The great news for the PR industry is that there are still many people that are either unaware of PR or unaware of its potential.
I volunteered to help a friend to publicise a new service that he was launching as part of his busness and having submitted a draft release he wanted to know how much the target publication would charge. I explained that they don't charge, but equally we cannot guarantee coverage. But by making the story as relevant as possible to the publication's readership and ensuring that it is genuinely newsworthy then there is a good possibility of coverage.
Many people still see PR as something that is 'free', or related to advertising; both of which are incorrect. If clients are paying for a PR company to help communicate their news then the publicity generated isn't free, by definition, and shouldn't be seen as being something of little value.
The challenge is to continue to demonstrate the value of PR and to show that we're much more than press release machines; our remit should encompass every aspect of how a company or organisation relates to its all of its publics (including staff, customers, suppliers, shareholders, local community, government agencies).
There are a number of mainly trade titles that make charges for "colour separation" (charging for content) and they are the ones that I steer clear of. Not only are they doing a disservice to their readers because editorial and advertising has effectively been merged, but they are missing the point of journalism and PR.
Have a great day.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Today, the UK government announced yet more plans to dramatically re-shape our education system. Yes, there going to privatise education and they're moving back towards schools taking pupils based on ability: in other words we're back to selection.
In the 60s it was 'out' with selection and 'in' with comprehensives; no more evil 11-plus exams to determine how bright you were. And since then we have been on the slippery slope to where we find ourselves today: more and more going to university and more and more who can't actually read or write.
But that's OK, because today there is no such thing a failure; nothing so black and white as that. No, there are just shades of grey, or rather the whole alphabet to allocate for grades. You can still 'pass' a GCSE with a G. When I did my "O" levels you needed an A, B or a C. Ds and Es? Sorry, but you'd failed.
What's so wrong with failing? Through failure you can actually learn how to succeed; you get knocked down, but you get up again... Character-building is a better word, but that sounds too... well, too elitist probably.
Certainly no room for elitism with Nouvelle Labour. Except that Tony B went to Fettes: the Scottish Eton no less.
It's all a case of plus ca change... and for those who didn't study French I'm really saying that nothing much changes. If we'd left the education system alone and maintained "O" levels and apprenticeships we'd have plenty of tradesman, and we'd have school children that knew what to do with an apostrophe.
Here endeth today's words of wisdom.
In the 60s it was 'out' with selection and 'in' with comprehensives; no more evil 11-plus exams to determine how bright you were. And since then we have been on the slippery slope to where we find ourselves today: more and more going to university and more and more who can't actually read or write.
But that's OK, because today there is no such thing a failure; nothing so black and white as that. No, there are just shades of grey, or rather the whole alphabet to allocate for grades. You can still 'pass' a GCSE with a G. When I did my "O" levels you needed an A, B or a C. Ds and Es? Sorry, but you'd failed.
What's so wrong with failing? Through failure you can actually learn how to succeed; you get knocked down, but you get up again... Character-building is a better word, but that sounds too... well, too elitist probably.
Certainly no room for elitism with Nouvelle Labour. Except that Tony B went to Fettes: the Scottish Eton no less.
It's all a case of plus ca change... and for those who didn't study French I'm really saying that nothing much changes. If we'd left the education system alone and maintained "O" levels and apprenticeships we'd have plenty of tradesman, and we'd have school children that knew what to do with an apostrophe.
Here endeth today's words of wisdom.
Friday, October 21, 2005
That Friday Feeling
It's suddenly Friday again and time to plan and plot for two days 'off'. Well, with 2 young boys and garden that resembles the Somme, I doubt I'm going to have much time off; but Friday it is and tonight time for a few beers.
On the subject of beers, did you know that 3 pints in one night and you are technically a binge drinker? No, neither did I. Five or 6 pints maybe, but three? But thanks to Nanny State, three pints and you're heading for an early grave. These days it seems that we're all doing everything that's wrong: driving too much, too little exercise, too many cigarettes, too many poor meals, too few family meals together... the list goes on (and on).
