As a result of criticisms levied at the Beeb over the past few years, a strategic review of the public broadcaster’s remit and services has been undertaken ahead of 2012 when all households will own a digital television.  Its proposals put forward to the BBC Trust include:

-          Closing down digital radio stations BBC 6Music and the Asian Network

-          Shutting down half of all BBC websites and cutting both online staff numbers and the £112m online budget by 25 per cent

-          Axing teen offerings BBC Switch and Blast!

-          Capping sports rights spending at 8.5 per cent of the licence fee (about £300m)

-          Reducing the £100m budget for foreign broadcast acquisitions by 20 per cent

The argument is that with its huge guaranteed income, the BBC represents unfair competition to its rivals who are struggling to survive in the face of falling advertising revenues.  The corporation has come under fire from beleaguered commercial rivals and senior politicians alike as the power of its online and expanding digital TV and radio channels has continued to grow.  An attack by James Murdoch, head of News Corporation in the UK, claimed that the BBC’s position made it impossible for rivals to make online news a viable business.

I’m sorry, but I find it difficult to sympathise with the current plight of commercial TV stations and traditional media.  When revenues were booming in the 80s (and I was a lowly BBC researcher), I remember the chaos caused by huge cuts at the BBC with staff axed and programme commissioning moved to independent production companies.  

Might it be that the BBC is actually better than its rivals and has simply out-performed its commercial competition?  Looking at my own viewing habits, I probably choose BBC TV or radio programmes 80 per cent of the time.  As a nation, the British are very good at mocking themselves whether it’s our incompetence in Olympic ski jumping (does anyone remember Eddie ‘the Eagle’?) or our less-than-memorable Eurovision song contest entrants, we seem to take a strange pride in being the underdog.  In contrast, we have a British institution which, despite criticism and whinging, has continued to produce probably the best programming output in the world (in fact, BBC Worldwide generated annual revenues of £1 billion in 2008).  Why can’t we just be glad and celebrate our success in leading the world in quality broadcasting? 

What’s more, I was even more incensed to see that the corporation’s plans to launch news and sports iPhone apps (what a fantastic idea!) were being opposed by the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), again because it might ‘hinder competition’.  Come on, this really is pushing things too far – surely, if the BBC is able to successfully harness technology in order to deliver something for which there is a real demand, than we, the licence payers, have a right to benefit from it?

With the thorny issue of BBC funding once more at the top of the agenda, it seems that as a public service broadcaster, the corporation is in a no win situation – it would be slated for wasting licence payers money if it wasn’t doing well and now it’s being attacked for being too good at its job!  There’s no doubt that the Beeb enjoys widespread public trust and affection and, in my view, deservedly so.

Women of all ages are using technology in their daily lives – from teenage girls addicted to online gaming, Facebook and Spotify; to mothers organising their children’s play dates by text, getting their retail therapy via Amazon and Skyping family and friends.  In fact, 45 per cent of all retailer consumer electronic purchases were made by women in 2007 – not to mention the female influence on most household purchases.  This shift in perception has resulted in a change in the way that technology is marketed to the fairer sex, but, unfortunately, the emphasis often seems to be on appearance rather than functionality. 

There’s no doubt that we’ve seen a plethora of hot pink gadgets ‘made for women’, from digital cameras to laptops, but the designers (probably male) seem to be missing the point.  To think that producing something in a ‘girly’ colour will make it appealing to women is patronising and plays to stereotypes – in fact these fluffy products are likely to alienate the market they’re attempting to attract.  Apart from anything else, don’t men realise that most girls reject pink around the age of five when they also cut the hair off their Barbies and we wouldn’t be seen dead with a garish gizmo?

Yes, aesthetics are important and women appreciate good design.  Just look at the success of Apple.  There’s no doubt that part of the popularity of the iPhone, particularly amongst female fans, is its sleek dark good looks combined with tactile functionality – it is a design classic.  Similarly, there’s something so pleasing about the look and feel of an iPod Nano in your hand that you wouldn’t want any other brand of MP3 player.

