Ethos public relations Manchester

Language Barrier

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:33 +0000

The recent GCSE results highlighted the decline in pupils studying foreign languages. From a business point of view this is very worrying and, as David Cameron travels the world urging countries to “Buy British”, could prove to be detrimental to the economy as a whole. Having studied languages, I realise how difficult they can be, and I’m sure many young people can find easier things to study. However, I believe that foreign language qualifications can really benefit a person’s career and I think young people should be encouraged to learn at least one foreign language to GCSE level, if not further. Of course, this also implies that schools should be able to teach foreign languages to the required standard and it is disappointing that some can’t. These days, it is easy to assume everyone speaks English, and in my experience many business people from other countries have excellent English language skills. However, it is wrong to assume that this means English speakers don’t need to learn other languages and if, as a country, we want to sell our wares abroad, we need to make an effort to communicate in other languages. As the world gets smaller, more and more businesses are inevitably working with companies and organisations overseas and, for British companies, I am sure there are many opportunities on our doorstep in Europe, if we have the language skills to exploit them. At Ethos, we have international companies as clients and we work with international organisations on behalf of British clients, which makes the knowledge of foreign languages very valuable. Luckily we have French and German speakers in our team. Even if you don’t use your foreign language skills on a day to day basis, having the skills in the first place can open the door to job opportunities and the skills are there when you need them. Knowing another language can help to break down barriers and increase your standing in the eyes of other nationalities. Besides, if you have studied languages, it also opens your mind to the challenges involved, making it easier to empathise with people who have learnt English and to appreciate the trouble they have taken to learn it. Over the years, in many of the jobs I have had, including at Ethos, we have sometimes struggled to find suitably qualified people with language skills. So I would urge young people to stick with a foreign language at school, however hard it may seem, as the British economy of the future could depend upon it…

Speak Estonian... or pictogram?

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:09 +0000

Just back from a two week holiday and already it’s almost a distant memory. I do have loads of photos to remind me of where I went and what I did (though a good picture editor would discard the majority) and of course there are the memories. Thankfully, the weather in the Baltic was fantastic and that memory will certainly stay. As someone interested in good communications and the use of language, I always find it a challenge visiting countries where I can’t speak the language. I always hate having to revert to English (or occasionally German) but visiting six countries does make it unlikely that you can master every language necessary! For those of you who haven’t visited Tallinn in Estonia, can I wholly recommend you put it high on your list of places to visit? If you have the time, try and learn some of the language first (OK, that might be too difficult for most of us – though I remember sadam is Estonian for port). Walking through the old town area of Tallinn I happened across this car safety poster recommending the use of seatbelts. Although pretty graphic, it struck me as a great piece of communication. The message is clear, understandable to all and completely to the point. If you are on holiday soon, have a great time. And remember clunk, click, every trip!

Social media - make sure it is worth it!

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:56 +0000

A recent survey says that PR agencies should not believe the hype surrounding social media, considering less than half the population uses them. Well said! We must of course recognise social media as an important part of the communication mix but PR practioners should not get caught up in the social media hype – and we should persuade clients who have been caught up in it to regularly review what is working and what isn’t. For example, many businesses are keen to have a Facebook page, however, Facebook may be totally irrelevant and while it can be a great business tool – it is not for ALL businesses. Unless you can really populate a Facebook page with users/friends and interesting articles your organisation will look rather sad. I always point clients to really successful Facebook business pages and tell them if they can’t do it like that – don’t do it at all. However, some social media applications are universal. A web site is a must for any business regardless of size or sector and the website should include some basics like a blog or twitter. At the moment only one third of the population uses social media - your customer base could be in the two thirds that doesn’t. As with any element of the marketing mix – the golden rule is use the best medium for your customer base and don’t be carried away by hype.

Looking after the pennies...

