September 2nd, 2010 by Rebecca Gregory

Stig, speculation and surveys – surely the ‘silly season is over?

The Stig at the British International Motor Sh...

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It’s September, surely the ‘silly season’ has officially ended? Despite Blair’s book being all over the news today, the rest of the news has been dominated by the revealing of the real Stig (not Schumacher after all – yes, I really believed that), rabid speculation over Hague’s alleged homosexual affair (based on no evidence in particular, and should we really care?), and many surveys. In today’s Daily Telegraph, there are no less than four surveys in its news pages (which also cover Blair, the Stig and Hague).

The PR industry is often berated for a perceived overuse of surveys and so it’s interesting to see that they are considered worthwhile by some journalists – front page fodder no less. Naturally the news angle has to be strong and the stats powerful – let’s examine them:

Front page: ‘Happiness begins at 55’. The usual ‘fun’ survey. Is it telling us anything that we didn’t know? I’m not certain, but it certainly contributes to a general perception that Brits spend the majority of their life massively stressed. However, we know not where the respondents are based – are they country or city folk? I suspect the latter.

Page 8: ‘£1 a minute to eat at top restaurants’. What consumers find annoying when dining out. Hardly earth shattering, but a big name brand is behind it which always adds kudos. The country’s ability to be irritated by anything and everything no doubt contributes to general life doom and gloom, as referenced on the front page.

Page 9: ‘Fox attack leaves 1 in 5 afraid of wildlife’. A third of city dwellers now perceive wildlife as ‘dangerous’ rather than ‘harmless’. This is not Australia. With a propensity to be so wimpish it’s unsurprising we’re stressed out as a nation, thereby contributing to general life doom and gloom, as referenced on the front page.

Page 9: ‘Family meal replaced by two dinners’. Parents and children are missing out on valuable family time. No doubt that’s because everyone is so stressed and working overtime, thereby contributing to general life doom and gloom, as referenced on the front page.

Regardless of what real value these surveys bring to our general knowledge, we should be thankful they exist as a news filler – otherwise we’d have piped music (see 1930) or the test card.

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August 27th, 2010 by Simon Matthews

Ground Zero mosque and a media balancing act

Ground Zero Mosque Protesters 3
Image by david_shankbone via Flickr

The ongoing furore over whether or not a mosque should be allowed to be built near Ground Zero in Manhattan has brought many issues to light and has given people considerable food for thought.

If you want to read more about the mosque, Charlie Brooker has written a characteristically satirical take in the Guardian and the BBC has reported on it extensively (as has pretty much every news site on the internet). But while the media is legally obliged to be balanced in its reporting, should it have a moral obligation too, particularly given the sensitivity in this case? While a lot of the media coverage has been even-handed and fair, the right-leaning press must surely take at least some responsibility for the uproar.

The vast majority of people would agree that anyone with that level of influence over a group of people should act with restraint and have some kind of ethical obligation not to directly mislead the public. But is this moral necessity trumped by the need for a free press, and the commercial necessity to sell content? In the case of the mosque, the very real fear is that media slant will whip up prejudice and misinformed word-of-mouth that is socially damaging. Or even puts lives at risk.

To quote a well known superhero’s uncle “with great power comes great responsibility”. I think most people would agree with this as a general rule. The media should not be required to be squarely balanced in all reporting, as that would be overkill and make the media landscape a much duller place. But I do believe that there has to be some kind of ethical onus on fairness – regardless of legal and commercial requirements.

I have a couple of suggestions for simple ways for the media to improve balance:

-          Don’t report opinion as fact – at least try to back up your argument! Yes journalists are not ‘supposed’ to do this, but it is increasingly common as information from social media gets picked up by the conventional press

-          Avoid straw man arguments – all too common, but can be a very persuasive fallacy

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August 18th, 2010 by Nick Bishop

The Economist named as one of the world’s hottest brands

The Economist might be 167 years old but age, and an unwavering commitment to a philosophy formed back when Queen Victoria was busy ruling an empire, haven’t prevented it from being included in Ad Age’s annual round-up of the “World’s Hottest Brands”.

Ad Age’s list is limited to just 30 brands, including many of the names people in the marketing industry would expect to see included: Facebook, Ikea, Nike and BMW for example. That The Economist, a brand with a fraction of the number of consumers of these companies, is considered to be of the same calibre says much about both the quality of the product and the rigour of the publication’s marketing.