So what about Mr Jobs’ latest offering?  My immediate reaction on seeing the slim, shiny iPad was, I want one!  Sleek and stylish, it would be just the glamorous gadget to carry with pride, probably swathed in an equally expensive designer cover.  However, having read some of the less than favourable reviews of the ‘magical’ super-tablet, I’ve decided to wait for some of the technological glitches to be ironed out before I invest in this highly covetable object.

Women want more than sheer good looks – stylish products that are also effective are the key.  Again, harping back to Apple, the useability of the products I’ve tried is outstanding.  They truly are intuitive – women aren’t gadget geeks who are prepared to spend time reading complex instructions about every function, we just want to get on and do it.  The reason for buying a gizmo is to solve a specific problem and we want products that do this well, not gimmicks.

So please, all you high-tech designers, ditch the pink plastic – I don’t care whether it’s pastel pink or fuchsia, just give us stylish products that we’re proud to display, but also that do the job. 

PS Check out Popgadget - it’s a website dedicated to ‘personal tech and innovative lifestyle for women’.  Having written this blog, I was delighted to see a story on the site reporting that the 126th career chosen by Mattel for the iconic Barbie is computer engineer, with, of course, the requisite baby pink laptop…

Apparently, although the number of new users is still growing with an impressive 6.2 million new accounts per month (or between two and three per second), less than a fifth of those registered are actually using the site.  It seems that only 17 per cent of those who sign up become users.  The majority of accounts remain inactive; a quarter has no followers; 80 per cent have tweeted less than ten times and 40 per cent have never tweeted at all!

In fact, the number of new accounts was 20 per cent lower than the peak of July 2009 when there were 7.8 million new users.  What’s more, the tweet rate fell to an all-time low in December with only 17 per cent of registered twitterers sending a festive chirrup.  So was last year’s Twitter craze a case of the emperor’s new clothes with people signing up just because everyone else was? 

Despite some of the negative statistics, RJ Metrics which carried out the research believes that Twitter users are becoming more engaged over time when viewed by age sample and, they say, ‘Twitter remains a powerhouse despite the high percentage of inactive users’.  This opinion is based on the fact that despite the high fall off of users with only 20 per cent of tweeters coming back to tweet in their second month, those that don’t fly the nest tweet so much that it makes up for all the people who left.  Also, it appears that users who joined in 2009 tweet more avidly in their first few months than their 2008 counterparts, indicating that active users are actually becoming more engaged over time.

So, despite Stephen Fry’s abdication as the king of Twitter (he announced last month that he was taking a tweet break to write a book to the disappointment of his million followers), it’s probably too early to dismiss this micro blogging site as a mere fad.  For me, the novelty of browsing my tweetdeck or summarising my life in 140 characters has somewhat worn off, but with 15 million highly active tweeters still hard at it, it’s a channel of communication that marketers cannot afford to ignore.

Apple

The main focus of this ‘revolutionary’ bit of kit seems to be to thrust Apple into the forefront of the ebook market and the giant has signed up deals with a number of large publishers to aid its conquest. Alongside thousands and thousands of the usual Apple apps, users will be able to download their favourite titles from iBook, opening up and gorging on classics and new bestsellers alike, all at the swish of a finger.

It’s hoped that, whilst luring avid bookworms from the safety of the paperback, this will open up the world of literature to a mass of new, otherwise disinterested readers who, presumably previously engaged with IT gizmos and glued to gaming devices, are seduced by the technology of it all.

I may eat my words, but at the moment, I’m not convinced.

Call me old fashioned but I quite like harvesting books to fill my shelves and I’m not sure I’m ready to transfer that attachment to a virtual bookcase. Books are a comforting entity, something to pick up and immerse yourself in, wear the pages of, share with friends and refer back to in years to come. I can’t see myself curling up with a good ‘book’ emanating from a glaring iPad. An electronic screen just doesn’t hold quite the same magic.