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:47 +0000

Many people in the marketing and PR world are waiting, almost with baited breath, to find out what the Government’s spending plans will mean for them.Recent reports that up to 1.3 million people might lose their jobs don’t seem to sit well with Chancellor Osborne’s Budget speech which talked about people coming off benefit and taking up jobs.I’m not the only one to ask where these new jobs are coming from. Stopping a few skilled (non-EU) migrants won’t do it, that’s for sure.Just like environmental scientists talk about the nitrogen or carbon cycles, maybe we need to consider the 'money cycle', with an emphasis on manufacturing. Much as PR and marketing are essential – well we would say that – we can only promote goods and services that someone else has created. In this industry, our jobs depend on others producing something we can sell. We then need people to buy those goods and the more those products are conceived and ‘made’ in the UK, the more money will be retained in the economy creating and sustaining jobs - only then can more people move from benefits to a properly paid job.This virtuous cycle is certainly more environmentally friendly than sending container loads of goods across the oceans and it shouldn’t been seen as some form of a ‘Little Britain’ mentality. Indeed, I’d say if we need more workers from outside the EU to make these products or to deliver the services, that’s fine by me.There needs to be a fundamental shift in thinking amongst consumers, away from cheap goods, often from the Far East to products made at home. Now surely that’s a message for all marketeers. Call it enlightened self-interest.

Football crazy, football mad

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:17 +0000

I doubt it has escaped your attention that the football World Cup is taking place over the next four weeks – and I for one am extremely excited about it (much to a certain director's annoyance). The anticipation, the hope and the belief that comes round every four years for the World Cup is something that is great to be part of - especially for a Northern Irishman who has little chance of seeing his country taking part in the World Cup! One thing that I find interesting is how suddenly so many shops, companies, pubs, etc are feeling patriotic and decking out their premises in the St George’s flag in the run up to the tournament. It is also funny to see how brands create adverts, posters, etc which try and link their brands with the World Cup in the most tenuous way. No wonder non-football fans suffer from football fatigue! But I, for one, am loving all the adverts and it makes me even more excited for the next four weeks. I will enjoy watching New Zealand v Slovakia with a football decorated beer can in my hand. I will enjoy watching Nigeria v South Korea with a pizza that I have ripped out of football themed packaging. And I will enjoy watching Ghana v Australia eating some crisps and chocolate bars that come in football decorated wrappers. Here is to the next month of football, football, football!

Doing our bit for a "big society"

Tue, 18 May 2010 14:54 +0000

In this new era of political consensus, co-operation and talk of a big society, I’d certainly like to see the coalition Government put ethics and concern for the community at the heart of its policies. As a co-operative business, Ethos public relations recognises the importance of supporting the communities we live and work in, and all of us should be doing our bit. Every year Ethos public relations gives at least one per cent of its pre tax profits to charity. In 2009-10, we donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Haiti Earthquake Appeal, Parkinson’s UK, Orchid – Fighting Male Cancer and the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Our charities are generally chosen on the basis of an annual staff ballot and those employees whose names are drawn decide which charities they would like Ethos public relations to donate to. However, this year there was also an immediate consensus amongst our team that we should donate to the Haiti Earthquake Appeal, which we did within a couple of days of the earthquake striking. As well as annual donations, we do a range of other things for charity and the community. On a day-to-day basis, we do things like collecting stamps for charity, recycling our ink cartridges and buying charitable Christmas cards. We also try to use our American Express “RED” card for business purchases as the “RED” scheme supports children and young people with HIV/AIDS in Africa. As part of our commitment to national children’s charity Action For Kids, we provide them with one day’s PR per month free of charge. We contribute to the community in a number of ways and our staff undertake some activities during the working day in support of a range of local community and charitable causes. We have a policy of buying fairly traded products and we proactively aim to avoid purchasing products from oppressive regimes, preferring to buy products made in Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth whenever possible. Finally, we believe we should make our voice heard on certain important issues – for example, on our website there are links to campaigns that we promote and support such as Amnesty International, Make Trade Fair and the Free Burma Campaign. For Government I think a "big society" should include implementing ethical procurement policies such as local sourcing, giving more charities and community businesses the chance to tender for Government contracts, and not buying from oppressive regimes. For the rest of us it should mean making informed choices to help create a better society for all. Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What does the election result mean for us?

