I must admit to having fallen hook, line and sinker for Mary.

And it’s not just her sassy attitude with a touch of vulnerability that appeals.

Her delivery of key messages is a reminder how powerful sticking to the script can be.

As a PR I can only lust after the coverage she has had.  Last weekend she was in Grazia (OK she’s married to the editor), The Sunday Times and the Observer and on the train down to London I read a feature in The Guardian.  She even has her own TV programme for goodness sake.

So as soon as my real work was done, I skipped to Frasers on Oxford Street with my ‘wish list’ close at hand.

I felt like a child at Christmas as I jumped aboard Mary’s lift taking me to Level 2 – it is purple and lime green … sooo Mary!

On the shop floor I recognised a few familiar faces from my TV screen – Mary had indeed employed those enthusiastic shop assistants to replicate her infectious love of fashion and down-to-earth dressing.

All good so far!

But as I pillaged the rails I heard a few rumblings “I am going to complain to Mary” one woman whispered to her friend, “This is simply not flattering” complained another “What £200 for a pair of leggings” gasped a 40-something lady in horror.

I wasn’t being put off so arms laden I headed for the changing rooms – and one after one, I discarded the items – that woman was right – they simply weren’t a good cut.

And the staff were too busy gassing about how they watch themselves on TV from behind a cushion to notice my disappointment as I handed back the garments!

As I left empty handed pondering my visit, I wondered why I felt so let down – then it hit me.  I believed in the hype and Mary let me down! Not great for building trust – one of PR’s key tasks.

Another disappointment was to come. Mary went majorly off script and called 60-somethings ‘old fogies’ and insulted our lady MPs.

Having landed herself a job of retail guru by the Government she’d better get back on message … and fast because of the frock thing doesn’t work out she could become the new PR guru – Max Clifford is so last season!

Retail PR Guru

O’Leary RMPR came up with the copy which we hope you like.

Slainte!

By linking a local school with a design-a-gift-card competition, the Silverburn team communicated their ability to work with the community and tag on a commercial message.

A result for the school, the shopping centre and – most importantly – the kids!

In the run up to Christmas, PRs are working hard to make sure their clients remain top of the tree when it comes to generating coverage.  The challenge is to find a different slant to hook the journalist.

Hats off to Sarah Swain at the Evening TImes for agreeing to be an Elf for a Day at Silverburn – watch out to see how she gets on but standards are high when your boss is Santa!

A PR’s job is never done – now all I have to do is find another journalist who’s prepared to pick, slaughter and pluck their Hopetoun turkey for a press feature.  This might be a more difficult sell!

Merry Christmas!

Like most ‘efficient working’ practices,  the joy has slowly been stripped from our ever-expanding 9-5 professional lives!

How do I know this?  Well on Friday I broke the habit and took three hours off to spend some time quality time with a client over a delicious lunch.

There was no hidden agenda – we were simply celebrating a very successful campaign … that took place back in June!

And without the pressure of deadlines, the endless meetings where little is achieved and the distraction of other colleagues – we actually did chat about work.

Not the day-to-day stuff that keeps us busy, but the important long-term vision that will help us work out how we can replicate the same very successful campaign next year!

It was an inspiration – a very enjoyable one – and one I will replicate every month from now on.

Anyone up for trying it with me?

Venue:  Castle Terrace

Best bit:  Scallops, Grouse and the Wine

Worst bit:  The bill – ouch!

Over the weekend a man taking a photograph of his daughter on the mall was stopped by a security guard – the situation escalated and the police were called.

The reason? You are not allowed to take photographs on the mall.

Braehead’s defense was that they didn’t establish that the man was taking a picture of his own daughter and their trained staff assumed it was a potential terrorist attack.

Sounds crazy but Braehead’s statement appears to back this up

“We live in a world of potential threats from terrorists and everyone is being urged by the police to be vigilant at all times. It is not uncommon for those intending to make some kind of attack to take photographs of their intended target as part of their planning before the event.”

As you can imagine the dad was pretty angry. He promptly set up a page on facebook – Boycott Braehead which now has more than 4,000 followers. Braehead’s own facebook page is also hot with hostile comments.

The BBC are on the case – I know because they called me as PR for Silverburn – so it has jumped from a social media platform to mainstream media – and in under 24 hours!

What did Braehead do wrong? Simple – they didn’t hold their hands up, admit to over reacting and take on the chin.

But what to do now?

If I were the Breahead PR I would issue another statement which this time is a little bit more sensible.

1. Hands up we handled this badly
2. Reviewing our staff training / signage on the mall
3. Sincerely apologise to Mr x and his daughter

All is not lost. Mr x could become Braehead’s ambassador if it is handled correctly and this could be a textbook case for the right, rather than the wrong reasons!