In both cases, it’s The Economist’s refusal to compromise that has made it so successful. Editorial is always disinterested – unaffected by background forces – and marketing is always true to the essence of the product. That may sound simple to achieve but to not waver over the course of 167 years deserves great praise.

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August 16th, 2010 by David Bell

iPhone 5 to feature NFC?

Could NFC or near field communication be heading to the iPhone 5? Apple has just announced that Benjamin Vigier, a renowned NFC guru has been hired as product manager for mobile commerce. But what is NFC and why should we care?

In a nutshell, NFC is a tiny chip within a mobile device which allows us to pay for small purchases (say, under a tenner) by simply waving our mobile phone in the general direction of a NFC reader. Payments are instant and secure and mean that the days of digging around in our pockets for change whilst at the bar could effectively be at an end. No more shrapnel at the end of a night out, no more holes in pockets, no more coins down the side of the sofa.

NFC is not new, boffins at the Dutch semiconductor company NXP had the standard approved in 2003. Barclaycard users will be familiar with it through the innovative Visa payWave on certain credit cards. However it hasn’t taken off on mobile phones as planned, largely because the big players in the industry haven’t reached a consensus on how to deploy the technology.

Could Apple now lead the way and finally extend the benefits of this pretty cool technology to the rest of us?

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July 19th, 2010 by Clare English

‘Speeps’ Profiles – Sarah Apps

This week, our newest member of the Speed team gushes a little bit about the rest of us (clever lady) and talks of leeches and beef stew & dumplings.

Who is the person, at Speed, who has made the biggest impression on you this week (for right or wrong reasons)?

I can’t just pick just one person as everyone has been really great and welcoming!!!

What’s the worst thing you ever did on a school exchange trip?

I told my friend there were leeches in the water halfway through a raft race.  She panicked and we all fell in and lost the race.

If you could ask David Beckham one question, what would it be?

I’d ask Becks if I could have a picture with him – with his top off.

When was the last time you broke the law?

I’m too much of a good girl and have never broken the law, apart from speeding and underage drinking but most people have done that! (Not consecutively though)

From ‘first’ impressions, what one word best sums up Speed?

Immense

What is the last thing you cooked that you were proud of?

Beef stew and dumplings.

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July 16th, 2010 by Nicky Savage

Fancy a snog?

I have had a Snog in Covent Garden, one in Soho and had one last night in Westfield shopping centre before the latest instalment of the Twilight saga. I also had one for my birthday with work. It was delicious. I am of course not talking about the lip-locking variety but the delicious frozen  yoghurt kind.

A bit of Googling tells me that Snog is the brain child of Colombian architect Pablo Uribe and his US-born business partner Rob Baines. It is therefore maybe a bit surprising about how London ‘cool’ the branding is. The website is full of Shoreditchy looking people and cheeky statements. All black and white with flashes of bright pink.

I for one love it. Seeing as I am trying (sort of) to shed the pounds for my wedding next May, I am obsessive about finding low fat snacks. The US is great with healthier, low fat, low sugar alternatives but in the UK, you’re limited to a Boots ‘Shapers’ bar (chemical foam dipped in chocolate), A NutriGrain (cheap apple sauce rolled in the bottom of your hamster cage) or some other similar ‘be good to yourself’, ‘lighter choice’  supermarket delight. Snog is about 1.5 Weight Watcher points for a medium portion (I view all food in WW points even though I haven’t been in years) – whack on one of your five a day and you have a very healthy, very delicious snack.

So that is my tip for a Friday – when it gets to 3pm ish and you can’t really focus and fancy a non-caffeine pick-me-up – head out for a cheeky Snog.

PS – one of the statements  on the website is ‘you’ll never forget your first snog’. It is true. My first real snog was at the Surrey Tennis Club disco when I was 14 with a boy called Michael who had a very exotic long Italian surname. Not quite as delicious as a frozen yoghurt covered in berries but it was pretty exciting at the time!

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July 9th, 2010 by Clare English

‘Speeps’ Profiles – David Bell

This week, David Bell rides a huge beast and shares his views on media and PR.

Persuade us to visit your home town Leighton Buzzard in a sentence.