Wed, 12 May 2010 15:23 +0000

David Cameron and Nick Clegg shook hands on the steps of Number 10 Downing Street today before getting down to the business of running the country in a historic Tory/Lib Dem coalition government. Regardless of how you voted, a key question will be - what will this mean for me? Personally, I am still not sure how this will impact upon important things like my mortgage repayments, education for my children or even whether reducing public spending will mean the hard work of community caretakers in my beautiful local park will mean they do less hours or even nothing at all. Ethos public relations’ clients have also been following the ups and downs of the week’s events very closely. Many of our co-operative clients will be interested to see if the pre-election multi-party rhetoric around co-operation actually comes to fruition – though one could argue a coalition government is co-operation of sorts. Our social housing clients have, to date, been distinctly unimpressed with the fact that social housing has not really featured high on the agenda and, at the time of writing, we still don’t know who the new Housing Minister will be. Housing issues on the Conservative and Lib/Deb Manifesto’s did not seem to have much in common and so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. Of course, if the coalition is not workable in practice we could find ourselves back at the ballot box in a few months anyway! Beam me up Scotty. Image: vegadsl / freedigitalphotos.net

Post election blues?

Mon, 10 May 2010 14:31 +0000

As I write this, we're still in a strange political limbo, waiting for our politicians to work out an agreement to govern the country. No doubt a deal is imminent, but it will be fascinating to see how things pan out in the coming weeks and months, as avowed political enemies are transformed overnight into political bedfellows (...or not!). Like many others, I watched the election night coverage and stayed up until 6am waiting to find out who won - and we're still waiting...! Although it took me about two days to recover from my all night session, at least my involvement in the election was then over, unlike the politicians wrangling to do the post election deal - they've probably forgotten what a good night's sleep is! In what was initially billed as the first internet election, but turned out to be the UK's first proper TV election (only about 50 years late!), from a PR point of view I was surprised how little impact all the media coverage had in the end. From Cleggmania to bigot-gate it ultimately seemed to have little impact on the result. "Great entertainment but meaningless" might sum it up - a cross between the X Factor and Coronation Street. This is a shame, as I still think a lot of people feel disenfranchised from politics and much more needs to be done to restore trust in and respect for our elected representatives. This is the first general election I can remember where none of the main parties really got the result they wanted - the Conservatives failed to secure their majority, the Lib Dem surge didn't materialise and Labour lost its mandate to govern. But then, in some ways, perhaps this is the best result all round. Maybe confrontation will finally give way to consensus and our politicians can come up with the best policies in the interest of the whole country - not just their supporters. During the campaign, Ethos public relations invited the local candidates of the three main political parties to contribute a guest blog to our website, outlining their policies that would affect small businesses and the creative industries in the North West. Sadly, none of them took us up on the offer. I'm sure they were much too busy, but you'd have thought they might have wanted to promote their policies. Maybe if we were located in a marginal constituency, things would have been different? The result of the election opens the door for co-operation and collaboration amongst the parties, and as a co-operative organisation ourselves, we certainly recognise the benefits of working together. We hope the politicians can put aside their differences and work with each other to establish an effective, stable government at this important time, in the interests of everyone in the UK. Image: Adam Hickmott / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Oh to be in England…and Wales!

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:13 +0000

Many environmentalists have said that having almost a week of no flying has been a good thing – not least because it has provided an opportunity for us to explore our own lovely country.The past week, the sun has been shining and there is no doubt that people have been a lot brighter and happier. Ethos public relations' clients are scattered across the country and often I spend more time out of the office than in it - visiting clients, attending meetings, doing site visits, etc.A couple of days ago I was with Frith Rugs which has its head office in North Wales.As I tootled down the M56, the radio was blasting, the sun roof was open and the roads were clear. Coming back I decided to take the scenic route passing through glorious, lush green countryside and even stopping for lunch by a deserted beach. On days like this – you can’t beat the open road and enjoying our beautiful land.So if you are a business located near the coast or in the heart of the countryside and you are looking for PR – give Ethos public realtions a call and we promise to visit you every week – we’ll even bring our own packed lunch and a flask of tea (offer ends October!)

