Everything in this post is a lie
“Don’t believe everything you read.” It’s a byline for today’s cynical media consumer, ingrained into us from a young age by our parents, teachers and peers.
But it catches journalists out too. This morning, PR Week published a story claiming that HSBC was launching a ‘distinct digital offering’ to rival that of Facebook. It quoted directly from the 35-page pitch document, giving details of the pitch process and target demographics, and included a comment from HSBC’s head of press.
But two hours later, the HSBC press office tweeted the following:
This has been met by scepticism from PR Week, implying that perhaps the document is genuine and was leaked. So now who do we believe?
This is still being played out on Twitter as I write, but what is clear is that HSBC has reacted in a very relaxed manner, responding to questions in an informal, chatty tone and employing tongue-in-cheek hashtags (#sticktoyourstrengths). This reaction has already been described as “weird” and “patronising” by some – but if this is a genuine leak, HSBC is keeping its cool impressively well. Whether this scores points with the many thousands of people who were affected by HSBC’s online banking and ATM outages last week, however, remains to be seen…
Socialising Media Training
Proper media training is vital for anyone in business exposed to regular TV, radio or press interviews. Our partners LansonsLive are specialists in media training: ”saying the right thing at the right time in the right way and to the right people is never easy. Whether you are talking to journalists, politicians, investors or clients, we can help you get your message across effectively.”
But being ‘media-savvy’ now spans more than broadcast. Being truly savvy means developing your social profile and your total web ‘footprint’ (or ‘shadow‘) so that it is consistent and reflective of you and your views. This means developing an appropriate Twitter profile, knowing where the line between private and social is, knowing what is and isn’t appropriate to discuss, and coming to terms with the relationship between personal and business content and contacts.
The need to introduce ‘social’ into media training was highlighted recently when a young Liverpool footballer felt the need to express his alternative theory on 9/11 via Twitter. Not necessarily the right thing to do with such a sensitive subject, especially when your employers are an American Company (we contributed to the debate via the BBC here). This highlights the need for company-wide governance and individual social as well as broadcast training for individuals exposed to the media.
Is social media to blame for antisocial behaviour?
Whether there were riots in your area or not, you will have been shocked by the sudden outbreaks of violence that spread from London across the country. Politicians and the media were quick to highlight the role of social media in the co-ordination the riots, but this doesn’t make social media a force for evil, I argue in Lansons Communications’ recent Britain in Turmoil bulletin:
The role that communications technology played in the London riots is being scrutinised in the press, in Parliament, and throughout the tech industry.
The argument goes that the riots were only possible because the rioters stayed several steps ahead of the police. They did this by organising times, places and next actions using social and communications technology – namely Twitter, Facebook, and BlackBerry Messenger.
David Cameron, speaking to the hastily recalled House of Commons, put it this way: ‘Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organised via social media.
‘Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill.‘
He went on to say: ‘We are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality.’
So it’s clear that the UK Government will be discussing plans for increased data-access, regulation, and the development of new powers to override or shutdown services if they suspect a return to civil unrest is being planned in these spaces.
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) in particular has been positioned, if not as a cause of the riots, then certainly as an enabler. This technology allowed for coordinated planning in the hours prior to, and during, the riots as thousands of messages appeared across networks encouraging people to gather in numbers and behave in the way they did.
Sadly, our authorities were not listening to these messages effectively, so the majority of this ‘buzz’ went unnoticed. This raises questions as to exactly what methodology and processes the authorities need to put in place and what responsibility the technology providers have to help make this happen – thus the Government meetings with Twitter, Facebook and RIM.
Of course it’s not the first time social media technology has been at the heart of a social movement and thus drawn the attention of Government. In June 2009, while Western journalists were banned from entering Tehran, tech-savvy citizens organised and reported live on the revolution taking place from the streets. Technology was positioned as being a vital force for good; indeed the US State Department asked social-networking site Twitter if they would delay their scheduled maintenance in order to avoid risking disruption to communications.
The underlying question, of course, is not about the technology itself, and whether it is a good or an evil thing; by nature it is neither. The question is not about social media, but society itself. After all, rioting is not a modern phenomenon.
To read the rest of the ‘Britain in Turmoil’ bulletin, which includes views from a range of practice areas across Lansons, click here.
Oxfam Oxjam in Chiswick
We nipped into High Road House for bacon and eggs this morning, and were pleasantly surprised to stumble across this pop-up concert in the window of Chiswick’s Oxfam Store.
An enthusiastic lady handing out leaflets explained that this was part of the ‘Oxjam‘ Music Festival. A number of artists have been recruited to play in the windows of Oxfam stores, which of course draws a crowd and, presumably, helps sales. Oxfam have run these concerts since 2004, it must work for them.
The artist in this instance was Anoushka Lucas; a regular at Ronnie Scotts and a real class act. She goes straight on my watch list – I’ll expect to see her on Jools Holland before too long.