But back to Friday. If you've spent the last 4 days looking forward to knocking off today then you're likely to experience is the Monday Morning Blues. Nothing worse than the sense of dread if you have a job that you don't really enjoy. Then, of course, there is the Sunday Syndrome: the slightly worried feeling in the pit of your stomach, which means that what should be a relaxing two days off, is actually only about a day and a half before you're back to thinking about work.
Mondays come round as surely as night follows day, and before you know you are back at work. If you enjoy your work as much as that, then how productive are you being and should you not look at moving on? Your boss isn't getting particularly good value from you because it's probably Wednesday before you've settled into the week and by Thursday it's the emotional wind-down for the weekend.
If you enjoy your work and perhaps spend a lot of your time in the office, or whatever constitutes your 'office', then there are the issues of work-life balance nagging in the background. If you spend what is perceived to be too long at work then there are those that suggest that you're either inefficient or you're part of the presenteeism culture: staying at your desk just to look good for the boss.
Of course , there has to be a balance between being dragged to the office and being dragged from the office, but surely it is better to be motivated and focused, rather than resenting every minute that you're at work. For one, time evaporates and the weekend comes round faster (and you enjoy more of the weekend), and for two, life's surely too short to spend a third of your life with a cloud over your head.
And talking of clouds over your head, the next time it's raining go out for a walk. The relevance here? Absolutely zero, but it's a great feeling to be out in the wet especially when we're always trying to avoid getting wet we forget the simple pleasures of being connected to nature, which can be enjoyed whether you love or loathe your job.
Ciao.
On the subject of beers, did you know that 3 pints in one night and you are technically a binge drinker? No, neither did I. Five or 6 pints maybe, but three? But thanks to Nanny State, three pints and you're heading for an early grave. These days it seems that we're all doing everything that's wrong: driving too much, too little exercise, too many cigarettes, too many poor meals, too few family meals together... the list goes on (and on).
But back to Friday. If you've spent the last 4 days looking forward to knocking off today then you're likely to experience is the Monday Morning Blues. Nothing worse than the sense of dread if you have a job that you don't really enjoy. Then, of course, there is the Sunday Syndrome: the slightly worried feeling in the pit of your stomach, which means that what should be a relaxing two days off, is actually only about a day and a half before you're back to thinking about work.
Mondays come round as surely as night follows day, and before you know you are back at work. If you enjoy your work as much as that, then how productive are you being and should you not look at moving on? Your boss isn't getting particularly good value from you because it's probably Wednesday before you've settled into the week and by Thursday it's the emotional wind-down for the weekend.
If you enjoy your work and perhaps spend a lot of your time in the office, or whatever constitutes your 'office', then there are the issues of work-life balance nagging in the background. If you spend what is perceived to be too long at work then there are those that suggest that you're either inefficient or you're part of the presenteeism culture: staying at your desk just to look good for the boss.
Of course , there has to be a balance between being dragged to the office and being dragged from the office, but surely it is better to be motivated and focused, rather than resenting every minute that you're at work. For one, time evaporates and the weekend comes round faster (and you enjoy more of the weekend), and for two, life's surely too short to spend a third of your life with a cloud over your head.
And talking of clouds over your head, the next time it's raining go out for a walk. The relevance here? Absolutely zero, but it's a great feeling to be out in the wet especially when we're always trying to avoid getting wet we forget the simple pleasures of being connected to nature, which can be enjoyed whether you love or loathe your job.
Ciao.
Today's Image
As an amateur photographer I will also be posting various images to my blog site.
This is the waterfront at Kinsale in Eire. Kinsale is a fantastic place to visit, especially if you're a bit of a foodie. A warm welcome is waiting in every pub, bar and restaurant, and the food is wonderful.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Thursday 20 October
Welcome to Opera Public Relations' blog, which we hope you find of interest and will navigate back to.
On our blog there will be news of our campaigns, clients, our recently-launched networking group for Derbyshire-based PROs (Springboard) and sometimes a bit of a rant.
We'll also publish Opinion, which is Opera's newsletter.
On our blog there will be news of our campaigns, clients, our recently-launched networking group for Derbyshire-based PROs (Springboard) and sometimes a bit of a rant.
We'll also publish Opinion, which is Opera's newsletter.
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