguro has designed ‘Geminoid F’ to talk and sing (well lip-sync anyway judging by the footage of it in action!) and at first glance it looks spookily real. (pictured above). Despite its Britney Spears-esque attempt at miming, you can’t deny it’s an impressive piece of engineering and design that is capturing press coverage around the world.

A PR disaster

The media has inevitably been buzzing this week with features and coverage of the Centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon, it’s a story that has caught the interest of the MCC International office (not least because we are based only a few miles from Southampton Docks where the ill-fated liner sailed into history and infamy) - we could scarcely ignore the press buzz around both the sinking and the Centenary activities. Because of its place in history and the surprisingly well developed media of 1912, Titanic has often cropped up as a case study in PR nightmares. Owner White Star Line never truly recovered its image from the sinking with public attention drawn to the lack of lifeboats, the disarray over safety protocols and the very well-publicised escape in a lifeboat by the company Chairman J. Bruce Ismay, (ahead of many other passengers including women and children) as one of only 710 people who survived out of the 2,224 passengers who set sail. If the disaster happened today the fallout from the sinking (and probable corporate manslaughter case) would leave the press dining on the news for years. White Star Lines had already courted media attention on the other end of the scale to raise the prestige of the Titanic (and its sister ship the Olympic) for their luxury and speedy Atlantic crossings. But the sad truth is a disaster makes bigger news headlines (look at the recent Costa Condoria disaster to see that shipping tragedies still make worldwide headlines) and it’s a reminder that public relations aren’t something any organisation can ignore – we can all be subject to public scrutiny in the right circumstances. Looking at how the media has diversified in the last 100 years (along with print media there is radio, TV and of course the vast online world) it’s not hard to see that dealing with the PR fallout from a disaster has become even more of a challenge today, which is why we encourage our clients to have plans in place if the worst happens.

Sticking with the Titanic theme for a moment, but from a technology point of view, we were intrigued to see a BBC News story this week on the amount of telegraph message traffic that was active during the fateful hours during and following the sinking. Undoubtedly the Titanic and her sister ships were at the forefront of cruise ship design and cutting-edge technology at the time, shining examples of man’s supposed mastery over the sea, enveloping all the luxuries and technology available at the time. Guglielmo Marconi had only sent the first wireless radio signal in 1896 and yet shipping was extensively using the system to make contact with the land and other ships in 1912. It would have been as exciting then as speaking to people in space now, seemingly limitless communications anywhere to the outside world. The nature of the telegraph messages on that fateful night are intriguing too, ordinary, remarkable, ordered, desperate – very much the kind of message people would send now in just the same position (probably as a Tweet or Facebook update) and an eye opener that these were just normal people like us living (and dying) in an extraordinary situation.

Moving forward a hundred years, at MCC International we’re always interested (and sometimes amused!) to discover the latest technology ‘buzzwords’ and this week Marketing Week has published an article looking at the phrases it believes will be prominent this year. We normally suggest our clients steer clear of jargon as the press often suspects it may be a smokescreen for weak products or services, but surely there has to be a place in any piece of PR or Marketing copy for ‘Likeonomics’ and ‘Tradigital’?!

The Personal Touch

Easter this year has been a good excuse for us at MCC International to embrace the ‘Public’ part of ‘Public Relations’ by organising our own Easter Egg Hunt around our base at Southampton Science Park. Whilst it’s been a fun exercise (we have had a steady stream of genuinely happy people visiting our office all morning to claim their free Easter Egg) there is a very real buzz to be had in engaging with people on a one-to-one basis and it’s a great reminder that good business is built around these relationships. A significant part of the PR campaigns we run for our clients revolve around promoting the expertise of key people in the company, showing the world that behind the corporate front are real people dedicated to providing the products and services on offer. As the old adage goes, ‘People buy from people’ and it’s an area that good PR excels in – showcasing the personality of your business and demonstrating exactly why customers or potential customers should speak to you.

Google has this week revealed more details of its ‘augmented reality eyewear’ project, which promises to offer a new method of using mobile internet services. The BBC News has covered the ‘Project Glass’ story, which includes images that suggest it is a far cry from the more traditional view of bulky virtual reality headsets, opting for a lightweight frame (similar to the frame of a pair of glasses) to make it more practical and comfortable. It also demonstrates Google’s commitment to mobile internet services in the real world, something that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.