Volcanic ash should encourage us to Go!

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:20 +0000

The volcanic ash, which grounded hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers, has knocked politics off the front pages for the last few days. The ash has also started a debate over whether we really need so many flights. This debate is argued quite well in this BBC Magazine story. It points out that: “at the moment air travel is virtually all by engines powered by kerosene. One day kerosene - like every other fossil fuel - will run out” and poses the question “Could we live without flights?” I am sure football teams like Liverpool and Fulham would argue that we do need flights as they face trips of 1,200 miles and 600 miles respectively over land to compete in their European games this week. Musicians will also agree as a few have missed foreign gigs due to the now lifted flight ban. Many people who live near airports were happy with the ban and Visit Britain have said that they ”hope that people would take the opportunity to visit the whole of Britain in a way they wouldn't consider doing normally”. One way that this could happen soon is with the help of Go! Co-operative. As I write this they are having a series of public events to discuss with people the in and outs of their proposal for co-operative trains. They want to run services to places that have been neglected by current train services. Initially they want to run services that will see Oxford and Banbury linked with Swindon, Chippenham, Westbury and Yeovil, with some trains running to Birmingham and Weymouth. The UK has for too long been neglected as a holiday resort for its inhabitants. What better way to see the beautiful scenery it has to offer than to take a trip on transport that is run by a co-operative with a great business model.

Making a difference and really helping to raise the profile of co-operatives

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:52 +0000

We have had a very exciting start to 2010 here at Ethos public relations, as we continue to raise the profile of one of our clients, Co-operatives UK – the national trade body that campaigns for co-operation – and highlight the importance of co-operatives to our economy across both national media and within government. It has been a busy time, but we are reaping the benefits for our client, as not only are we raising the profile of co-operatives with media coverage across the board including most recently the BBC, The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian with stories about co-operative pubs and football club ownership, but our work is also being recognised at the highest levels within government. The recent announcement of a £4m government package to help save rural pubs from closure has been music to our ears and just this week, the news that football fans could get the opportunity to buy their clubs under radical Labour plans is fantastic and something we have been campaigning for on behalf of Co-operatives UK. We have got much more to do throughout the year as well, as momentum is really building for the first-ever Co-operatives Fortnight (19 June to 3 July 2010) – themed - There is an Alternative. The Fortnight, is a major campaign to spread the message about the co-operative alternative, with a dedicated website – www.thereisanalternative.coop By joining in and doing something during Co-operatives Fortnight, co-operatives will not only be able to promote co-operation as a better alternative, but will also be able to raise the profile of their own organisation. People can go to the website, share ideas, follow Co-operatives Fortnight on Twitter, download resources and tell the team what they will be doing! In addition, excitement is also building for the co operative event of the year - Co-operatives 2010 - the UK's biggest and most influential gathering of co operatives which, this year will be in Plymouth (25 and 27 June 2010) and not only will it celebrate the 150th anniversary of co-operation in the city but it will be the flagship event of the first-ever Co-operatives Fortnight! It is fantastic to be part of such important developments and to see that the time really has come for co-operatives and a new agenda of co-operation! We are helping to make a difference, and it’s brilliant!

Our fantastic Fairtrade banquet!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:45 +0000

