Mobile keeps up the pressure for effective communication

Mobile keeps cropping up in forecasts and is becomming core to PR communication. By 2012, cellular VoIP services are forecast to generate revenues of $18.6 billion in the USA and $7.3 billion in Western Europe, compared with fixed VoIP revenues of $11.9 in the USA and $6.9 billion in Western Europe, according to a new report, Forecasting the Commercial Impact of Wireless VoIP in the USA and Western Europe, published by Analysys, the global advisers on telecoms, IT and media (http://research.analysys.com/).

European commercial broadcasters threatened

Yankee Group today announced that multi-channel services, new advertising formats and new direct business partnerships between content providers and advertisers are posing a tremendous threat to the core business of European commercial broadcasters. As a result, European free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters are facing a severe decline in advertising revenue. Yankee Group finds that to retain these budgets and margins, broadcasters must refocus their traditional business model and explore new and emerging TV distribution and merchandising options.

This means that broadcast public relations acivities need to re-think how they provide content for broadcsters.

Free video editing software

If you are thinking of learning how to edit your video for your company vidcast or blog, you may want a list of free video editing software from TV ISG.

For podcasting the most used free editing software is Audacity.

Work early for Christmas

Are you ready for Christmas?

Online performance, Internet interactivity and sales performance for the festive season is a must this year. The alternative, gardening in February, is not a lot of fun.

Online retail sales for November and December 2005 were up 20% on the previous year, outperforming the high street by a factor of eight. Way back then, this represented 6.8% of all UK retail sales.

I have already reported research that suggests British retail spending over the Internet is set to double, hitting almost 40 billion pounds, by 2010. This year there will be a surge. It would surprise few people to see an additional 25% sales increase online this year over last, the increase could be even more. This would pitch online sales at £3.75 to £4bn over November/December 2006.

This means, if you have any connection with online retailing you have to be working up your programme now. Of course your web site should already have enjoyed a comprehensive makeover. This will mean it will get its tinsel on time and in the right places.

You will check that server can cope with huge surgesn traffic and high throughput of purchases. You will have a group ready to respond to questions and issues and perhaps a method for helping people who want to ask questions or comment online.


If the PR industry gets this wrong it will never be forgiven. Think in terms of one in every three pounds spent by householders will be via the Internet (and this is not just for the young and trendy, my 89 year old Mother-in-law depends on Internet ordered meals for her lunches).

The evidence of the power of Internet retailing keeps mounting.

John Lewis reported a 25% surge in profits last week fuelled by a huge increase in internet sales. The department store group, which also owns the Waitrose supermarket chain, said it had enjoyed an 'excellent' half year.

Meanwhile, the UK Town Centre Retailing 2006 report by retail analysts Verdict Research found town centre spending fell to £122.3 billion in 2005, a 0.6 per cent drop on 2004.

Clothing retailer Next Plc posted an increase in first-half profits on Wednesday last, as a surge in its catalogue and Internet business helped offset a drop in same-store sales.

Chocolate retailer Thorntons Plc posted a 36 percent drop in full year profits on Tuesday last because of sluggish high street demand. On a positive note, demand for chocolates over the company's Internet site grew 6.4 percent over the past 12 months to 5.5 million pounds.

Shoppers spent £767 million less in town centre shops last year, turning to the internet, retail villages and supermarkets that are selling more and more non-food items like TVs and clothes.

Insurance giant Aviva, one of our biggest financial-services group, said it would cut 4,000 jobs in the UK, in part because customers were no longer shy about doing big financial transactions online.

Online, non car dealer, second hand car sales has increased share from 3% in 1998 to 7% in 2005.

Last week the Civil Aviation Authority issued a report revealing there were twice as many failures of old-style holiday companies this year than last with people booking flights and holiday accommodation direct with vendors via the Internet.

I just hope that the PR industry is ready for all this.

This is coming at us really fast.

The top ten Political Bloggers in the UK

Iain Dale is regarded as Britain 's leading political blogger in so far that his blog is the most visited blog in the country and at the beginning of the political conference season, he has written an article about political blogging for the BBC. Not bad publicity for an aspiring Tory MP.

Of course, for news of events at the conferences, the best 'news' will come fastest electronically.

The bloggers being faster because there are fewer processes in the way (editor of one) and so will be monitored closely.

Political PR and corporate affairs is now much mediated by social media and, whereas in the past the Westminster Village did not need to look outside very often (a few weeks before the next election was quite cool), the influences are coming from a wider range of campaigners that the usual FoE, Greenpeace, CBI lobby machines.

Some of those machines are even using social media to help make their point.

Political application of social media in the USA is a street ahead. For example there is not a single picture on Flickr for the LibDem Blogger of the Year awards last night. Sort of sluggish really.

But this year the political bloggers at the conferences are going to be much more powerful.

Wide area Internet is getting exciting.

This from The Guardian:

xG Technology is the company behind xMax, a transmission technology that can broadcast a phone or wireless broadband signal using much less power than conventional radio transmitters. The technology also uses unlicensed spectrum, which could make it attractive to businesses looking to set up cheap communications networks.