And I can’t see it converting non-readers either. With so many other applications to play on, I doubt that, just because it’s being channelled through a high powered gadget, they’re going to find themselves enticed in to a newly discovered world of literature.

Apple says it’s like having the internet in your hands (which I thought we had with the iPhone and laptop?) but with no multi-tasking programme capability, no Flash provision, no camera and no USB port, surely it’s going to be frustratingly limited in what it can achieve?

I could be getting old and perhaps I need to give the thing a shot. Stephen Fry did say “you only really get it when you get your hands on it”, a mantra I’m relying on for my impending love affair with the iPhone. I may one day find myself writing about my conversion, but for now, I’ll stick to thumbing my way through my much loved paperbacks.

It seems that teenagers consider Twitter to be something for ‘old people’ and they think Facebook has been hi-jacked by their parents.  While MySpace, Facebook and YouTube are still popular, youngsters are turning to a new forum with more teens now playing online games than visiting social networking sites.  In fact, a staggering 97 per cent  claim to play video games of some kind whether via consoles or via the web.   What’s more, the number of teens using email has dropped significantly over the last five years.

By playing online games via their computer or Xbox, complete with headsets and in-game instant messaging, teens are able to enjoy real time communication.   It seems that ‘meet ups’ to play and game together is the latest form of social interaction with online games such as the World of Warcraft enabling friends to play together even when not in the same room, town or even, country. 

A report issued in 2009 by The Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed that 78 per cent of 12-17 year olds play web games whereas only 65 per cent use social networking sites.  In contrast, just half of 18-32 year olds play online games and 67 per cent of them are on social networking sites.

The report also gave an interesting insight into the decline of email in this age group.  While a third of teens are not social networkers, these sites, together with text and instant messaging, are taking precedence over email.  Seventy-three per cent of the 12-17 age group use email, a considerable drop from the 89 per cent figure in 2005.  It seems that this can be partly explained by the fact that the younger generation are more likely to use the internet for fun rather than for utility, seeking entertainment through online videos, games, music and virtual worlds. 

What’s more, research indicates that the huge increase in traffic to (free) online gaming sites has been fuelled by the recession – according to com.score, the rise in online gaming category coincided with the decline in the economy, ballooning by 27 per cent to 86 million unique users in December 2008 compared with the previous year.

There’s little doubt that internet developments, such as the massively multiplayer online games, are taking on an important role in society and may well determine how interpersonal communication is conducted in the future.  However, although the tools of communication are changing as rapidly as the technological innovations which power them, however Generation Y and Generation X choose to interact over the next decade, the basic human instinct to communicate remains, reassuringly, intact.

And, by the way, if you want to impress the kids with your knowledge of cool online gaming, the top sites according to Virtual Worlds News are:

1. Runescape

2. Gaia Online

3. IMVU

4. World of Warcraft

5. Club Penguin

6. MySpace

7. Meez

8. Maple Story

9. Neopets

10. The Sims

Mind you the list was compiled a few months old, so it could all have changed by now in the fast-moving world of youth…

Granted, they do have the freedom to approach an issue however they see fit and it’s impossible for anyone, PR consultant or otherwise, to have editorial control over a story, no matter how good their relationship is with the person writing it. So for those unfamiliar with the territory, dealing with the press can be a daunting prospect and indeed, it is a critical area which should always be handled with caution. Always avoid saying anything to a journalist which you don’t want to see in print, unless they have agreed that it is ‘off the record’.

In general, media folk are not there to find the most damaging angle in a story. Treat them with respect; be as honest and transparent as possible in your dealings with them and they are likely to return the favour. Remember, the media is funded by advertising from businesses like yours and its customers are readers like you, so it isn’t actually in their interests to haphazardly alienate the business community.

The media should in fact be considered an important ally – well-placed articles and comment pieces in target publications can do wonders for a business’ profile, raising awareness of, and lending credibility to, its offering. Those who handle their journalist relationships well can certainly expect to reap the benefits.

Here are our top ten tips on how to cultivate winning relationships with your target titles.

