As we’ve been hinting for the past couple of weeks, we’ve recently started working with some rather groovy new clients, one of which is The Bentall Centre (Kingston Upon Thames), arguably one of the UK’s most forward thinking, aesthetically impressive shopping centres.
We’ve hit the ground running and launched into the online promotion of BFest, an innovative event that sees some of the UK’s most promising pop acts perform in the centre over 2 days. It’s a free event (so make sure you don’t miss out) and happens on the 7th & 8th August 2010.
We’re planning a few surprises that are set to ensure this event generates global online coverage and the Bentall brand recognised as a leading voice in shopping centre social media marketing.
We’re also managing their blog and producing engaging content on a regular basis, directly connecting with the local community and strengthening ties with local businesses wherever possible. Growing Facebook ‘likes’ and Twitter ‘followers’ is the key objective.
Finally, we’ll be promoting events throughout the year to our broad online connections in fashion, style and mummy/baby categories.
During the past 6 months we’ve spotted some very interesting social media related trends appearing that are set to directly affect the journalism and PR industries. Over the next 2 years these trends will grow in importance and restructure the marcomms industry as we know it and more so than it already has!
Public relations agencies employing/merging with SEO agencies and social media agencies
As the social media revolution evolves and PR agencies get to grips with the effect they can have on search rankings through effective online PR, we’ve been noticing a few of the UKs leading agencies make approaches to buy into SEO and emerging social media practices and/or employ SEO experts for their copy/keyword research, blogger outreach and conversation listening skills. PRs are increasingly recognising the importance of SEO in their offering and are looking to compete more effectively / add a differentiator that will help them win more business whilst create a sustainable future for themselves. We as a social media agency have had 2 such approaches in just 4 months!
You may have recently seen (or heard about) a school here in sleepy Surrey that recently acted out and sang their own cover of Pixie Lott’s ‘Boys & Girls’. What has gone from a tiny acorn of an idea for raising money for a worthwhile charity has become an internet sensation and ultimately the best PR marketing exercise in British schooling history. What a great advert for a great, forward thinking school!
A branding expert has recently posted an interesting expert on ‘Luxury being a feeling’. He was inspired to write the article after he and his daughter recently visited the Teen Paradise Mall in Shibuya, Tokyo, when she asked: “Papa, how would you tell a fake Louis Vuitton bag from a real one?”
recently read a fascinating article about how The New York Observer is incentivising its journos with bonuses for well read articles and the amount of Twitter followers (see it here) and felt compelled to write something on the matter.
Personally… it’s a fantastic idea, especially with all the tracking tools available today… why haven’t others thought about this?
Obviously a paper or magazine survives through its readership. The more readers the more sales and ad revenues – it’s a simple model… so incentivising its core knowledge sharers in this way makes absolute sense. Bonuses will help journos think outside of the box to get more followers (for the publication), embrace the trends around social media and online publishing fully and ultimately make for a more exciting reader experience. The only problem is (and has always been) – how do publishers make their money online in the future. Obviously The Times (UK) is launching their ‘paid for’ online subscription but from a personal perspective I really don’t hold out much hope for this model when you can get the same information elsewhere for free.
Ad revenues online will almost certainly increase along with the introduction of affiliate marketing techniques (which we are starting to see emerge), but I’m hearing that many publishers are petrified and rightly so. Perhaps the way forward therefore is to diversify away from publishing or perhaps develop a more exciting, value adding means of sharing their content… but that’s the million dollar question right!
Here’s how The New York Observer are measuring journos bonuses on:
• Pageviews
• Number of posts
• New Twitter followers
• Number of comments
• External pickups
The scheme is being trialed for three months with the first place receiving $500. The second place will receive $300. There is a $2500 cap per employee in total awards. This means that one employee can sweep each month; but also there is a caveat that the same employee cannot win in consecutive months. Finally, web only employees are not included!
I’ve got a feeling that Ney York’s SEO trainers are going to be having a bumper year if this takes off.