It’s the home of legendary 80s band Kajagoogoo. There’s also a free fight available for anyone that ‘wants some’!

You’re famed for your trademark wink. What’s that about?

That’s scary, I didn’t even realise I did it! Is it a camp wink or more manly? Please tell me it’s not too Anne Robinson?

How does Speed compare with other places that you’ve worked?

There’s a real passion and hunger to deliver results for clients. Many agencies pay lip service to it but here it’s genuine. If I was a client I’d hire Speed.

Where do you stand on media fragmentation and the rise of digital networks?

The traditional PR model was all about using the media and analysts as conduits for reaching our target audience. Whilst elements of this are still true there’s now a huge opportunity for engaging with our clients’ buying audiences directly. As a result the PR space is more exciting now than it ever has been and creativity is more important than ever. The speed at which stories break now is incredible and they’ll often be over social media before they can be qualified by traditional news outlets. This gives us in PR the opportunity to contribute to the debate on behalf of our clients but we have to be very quick to respond.

Have you got any advice for account execs starting our in their career?

Before you get into PR, gain as much work experience as possible, not only will this help you get a job in the first place, it will also mean you’re better equipped to hit the ground running when you do start. For those working on more technical clients, swot up as much as you possibly can on what it is they do, who their competitors are etc. You can’t pitch or provide counsel for them unless you understand this.

What’s been the biggest change in PR since you entered the industry?

The exponential rise in all things digital. When I first started out, I actually had clients say that “online coverage doesn’t count”, they wanted the print stuff to hold in their hands. That’s all changed in a very short space of time. I do occasionally shed a tear when I see the likes of IT Week disappear and Computing go bi-weekly. Within the next 10 years it’s highly likely that all B2B print media will be online.

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July 2nd, 2010 by Clare English

Cheese, Wine & Speed

Cultured as ever, yesterday saw the first Speed ‘tasting’ session, hosted by @mynameisearl and @brownbare.  For the benefit of all, here’s our top drawer collection of tips and facts:

Banyuls is the chocolate wine, lightly fortified and is left in the sun for a year of two to ‘bake’ in glass containers.

Bordeaux (the Gironde estuary) is about 33 degrees north. Chile has a Pacific estuary about 33 degrees south. Often Chilean wine can be the ideal Bordeaux substitute at a quarter of the price.

Brillat Savarin is named in honour of Jean Brillat Savarin, an original gourmet who wrote the Psychology of Taste.  Also published one of the first papers on low carb diets being used to overcome obesity.

Bleu D’ Auvergne – The mouldy blue penicillin that gives Bleu D’ Auvergne its distinctive taste and look was originally found by putting mouldy rye bread (left to go mouldy in caves) around the cheese and allowing the penicillin to grow on it.  It is then pricked with needles to create holes that allow air in, giving the well known ‘blue vein’ look!

Goats Cheese- Goats milk is the most similar in taste and contents to human breast milk.  So, people with chronic kidney disease can cope with eating goats cheese due to its friendly bacteria and similar nutrients that are within human breast milk.  Also, goats’ cheese is one of the oldest forms of dairy production.

Sauvignon Blanc smells of cats’ pee.

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June 1st, 2010 by michael.frier

Daily News – 01/06

The Register – Fraudsters limber up for World Cup themed scams

Football governing body FIFA has already warned supporters to be wary over various forms of scams that are likely to crop up in the run-up to the start of the tournament, which kicks off in ten days time.

SC Magazine – Importance of email retention clear after US bank is fined $700,000

A fine issued to a company for failing to retain emails demonstrates the importance of email retention as a compliance issue.

The Daily Telegraph – World Cup traffic could clog mobile networks

Analysts at consultancy firm Deloitte have suggested that the numbers of Britons watching TV on their phones could compromise mobile networks. The World Cup could lead to an increase in data usage on mobile phone networks and lead to the services becoming “oversaturated”, according to industry analysts at management consultancy firm Deloitte.

The Daily Telegraph – Google has mapped every WiFi network in Britain

Google has mapped every wireless network in Britain in order to use the information for commercial purposes, it has emerged. Every WiFi wireless router – the device that links most computer owners to the internet – in every home has been entered into a Google database. The information was collected by radio aerials on their Street View cars, which have now photographed almost every home in the country

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