Cut and blow with a side order of politics

Following up from Nick’s previous post, cabbies aren’t the only ones being geared up to deliver word-of-mouth marketing. The owners of Fabulous Salon and Fantastic Fingers in South Caroline, USA are – according to a story in the Guardian – on the Obama campaign trail.

Recognising the salons’ customers offer a captive audience (apparently the black female customers at Fabulous Salon can spend up to three hours having their weaves re-done) for the prospective Democratic candidates. Targeting potential supporters in this way is not new the article goes on to say – apparently Martin Luther-King drew upon a similar tactic in recruiting black women to his cause in the sixties. Well done to Obama on picking up the mantle from King – maybe Clinton will have to rely on more than a few tears to ensure she remains the frontrunner.

On a separate point, Borkowski makes an excellent comment on this week’s ‘story-celebre’ – the strength or otherwise of Mr Paxman’s knicker elastic. In my book a classic PR tactic by M+S though the ethics of revealing private correspondence for corporate gain invite discussion – particularly when many (including this venerable publication) have commended the retailers’ apparent commitment to operating on an ethical platform.

Cabbies drive marketing to new heights

For generations, vociferous cabbies have shared their unique, faux-leather perspective with passengers - but now marketeers have their eyes on the humble cabbie as another opportunity to pitch their products at us.

The Times reports on a London cabbie who, courtesy of the Thai tourist board, sampled the delights of Thailand and now – in a cab sporting a new ‘visit Thailand’ motif – is sharing his experience with passengers. The theory is that word of mouth advertising like this is worth the extra investment in an increasingly ad-saturated consumer environment.

For all of us in the PR industry, word of mouth communication is an intended by product of our work and an integral part of the service we provide, but for many the thought of paying for it crosses ethical and moral boundaries.

As Alex Burmaster’s comment in PR Week points out, word of mouth led activity requires the delicate relationship management public relations practitioners are well versed in. It’s quite a risk allowing your message to be communicated through agents who feel no loyalty or legal obligation to you or your client.

I for one certainly don’t believe what every cabbie tells me, but it’s a worrying thought that in the near future swathes of service providers - not to mention people talking loudly on the bus or in the supermarket - are walking, talking adverts.

Actually, that reminds me. Did I tell you about the PR agency I’ve just started working for……..?

Free-range chickens come home to roost

So Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tried to turn his sleepy town of Axminster into Britain’s first free-range town. He sort of succeeded – 60 per cent of chickens sold that one week were free-range – but the real success will be whether the good intentions continue.

I watched each of the programmes intently and thought it presented a worthwhile opportunity to dissect his approach.

Top marks for effort Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall and well done for trying nearly every trick in the book – community engagement,
third party endorsements, media coverage to name a few. There were a few gaps though (not least using social media) and most of all he failed to choose a message that his audience would grasp. Axminster’s seemingly down-at-heel population cared more about the cost than the quality of their chicken so banging on about animal welfare was unlikely to ring true with many.

What would I have done differently? Well, firstly I’d have drawn upon the local advocates much more – handing out flyers is rarely going to make a difference – and I would have given away more free-range chicken to highlight the taste benefit. An extension to the avenues he chose could have been to persuade Tesco or another retailer to cut the cost temporarily of free-range to encourage more to buy it (his own shop could have led the way). Equally, he could have produced information packs with recipe guides to demonstrate how versatile a chicken is – assuaging the concerns of those who felt they couldn’t afford the higher cost.

As a final point, I was dismayed by the supermarkets’ refusal to engage with Hugh. It strikes me that if you sell a product you should have no qualms in explaining why you do. There seems no reason why you shouldn’t sell battery-farmed chicken if your customers demand it – in which case stand up and be counted rather than shying away.

Reaping the rewards of an ethical approach

When M&S chief executive Stuart Rose was knighted in the New Year’s Honours List, the accolade was awarded for services to retail industry (no surprise there) and to corporate social reponsibility.

His CSR credentials were burnished most recently – and most impressively – when he balanced the customer-empowering “Your M&S” campaign with the “Plan A” environmental initiative (so called “because there is no plan B”). The twin strategy has done much to brush up what had become a rather haggard-looking corporate image and M&S now tops Management Today’s Most Admired Companies poll with the highest-ever score.

Yet the strategy was not merely an image-enhancing exercise. Despite today’s gloomy share-price news, M&S has still enjoyed a positive change in its financial fortunes and in doing so has illustrated very clearly that “profit” and “principles” are no longer mutually exclusive concepts (if, indeed, they ever truly were). In fact, these days they can make very comfortable bedfellows.

