They think it's all over! It is now!

I have to say it takes a lot to impress me… but when I saw the amazing job that the designers Hill Langdell did with the award entry I’ve been working on over the last few weeks, it exceeded all my expectations.

With it being a World Cup year we wanted to go with a football theme, but not in an obvious way. So, after a get together and several cups of tea, we came up with the stunning idea of using Subbuteo as the theme.

We shoot, we score! Based on this, the entry folder was made as a Subbuteo game box, with players included (all in my client’s branded colours of course) and with the award submission document inside. This had the same theme and featured page numbers on Subbuteo players’ shirts.

The big challenge was getting hold of Subbuteo - it doesn't appear to be sold any more, but friends and family raided attics and toy cupboards and we ended up with more than we needed.

Hill Langdell took some great photographs and they used these throughout the entry to convey my client’s key messages. It looks like all the long hours and sleepless nights that they put in have really paid off.

Just like the England team, we’re looking forward to a good result once the competition is finished.

To find out more about Hill Langdell visit www.hilllangdell.co.uk or call 01332 363388.

Money well spent

For the second time in recent months, we have a client who had intended to reduce their PR budget after the first six months, deciding to maintain the original level of activity.

In an economic climate where every penny still counts, this goes to show that the results we have achieved for them represent a healthy return on their investment. In this case, in addition to media coverage with a value of more than seven times the fee, the client has also received a number of sales enquiries as a direct result of this work - not bad for a company which only set up in the UK last year.

Their decision makes the hard work, and in some cases, sheer persistence, involved in achieving these results all seem worthwhile. And who knows, if we can improve on the success of the first six months, they might even increase the budget...

Awarding success

Well I’ve nearly finished compiling the award entry I’ve been working on for the last few weeks. 10,664 words and 159 pages later there is light at the end of the tunnel. Now comes the fun bit … where the whole document is sent off to the designers to work their magic and add that professional touch to the entry.

It then comes back to me for final proofing before going to the printers. The whole office will wish the entry luck when the courier comes to collect it.

Only one month to wait then it’s the star-studded award ceremony presented by comedian of the moment Michael Macintyre. My client will face the moment of truth and find out if they win!

It's the winning that counts...

An interesting client meeting on Friday to discuss the possibility of entering (and hopefully winning!) one or two industry awards, primarily as a means of attracting positive publicity.

The client already had a very clear idea of which awards they'd like to win, but was somewhat less clear on what it was about their business that might justify such aspirations. This is a common mistake, which often leads companies to enter awards that the proverbial 'cat in hell' stands more chance of winning.

Believe it or not, in order to win an award, you must have done something 'award-winning' and we encourage clients with such aspirations to look first at their business, products and services to identify those elements that genuinely differentiate them from their competitors. Then look at the award schemes, categories and criteria and identify those which 'match' your particular success story - if you've done this properly, there probably won't be many.

Having done this with the client in question, we now have a realistic shortlist of awards which they might actually win!

This was also the first time this company has enlisted external help to produce awards entries. In the words of the marketing manager: "We've always cobbled them together ourselves, but we've never won anything."

Far be it for us to suggest that the two things might just be connected! Whilst there are never any guarantees, with our proven track record in producing winning award entries, I get the feeling their luck might be about to change...

Reaping the awards

Finally, after months of preparation and planning, award time is here! I’m currently knee deep in compiling an award entry for a client – this gives me memories of writing my dissertation all those years ago.

Apart from having a new piece of glassware for the trophy cabinet, awards bring much more value to a client. They boost team morale, add more weight to PR and marketing activity and reassure customers that they are dealing with a quality business.

This client was the runner up in last year's awards. Let's hope we can go one better in 2010!

Every cloud has a silver lining

Just like the weather at the moment this job can be very unpredictable!

A few days before Christmas I came up with an idea for an article for one of our clients in the supply chain and, after a few discussions with the editor, sold the idea of a feature in a sector magazine.

The article was supplied on time and I called to check it had been received. All seemed well. However, in one of today’s trade e-newsletters I discovered that a new editor has just been appointed to the publication.

A quick call to the now former editor confirmed this. It also transpired that the article hadn’t been passed on as the magazine was taking a new direction.

I immediately contacted the new editor, he seemed to like the idea as well, wanted to take a look and would let me know. I fired it over with some relevant photos and crossed my fingers.

Bingo! We’re on. He wants to run it as an exclusive in the next issue and also commented: “Great pix.”

Particularly good news as I have a meeting with the client tomorrow.

Going Dutch!

For only the second time in more than 15 years, tomorrow, work is taking me outside the UK - to visit the head office of a client in Kessel, Holland for a plan and review session following a very successful first four months. 

This news has been met with a degree of jealousy by family and friends and serves to confirm their belief that PR is a highly glamorous and jet-setting occupation. This is short-lived when I then tell them that in order to be on board a 6.55am flight from Birmingham to Dusseldorf, my 14 hour day will start at 4am! 

However, whilst this prospect does not fill me with great joy, a job which, over the years, has also taken me to lunch at Claridges and The Ivy and to the International Motor Show in Geneva (now that really is glamorous!), can't be all bad! In between, there have been long stretches of hard work and trips down the M1; these much more representative of what a job in PR is all about. Would I have it any other way? Ask me at 4am tomorrow!

It's not what you know

Finally, after months of chipping away at a longstanding freelance journalist contact, my efforts have been rewarded! He called to say that he's been commissioned to write a logistics feature for the leading wines & spirits sector magazine and asked whether I can line him up with an interview with someone from my client organisation. This is no coincidence - my client is actively seeking to extend their presence in this sector and I have been knocking on the door of this well read and respected publication for some months. As the editor is more slippery than most, I also approached this freelance journalist in the knowledge that he regularly writes for the magazine proving that in PR, it's all about who you know.

Now I just need my client to come back to me...!

Some bits and bobs about us...

1. The name of the business – Quiet Storm – was decided upon after being caught unawares by a heavy rain shower in the middle of Derby, following a new business pitch. The decision was celebrated immediately in the nearest pub.

2. Since then, we have seen the name used as a regular segment on a Friday night national radio show. It is also the name of a nightclub in London, a fashion house in Naples, Florida and an American laxative brand. We thought the association with each of the first three - radio, leisure and fashion - was quite cool. Make of the fourth what you will.

3. We’re the leading PR name in the supply chain industry. You can’t drive for more than ten minutes on a UK motorway without passing, or being passed by, a vehicle sporting the name of a business on our client list.

4. We handled PR activity for Hotpoint for two years, but one of our major successes for the brand was on the advertising side. Of all the advertisements run by Hotpoint on the television and in consumer publications over a two-year period, the most successful was a double-page spread advertorial in the M&S magazine – recommended, written and produced by our good selves.

5. When required, we’re good at minimising, rather than maximising, editorial coverage. Examples where we can’t show you lots of cuttings include poor financial results, racist graffiti, slow response times to emergencies, dodgy customer damage claims, depot closures, road accidents and obnoxious security guards.

Expressing ourselves in the form of Wee Mees