There was more tough PR for beleaguered brand Blackberry this week, in an incident that few people could have predicted. An event sponsored by Blackberry at Bankside Vaults nightclub in Southwark, central London saw a man stabbed and another arrested over the incident. Interestingly, the press not only picked up on the stabbing, but ran the Blackberry sponsorship association in the headlines. Naturally the PR machine was quick to react, with Blackberry taking the right approach and expressing concern for the wellbeing of the stabbed individual in a public statement. The press also picked up on the fact that singer Jessie J (who had performed at the event earlier) had also tweeted her sympathy for the victim – showing the importance of making the right statement at the right time. We recommend that clients have a well-defined Crisis Media Plan for just this kind of unexpected incident – you never quite know what could generate negative headlines. The Blackberry event story shows that any connection with anything in the public arena can potentially open your company to press scrutiny and it’s very sensible to make sure you are well prepared.

MCC Easter Egg Hunt Continues!

Thank you to everyone on Southampton Science Park who has taken part in the Easter Egg Hunt. There are still some tokens left in Kenneth Dibben House and Enterprise Road, so do keep looking!

Happy Easter!

The MCC International Team

Fuelling the flames of negative PR

You would’ve had to have been out of the country this week not to have seen how badly handled PR can affect our daily lives. I am, of course, talking about the threat of fuel strikes which this week has gripped the UK population in a seemingly paranoid frenzy over potential shortages. From a PR perspective it has been interesting to witness the power of messaging going wrong. Government calls to the public not to panic buy, combined with almost contradictory (and at times misguided) advice on how to store reserves of fuel, have resulted in chaos at petrol stations across the country. Even drivers making their scheduled fill-up in the last few days have been met by unprecedented queues of other drivers opportunistically filling up to save themselves from the threat of running dry. Overall it shows how critical the timing of PR can be, making the right noises at the wrong time can cause just as many problems as an ill-advised comment. Had the threatened strikes materialised the advice given may well have been sensible, but sometimes pre-empting problems can actually fan the flames of panic. We always recommend that our clients think through the implications of answering a potential PR crisis – sometimes it can be better to manage an issue reservedly to stop the threat of trouble becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

On the flipside of PR, it can also have a tremendously positive effect as reported on the BBC News website this week. A San Francisco-based video games developer is making history by financing its next title using money pledged by its fans and supporters. Using its groundswell of support, Double Fine Productions was able to generate headline-grabbing news which has further fed the campaign to raise funds. As a reward the fans (or perhaps we should say investors) that pledge money get to talk directly to developers, make suggestions and ultimately get a free copy of the game once its completed. It’s interesting to see the relationship that could develop from customers and stakeholders merging into one group and its potential development in the future.

Another big story in the world of technology this week was the news that games retailer Game went into administration on Monday. The Guardian’s Keith Stuart blogged the story and how it could be a sign of wider changes in the consumer technology market (not just games) as highstreet retailers struggle to win a seemingly diminishing market against online retailers and big supermarkets who have the clout to cut costs and offer cheaper products and services. The article also looks at the potentials and pitfalls of selling games via online download, which could transform the market in much the same way that music downloads have all but crushed the physical music format market. What the potential demise of Game demonstrates is that the technology industry is going through some uncertain times and as a whole needs to work harder than ever to get its message across to existing and potential clients. Inevitably Marketing and PR have a greater role than ever in attracting essential sales.

PR on the case!

Photo: EPA

The case study is a staple of the PR and Marketing world, a third-party endorsement that is a valuable asset both for the press and your sales team alike. At MCC International we relish the chance to write a good case study, it not only gives us a good opportunity to speak to real customers about their experiences, but also gives a great refresh on the strengths of the products/services of the company. That’s not to say it is always an easy experience. Getting approval (especially when multiple parties are involved) can be a challenge in itself, but ironically this is part of what has driven up the value of a good case study. Precisely because of their relative rarity, an interesting, relevant, well written case study will have the right press chomping at the bit for an exclusive. If you can get some good quality photography to accompany it, the chances are that a relevant publication will sit up and take notice, especially if it covers a key sector or product that is getting your industry buzzing. It can also be a win-win situation for your client too, a nice bit of free PR that catapults their name into the press too – another excellent excuse to make the most of the goodwill from happy clients.

The biggest story this week was always, inevitably, going to be the UK Budget as it affects all parts of our society. Debate is always fierce on the outcome of a Budget, many people complain about tax rises in luxuries such as cigarettes and alcohol (surely an old Oasis lyric), rises in fuel costs and changes to social security. From a technology point of view, our eye was caught by the announcement of government support for broadband upgrades and tax breaks for the video games industry - which will probably be welcomed whichever side of the political chasm you reside on. However The Telegraph’s Emma Barnett felt IT education was a better route to follow to encourage growth, something which has been echoed throughout the education sector lately. There is no doubting the UK has a huge potential in the IT industry but debate rages as to the best ways to nurture and promote this. Aside from the political debate, did anyone else notice that George Osborne is now using a new red budget box? (replacing the classic battered Gladstone one which has always been a favourite photocall for the press). Perhaps the old one did give the wrong impression about the UK economy, despite the challenges we face!