Good luck!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Braehead/288861364476077

http://www.braehead.co.uk/Whats-on/News/Statement-from-Braehead

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Braehead-Shopping-Centre/108688469185420?ref=sgm

Each week an anonymous member of the public gives the reader an insight into … well, what they’re really thinking!

The personal ones are usually very sad – the jilted wife, the abandoned child, the grieving mother – you get the picture.

However the professional ones are often the best. The dustbin man, the stripper, the beautician, even professions you’d normally have little empathy for, in my case the traffic warden, are quite thought provoking.

Recently, one from a plumber struck a cord with me.

His profession has a reputation of ‘charging through the roof’ for what most of us consider pretty unsophisticated water works!

His point however is not just the hours ‘on the job’ you’re paying for – but also the many years of expertise he has accumulated which makes him more effective and efficient.

Employ someone less qualified and they might have to try two or three different ‘fixes’ before they stumble upon the solution.

I too get the ‘how much a day?’ questioning from some new clients. Yes you can probably get somebody less experienced do the job cheaper. Whether they have the writing skills, media contacts and wider understanding of ‘what makes news’ to take you straight from A to B, is questionable.

It’s not just the contractor’s man-hours that’s costing you money – your time needs to be factored in too!

So whether it’s holding hammer for an in-experienced plumber or re-writing a press release for a straight-out-of-uni PR, pause to consider ‘Are you flushing money down the toilet?”

]]> http://prjudith.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/pr-what-im-really-thinkin/feed/ 0 4107-67129 prjudith http://prjudith.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/in-fashion-pr-big-is-now-beautiful/ http://prjudith.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/in-fashion-pr-big-is-now-beautiful/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:55:39 +0000 Judith O'Leary http://prjudith.wordpress.com/?p=124 ]]> The fashion industry is finally waking up to the truth … yes women want inspiration in their fashion feeds, but they are also looking for achievable – and that’s where Silverburn came up trumps this weekend.

Size 16 / 18 women and ladies over 50 strutted their fuller forms alongside their skinny sisters – and they looked magnificent! 

It can be difficult to get coverage on fashion events – so many shopping centres are doing them.  The key is finding a human angle – models are a good place to start and thankfully the larger / older models became my news peg.

Linking this to a fashion movement – thanks Mary Portas & Boots – and you have a news line that may make a Monday morning press.

Wish me luck!

Click to view slideshow.

Journalists fed up with pestering PRs are a dab hand at the perfect putdown. Unfortunately when a client a looking for positive exposure, crawling under the nearest stone is not an option.

Here’s how to pitch

Journalist:  There’s nothing new in that product. I’ve seen lots written about this type of thing before.

PR: Yes I have seen you write about (topic) before.  That’s why I thought you would be interested in this – it is different because of x, y & z.

Journalist: Still not convinced

PR: I know you want something that’s new that’s why I have commissioned some new research which demonstrates that while there are (x) already in the market, they are not satisfying the need.

PR: I could give you exclusive access to this if you were interested.  Shall I send it across now?

The art of selling-in is very much to anticipate the negatives and be ready with an answer.  Always, always know the journalist’s area of interest and make sure he knows you know it too.  Try and remember that journalists need something that’s new and regional press need a local angle.  If you’re not successful then at least you have been given valuable feedback – perhaps you need to rework your release or look for another angle.

It’s easy to become intimidated by journalists, but remember you’re a professional too so if a story is not strong enough – don’t waste his time or yours!

Now I’ve worked with some pretty committed individuals and we all go the extra mile as and when the situation dictates it.  When I represented Paul Green in the Wendy Alexander donations scandal it was pretty full-on and during the Highland Show I don’t get much sleep, but some of that is down to socialising in the bar!

But I can’t say it is a regular thing and I am thankful for that.  Ok so news is 24/7 and nobody would turn down the opportunity of a Radio 5 Live interview on Wake Up to Money, but clients have to sleep too!

What shocked me most was that there seemed to be a general air of acceptance, even pride, amongst my peers.  Like it was the accepted norm to work all these hours with one PR even going so far as to say PR is a ‘lifestyle career’.

I don’t think it’s one I would be aspiring to.  Good PRs are well rounded individuals with interesting lives who can draw on their experiences to deliver creative campaigns.

When a recent work experience girl asked me what I loved most about my job it wasn’t that I can bung a few G&Ts on expenses as I ‘entertain’ clients or journalists.  It’s that I work with interesting people who do interesting things and I think that’s what clients are looking for in their agency also!

Now who’s round is it?

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