The big news today is the announcement that Britain's first super casino is to be built in Manchester.
Great news for the city and for the 2,700 people who will be employed there. There has been a lot of people opposed to these plans because of fears over gambling addiction. I can see their worries but if the concern over addictions is so great, why do shops and bars still freely sell alcohol and cigarettes?
In any new plan / proposal there will always be a downside, but a development such as this has got to be good for regeneration, tourism and employment. The majority of visitors, as in Las Vegas, will be there for some fun and will gamble sensibly so I welcome it, although I do feel for poor Blackpool.
The question now is - what will happen to the Millenium Dome?!
Helen
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
PR Evaluation
In the latest issue of PR Week (19.01.07) there is a feature on standardising evaluation. I definitely agree with this, it seems sensible to me to have an industry standard so we're all working to the same system and we can get an accurate evaluations of coverage.
At the beginning of this year we introduced a system of coverage evaluation for our clients which involves EAVs.
PR Week suggested that this method is falling out of favour - why is this? Perhaps you can't put a real price on PR coverage but it's often the case that paying clients like to see a monetary value put on the evaluation - so they can see exactly what their fee is worth!
At the same time we also monitor where our press releases are appearing / not appearing, so if one publication is not using them we can approach them and address the matter, therefore constantly improving our relationships with journalists.
It seems to me that EAVs are more concrete than the 'positive', 'neutral', 'negative' way of evaluating coverage, which is not always accurate - a cutting that is neutral to some could be seen as negative to others.
Has anyone else tried other ways of evaluation? Any recommendations?
Helen
At the beginning of this year we introduced a system of coverage evaluation for our clients which involves EAVs.
PR Week suggested that this method is falling out of favour - why is this? Perhaps you can't put a real price on PR coverage but it's often the case that paying clients like to see a monetary value put on the evaluation - so they can see exactly what their fee is worth!
At the same time we also monitor where our press releases are appearing / not appearing, so if one publication is not using them we can approach them and address the matter, therefore constantly improving our relationships with journalists.
It seems to me that EAVs are more concrete than the 'positive', 'neutral', 'negative' way of evaluating coverage, which is not always accurate - a cutting that is neutral to some could be seen as negative to others.
Has anyone else tried other ways of evaluation? Any recommendations?
Helen
Friday, 19 January 2007
Internet Information
From the 1 January 2007 all limited companies must include their VAT number, company number and registered company address on their website and emails.
This information should be contained in your email signatures and it is recommended that it should be included in the contacts page of your website.
These new requirements have not been made widely known but it is very important for companies to comply or they risk prosecution.
This information should be contained in your email signatures and it is recommended that it should be included in the contacts page of your website.
These new requirements have not been made widely known but it is very important for companies to comply or they risk prosecution.
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
Sir Digby Jones - Skills Training
Hello
It's been a busy week so far this week, with people finally catching up on work now the festivities are over!
This morning we read about Sir Digby Jones' comment on skills training and how it should be free of charge.
So we spent the morning issuing a comment from one of our clients, a training provider, who agreed with the announcement but wanted to say that there is a great deal of funding available - around £20m in the East Mids alone - but businesses need to apply.
They can gain a real competitive edge if they were to commit to a programme of training for their work force. It would enable them to develop the skills and qualifications of their staff which would, in turn, help to increase their efficiency and productivity and ultimately would result in higher profits and growth.
The barrier really seems to be a lack of knowledge about funding and how to get it, as it often comes from a variety of sources, perhaps we should be addressing this?
Helen
It's been a busy week so far this week, with people finally catching up on work now the festivities are over!
This morning we read about Sir Digby Jones' comment on skills training and how it should be free of charge.
So we spent the morning issuing a comment from one of our clients, a training provider, who agreed with the announcement but wanted to say that there is a great deal of funding available - around £20m in the East Mids alone - but businesses need to apply.
They can gain a real competitive edge if they were to commit to a programme of training for their work force. It would enable them to develop the skills and qualifications of their staff which would, in turn, help to increase their efficiency and productivity and ultimately would result in higher profits and growth.
The barrier really seems to be a lack of knowledge about funding and how to get it, as it often comes from a variety of sources, perhaps we should be addressing this?
Helen
Friday, 12 January 2007
Quote of the day...
"money is not my motive" David Beckham, about his new LA Galaxy signing (BBC online 12.01.07)
No, of course it isn't David!
Ruth
No, of course it isn't David!
Ruth
Thursday, 11 January 2007
2006 PR Disasters
I read an interesting piece in today's Metro on the way into work. A PR firm polled over 2,000 adults to find out their opinions on 2006's 'PR disasters'.
With 53% of the vote the Mills-McCartney divorce came out as creating the worst buzz, followed by Madonna's adoption of an African baby.
Is this a sign that the public are tiring of celebrity antics and the never-ending coverage that the tabloids seem to give them? Or does it merely reflect the time of year the poll was taken (November) when these two stories were fresh in people's minds?
To me it seems odd that Kate Moss and Pete Doherty's behaviour over the year seems to have boosted their careers, whilst Madonna's adoption of a disadvantaged child is considered a 'PR disaster' - perhaps she should think about changing her PR support?!
Helen
With 53% of the vote the Mills-McCartney divorce came out as creating the worst buzz, followed by Madonna's adoption of an African baby.
Is this a sign that the public are tiring of celebrity antics and the never-ending coverage that the tabloids seem to give them? Or does it merely reflect the time of year the poll was taken (November) when these two stories were fresh in people's minds?
To me it seems odd that Kate Moss and Pete Doherty's behaviour over the year seems to have boosted their careers, whilst Madonna's adoption of a disadvantaged child is considered a 'PR disaster' - perhaps she should think about changing her PR support?!
Helen
Wednesday, 10 January 2007
Catchment Area proposal.
I am concerned about the Education Secretary’s recent proposal to scrap school catchment areas and instead to allocate places based on a lottery rather than giving preference to children living nearby.
I thought we were trying to encourage more children to walk to school not only to help improve levels of fitness amongst youngsters but also to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads thereby helping the environment. I can’t understand the reasoning behind these new proposals – can you?
Dianne.
I thought we were trying to encourage more children to walk to school not only to help improve levels of fitness amongst youngsters but also to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads thereby helping the environment. I can’t understand the reasoning behind these new proposals – can you?
Dianne.
Friday, 5 January 2007
Welcome..
Welcome to the our new blog! We are a Nottingham-based PR agency, with a team of four - Dianne Allen, Helen Fitzpatrick, Ruth Gross and Emma Straw.
Here we'll be keeping you up to date on what we've been up to, as well as discussing topics in the news and giving you some helpful advice and tips on PR.
We've got lots planned for 2007 and we're expecting it to be a busy and exciting year. Our two new starters, Emma and Ruth (see our news page), are settling in well and will also be keeping you posted.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoyed your Christmas and we wish you a happy new year - remember to keep checking back to see what's new!
Gemini team
Here we'll be keeping you up to date on what we've been up to, as well as discussing topics in the news and giving you some helpful advice and tips on PR.
We've got lots planned for 2007 and we're expecting it to be a busy and exciting year. Our two new starters, Emma and Ruth (see our news page), are settling in well and will also be keeping you posted.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoyed your Christmas and we wish you a happy new year - remember to keep checking back to see what's new!
Gemini team
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