How to launch a ‘boring’ product
I once worked with a guy who was boasting about winning blanket international publicity for a new product, the first British-designed-and-built sports car for 30 years. I think his success had more to do with the quality of the story than his personal involvement. Rarely do we get the chance to work with story material of such obvious appeal; the rest of the time we have to get seriously creative. For example, years ago I was asked to make recommendations to launch a new range of corrugated steel cladding panels, ... read the full post »
06 December 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : adding value, creativity, media coverage, product launch.
Preparing for a media interview: ten starting points
This post was inspired by the closing remarks of Harry, the 'difficult client' in this clip from Absolute Power, a BBC comedy series about a public relations firm starring Stephen Fry. I've posted the entire clip but the salient comments are towards the end. Most people, I'd hope, would be starting from a stronger position than Harry and with a few pointers should be able to give a good media interview. There are lots of variables to consider in each individual case but, for starters, here ... read the full post »
12 October 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : interviews, media coverage, media publications, media relations, public relations.
Using dead bodies and kitchens to get your message across
If you find yourself having to explain something important but potentially boring, it can be tough to find the right language and keep people listening. It gets worse when the subject also happens to be abstract and complex. And the pinnacle is when you’re called upon to do it live, in front of many of the country’s most influential people. So it was interesting to hear the approach of a guest commentator on this morning’s Today programme (BBC Radio’s flagship current affairs show). The guest was Jerome Booth, head of ... read the full post »
14 September 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | 2 Comments »
Tagged : BBC, BBC Radio 4, communications strategy, media coverage, media relations, message planning, Today programme.
A journalist calls asking for your comments. What should you do first?
Most business people are understandably wary of talking to journalists because they know they don’t control the outcome. They worry about looking stupid, being misquoted or misunderstood. There are techniques you can deploy to minimise all of these possibilities but for this posting I want to talk about another danger: finding you’ve ended up offering the unintended ‘contrarian’ viewpoint. This happened recently to a university professor who was invited alongside myself and three other very experienced PR professionals to offer his views on the importance of selling in public relations. ... read the full post »
30 May 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : communications strategy, media coverage, media relations, public relations, selling.
Pleading and humour aren’t enough to get you into editorial pages
Some people find this Youtube video of a mock-plaintive junior at PR agency Ten Yetis amusing. Maybe it did the trick but it left me feeling a little embarrassed for her. If I was her client, I’d be wondering if that’s all there is to pitching journalists – and wondering if I didn’t need a little more marketing savvy injecting into my PR efforts. Why, for example, was there not one single good reason offered up to the journalist to write about the product in that video? Why do readers need to know about ... read the full post »
03 May 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : adding value, media coverage, media relations, pitching, PR firms, reputation, selling, USP, YouTube.
The crucial role of subject lines in email pitches to editors
There was a good illustration recently of why it’s so important to think carefully about the subject line when pitching story ideas by email to journalists. It arose at a recent breakfast briefing organised by media information firm Gorkana with The Independent on Sunday’s Julian Knight. Knight edits the newspaper’s money and property section. He’s got ten pages to fill each Sunday on his own, so it quickly becomes apparent that his week is a constant stream of commissioning, writing and editing - all done to fit in with a conveyor belt of various deadlines. At the same time ... read the full post »
18 April 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : Independent Newspaper, media coverage, media relations, pitching.
How to use the Freedom of Information Act in your PR activities
Whether or not you’re a fan of Tony Blair, one of the welcome things that came into being under his watch was the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) in 2000. This gave UK citizens a legal right to information held by most public authorities. American citizens have had this right for some time, of course, and the UK is now one of about 85 countries that have introduced similar rights. Now, back to this post’s subject: how can you use FOI as part of your organisation’s PR activities? There ... read the full post »
08 March 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : adding value, communications strategy, Freedom of Information Act, media coverage, public relations, The Financial Times.
Should I call my new agency Puff-pedlars, Spindarella or Barking Mad?
Are PR agency founders on a mission to outdo each other when it comes to naming their firms? In striving to be memorable and achieve standout, I think we’ve now crossed the line between clever, creative branding and plain silliness. Here’s the evidence and all of them, except one, are genuine business names. A few are good, many bad and others just downright bizarre. What do you think? Can you spot the made up one? First up are the agencies named after animals. Here we have ... read the full post »
17 February 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | 4 Comments »
Tagged : agencies, agency management, branding, media coverage, PR firms.
Pitching media stories requires instinct and persistence
This is a story that will ring plenty of bells, and should be encouraging, for those who spend most of their time pitching stories to media. It might also be revealing to those who pay their salaries. A couple of years ago I worked for a management consultancy. The firm specialised in the corporate finance function, helping CFOs of medium to large corporations improve operating efficiencies, and generally improving the ability of their finance functions to serve the business strategically. It was all very sober stuff and, as might be expected, the firm’s employees were ... read the full post »
23 July 2010 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog,Uncategorized | Comment on this post »
Tagged : media coverage, pitching, The Financial Times.
Management Consulting Group plc
Andy Turner always exceeds expectations and this is rare in my 25 years experience of the PR world. He has a proactive approach to managing client relationships, constantly challenging clients to be more creative in their approach. read the full post »
Category : Endorsements,Featured.
Tagged : long term strategy, media coverage, media publications, proactive, strategic competence.