This Fairtrade Fortnight what did you do? Which Fairtrade products did you buy or swap? Well, the Ethos public relations team celebrated by successfully holding a Fairtrade lunch - which, due to the vast amount of food, turned into a banquet - on Friday (5th March)!! Having been given the role of key organiser, I set about researching available Fairtrade products and recipes. The obvious sprung to mind – Fairtrade bananas, coffee, sugar and chocolate - but tracking down savoury products was somewhat of a task. Sean had the great idea of using Fairtrade spices - I soon found a supplier online ‘Bart Spices’ and, most importantly, recipes that incorporated the spices: Fairtrade cardamom pods, ginger and black pepper. Next step was to track down Fairtrade coconut milk and Fairtrade olive oil - after ringing round the majority of places in Manchester we were out of luck, as no one stocked them, so again I had to resort to the internet. I placed my order for these and the other Fairtrade products we needed – tahini, chocolate, honey, apple and orange juice. Having finalised the menu, I gave everyone a say on their preferred choice of dish to prepare. On Thursday night, I wished everyone luck as they left with their Fairtrade ingredients to cook up a storm, and even more luck transporting it from home into work the following morning – Tupperware at the ready!! By one o’clock on Friday afternoon, the office was filled with the aroma of spices and a Fairtrade banquet was laid out. Sean, Shaun and myself were responsible for the starters. I made hommous with pitta breads using the Fairtrade olive oil and tahini, Sean made coconut and lentil soup using the Fairtrade coconut milk and spices and Shaun made fruit and nut cutlets using Fairtrade nuts, apricots and raisins. We even had a glass (or two) of Fairtrade Sparkling Wine to toast our great efforts. For main course, Christina made a refreshing salad of mango and avocado with balsamic dressing and toasted pinenuts (the mangos and avocado were supposed to be Fairtrade, but due to logistical problems we had to make do with organic.) Valerie made chunky spiced vegetable and bean soup using the Fairtrade spices, served with bread. Now on to dessert – we gave Rob and Debbie who, by the way, usually steer clear of the kitchen, the task of making desserts. Rob made flapjacks with Fairtrade chocolate and Debbie really did surprise us with her Fairtrade banana surprise!! The pièce de résistance would have to be Sean’s honey cake made using Fairtrade honey. Even though we had all overindulged, we found room for a small slice, especially since it was Shaun’s birthday earlier in the week, so we had to celebrate that too! The verdict – it was a culinary delight! The flavours worked well together and the colours of all the different dishes made for fantastic photographs. Who knows what recipes we will cook up next year for Fairtrade Fortnight. Watch this space....

Rules is rules!

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:24 +0000

We're just in the process of updating our company communications policy to take into account the use of social networking sites. Since our policy was first written, just over three years ago, it's incredible to think how the use of social networking sites has grown. In 2006, I don't think I knew what Facebook was and Twitter had only just come into existence. The Twitter 'joke' reported in the newspapers last month, which led to the first person in the UK being arrested for comments posted on Twitter, flagged up to all of us the need to be careful about what we post on social networking sites. This person's Twitter comment about blowing up Robin Hood Airport led to their arrest under the Terrorism Act, seven hours of police questioning and suspension from work! As the use of social networking sites is now so common, from both a personal and a business point of view, we thought it was high time we set out in writing some of the do's and don't's for us all as employees of Ethos public relations. The example above is extreme, but the issues of what should or should not be posted, who it is shared with and how it is shared are all important if employees and companies are to avoid getting into hot water. In addition to the obvious things like confidentiality, not bringing the company into disrepute and generally not been offensive, issues include the need for employees to make it clear when posting whether they are speaking on their own behalf or on behalf of the company. Making sure you're only posting to the people you should be posting to is important too. Recent news stories of Facebook postings causing disastrous consequences include teenagers announcing their house parties to everyone on Facebook, only to find they're inundated with troublemakers, leaving their parent's home wrecked. Because social networking sites are still relatively new, it seems like there are lots of pitfalls when posting. However, I'm sure for most of us, the more confident and experienced we get at posting on them, particularly for business purposes, the less problematical they will seem. In the end, I guess it mainly boils down to common sense. Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eggciting approach to workshop

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:29 +0000

Like many business professionals I've attended numerous conferences, workshops and seminars - and as we all know - some are very much better than others. This week I was a guest of the Housing e-Academy at its e-Enabling Tenant Engagement Conference in Leeds. I attended two workshops, the first was from Creative North who introduced delegates to a very clever use of mobile phone technology. The second was managed by the host organisation and reminded us about the wealth of social media opportunities available for communicating with core audiences. A highlight of the venue in Leeds was that both my workshops were held in a very plush private cinema which certainly beats sitting around a conference table! And I think I can speak for all delegates when I say we loved the 'eggs' provided by the presenter which allowed for a unique interactive audience experience.? Think how the audience participates in 'Who wants to be a Millionaire?' and you should get the picture. It's always good to get out and about and keep up with the latest innovations and technologies - and of course it's a great networking opportunity. I was able to meet delegates from my current client portfolio and I bumped into people I had worked with in the past. I met new people too - those working in the social housing sector and many politically active (with a small 'p') tenants and residents.

