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May 10th, 2011 by Sophie Hodgson

We need a new attitude

So much blog fodder from last night’s BCSEntrepreneurs Inagural Storm event that it’s hard to pick one thing really to focus on.

The role of government was much debated, but to my mind that panel wasn’t really taken to task. A lot of people talked how they could facilitate much needed connections but cultural change wasn’t really tackled.

A lot of attendees over tea and coffee stressed the importance of a change in terms how we tolerate failure, which is inevitable. Here in the UK if you fail, you’re doomed. But in the US entrepreneurs are championed and encouraged to try again. And it’s Chinese tenacity and tolerance of risk that has seen its economy rise to become a super power.

Both @evarley and @mikebutcher touched on this topic, but it would have been good to understand how tolerance of risk and failure is being addressed both by the Government and the likes of Cap Gemini.

Much is happening to help technology entrepreneurs but that can only bring limited change. As a nation we need to be OK with failure, be prepared to take risks and ultimately be braver if we’re to truly get ‘tech city’ off the ground and working across the country.

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May 6th, 2011 by michael.frier

How to PR the Assassination of a Global Leader

I think it is safe to say that newspapers this week have been completely dominated by reports and analysis of the death of Bin Laden (and Kate Middleton shopping in Waitrose). No one has enjoyed this more than the White House Press Office, who have done a fantastic job in keeping control of the story – although a few cracks are starting to show today. Although it is fairly obvious to state that the Bin Laden killing was an operation planned to the most miniscule detail – I must say I didn’t quite realise the outreach of this planning. It seems fairly clear to me that, perhaps not before the event, but certainly within moments of it the White House PR Team were put on full alert and were immediately devising the best way to present the news to the public.

 

Decision One was easy: Obama would present the news alone on Live TV. This was not the militaries’ success…this was not the Allies success…this was Obama’s success. It was the announcement that made America forget their divisions – healthcare bills, broken Guantanamo promises and poor economic results were forgotten as America revelled in their revenge and Obama’s success. One of the first things revealed to the press was the image of Obama watching as the operation took place, orchestrating the moment American’s have been waiting a decade for. This was Obama’s victory and it was the announcement that kick-started the ‘Campaign to Re-Elect to Barak Obama’.

 

However, it was the PR that followed the announcement that really took my notice. The propaganda machine immediately kicked in. If you are going to ‘murder’ a world leader, you better make sure the world hates him. And that’s where the White House PR machine comes in. Bin Laden was immediately painted as the hate figure. Reports from the White House included: Bin Laden hid behind his wife (later stated she jumped in front of him) and Bin Laden shot at the troops (later stated he was unarmed). Both these reports aimed to make this not seem like an assassination of revenge, but the attempted capture of an evil criminal.

 

Over the last couple of days these reports have started to unravel and truths have been revealed. However, the impact of this has been blunted by the nicely timed trip by Obama – to Ground Zero, the site of Bin Laden’s biggest atrocity. Obama’s trip to New York ensures that the stories of 9/11 victims have filled the paper and Bin Laden’s ‘evil persona’ is at the forefront of all stories – clouding over the fact that all was not as we were told. It has also allowed Obama to walk through the crowds like a heroic leader coming to tell of his success at war.

 

The whole story has really been quite the coup for the Obama administration. They have controlled the story from word go, they have made sure that the press has focussed on the aspects they want whilst hiding the more contentious points. The Bin Laden Assassination should be all future governments model on how to PR the assassination of a global leader and ensure the press and public stay onside.

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May 6th, 2011 by Sophie Hodgson

The whole truth and… oh hang on

‘Let’s ensure that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet’ is a well-used cliché in PR. But an important one. To convey a message and ensure it is credible and trustworthy, consistency is key.

When you have multiple people with multiple accounts, things get messy and you find yourself getting tripped up with what can seem like small details. Just ask the US Government. It’s again changed its account of how Bin Laden was killed and the President and the CIA embarrassingly contradicted each other earlier this week about whether or not photos of a dead Bin Laden would be released.

Whilst the President is off attending well organised and emotional events at Ground Zero, the communication around Bin Laden’s death is becoming increasingly confused and contradictory. He’s in danger of looking like he wasn’t in possession of all the facts and that could be a problem later on down the line for his credibility, giving election rivals an open shot at a man who has put openness and honesty at the heart of his presidency.

