What could be more Chorlton than a vegetarian vampire?

July 30th, 2010
Picture 19

The MEN is loving Chorlton at the minute, which is a coincidence as we do too. Our office is located bang in the middle of ‘Manchester’s most bohemian suburb’ (their words not mine), and it’s a great place to work.

As well as the proximity of great bars for after work drinks and restaurants for client lunches we are also in Chorlton’s most iconic building: Cosgrove Hall. Not, as it may sound, a stately home, but named after the fathers of animation Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall.

In the same room where we now spread the word about new jams and hatch up schemes to launch retail destinations Ratty and Mr Toad were once crafted from clay. Cosgrove and Hall were awarded honorary doctorates by The University of Manchester this week in recognition of their work creating Dangermouse, Chorlton & The Wheelies and Count Duckula amongst many others.

Also this week Manchester’s Council chiefs announced the protection of Chorlton from chain supermarkets and bars and plans to promote more independent shops and a possible revamp of the precinct.

If you come to visit we might take you for lunch at The Barbakan and let you play with our Count Duckula toys… if you’re nice.

by Charlotte Morley and tagged , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

A right royal album

July 26th, 2010
800px-Buckingham_Palace_1_db

Today, as well as those awful pictures of you from Saturday night, and your niece’s christening photos, you’ll be able to check out the Queen’s holiday snaps and official portraits.

In an historic move ‘The British Monarchy’ has launched a flickr account, the papers have reported it with a mixture of awe and amusement and it really is a good diversion for ten minutes or so.

The Queen really is ‘down with the kids’, she has a youtube channel and she tweets; except of course she doesn’t. Usually we’d recommend that social profiles for individuals are managed by that individual, with a little help of course. But I don’t think any of us really believe that the Queen would have the time to get out her iPhone  at state dinners and tweet her thoughts.

It would seem that it depends what your starting point is: if you’re Jordan people already know so much about you that your twitter feed is going to have to be pretty salacious to keep followers, if you’re The Queen then releasing some archive photos of royal engagements is enough to keep the media and the public happy.

by Charlotte Morley and tagged , , , , ,
Posted in Media, Uncategorized, social media | No Comments »

Breaking into the industry!

July 26th, 2010
Graduate

*** guest blog by Susie Whitby***

As a recent graduate I have been eagerly on the hunt for a job in PR, competing against other candidates with real life experience. At times it seemed no one was willing to give me the essential experience required in progressing my career. However, this week I was fortunate enough for the opportunity of a work placement here at Democracy PR.

So far I have been here three days and am already beginning to understand the ins and outs of the industry which will prove invaluable to me in the future.

With a welcoming, passionate team around me, I am confident I have much more to learn about this exciting and fast passed industry.

by Charlotte Morley and tagged , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

All the gear, no idea ….

July 19th, 2010
Picture 59

Given everything that the internet can tell us about our clients, customers and ourselves, it’s almost unforgivable for new business approaches to be made without some basic desk research.

Our landing page gives you an idea of what we do, who we work with and a quick click to the team page tells you who the team are. We really do make it easy.

For the sake of saving their blushes, I’ve removed the details of the ad agency who sent this, however … let’s be honest, I don’t think they’ll ever see it.

SUBJECT: Digital PR

Sent to: info@democracypr.com

Hi

Do you guys offer your clients any digital services , or do you include them in any pitch work? e.g social media – facebook apps, iPhone apps, micros sites, games, data collection sites etc?

Mark


From: Jennifer O’Grady [mailto:jennifer@democracypr.com]

Sent: 19 July 2010 10:46

To: Mark

Yes we do

Sent from my iPhone


SUBJECT: Digital PR

Sent to: jennifer@democracypr.com

Hi Jennifer

In house or do you outsource?

I’m actually after a partnership – we have all the skills to make iphone app, mobile apps, facebook applications, custom facebook landing pages microsites, games , viral – all the things clients want as we see a shift from traditional media and move to have campaigns which have a digital element or elements to them.

In recent months we have started working with PR agencies , so that they can be confident when pitching campaigns or for new clients that they can include a digital element.

If you want pop into our Leeds HQ – top floor penthouse office, I’d be happy to spend 20 mins with you and explain how we can help.