1. Build a personal rapport with key journalists – invite them to lunch, introduce them to interesting people, give them good stories, become a useful source of information for important issues so that they know to come to you first. And remember it’s a two way road so be available and helpful when they need you, not just when you need them. Investing your time and personality will do wonders for your column inches.

2. Work out what kind of stories publications want to fill their pages with – give them stories they will actually want to publish, or offer a new approach to an issue which will be interesting to their readers. With deadlines to meet and pages to fill, journalists are busy creatures and will appreciate the effort.

3. Be aware of deadlines – journalists can ask for information with a very short lead time and it’s often necessary to act immediately if the PR opportunity is to be maximised. Don’t leave them waiting, they’ll close the story without you. If you’ve promised them some information, then make sure they get it, and within their timescale. If for some reason you can’t deliver, let them know there’s a problem as early as possible.

4. Make their lives easier – don’t send huge attachments which clog their inbox, do copy a press release into the body of an email and put the title in the subject line. Try to accommodate the style of the publication you’re targeting.

5. Don’t be put off – if a press release doesn’t make the news pages, don’t be tempted to simply not bother with your next story. There is no guarantee that a press release will be featured but this is not necessarily a bad reflection on your submission. There are lots of external pressures which can explain why something is left off the page.

6. Choose your timing – if you issue a press release quoting someone within the business, then make sure that person is available on the day it is sent to the newspapers – there’s nothing more annoying than not being able to contact quoted personnel if journalists need more information.

7. Know your subject – if you receive a follow-up call from the journalist, be confident about the topic you’re talking about and make sure your answers are clear and consistent. Decide beforehand exactly how much information you are able to give away.

8. Prepare for interviews – if a journalist wants to interview you for the radio or TV, give yourself plenty of time to get ready. Although you will find it’s very rare for journalists to disclose a list of questions in advance, ask for a briefing to get as good an idea as you can of the topics they want to discuss. Ideally, prepare a list of likely questions and consider your answers. Answer questions directly and accurately and try to speak in a natural, conversational tone.

9. Avoid ‘no comment’ – if you can. If you don’t know an answer, then say so. It sounds less suspicious and is also better than giving inaccurate information. If you have to refuse to answer a question, explain why wherever possible.

10. Be honest, open and helpful – once a journalist trusts you as a source and knows the information you provide will be useful, timely and accurate, you will become an invaluable resource to them and this in turn will do wonders for your profile.

When it comes to media handling, the more you put in, the more you will get back; any time and effort you use should be considered a worthwhile investment. It is, however, important to get it right – after all, you are representing your business and need to make sure you do so in a way that reflects how your firm wants to be perceived. You could always seek professional media advice to fine-tune your skills if you need it – as with any other marketing, when in doubt, ask the experts.

We experienced the spike in online demand first-hand via one of our clients fashion bargain site, www.thefashionpixie.com/ which only launched mid December, but enjoyed more than 3,500 visits over the Christmas period alone. 

The figures from Experian Hitwise reveal that rather than spending the season of goodwill enjoying quality time relaxing with family and friends, for many of us the post-Christmas period was an opportunity to indulge in an online retail frenzy.  Apparently, the second busiest internet shopping day last year was 27^th December, and sales over 24^th and 25^th December increased by 36 per cent last year, compared with 39 per cent the previous year.

This is a dramatic illustration of how our shopping habits have changed.  While the economy and retail in particular has been in the doldrums, customer satisfaction with online shopping has continued to increase.  Research from ForeSee Results  shows that the UK’s top 40 online retailers enjoyed a six per cent increase in customer satisfaction over the Christmas period compared with last year.

Mind you, faced with the option of battling through a blizzard to face the crowds or sitting in the comfort of your own home with a mince pie and the best bargains nationwide just a click away, I know which I would choose…

Since its birth just three years ago, the micro blogging site has become an unavoidable feature of modern living.  From tracking celebrities to breaking news of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and playing a part in the Iranian elections as well as influencing the US presidential election, the rise and rise of Twitter has been phenomenal.