The Daily Mail ran a story this week claiming that 27% of Americans get their news via a smartphone. To those of us who work in IT circles this probably isn’t a surprise. How many of us use our smartphone as a micro version of our main internet access? And is this in any way a bad thing? The rise and rise of the iPhone and iPad, plus a whole industry of alternative products, have undoubtedly promoted this still further and mean that now we have access to as much news as we want from whichever source (or sources) we choose. A completely different story that also caught our attention this week was covered by the BBC news website. A British woman wants doctors to fit her a cutting-edge bionic hand, the catch being that she would need to have her own hand amputated to do so. An accident has left her own hand virtually paralysed but visually normal. It certainly raised some debate in our office as to the merits of form over function and vice versa, but it is a good reminded that technology always has a human and moral cost – something that is worth bearing in mind with technology PR.

Don’t forget to put your clocks forward one hour this weekend. It means an hour less in bed but equally the benefit of lighter evenings – enjoy!

The Easter bunny comes to Southampton Science Park

MCC International is welcoming Easter by hosting an Easter egg hunt around the Southampton Science Park on Thursday 5^th April. The MCC team will place vouchers around the park, both inside buildings and outside, for tenants on the park to find. Once you find a voucher come over to MCC International’s office in 2 Venture Road to claim an Easter egg of your choice.

The egg hunt will start from 10am when our MCC bunnies will have hidden all the vouchers and will continue until all the vouchers have been found. We hope you all come and take part.

The vouchers will be placed around Venture Road and Enterprise Road. We won’t make them too hard to find, and we will also be tweeting clues throughout the day to help, so follow us on @MCC_Int and hashtag #MCCegghunt for clues.

Good Luck and Happy Easter!

Advice on Drafting and Issuing Successful Press Releases

Issuing a press release is the tried and tested method of generating noise and trying to get coverage in the media. They will not necessarily generate articles or extensive, in-depth features, but they are useful tools for announcing news and products, simply edited to extract the relevant information to generate news snippets or published in their entirety – which is often the case these days thanks to deadlines, online publications and websites.

The story, as with all media outreach, is the most important thing. Journalists are not mugs and can sniff out marketing waffle a mile off and quickly disregard it. All they want is simple, straightforward facts that will be interesting to their readers. Some companies may not even know that they have something highly interesting to say – it’s worth chatting to all employees to dig out these ideas and bits of news.

A successful press release, which will get beyond editors and journalists’ trigger-happy fingers hovering over the Delete button, needs to have a compelling and attention-grabbing headline. It should also include all the important information in the opening paragraph. You really only have a couple of seconds to interest a stressed, over emailed hack. It’s simply a case of adhering to the ‘who, what, where and when’ philosophy.

A major faux pas, and one of the major bugbears with journalists, is not taking the time to research and understand what the journalist actually writes about and for which publication. Targeting the right people and making sure the news is relevant to the intended journalist is paramount. And definitely make sure that the intended recipient’s name is included. Dear journalist or blogger is a sure-fire way of a release ending up in the Recycle Bin. Failing to understand any of these guidelines can quickly ruin the journalist’s perception of the company and can actually have a negative impact.

Attachments are also another major issue. It is amazing that some companies and agencies deem it suitable to issue press releases in a PDF format. Yes it looks nice and can include design elements but extracting text, as some of you may know, can be a burden. Journalists simply need to cut and paste any information or quotes quickly and easily in order to write a news story or upload it online. Making a journalist’s life as hassle free as possible is the best approach, so simply including the release in the body of an email is the best method. Attachments can quite often be blocked by spam filters and prevented from reaching the intended recipient.

Another element to definitely consider is imagery. Providing access to high-resolution images (300dpi is the resolution that magazines require for print) will also enhance the chances of getting the news covered – especially if it is a product. If images are not provided, editors and designers have to trawl through company websites or photo stock libraries for relevant images - another time-consuming aspect that they could well do without. In respect of the previous comment regarding attachments, images should, ideally, be hosted on a company website or uploaded to a FTP server with the relevant download links provided in the body of the email.

With a strong flow of news stories and interesting, relevant copy, editors and journalists will begin to keep an eye out for future releases, ask for further information and hopefully generate the coverage being sought.

For further information on press releases or for support in writing and issuing a press release please contact us on info@mccint.com.