If Obama is in any doubt about how quickly he needs to ensure everyone is telling the same story, he should perhaps give ol’ Tony Blair a call. Although I doubt TB’s tip ‘wear more make up on TV it gives them something else to talk about’ is going to be quite the golden nugget of advice that Obama is looking for. 

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November 12th, 2010 by Clare English

Successful Networkers go in for the Long Haul

There’s been much talk about the subject of networking, this week.

Firstly, @MarieEfthymiou and @Mlle_Estelle ran a great lunchtime learning session at Speed, the slide share presentation for which is seen, below.

Then, after the subject of networking as a sales tool cropped up at Speed towers, yesterday, I was all set to write a quick blog with some of my fail safe tips. But, then, I happened to stumble upon this great article at WomenEntrepreneur that very usefully, makes the differentiation between extrovert and introvert personalities and their preferences towards networking styles.  This great post, taken from the book,  Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected by Devora Zack, made me realise that the same tips and tricks are not going to be applicable to all.

But it’s also worth noting the fact that, often, the problem is less about disliking networking, but more about finding it difficult to reap rewards from it. If you’re a humble person, it’s difficult to wax lyrical about yourself, or your company to a complete stranger – it’s simply ‘not British’. So, as a final word, I do have just one fail safe pointer that goes against many American theories that you will read on the subject of using networking as a sales tool – and is basically rooted in polite common sense. When ultimately, your goal is to sell when you’re networking, forget about the ‘elevator pitch’.  First find out what you can do for the person you’re talking to. Ask them about themselves (how has your day been? Why has it been bad? What are you working on?) and figure out if there is someone, or a resource that you can connect them to, to help (you’ll be surprised at how often you can – us PRs are jolly well read, which is something we often take for granted). Once you’ve offered them something, or even if you haven’t at that time, keep their situation in mind (make a note of it in your contacts database and revisit this often to remind you) and send over any future information, events, articles etc that you think will be of relevance.

Finally, the last point is the one that I would like you to take away with you.  Do not qualify your networking success or failure on the basis of whether you pick up an immediate opportunity.  Successful networkers go in for the long haul and focus on building that crucial area of business that it’s often all to easy to forget – relationships.

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October 22nd, 2010 by Nicky Savage

Castles, contingency theory and controlling the agenda

A few months ago, I found out I was sucessful in getting on to the Loewy Leadership Programme – a two year course for a group of people picked from across the Group looking to develop themselvess.

Now – when you think leadership course, you usually think conference room at the Hilton and a plate of mayonnaise sandwiches. But lucky for me and my fellow leaders-in-waiting, the CEO of Loewy (our teacher for the two days) had a different view.

This is Leeds Castle (oddly named considering it is in Kent) and was our home for two days of mind expanding discussion, medieval banquet eating and general all round brilliant-ness.

Having worked as part of Loewy for a fair old while now, I was suprised not to recognise at least 60% of the faces round the table and was a wee bit scared at how clever they all seemed. By the end of the second day – I had to stop myself shouting “WILL YOU BE MY NEW BEST FRIEND???”.

These two days focused primarily on the theory of leadership – what does it mean, who does it well, what is power, how can you get it and use it, what is culture and how do you define it and what is a personal brand? Amongst the regular tea breaks and strolls round the grounds we debated, shouted, swore a little, got a bit drunk, got scared of ghosts, shared our souls, nibbled Jelly Beans and used loads of flip charts.

I am sure I will be writing many more posts but for now – a few titbits / hints that I will be using to make me better at work:

- Take the space – step back / away from work and think about what it is you are trying to do

- It is better if you help others see the benefit of the task you are trying to do

- A lot of your day is spent doing things you don’t need to do – identify what those things are and stop it

- Turn off your emails when you are working on something important

- Spend your time achieving your objectives – everything else is a waste

I cannot wait for the next installment, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to take part and to the rest of my team for covering my work whilst I expanded my mind – I hope they see the ROI before too long.

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August 27th, 2010 by michael.frier

Top Tips for Live TV – or “don’t be a moron!”