As Netimperative puts it, these top trending topics are ‘an interesting time capsule of what was happening as this decade came to a close’.

News Events

1. #iranelection
2. Swine Flu
3. Gaza
4. Iran
5. Tehran
6. #swineflu
7. AIG
8. #uksnow
9. Earth Hour
10. #inaug09

People

1. Michael Jackson
2. Susan Boyle
3. Adam Lambert
4. Kobe (Bryant)
5. Chris Brown
6. Chuck Norris
7. Joe Wilson
8. Tiger Woods
9. Christian Bale
10. A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez)

Movies

1. Harry Potter
2. New Moon
3. District 9
4. Paranormal Activity
5. Star Trek
6. True Blood
7. Transformers 2
8. Watchmen
9. Slumdog Millionaire
10. G.I. Joe

TV Shows

1. American Idol
2. Glee
3. Teen Choice Awards
4. SNL (Saturday Night Live)
5. Dollhouse
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. VMAS (Video Music Awards)
8. #bsg (Battlestar Galatica)
9. BET Awards
10. Lost

Sports (Teams, Events, Leagues)

1. Super Bowl
2. Lakers
3. Wimbledon
4. Cavs (Cleveland Cavaliers)
5. Superbowl
6. Chelsea
7. NFL
8. UFC 100
9. Yankees
10. Liverpool

Technology

1. Google Wave
2. Snow Leopard
3. Tweetdeck
4. Windows 7
5. CES
6. Palm Pre
7. Google Latitude
8. #E3
9. #amazonfail
10. Macworld

Hash Tags

1. #musicmonday
2. #iranelection
3. #sxsw
4. #swineflu
5. #nevertrust
6. #mm
7. #rememberwhen
8. #3drunkwords
9. #unacceptable
10. #iwish

For those of us 40-somethings who remember the world pre-PC and have witnessed the massive developments in communications over the last decade, it has been a phenomenal ride.  Taking a career break back in 1997, I returned a few years later to find that the workplace had been captured by the world wide net – press releases were no longer issued by post and the fax machine was a thing of the past.  Since then, we’ve got used to having the world’s research resources at our fingertips; the email rather than the telephone has become our essential; and traditional media is in decline as we all absorb free news from the net.

Take a few minutes for a nostalgic trip back and just think about how different this Christmas will be to the one you enjoyed back in the largely analogue world of 1990.  This year, you’ll be choosing which sit-com repeat to watch from the huge number of options on your multi-channel TV; your turkey will have been ordered and paid for online before being delivered to your home; and most of your gifts will probably have come to you via Amazon rather than St Nick (not that you can expect any CDs in your stocking in this age of free downloads).  And you don’t need to fret about what to do with those unwanted presents, thanks to eBay…

You no longer have to worry about missing your favourite Christmas special, you’ve probably recorded it on your hard drive or you could always go online later and watch it on iplayer.  Family and friends abroad are now only the click of a mouse away, whether you make them part of the festive fun with photos and videos from your mobile; chat with them on MSN or Facebook; or skype them in real time.  

Back in 1999, less than half of us had ever been online and only one in five homes had a connection to the web and even then it was via a dial-up modem.  In 2001, connections averaged around 5,500 a week, but by 2004 over half of all UK households had an internet connection (a third of which were via broadband) and in 2009, 65 per cent of households have broadband.  Apparently, in the five years up to 2008, the UK saw the highest international increase in TV watching; became the biggest user of texts after the US; and had the third highest volume of landline calls in the world.

So, what technological advances are in store for us over the next ten years?  According to Ofcom superfast or next generation broadband will herald further innovations.  Delivering speeds of up to ten times the level of today’s broadband services, it could revolutionise home entertainment and communications.  Families would be able to perform several different tasks at once, such as internet downloading, gaming over the web or watching movies on high-definition TV.  We may also be able to talk to friends and relatives via video links, download albums in seconds and work from home more easily.

