Buying PR: Zak Edwards, Prezzybox.com

Source: Zak Edwards

The latest in my series of Buying PR interviews is a slightly different one. I have been working indirectly with Zak as a partner of one of my clients on a couple of media opportunities and thought he would provide a different perspective. Zak is the MD of Prezzybox.com, where they run their PR campaigns inhouse. That said, he understands the strength of working with the PR agencies of partners to help them get exposure and to also spread the word about what they are doing.

Name and title:    Zak Edwards – MD
Company and what it does:  Prezzybox.com – online gift retailer

Paul Stallard: Have you ever worked at a PR agency?
Zak Edwards: No.
    
PS: What role does PR have within your marketing mix?
ZE: We promote all new “champion products” with traditional press releases as well social networking with blogging, twittering etc. We also send out Press Releases about milestones and achievements we reach

PS: What most annoys you about PR agencies?
ZE: In my experience they promise a lot and often deliver little.

PS: What are the basic skills a PR agency should have?
ZE: Networking, organisation, flair

PS: Do you think that social media now part of modern PR?
ZE: 100% yes. Social Networking is an integral part of the online marketing mix.

Is PR not seen as glamorous anymore?

You may have noticed the badge on the left hand side of this blog stating that I am PR friendly. Something I was very proud to be listed in, as I respect the work that Brendan Cooper, the creator of this index very much.

The index took an interesting twist this week. He decided to investigate which of the 100 blogs listed actually still wrote about PR. Surely they all talk about PR I hear you cry, but as Brendan says: hardly anyone writes about PR any more.

He found when he evaluated the blogs listed that they almost entirely wrote solely about social media and few discussed good old PR topics such as outreach, the media, organising events, talking to journalists and all that good stuff. Since Brendan decided to review the list it has dropped from 100 to just 37 (which still includes yours truly).

This made me think about the blog Dirk wrote the other day about how during these difficult times, are clients actually more willing to experiment with social media marketing or are they more likely to stick with what they know?

The world’s leading…

I was surprised to hear when chatting to a couple of people who work in our industry that they hadn’t come across The World’s Leading… blog. If you haven’t as well, make sure you check it out as it is a classic.

Written from within our industry it is a brilliant mix of gossip, news and cheeky banter which helps to keep your feet on the ground. If you want to know what is happening behind the scenes have a look.

PR Week: Best of the tech blogs

Paul Stallard

Being outside of London, I always look forward to getting my copy of PR Week delivered to my intray on a Friday. Today’s read came with an added bonus of seeing that a blog post I had written last week was included in the best of tech blogs section.

For someone who like to find new and interesting people to follow, this section is generally my first port of call upon opening the magazine and I am delighted to be listed alongside two PR professionals that I admire. Dirk Singer has written a nice piece on questioning the orthodoxy that it’s boom time in social media marketing and Sherilynne Starkie discusses pitching the media via Twitter on her top five PR stories for May (she mentions my interview with Guy Clapperton in her list).

If these two aren’t on your reading list then check them out. Also, big thanks to PR Week for helping kick start my bank holiday weekend. Much appreciated guys. Oh, and if you haven’t done so already, check out PR Week’s new site and in particular its new blog section .

Buying PR: Helen Farrier, Samsung Electronics

Source: Helen Farrier

This week’s Buying PR interview is with Halen Farrier, European PR manager at Samsung Electronics. Helen started her PR life working at an agency before moving to client side. Some of her most interesting points made during the interview are about how she chose her current PR agency and what most annoys her. In particular, the point that chemistry is one of the key factors for choosing an agency. I agree with this.

A good PR agency should not just be brilliant at what it does but also an extension of your internal team. It is essential that an in-house PR manager not only trusts the PR agency to deliver what they have promised but also enjoys working with them.

Name and title: Helen Farrier, European PR Manager
Company and what it does: Samsung Electronics, global leader in digital technologies

Paul Stallard: Have you ever worked at a PR agency?
Helen Farrier: Yes. I started my PR life at a fantastic technology PR agency where I learnt all the basics. To anyone starting out in the industry today, I would totally recommend a spell working in an agency. Most agencies have structured induction programmes and they’re a great environment to develop essential writing and media selling skills and network with peers.

PS: How did you choose your current agency?
HF: Criteria, creativity and chemistry are key factors for choosing an agency. At a European level we work with a roster of agencies who we invite to pitch for various projects. We use a scoreboard to evaluate the agency’s experience and creativity against set criteria, however chemistry and gut-instinct is usually the deciding factor.