Over the past few months there has been a series of high profile bugger ups on live news broadcasts. It is the role of a PR to ensure this happens as little as possible. PRs have the marvellous job of being able to push people in front of these cameras knowing that if they say the wrong thing the spokesperson not the PR will look a berk. PRs then get the joy of critiquing that person on exactly where they went wrong and why they now look like a complete buffoon. However, I thought I would help these Public Relation Advisors everywhere by including below my three favourite top tips (with glorious examples) of how to not look like a moron on TV.

Top Tip #1 – Live TV is not the time for swearing

After weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker stuck his middle finger up at BBC New’s 24 Simon McCoy it was then reported that he had previously called Glastonbury “Muddy Sh*te” rather than “Muddy site”. Though I am sure he was not wrong with this particular Freudian slip, it does lead me to ask: who ever put this man on live TV? He is clearly far too stupid! However, if he just followed the golden rule of not swearing on live TV then he may have avoided such criticism.

Top Tip #2 – Don’t try to ‘sex up’ serious news events

The weatherman with the silly name follows other brilliant live TV mess ups which have led me to ask the question: who put this moron on TV? This often comes when people try to make a news story that much more exciting. Kay Burley, in true Sky News style, is often caught out trying to make stories that much more headline grabbing. For instance, during Sky News coverage of the 9/11 attacks she somehow felt the need to hyperbolise the biggest news event of a generation by greeting viewers with this fantastic gem, “and if you’ve just joined us, the entire eastern seaboard of the United States has been decimated by a terrorist attack”. Kay managed to top this by asking the wife of Suffolk serial killer Steve Wright “Do you think if you’d had a better sex life he wouldn’t have done this?” Clearly the wife’s fault! I don’t know about you, but when I don’t get any for a while – I just have to strangle someone. Perhaps Kay Burley should have taken this tip to heart. Both these events were already huge stories; she did not need an attempt to make them bigger.

Top Tip #3 – If national news cameras are near you, behave!

This rule is a big one. If there are cameras around you, make sure you are not doing wrong otherwise you will be caught out and will look a moron. Remember ‘that banker’ who was watching porn on his company computer whilst a live TV interview happened behind him. He was nothing to do with the broadcast, just having a normal day at the office – and let’s face it, whose normal day at the office doesn’t involve the watching of pornographic movies. Sadly, he seemed to forget that this national news interview would be happening right behind his desk – he quickly became far more interesting than the actual story. What a banker!

And it’s not just everyday office workers who need this tip re-iterating to them 24/7. Who can forget the marvellous ‘bigotgate’. Although probably having little effect on the outcome of the election, it couldn’t have helped. Our own Prime Minister (at the time) Gordon Brown, surrounded by advisors, still forgot that national news cameras were listening in when he referred to Gillian Duffy as a “bigoted woman”.

Both Gordon Brown and our lonely banker really should have remembered that when you are near news cameras and journalists, you really should be on your best behaviour!

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July 6th, 2010 by Chris McCrudden

Playing Politics with Data

Have you ever gone shopping and bought more than you need? Not much.  Maybe the 3 for 2 on strawberries when you know at least one punnet will rot in the fridge; another sneaky packet of biscuits that looked nice on the shelf? Ever thought about how much that adds up to at the end of the year? A lot, probably, but I bet you don’t like thinking about it.

Well, those of us who don’t go shopping with a strict list will know exactly how the former Labour government feels right now. Since coming to office, the new coalition has been doing the macroeconomic equivalent of going through the bank statements with a highlighter pen. But instead of pinning passive aggressive notes saying “£200 at Sainsbury’s! Have you got a tapeworm?” to the fridge door, the government has been publishing all this lovely information to the web.

And this week it has the last government’s expenditure on websites in its sights. The raw data, which has been summarised and interpreted by The Guardian can be seen here, is worth a look. At first glance it fits nicely with the coalition’s line on the last Labour government’s fiscal policy, which can be loosely translated as “they sold our lovely cow for magic beans!” But putting aside a couple of pricey anomalies, quite a few of these websites look very cost-effective indeed.

Take Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for example. It may have cost £10m to build, but thanks to it you can submit your tax returns online – a process which we’re all agreed is not perfect, but still a darn sight better than the paper  old forms. Per visitor it costs us a mere penny – a sixtieth of what we all pay towards Her Majesty’s upkeep. We could say the same of Direct Gov. A substantial investment, but it’s a site relevant to millions, and probably saves more than that in unprinted information leaflets and spurious phone calls.