According to the Co-op Bank’s ethical consumerism report 2007, the total ethical market in Britain is now estimated to be worth £32.3 billion – up 9% on the previous year – and growing. What’s more, companies taking the lead on environmental, social and governance performance have outperformed the stock market by 25% over the last two years. Conversely, companies deemed unethical can suffer: Nike, Nestlé and Barclays Bank have all been hit by boycotts over allegedly unethical practices.

The fact is that consumers increasingly value values – and not just low prices. Given the rewards available to companies with strong ethical positions – and the penalties awaiting those who ignore the ethical aspect of modern business life – there is more reason than ever to adopt a robust CSR agenda. As Dr Emma Harvey of CSR Consortium member SaltaSustainable points out, “There’s really no excuse not to.”

An Aspirational 2008

As the clock hurtles rapidly towards 2008, the media focus inevitably turns towards the tears and triumphs of 2007.  Yet, whatever the century or decade we reflect on, the magical ingredients of success remain timeless. More often than not, they involve strong teams that are passionate about the end goal. England’s rugby players whose hunger for success powered them to the final of the world cup against the odds represent this year’s best example.  Listening to Johnny Walker’s pre-Christmas show in which he acknowledged the strength of his team, it is the perfect time to celebrate what a great team at Quest we have. We’d like to thank all our wonderful clients and supply partners as we look forward to exceeding expectations in 2008.

As a final positive look forward, a quote from Sheila Graham: “You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with the exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world.”

We wish you all a happy, healthy and fabulous 2008.

Maintaining control

Two stories have dominated our headlines this year – Madeleine McCann’s disappearance and the Mills/McCartney divorce. Both are perfect media fodder, both involve personal and family tragedy and both have used PR machines to further their own ends. But which has succeeded and why?

The whirlwind of media frenzy surrounding Madeleine McCann shows little sign of abating. Leaving aside the obvious emotional and complex criminal investigations, as a PR case study the McCanns have pulled off one of the biggest PR coups of recent times.

In creating a global phenomenon of their daughter’s abduction they have ably run the gamut of PR tactics. Everything from press conferences, setting up exclusive interviews, leaking information to the press, engaging third party endorsements and buy-in, drawing in media partners to bolster support and reacting to opportunities while maintaining longer-term objectives have been drawn upon to ensure their daughter’s disappearance a global story.

The on-going saga of the ex-Beatles’ divorce continues to rage and becomes evermore acrimonious. Our own experience in both reacting to and commenting upon the story for one of our clients has ensured we have been in the thick of it.

Heather Mills’ recent public unravelling on the GMTV sofa – followed by seemingly every other possible media outlet – has led many to question her sanity. That she and her PR consultant had parted ways the day before comes as little surprise. Her ill-thought-out, rambling and confusing tirade drew vitriol and scorn from the nation’s newsrooms.

Having been in the spotlight for many years, one would hope and expect Ms Mills to have a pretty well-honed understanding of the nature of our media. If she does, then she is clearly determined not to play the game.

So what’s the missing link between the two stories? Control.

Where Heather has unleashed her emotional, frenzied and troubled self to the world in an effort to gain public support, the McCanns have relied upon their PR team – and some old-fashioned stiff upper lip – to achieve the same aim. But, while they have each been courted and villified by the press at different strokes, the public at large remains sympathetic to the plight of Madeleine’s parents – despite still being formal suspects – than that of the former glamour model.

We may be living in an increasingly cynical and media-savvy world but there’s clearly nothing quite like a well-managed media campaign to sway public opinion. Take note Heather.

Good intentions up in smoke

A classic PR clanger this week saw Gordon Brown being warned by Nasa that his plans to build new coal-fired power stations will produce more - instead of less - carbon emissions.

Such an example highlights that the CO2 education process is more aligned to a long haul marathon as opposed to a quick channel hop.

In the countdown to 2008, enlightened businesses seeking to reduce their greenhouse emissions back up ethical statements with responsible actions. These ‘CSR savvy’ organisations are confident in the knowledge that following this path is more than just good PR - it’s about achieving competitive advantage.

Quest is proud to be a member of a newly-launched CSR Consortium spearheaded by CSR strategist Mervin Straughan.

The Consortium draws on its expertise to enable companies to link responsible business to improved financial performance. And with 9 in 10 employees in the UK believing it is important for their employer to be environmentally and socially responsible. Click here. (Source: Financial Times) it is vital that bosses listen to the messages – especially in light of the war for top talent which is forecast to further accelerate in 2008.