How do I clip radio or TV interviews?

Source: Radiomonitor Limited

We have increasingly been working with the broadcast press with our clients and not too surprisingly they are always keen to have a copy of the radio interview or TV appearance. To get this ‘clipped’ can prove to be very expensive depending on who you use but a company we have been working with recently and one that has impressed enough for me to want to blog about them is Radiomonitor.

They provide a great service. All you have to do is tell them the time you expect the radio interview to be and the station and within minutes of the interview closing we have received the sound file. The added bonus is that this service only costs £45 plus VAT.

If you want them to monitor subsequent news bulletins they can also do this as well as provide you with TV coverage. At Berkeley PR we have been impressed with them so why not give them a shot.

Gorkana Twitter survey

Source: Gorkana PR

At Berkeley PR the media database of choice currently is Gorkana. They send out daily emails about updates in the media but also include interesting articles/research.

One such email that caught my attention last week was a mail I received because I answered a recent survey they ran about Twitter and how widespread its use is throughout the PR industry. Apparently they were inundated with responses from in-house and agency PRs across all levels and sectors, and this is what they told them… I hope they don’t mind but I thought the findings made interesting reading. I agreed with some responses and not with others but thought I would let you see what you think:

•         While Twitter use is pretty widespread throughout the industry, with two-thirds (62%) of PRs saying they have a Twitter account, most companies do not have a Twitter strategy in place (64%).
 
•         One of the most surprising statistics was that nearly three-quarters (70%) of PRs say they have no way of effectively assessing their activity on Twitter.
 
•         A fifth of PRs who responded have generated coverage via Twitter and most people (41%) spend up to half an hour tweeting each day.

Meet the Media – Guy Clapperton

Source: Guy Clapperton

This weeks Meet the Media interview is with a freelance journalist whom I have the upmost respect for, Guy Clapperton. To say I was delighted that Guy agreed to take part in my series of interviews would be an understatement and his answers are a brilliant example of why I started this series in the first place.

It isn’t just a platform for journalists to say what PR professionals do wrong but an opportunity to explain how to work better. The tips that Guy has listed are a must read for anyone who wants to understand the pressures of a freelance journalist. These have come from his unique position of having been at the forefront of his profession for many years and also the training courses that his company offers PR professionals/clients. Enjoy.

Name: Guy Clapperton
Titles I regularly work for: Guardian, Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Express, ComputerActive specials, loads – mainly people who throw money at me!

Paul Stallard: What is your pet hate of PR?
Guy Clapperton: That would usually depend on what’s been happening to me just lately. At the moment I’ve had three people in the last week approaching me to work as a speaker or panelist at a conference – and then letting it slip that they’re expecting me to work for nothing. One of them this week accused me of being personally disrespectful when I asked her whether she was being paid for her time approaching me (and if so, why should I work for her for zippo?) She was wrong to be offended, I’d paid her the basic respect of telling her where she was going wrong and why no self-respecting freelance would work for nothing. The idea that we should really gets to me. I’m not above doing freebies of course; if it’s in a cause in which I believe, if it’s for a mate starting a business who needs a bit of content then I’ll help and have done so recently. I’ve been a Bafta juror without payment because I loved doing it and frankly I was honoured to be asked by a body like that. But using my experience and whatever skills I have to add value to something aimed at adding value to a commercial business without any benefit to me is plain crazy, and please don’t tell me about benefits of networking and exposure if you’re being paid to organise an event – you could get the same benefits but you’re being paid!

Is this the greatest PR stunt ever?

Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk

My good friend Tim Richardson pointed me in the direction of this story towards the end of last week. Tim doesn’t work in PR but his young lady does and has been bored silly on countless nights while we chew the fat about our industry.

Anyway, hat tip to him for directing me to this great story by Ian Hall on the BBC which demonstrates how a carefully thought out PR campaign can generate a massive amount of publicity for your chosen client.

Media 140 Southbank

Source: 140 Media

On 20 May the Media 140 microblogging event is taking place in London and includes an agenda with an impressive line up. The first panel session will look at the future of microblogging technology, given we have seen Twitter take centre stage and asks how much will twitter and microblogging change the way breaking news is sourced globally by news organisations?

In the afternoon there will be a session looking at frontline journalism with Twitter – success and failure in social media.  This will include a A series of quick fire presentations by industry professionals looking at particular examples of news gathering using micro blogging and social media – emphasis being placed on the successes and failures.

If you are attending then I have my ticket so drop me a line. It would be great to come along and say hello.