+ don’t worry we are very used to working with NDA’s so you can rest assured that your clients are kept safe!

From: Jennifer O’Grady [mailto:jennifer@democracypr.com]

Sent: 19 July 2010

To: Mark

Hi Mark

We do everything in house outside the app building, however, we also work with a number of different agencies to deliver that.

We have reciprocal arrangements with them, meaning that we send business in both directions.

I’m unlikely to be in Leeds over the next few weeks, but if you’re ever over in Manchester feel free to pop in, I’m sure I have 15 minutes that I can spare.

I can’t see him making the journey over to Manchester for a 15 minute chat, but that’s OK, because the truth is that they don’t really want our business, if they did, they’d have put the effort in.

Taking time to get to know your target consumer, to understand what they want and be able to apply it is a basic communication tool that every business benefits from.

This weekend, we’ve been working on the launch of The Rock in Bury, staging a social media campaign that has amassed almost 3,000 fans in less than two weeks.

The heart of this campaign has been to really get to know and understand what the people of Bury want from their new retail and leisure destination. Some love it, some have areas where they believe it can be improved – but every one of those 3,000 fans know that The Rock is listening to them and cares enough to want and keep their business.

by Jennifer O'Grady and tagged , , , , , ,
Posted in Democracy | 1 Comment »

Naughty twhispers

June 25th, 2010
whispers

I very nearly fell off my chair today with an anouncement on twitter that brand Beckham was about to call it a day.

Although i’m not allowing myself to feel shocked anymore about the break up of these seemingly blessed celeb marriages, the thought that the Beckhams were on the verge of announcing their split had me practically screaming into the office ‘noooo…not the Beckhams! I can’t read  OK! without the Beckhams’.

Not to fear though, as with a number of rumours that are filtered through twitter, this has turned out to be nothing more than chinese whisper that have got out of hand, and the fabulous couple’s PR rep has strenuously denied the rumours, stating “there is no truth to them”.

Well, it would’ve been particularly poor timing during the world cup now wouldn’t it? There wouldn’t be nearly enough space in the tabloids to cover the both. So tweeps, would you please stop spreading naughty rumours about our favourite sporty hunk and his poutiful wife? You nearly gave me a heart attack.

by hannah and tagged , , , , , ,
Posted in Democracy, Media, social media | No Comments »

Sun in blogger shock

June 17th, 2010
world cup ball

This week The Sun has been giving a crash course in how not to engage the blogging community. In executing a perfectly good idea they’ve managed to annoy some respected bloggers and make themselves the poster boys for bad blog campaigns.

A perfectly harmless football sweepstake idea to promote their new sweepstake app went a little bit wrong when they didn’t get permission from the bloggers concerned to use their sites.

They did ask, but just didn’t manage to pay attention when the replies were a firm no, or nothing at all. One blog had been inactive for over a year.

The fact that this story has spread through the tech and media community at speed illustrates the keen interest in all things blog and reflect a widespread unease about how to deal with the blogger.

Actually the truth is that bloggers are both journalists (of a sort) and real people. Offer them something they’re interested in (in our case anything from baby food to Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce) and treat them like people and you’ll find that ‘the blogosphere’ isn’t really that hard to work with.

(image from www.shine2010.co.za Flickr)

by Charlotte Morley and tagged , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Bring on the bling

June 17th, 2010
Horse and hat

The fake tan will have been applied, the outfit carefully chosen, the hair coiffed to perfection and most importantly a hat selected….. it’s ladies day at Royal Ascot.

From the moment Beau Brummell introduced a formal dress code for the Royal Ascot enclosure in the 1800s, the drama on the tracks has been nothing campared to the fashion theatrics. From the flapper dresses of the ’20s to the risque Mary Quant miniskirts of the ’60s, Ascot has always been just as much about clothes as it is about the horses.

People have been pushing the boundaries between respectable head attire and  headline grabbing creative pieces  from the very beginning, with PR agencies making hats out of whatever they’re trying to promote in the hope that it’ll be photographed and appear across the broadsheets.

Fashions may come and go over the years, but  hopefully  there will always be a Royal Ascot so that Britain’s fashion savvy hoards can challenge the traditionalists and showcase our British sense of style humour.