The significance being that it has potential to offer fast Internet access both in homes and offices and on the street making the Internet even more accessible to more people.

Is Television New Media?

Almost but adoption is some way off.

I am tempted to post about this because of Kevin Anderson's post yesterday. In it he describes what is in the pipeline and discusses opportunities for the medium.

The sentence that sticks out for me is his comment: "I watch a lot of video, just not a lot of TV."

He time shifts, he selects what he wants to see when he wants to see it. He references Tom Coates post: Social software to set-top boxes:

Imagine a buddy-list on your television that you could bring onto your screen with the merest tap of a 'friends' key on your remote control. The buddy list would be the first stage of an interface that would let you add and remove friends, and see what your friends are watching in real-time - whether they be watching live television or something stored on their PVRs.

The fact that we are at the mercy of TV type thinking by the TV industry now does not mean that this will not change. Partly this is because TV audiences are dwindling and time watching TV is shrinking.

I think there is resistance built into the system.
The TV we watch is box in the corner that is not a computer.
It seems all too easy to muck up current TV settings when trying to enhance TV options.
The hand controls are designed by Martians.
The interface is not familiar.
We do not know the options that are available because it is such a pain to find out what they are.

All this may explain why TV audiences are declining and may be why there will be change in the near future and not long term.

The announcement that Google is talking to Apple about supplying video clips for Apples's iTV device may be a move to engage the digitl bit of digital television. This lets users watch video content stored on their desktop PC or their home TVs. Google's consumer product chief, Marissa Mayer, told Newsweek that the two companies are "engaged in talks". The iTV device is a video streaming player which uses wireless technology to play video on a TV.

TV as we know it will keep rumbling on like newspapers and fax machines. But there are alternatives that will be exciting for more than few Geeks.

New Media Release case study

Dan McGinn provides a case study of the use of the New Media Release. It is interesting reading.

So last week my firm sent out a press release for the Chevy Super Bowl College Ad Challenge. We used the Social Media Press Release template developed by Todd Defren and Shift Communications. We looked at as many examples as we could find. I have to say that Chevrolet was very open about doing this and a traditional press release was sent out at the same time.

Issues management ideas

BL Ochman has offered a view of how an organisation might manage an issue using a blog.

As part of building a strategy, a PR practitioner may well examine if when and how blogs might be helpful in such circumstances.

Of recent weeks I have been thinking about how one might resolve issues of web server overload in times of crisis. One strategy may be to have a blog available on one of the services with high capacity such as Google.

This would allow for fast response with heavyweight web server capability.

Press release finds its way to magazines readers automatically

Lee Odden at Webpronews, has taken an interest in the hRelease or social media release and offered a list of hyperlinks to web and Usenet resources.

This initiative is of interest to people who issue press releases.

It is especially interesting for people who want to issue press releases via the web, forms of social media or to/through press release agencies.

As an initiative, it has the merit of cutting to cost of press release distribution because of its nature this form of publishing has built in search engine optimisation, RSS and web friendly features such as an XML base.

What practitioners will have to wait for are the software engineers - geeks in garages - to create software to allow you to fill in the boxes to get the most from the idea and some bright person to create a release distribution site. (Disclosure - One of those geeks is a friend of mine).

One thing to remember about social media releases. You get one chance. If a journalist thinks you are abusing the concept you get switched off - permanently. RSS is like that you just switch off the feed. So no more corporate boilerplate stuff from the marketing boiler behind the big desk (you know what I mean ... embargo 0900 hrs 09/08/06 Headline - The Next Revolution - First par - XXX plc. the leading global leader in raspberry blowing today announces the first revolution in pursed lips since its miraculous acquisition of red current jam(tm) ... bla bla...).

This kind of development is only the start. A press release using such technologies (to you... boxes to be filled in) is built up from lots of small elements of information called microformats.

They can be used like building blocks.

A press release may have an embedded calender, or address book, audio or video resource that could be on uTube or Fileodge. It may even link to a Writley document or map.

Using these technologies you can lever up online facilities and add them.

This 'mashup' capability offers the reader (journalist) as much or as little information needed. In addition, it can be issued in such a way that it finds its own way to the online members of your community, the readers of the publication. It goes direct to readers too.

How cool is that.


Picture: Finding My Way

Big Desks

A lot of the 'fixed mind' process, command and control, ISO 9000, Marketing, advertising, MBO stuff has to be thought through again. It is not all bad or all out of date but much of it no longer fits with what we know and what is happening in our societies and cultures.

Simple things just keep coming up and biting the old school in the butt.

What is the value of an MBA when it takes creativity out of management?

Which models work and which are ones force old thinking on new models.

When relationships are so important and relationship value is moving to the fore, we see notions of the networked society and cultural relations having significance in a cultural economy.

To meet these needs there is an ever growing list of Public Relations practices and there will be more to come. It will be down to the Relationship Manager to understand what PR can do and deploy such skills.

The Big Desks are now getting the way.

I see references to 'Marketing' and think of big desks. I see advertising and see Big Desks, I see Auditing and see Big Desks. Mostly, there is not much of worth behind such Big Desks.