Where the last government’s web strategy did come unstuck, however, was around activity targeting businesses. The costs per visitor speak for themselves, but I’m not entirely sure whether this represents credit card happiness among government officials, or just the fact that these websites naturally reach smaller audiences. More or less everyone checked Direct-Gov at the height of the swine flu epidemic, but I bet you probably only visited the Research and Development site if you were worked in development.

Which brings us to the last point. This might be raw data, but it’s data that’s been released to make a political point, so interpret it carefully. The coalition wants tech audiences to think some of these websites were a waste of money. But, to paraphrase a player in an earlier political scandal, Mandy Rice-Davies “they would, wouldn’t they?” It’s in their best interests to make the last lot look like chumps, even if they did get a few things right. Yes, some questionable decisions were made during the last 13 years, but I’d rather have most of these websites than not, wouldn’t you?

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April 15th, 2010 by Chris McCrudden

Why I won't be watching the Leaders' Debate tonight

Hat-tip for Gawker (or as I call it, the grad-school student’s Perez Hilton) here.

As someone who cares a lot about politics, but not much for our present crop of politicians, I’ve had very mixed feelings about the phoney war that is the UK‘s general election campaign. I suspect this has a lot to do with over-anticipation. After all, we’ve been waiting for this since Gordon ‘Dracula’ Brown turned himself into a cloud of black smoke and snuck through 10 Downing Street‘s keyhole in summer 2007. And like all things we’ve waited a bit or too long for – like the second Stone Roses album, or losing one’s virginity – the reality is always disappointing compared to the anticipation.

Nor can I get very excited about the prospect of head-to-head leadership debates starting tonight on the BBC. This is despite major broadcasters telling us at every opportunity that this is the biggest news story since the dinosaurs went for a lie down 65 million years ago because they were “feeling a bit poorly”. We’re meant to think they’re a victory for democracy as they happen in America. And yes, American democracy may have brought us Nixon vs. Kennedy, but it also brought us Florida 2000 and Sarah Palin.

But I wasn’t exactly able to explain why the thought of Brown, Cameron and Clegg debating their micro-policies tonight failed to light my democractic fire. Until I read this on Gawker this morning. Because there’s nothing like a disinterested outsider’s point of view for putting into words what you felt, but couldn’t articulate.

On the non-choice facing the British public it said: ‘if you were faced with a choice between three parties, headed by magnificently uncharismatic men, whose policies range from “tax the rich slightly more” to “don’t tax the rich at all,” wouldn’t you want to focus on things like, did Gordon Brown yell… at a secretary? Democracy in action!’

Thank you Gawker. I just wish your wisdom made me feel one iota better.

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March 31st, 2010 by Steve

Daily News 31/03

BBC – US tech coalition calls for new online privacy law

US technology firms and privacy groups have called for an overhaul of privacy laws, saying the government has too much access to private online data.

The Register – Google mocks Steve Jobs with Chrome-Flash merger

When Steve Jobs met Google boss Eric Schmidt for coffee late last week, they may or may not have reached some common ground on certain hot-button subjects. But odds are, they didn’t see eye-on-eye on Adobe Flash.

The Register – Your internet policy sucks, US tells Aussies

Critics of the Australia’s proposed internet filtering scheme just keep on coming. This week, it’s the turn of one of Australia’s biggest and most formidable allies, the United States, to put the boot into a scheme that would turn Australia into the free world’s strictest regulator of internet content.

Total Telecom – Spain shifts from analog to digital TV
Spain’s government switched off analog TV signals in key regions Tuesday as the country shifts to digital terrestrial television in a move that will expand Spain’s TV market.

ZDNet – Apple shows off iPad productivity apps

Apple posted demonstration videos on Monday that showed various applications running on the iPad, due for US release on Saturday and UK release in late April. Included were four videos showing the iPad’s email app and three office productivity apps: Keynote for presentations, Pages for document creation and Numbers for spreadsheets.

The Daily Telegraph – UK must do more for child safety online

Prof Tanya Byron, the Government’s online child safety tsar, has said that the politicians and the technology industry need to work even more closely with parents. Launching a progress report on her initial policy document, “Safer Children in a Digital World”, she said that although the UK is a world leader in keeping young people safe online, more work still needs to be done.

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