Do remember ladies, there is a fine line between a chic yet dramatic ensemble and a tangoed WAG attacked by a flock of parrots.

by hannah and tagged , , , , , ,
Posted in Democracy, Media, social media | No Comments »

The Queen, Bruce and Facebook

June 14th, 2010
images-1

This morning, GMTV interviewed TV comedy legend Bruce Forsyth about once again missing out on a knighthood in the latest Queen’s Honours.

The annual event is promoted to reward exceptional people and those honoured work in a wide range of fields including sports, education, medical research, heritage, and local arts and sports projects.

According to the official Gov website: “The people honoured this year include a pathologist, a nursery nurse, the coach of the England women’s football team, a GP, and a number of youth workers and volunteers. Among the more unusual professions on this year’s list are a station announcer at Fenchurch Street Station and the organist at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool.”

Bruce, who picked up a CBE in 2006, missed out on his knighthood again this year. On the GMTV interview he mused that the support that he’d received from 25,000 Facebook fans and the media, promoting his long years of service to the entertainment industry, may have influenced the final decision in the opposite direction.

If true, then this underlines how out of touch the decision makers are with the power of the ground swell of public opinion now harnessed by Facebook and other social platforms.

We’re not suggesting that knighthoods are given out based on the same voting system as the X-Factor, but a good leader (just as a good brand) uses all the methods available to listen to what’s important to their public, learns from them and makes decisions accordingly.

Who knows Bruce – next year …. the Queen will be saying ‘nice to see you to see you nice’, and you’ll get that Brucie Bonus you so rightly deserve.

by Jennifer O'Grady and tagged , , , ,
Posted in Democracy | No Comments »

Social Media Virgins

June 9th, 2010
cross

Last night, i  headed into Manchester for my first experience of a Social Media Surgery. Held at the offices of the MDDA and attended by a rounded mix of people eager to understand the hows and whys of social media.

Social Media Surgery is like a beginners guide to helping people struggling with how to maximise the opportunity and to someone living and breathing it on a daily basis – it was something of a reality check.

Friendly and informal, the debate of the night Facebook vs LinkedIn. Although eager to learn, the group was apprehensive. Struggling against the self imposed barriers that they’d already placed on themselves or their business. Who could or should be a friend? How to say no to requests on Linked In? How can this help my business? Why doesn’t bombarding my social group with special offers not work?

Twitter inevitably became a strong topic of conversation. As a platform the announcement of everything from product launches to births and deaths was supported by the panel’s discussions.

I found it an easy going and informative environment. The reality is that people with true experience of using social media for business are few and far between. As each new topic was explained and then questioned I could see many faces filled with fear start to brighten as they considered how the boom in social communications would change their business.

Social Media Surgery events are informal, free-to-attend and are clearly doing a great job of giving people real world advice about how to use social media in every day life. Why not take a look.

by hannah and tagged , , , , , ,
Posted in social media | No Comments »

The digital future of the BBC

June 9th, 2010
BBC Coat of arms

This is a rather bold headline but I’m feeling very cheerful about the digital future of the beeb this morning after an informative evening last night spent at the second There Will Be Blood event at Common in Manchester. (That’s the BBC coat of arms in case you’re wondering.)

The second speaker, Hugh Garry, although at pains to make clear he was expressing his own opinions and not those of his employer, outlined an interesting creative vision for the potential of the future of the BBC’s audio content. I probably won’t be able to recap as well as him so here’s Hugh’s blog with links to a few of the projects he mentioned.

I, of course, threw in my two pence worth with the idea that I was happy for user generated content to pop up on radio stations, websites and the BBC’s social profiles but I was less keen on the idea of the user generated Middle East Correspondent or host of Question Time; and thankfully Hugh agreed.

Alongside being a classic early adopter and evangelist for new social technologies he also issued a note of caution citing ITV’s snapping up of Friend’s Reunited before it had had a chance to prove itself, and the subsequent substantial loss.

Although the next big thing can be tempting it’s always worth sitting back and watching it grow with its audience, as he pointed out it’s unlikely to be Foursquare or Gowalla that make their millions from location based technology but another company that right now is watching, waiting and thinking.

A selection of film clips from the night will be uploaded later in the week – so do check back.

by Charlotte Morley and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Media, Technology, Uncategorized, social media | No Comments »

« Older Entries