The people behind these Big Desks now have to take a walk down the corridor because unless they do, they cannot optimise the value of relationships.

Make your own vidcast

If you ask most Marketing Directors about using Video on line, they get a vision of a cameraman, clapper boards, lighting, scripts, music. The whole nine yards. BDM's (Big Desk Marketers) miss the communication opportunity.

In the meantime Sixty Second View shows, for a lot of communication, you need not much more than a cellphone. Its is the kind of content you can use on a blog or wiki or as content to liven up your intranet.

Good strong points can be made, with a real voice and it is powerful stuff. The use of YouTube has shown how such content can be hosted and there are more options in Dion Hinchcliffe's site.

Of which Eyespot caught my eye. It includes a web based editing suite.

I will try it but it does look very cool and offers an easy option for providing vidcasting.

The Center for PR Education: How Managers Hit PR Paydirt

The Center for PR Education: How Managers Hit PR Paydirt: "As a business, non-profit or association manager, you'll know it's PR paydirt when you're able to persuade your key external stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that lead to your department, division or subsidiary's success.

But to realise such results, you'll have to get personally involved with the public relations people assigned to your unit. Then shift their emphasis from communications tactics to a workable and comprehensive blueprint that will lead to your success as a unit manager.

A blueprint, for example, like this: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished."

Levels of Geek speak for PR's

It is said that it does not take long to learn the basics of computer programming languages. Its not something I have done.

My approach to programming language is the same as my approach to other languages. When in Rome I speak English with a smattering of Italian words picked up on the way. Its fun and it puts me in the mood and, fortunately, Italians have a great sense of humour.

Most computers also have a sense of humour about the misuse of programming language . Sometimes its difficult to see the smile lines round the eyes when your frustration at you own incompetence boils over.

I would recommend that PR student did an appreciation course, just to get over the hang up between arts and sciences and find the smile lines of a geeks best friend.

What to learn? Try this list.

Oh yes, to find out what it is you will need a phrase book.

ONline PR tools and channels

A very, but by no means comprehensive, list of channels and devices for collaborative conversation with corporate constituencies is provided by Go2Web20.

A browse through these ideas may be valuable when trying to come up with a really cool creative approach.

State of play for Mobile Internet

I found this article by Dan Simmons, at the BBC very helpful because it puts the use and application of mobile web into perspective as a channel for communication.

It seems to be a bit of a turnoff but getting my gmail on my mobile is OK . It is a bit slow but then I seldom read email on my mobile in a rush.

Mobile web is coming and is important.
In the meantime there are a lot of communications channels that are available on mobiles that perform brilliantly and should be considered for all PR campaigns (even if they are then cast aside in for some reason).

If you are a podcaster

You may like to note that directing your audience to iTunes to download your podcast may be a problem for your audience.

I noticed problems today and see that c|net has a report:

Apple unveiled iTunes 7 on Tuesday at an event in San Francisco. The new version delivers new features like Cover Flow, a parade of album artwork, and allows iTunes Store customers to buy movies from studios owned by Disney. It was available for download on Tuesday following the event, but the early feedback has not been positive.

The tipping month for UK political blogging

The three main parties are falling over themselves to woo this new breed of political blogger, offering computer facilities, background briefings and even access to big name politicians.

For Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats it is not just about appearing to be on top of the latest media trend - or showing how open to debate and criticism they are.

It is about getting a toe-hold in a medium which has been growing in influence at Westminster.

So says BBC Political Reporter Brian Wheeler

As the politiacl conference season revs up, this year will be a big year for blogging and I guess podcasting and video casting online. It is something to watch if you have a PR role with a political element.

A twist to traditional blogging

The scientific journal Nature is to adopt an open peer-review system to judge papers submitted for publication.

Manuscripts will be uploaded to a pre-print server and made available online in what is essentially a blog, allowing members of the scientific community to comment on the content's merit, reports PC Pro.

The range of applications for new media is very wide and this is an example. Inagine doing the same for internal reviewing and aproval for draft 'press release' or online comment prior to publication.

It may mean that lawyers and product managers will truly be singing of the same hymn sheet.

Discredited by association with astroturfing

Be careful who you work with.

Netribution made this comment about Google:

BoingBoing is reporting that Google have appointed controversial Washington-based lobying and 'astroturfing' firm DCI to represent them in the US. DCI, run by Republican Party officials, came into public controversy earlier in the year when the Washington Post revealed it had pretended to be a 29 year old basement filmmaker to post a YouTube video attacking Al Gore and his film An Inconvenient Truth, released this week in the UK.

Pointing to This comment from Boing Boing:

Google's new lobbyists: lying, astroturfing, push-polling scumbags
Google's new DC lobbyists have a reputation for slime, astroturfing and push-polling.


The result of hiring a company associated with Astroturfing and other practices that are unpopular with social media commentators is probably not helpful to Google's reputation.

As Google becomes more pervasive in people's lives, its relationship with governments will become more important and any interface will be scrutinised in a very different light because of these comments.

There will be commentators who will look at this appointment in the light of the Google philosophy of 'do no evil'. For many Astroturfing is not good if not evil