apt blog

A sporting chance

This weekend saw our intrepid MD in action at an unforgettable Italian press weekend for the expansive Geovillage Sport & Wellness Resort, in Sardinia. The stunning location comprises of Europe's number one, multipurpose complex for just about every sport. It already attracts top competitive athletes, celebrities and sports teams - Roger Federer, Chelsea and Real Madrid, to namedrop a few!

The apt media party and camera crew soaked up the sunshine from the nearby beaches on the famous Costa Esmeralda and wandered amongst Geovillage's 14 hectares of lush Mediterranean gardens.

The complex features a spa managed by the prestigious Malo Clinic empire and its president, Dr Paulo Malo dropped in to give a press conference and presentation to the world's media about his exciting vision for combining health and wellness therapies at the Geovillage resort.

Our journalists were thrilled to get one to one access with the quintessential and globally renowned doctor of wellbeing! After their trial spa sessions, apt and their media guests found themselves overlooking the spectacular views from Geovillage's exclusive first class hotel , the impressive and elegant Meliá Olbia.

apt looks set to show the world just what a unique and cutting edge European facility Geovillage is. Watch this space!

http://www.geovillage-sportsclubs.com/

The Social Media conundrum

I've been putting together Social Media plans for existing and potential clients, plus some general packages as a starting point. This got me thinking about the whole SM proposition.

There are some fairly obvious start-up measures and training on functionality etc which is quite easy to cost-up, simply in terms of time taken.

The difficulty comes with the ongoing support. Whereas trad-PR will always require ongoing work, SM as a genuine and transparent practice should place the burden with the client in the long-term.

So, an ethical question: should we relinquish the power and let our clients loose, or keep our cards close and ultimately dilute the impact? I think I know the answer to that one :-)

"We'd love to include your press release..."

Promising words, don't you think? If so, you'd be wrong. If a conversation or email begins with these words alarm bells should be ringing.

As any PR (particularly dealing in trade press) will know, this is the standard way to sell-in 'colour separations', a technical term meaning 200 words or so and a crappy little image (on a page filled with lots of other crappy images) for the 'very reasonable' fee of about £100.

The people who make these calls and send these emails do not work in editorial. They do not even understand the concept of free editorial. "What, you don't have a budget? Then why did you send the press release?" they say with amazement.

Press releases are merely lead-generators for these eager ad sellers. Happily, some journalists don't just forward your email, even if they can't use it. Thanks to those who are courteous enough to respond. To the others...just be honest. Don't dress it up. Call it advertising!

As a side note, many agree that the humble press release is long dead anyway. That's for another time...

Getting mashed...

This week, we enjoyed a session at our favourite food stylist studio Shooting Food and got well and truly 'mashed' with our latest client!

Fab Mash is a new kind of take away outlet, coming to a town near you. So far, owners Brian and Margaret are adopting a very hands-on approach...

  

The pilot store opens very soon in Cardiff and will showcase the best mash and the most comforting meals in the world! 
 
We're no strangers to the world of food photography, where the stars of the show are tweaked and preened under the spotlight.

There's more to culinary photography that you'd think; from the angle of the plate and the texture of the pastry to the gloss of the gravy.

No paint or sprays are used, it is the real thing! We can't reveal any more secrets as we have spinach, coconut and lentil dahl with chili mash to sample! For PR purposes obviously...

Captain fantastic

Just found this article on the impact of social media following the recent US Airways crash-landing in New York.

The impromptu 'campaign' focuses on a fan page for the 'heroic' pilot Captain Chesley B Sullenberger. It could be argued he was just doing his job. Admittedly very well, but none the less...

Anyway, the stats are certainly impressive, with 350,000+ fans on the facebook page for a start. A good demonstration of SM's instant reach, achieved by tapping into the public consciousness.

So, will this bout of Social Media, sure to die down over the coming days and weeks, be good or bad for US Airways?

Well (as the article indicates) crash-related stories do not sit well with airline bosses, clearly, no matter how positive the outcome. Unfortunately for them, these kind of stories no longer disappear quickly.

One thing's for sure, Captain Sullenberger's personal brand has been elevated beyond what most could reasonably expect in a lifetime.

Are newspapers dead?

Not technically. They're still breathing.

The latest post from our favourite marketing guru ponders life without newspapers, giving an interesting analysis of content and how (almost without exception) the web does it better.

It's difficult to argue that newspapers aren't dying but they're certainly not dead yet. Nevertheless, the balance has shifted hugely and will continue to do so.

The challenge for PR people isn't in getting on board with this philosophy; pretty much everyone is there (or getting there) already.

The real obstacle is convincing clients that the web is where their budget should be. It's difficult to re-programme the warm glow that's achieved through seeing your name in print.

The simple truth is that print media, while good for the ego, isn't where it's at.

Fancy throwing a sickie?

Just picked up this little gem from Mark Borkowski's blog. If you haven't checked it out yet you should; fascinating insights from one of PR's true masters.

Anyway, this campaign comes from giants of the cough-medicine world, Benylin. It's a wonderful example of marketing and PR working in perfect harmony and has been hugely criticised by employers...apparently.

The site at the centre of this manufactured 'controversy' offers remedies, advice on how to email/call in sick, an online game to play, and even what to watch on telly during your 'Benylin Day'!

Clearly a bit of light-hearted fun, but Benylin's agency certainly knew the reaction it would get. They must have been rubbing their hands with glee while watching this BBC news report.

See the ad below, and click for the campaign website that's causing all the fuss.

£5 off with Good Taste Foods

We’ve been working with Good Taste Foods for a while now, promoting their premium-quality, frozen food range. We’ve just finished their new website; a magazine style, online store with regularly updated, topical content.

Go and check it out; we’d love to know what you think. As a special incentive, we’re offering blog readers the chance to claim £5 off every box ordered! Just quote APT20 when you place an order via the online checkout.

By the way, they offer a tasty range of ethically-sourced, ready-to-cook, fish, meat and poultry portions, plus pastry products, gourmet ranges and handmade desserts; all delivered free, next-day, to the door! 

http://www.goodtastefoods.co.uk/

SOHO success at Cabot Circus

We’ve been working with SOHO Coffee Co. to promote the launch of its newest store in the recently opened Cabot Circus; the South-West’s premier shopping centre. The PR team have been securing regional press coverage on the opening, as well as SOHO’s successful South West expansion. 

The marketing team have been working hard to produce point of sale, product displays, internal and external signage and artwork for the walls of the new store. They have also helped manage the launch of the store and helped the opening go smoothly.

We’re pleased to say that the first month’s trading has been a huge success!

What's a PR degree worth?

We came across this blog post the other day. It discusses whether a degree in public relations is worthwhile.  Are PR students limiting themselves if they decide after three years at university that PR isn’t for them?

In fact, you could say the same for any vocational qualification; many of us studied journalism at university and decided to go into PR instead but at least that’s related. The problem occurs when you take a course that’s so vocational, so industry-specific, that it restricts your options immediately.

So, is sticking to a general academic degree a better option?  Or does training for a vocational qualification ultimately give you a good advantage if you do choose this as your career?