When Mel met Mark O’Meara
It’s always nice to escape the urban jungle for a bit and do some work in the field (almost literally in this case), especially when it’s to interview an internationally successful, two-time championship-winning sportsman. Lexus-sponsored American golfer Mark O’Meara is currently competing in the British Open, so I popped down to Sandwich in Kent to chat to him about life, links golf and Lexus.
http://www.youtube.com/officiallexusuk#p/u/2/5mnap33dR7M
As you can see, Mark is a fantastically nice, very friendly and down-to-earth chap. It was a genuine pleasure to catch up with him. And he makes a superb cup of tea.
Best of luck for the rest of the championship, Mark!
To read the full Q&A with Mark, click here.
Lansons Communications and cubaka digital ranked 24th in the Reputation Online Top 100 PR Agencies Guide
Since cubaka partnered with Lansons Communications at the end of March this year, we have collaborated on a diverse range of projects including producing films of the Lexus LFA and redesigning the Pay YOUR way site.
It is fantastic that, after only three months of working together, cubaka and Lansons have now achieved 24th place in Reputation Online’s Top 100 PR Agencies Guide. We are all extremely happy with this news…
Unfortunately, the launch party, which was set to take place last night, was cancelled only a few hours before it was due to start. This news came soon after yesterday’s announcement that Reputation Online is closing, although the site will remain live to be used as an archive for digital PR news, and editorial will be integrated into new media age. While this is sad and surprising news for the whole industry, we’re glad that nma continues to maintain a strong online presence, and we can’t wait to see what Vikki Chowney has up her sleeve next.
Reputation Online’s demise by no means detracts from the fantastic recognition we have received, which bodes really well for the future as cubaka and Lansons cultivate their combined digital and PR offering.
Lansons Conduct the UK Social Media Census 2011
The results of the UK’s first Social Media Census have now been published. The research, conducted by our sister-agencies Lansons and Opinium, segments UK consumers into 9 different categories (the ’9 C’s').
The headline stats are in the graphic below and for the full story, head over to the Lansons’ Conversations blog.
Awkward conversations at the water cooler? Scared to look up from your laptop for fear of catching the glare of one of your colleagues? Never any milk to go on your Shreddies?
These daily concerns are not shared by any employees at Lansons Communications, which has just been voted one of the UK’s 50 Best Workplaces (18th best, to be precise) for the seventh year in a row. Last night’s awards ceremony was hosted by the Great Place to Work® Institute in association with the Financial Times, the Guardian and the British Airways magazine. This is equally exciting for the cubaka team as we are now very much a part of the Lansons landscape.
Each organisation had to demonstrate ‘the very best in leadership, people management and a positive workplace’ to be in with a chance of nomination. After only two weeks of working alongside Lansons across a number of clients, I can certainly say that I have really enjoyed the working environment (and the pain au chocolats in the morning aren’t too bad either).
Lansons was also shortlisted for two special awards in Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, and we at cubaka are delighted to be working alongside such socially responsible people. But the talent doesn’t stop there; today Lansons was also named one of the top digital PR consultancies in the UK by PRWeek.
cubaka is extremely proud to be associated with such a happy and talented bunch of people. Congratulations Lansons!
A new addition to the cubaka team
Hello I am James, the brand new Account Executive at cubaka. Last week flew past with inductions and client briefs galore so without boring you with every detail here is what my week entailed:
- 2 x Laptops (I broke my mac on the first day – probably not the best start)
- 365 x Handshakes (estimate)
- 1 x Awkward moment when I called someone the wrong name
- 1 x Virgin gym membership
- 5 x FREE bowls of cereal
- 0 x Coffee (much to the shock of Simon)
- 1 x Friday bar = 1 x karaoke session (recorded for posterity!)
It’s fantastic working in Clerkenwell – the design centre of London – with the bonus of having a lenient dress code; Simon’s shorts and sandals are testament to that. I am really looking forward to working for cubaka in this next phase of our development. The continued integration with Lansons in the coming months will be challenging but the team is motivated by exciting client prospects and I am confident that 2011 will lead to lots of success.
Notable and Quotable: ‘Action is the foundational key to all success’ (Pablo Picasso)
Lansons takes stake in cubaka
To say we’re pleased is an understatement.
It broke in the press this morning that Lansons Communications has bought a 25% stake in cubaka. This is hugely exciting for me, Grant, Mel, Damian, Paul, and all associated with the agency. It very much marks the beginning of a new phase in cubaka’s development; it wasn’t so long ago that we took the leap into the great unknown, and for Lansons to show such faith in us is a great boost.
So what does this actually mean for cubaka? Well, we’re moving offices straightaway (by all means pop in and say ‘hi’) so we can osmotically integrate with our new colleagues at Lansons HQ. We’ll be sharing our knowledge of social media, and hope to bring a new perspective to Lansons’ approach, having spent the last 2 years at the coal-face for brands such as Toyota and Lexus.
But we’re also ready to learn. Lansons is one of the leading independent PR agencies in the UK (and not a bad place to work by all accounts). Some aspects of what we do – outreach, blogger relations, reputation management – have their roots firmly in PR rather than marketing, and so come very naturally as part of the Lansons offering.
Together, of course, we want to be the best in the business. We’ll continue to offer our current and future clients the best in social media strategy and celebrated social space development and content, with award-winning PR to boot.
I’ll also be regularly failing to resist the English Breakfasts at Smithfields – so drop me a line if you fancy a chat over a bacon butty.
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