Building Trust in the Digital Age

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:09 +0000

I am not the first person to write about embargoes on press releases in the digital age. Last year Rob Brown's blog, Breaking the Embargo, highlighted cases of PR companies breaking their own embargoes and Jeremy Toeman's reply argued that embargoes are essential in maintaining relationships between journalists, bloggers and PRs. For too long, I think, people have seen the embargo in terms of controlling news release, something bloggers and social networking sites seem to see as anathema. Too often PR companies and overzealous marketers have seen the embargo as a way of trying to ensure that the public get the right message at the right time. In today's 24 hour media world this really does seem old fashioned and counter to the prevailing idea that news belongs to everyone as it happens. In the political arena, an embargo can ensure that politicians from other parties don't trump a major policy announcement, but even here publicists have been known to 'float' an idea before the announcement itself, calling into question the importance of an embargo. But for me the use of an embargo is about something much more fundamental, and increasingly forgotten. Some stories or announcements are actually complicated and deserve a measured amount of analysis. They shouldn't just be stripped from a press release immediately and posted to this blog or that website. They deserve preparation and, dare I say, some research by the journalist/blogger. The 24 hour news culture puts a lot of strain on journalists to deliver content speedily and the Twitter generation demands we distil things to appropriate soundbites. But as professionals, dedicated to providing information, whether journalist or PR, we should also care about providing a 'quality' story. It seems to me that often that can only be achieved by giving our journalist colleagues ample time to digest information in the news release and then to undertake additional research. This can only be achieved by the appropriate use of an embargo. (Photo by Danilo Rizzuti, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Back to school for Ethos public relations

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:41 +0000

Making New Year resolutions is all the rage at the minute so we thought that we would get in on the act and make one ourselves. We have decided that we are going to learn or re-learn shorthand!A few of us were taught shorthand at university but after a few years of sporadically using it we thought it was about time that we sat down and refreshed our memories. Some of my - oh how should I word this - more experienced colleagues, who have been in the business a little longer than I have, know other versions of shorthand but we are going to be using Teeline. We have put aside a small bit of time each week to teach ourselves this useful tool which will come in handy for taking notes in interviews. One of the main rules for shorthand is to remove the vowels from words and group the 'indicators' for each consonant together. The removal of letters to make smaller words is quite usual in text speak so hopefully, in this technological world we live in, it means that we won't find the new 'language' too difficult!But if you do hear us saying 'ltl' instead of 'little' or 'wk' instead of 'week' then please do let us know!!

I made it through the snow!!

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:33 +0000

This morning I woke to find around 5 inches of snow if not more covering the streets AND roads of Manchester, the most I have ever seen in the city centre. I togged up, put my wellies on and ventured out in what looked like a mild blizzard.On the walk to work, I heard various business people alike talking on their phones discussing the bad weather conditions, how they had been delayed and how buses had struggled to get up hills. Cars were wheel spinning and sliding about. It wasn't long before my phone was ringing, firstly Valerie rang, backing up claims of disruption to local public transport, she was unable to get a bus or tram from Crumpsall. Secondly Christina rang confirming delays on trains - they would both try and make it into work as soon as they could. I took some photographs on my phone, hence the upload of Piccadilly Gardens, as it just looked so scenic a change from the usual rain and greyness. I finally arrived at my desk and was met with a warm office and a round of applause. Slowly colleagues started to filter in, including Valerie and Christina. As our reward for the whole team making it into work we have all enjoyed a mid morning snack of jam doughnuts and coffee. I can't wait for the next snow day.