Despite being a ‘digital immigrant’ rather than a ‘digital native’ like Generation Y; I have to say that I am fast becoming a technology addict.  Having just taken possession of a shiny new iphone last week, I think I have found digital heaven and I cannot imagine a better hi-tech toy, but who knows what the next ten years have in store…

Bear in mind that a journalist’s inbox is probably amongst the busiest in the country.  Greg Wright, deputy business editor of the Yorkshire Post, said at a recent presentation that he had to contend with over 250 emails a day, 60% of which were useless to him! Faced with this daily onslaught, only the fittest releases will survive. 

Essentially, a press release is there to ‘sell’ a story to the press. If it’s poorly written, badly targeted or, well, dull and non-newsworthy, then don’t waste your keystrokes. It will almost certainly find itself banished to the cyberbin.  Greg also commented that he was often faced with copy full of waffle and technical jargon which he was simply too busy to trawl through to find the story.

A good PR consultancy will adopt a no-nonsense approach, delivering commercially astute media relations that achieve coverage week in and week out with the audiences that matter. As media experts, your PR team should be able to consistently hit press targets because they understand what journalists want. 

Here are a few of our tried and tested tips.

First, say these words to yourself: ‘Is it newsworthy?’ Okay, it is to you, but is it really something that people will want to read about and, equally as important, is it something that they don’t already know about? Does it have a useful message behind it? If you can’t look at the story objectively then ask somebody who can.  Second, is it timely? If it’s old news, it’s no news. The plethora of on-line news pages, social media and e-newsletters means that news is now simply too fast for anything that’s even slightly past its sell by date.

1. Answer the following questions in your opening paragraph: Who? What? When? Where? How? This is THE most important part of the press release and will determine whether a journalist hits delete or reads on. Keep the news release short and to the point. A side of A4 will suffice – if the journalist is caught by your exciting, newsworthy story and wants more, they will ask for it. Save the techie information for an appendix at the end – but don’t be tempted to add boiler plates giving the entire history of your company which are longer than your news release.
2. Think of a short but informative headline. Do use this to catch a journalist’s eye but don’t try to be too clever – they are rarely used.
3. Keep to the facts and don’t over-embellish or dress up stats to mean something they don’t. It will be seen through, it will be deleted and journalists will find it an irritating waste of their time. Remember, the purpose of a news release is to give the journalist the facts – don’t use subjective statements and avoid clichés such as ‘market leading’.
4. Don’t capitalise job titles. Whilst some people like the feeling of importance Managing Director bestows on them over the rather lowlier managing director, it annoys journalists. Very few job titles warrant such status, so until you’re promoted to Queen, Lord Chancellor or Prime Minister, resign yourself to a lower case description, it’s just one of those media conventions that you need to adhere to.
5. Use quotes. This is an opportunity to embed opinion into what should otherwise be a factual piece of writing. Say something interesting. Don’t use the word ‘solutions’. And don’t say ‘we are delighted…’
6. Keep it simple and don’t use jargon. You’ll confuse the message and switch the reader off. Communicating something clearly and concisely will be much more impressive to a journalist than your ability to build in lots of big words.
7. Know your target media and know what they are likely to want to talk about. Use a scattergun approach at your peril; you’ll be added to the spam bin if you persistently send irrelevant stories to publications and that’s not a very useful place to be.   Only send information that is relevant to that particular title and to that specific journalist – targeting is key.
8. Include clear and accurate contact details so the journalist knows exactly who to call for more detail – and make sure they are going to be available should the journalist call.
9. A picture really does say a thousand words. Support with strong, creative photography if the story warrants it (two suited businesspeople shaking hands and smiling at the camera lens does not count as creative) and always include a relevant caption.   Don’t send huge files by email – if you’ve got that cracking photo, sending it as an inbox-blocking, journalist-maddening 4MB file is a wasted opportunity. Compress, then click.

Effective media relations isn’t rocket science, but it does require good ‘news sense’, excellent writing skills and a genuine understanding of the media.   Remember, your business’ reputation is at stake, so make sure your organisation’s PR is handled in a professional manner.