Author: Lindsey Davies

AWARDS: WORTH THE WAIT OR A WASTE OF TIME

Posted on July 19, 2018 by

awards

It’s awards season and that means finding out if all of the hard work earlier in the year was worthwhile or if you have to sit tight and wait until next year to submit again.  It also means finding a different dress for each event but I’ll save that fiasco for another blog. FYI: Quiz at Junction 32 is my ‘go to’ for all the ladies out there that are struggling – you’re welcome, always happy to help! 

Anyhow, back to the blog in hand, it can be a nerve-wracking time, not least because as well as our own time – which has to be allocated to the research, copy writing and submissions process – we require input from the client and often their wider teams. 

The awards process, depending on which you choose and usually if they are regional or national – isn’t always straight forward. As well as 1,000 words you can also be required to provide supplementary evidence to support your entry, along with the obligatory photographs and biog about the business or individual you are nominating. 

What is great about putting submissions together is that you learn so much about the companies that you work with. Being responsible for the reputation of a business often means that you have access to information that others may not, but when it comes to awards you get a real insight into the great and good. 

Just recently I was putting together some copy for a client and it was a real reminder of what a difference this individual had made. When we were looking at the facts and figures, it was quite astounding and thankfully the judges thought so too as Geoff Shepherd, the founding director of iSource Group and the Yorkshire Mafia, won the Judges Special Award at the Institute of Directors Awards last month. 

Natasha accepting the Judges Special Award at the IoD event on behalf of Geoff Shepherd.

Natasha accepting the Judges Special Award at the IoD event on behalf of Geoff Shepherd.

Why bother when you’ve got a business to run

Interestingly, there are three types of client; those that want to enter as many awards as they can, those that prefer to be more selective and those that don’t want anything to do with them. 

I never really understand the latter and I’ll explain why. 

Awards take time and if you want to put together the strongest entry possible then they can be hard work but the rewards, in my opinion, outweigh this time and time again. Not only are the events a great way to bring together a team – and in particular those that may not work together day to day – but they also deliver credibility by association. 

It’s not all about dressing up and having too many glasses of fizz, the impact of awards is evident long after the event is over. 

As an agency we never do anything without it having a purpose and meeting with an objective and when it comes to awards it’s about building profile and also an employer brand. Awards are often an indication that a business is doing well, and that attracts talent. 

People want to work for a business that is trusted and respected in the market and awards are often a great way of showcasing the quality of the products and services that a company delivers. Furthermore, most nominations are independently judged, making it all the more exciting when your submission is successful. 

Coalfields Regeneration Trust winning the Community category at the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business

Coalfields Regeneration Trust winning the Community category at the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business

Celebrating success

I’m very pleased at this point to say that we have an excellent success rate when it comes to awards and you would probably hope that this was the case given that it’s part of our day job but not every entry makes it to the stage and that can be crushing, especially when you know the team is deserving of the recognition. 

What always surprises me is that way that people respond. It differs from business to business, but I have to admit those that really embrace the moment and show their excitement without compromise are those I enjoy most. 

We are often asked to attend the awards with clients – which is a lovely gesture and not something we take for granted – but one occasion that stands out to me was when Paragon ID won the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards in the Turnaround category. 

The team just didn’t see it coming and their collective reaction was simply joyous. It was a pleasure to be with them, although the headache the next day wasn’t quite so welcomed. 

Haydn - looking a little bit like James Bond - accepting his Top 30 under 30 accolade.

Haydn – looking a little bit like James Bond – accepting his Top 30 under 30 accolade.

What awards to enter

You can enter any awards that you want but we always question what the objective is. 

Some people enter everything and for me that devalues the return you will get. If you will go to the opening of an envelope, or as I’ve experienced recently, if someone says you’ve won an award and all you need to do is pay for the ‘silverware’ then it’s probably not going to add any value. 

I had a client say that anything could be on a piece of glass – even an award for getting out of bed on a morning – and people never check so assume it’s for something impressive, but my argument was why would you need to do that if you believe in the products and services that you are offering. 

When choosing awards you should follow five simple steps:

  1. Review the categories and see if there is one that would fit your business
  2. Take the time to look over past winners, this will give you an indication of those that have been successful in the past, their size and scale
  3. Consider if you have the time and resource required to submit a winning entry
  4. Think carefully about who will be in the room; clients, prospects or competitors
  5. Put objectives in place so that awards serve a purpose. It could be simply to build profile in a given location, to give your brand a national platform, to commend performance or to attract talent. 

It’s also worth noting that some awards come at a cost – not just the events but the actual submissions – so this should be a further consideration. Without being negative, you need to decide if you can afford to lose that budget if you are not shortlisted. 

Henry from Ring accepting the Made in Yorkshire Award.

Henry from Ring accepting the Made in Yorkshire Award.

You’re a winner, shout about it

It’s really frustrating when you put the effort into a great award submission, your client is successful and then you hear nothing more about it. Companies don’t enter awards to keep their success a secret – they do it to gain the recognition they feel they deserve, so when you win shout about it. 

Make sure that you make the most of the opportunity. There are a number of ways you can do this including:

  1. Draft a press release to announce that you have been named ‘great business of the year’ and share it with your local and trade media. Remember that many awards are hosted by media and they consider other publications to be competitors so won’t cover a story about a rival medium.
  2. Share an update on your website and extend this across social media.
  3. Create some owned content and ‘interview’ someone that attended and capture their thoughts and feelings. This can add personality and also give someone who doesn’t often get the chance an opportunity to share their thoughts.
  4. Put a footer on your emails to make people aware that you were shortlisted or that you won. This is a really subtle way of capturing attention and a constant reminder to everyone you engage with that you have been commended and recognised for your work. 
Open Communications accepting the highly commended award for best new business.

Open Communications accepting the highly commended award for best new business.

Don’t take them too seriously

Awards are great, but people can take them too seriously. It’s important to practice your ‘game face’ when you attend awards and not take it too personally if you don’t get the result that you were hoping for. There is always next year, and it can take a couple of attempts to finally get your hands on that trophy. 

If you do find that you have been pipped to the post, it’s always a good idea to congratulate the winner. You never know, in some instances they could be a prospective customer and thanks to the award submission you now have something in common.

My First Week at Work (by Ellie aged 15)

Posted on June 29, 2018 by

From the very start, here at Open Communications, we have made it our mission to give people a chance. Not everyone in the agency has come from a PR background but when people approach us, we take the time to think about the transferable skills that they have and how they could benefit our clients and the campaigns that we deliver.

It’s not all about degrees and qualifications!  

When it comes to young people, when possible, we like to give them the chance to experience the variety and wonderful world of PR through short placements. This isn’t just an exercise in CSR, it’s an opportunity to encourage, to nurture and to build the confidence of students that just may decide PR is the career choice for them.

And so, here is just one example of how we have done just that. Ellie (aged 15) is a secondary school student that lives in the same village as me. She was finding it hard to find a placement – and given that we live in a very remote part of the Yorkshire Dales, it’s hardly surprising!

Ellie approached me one weekend and asked if it would be possible to work at Open Comms. In the following blog (in her own words) she describes the week that she had with us and how in just five days she was able to draft a press release, write a blog, attend a client meeting and learn more about PR, an industry that before this experience she hadn’t heard of never mind considered as a career choice for the future.

 

My First Week at Work.

Finding a Placement.

A couple of weeks before work experience was due to begin, I found that it was more difficult than I had expected to find a placement, so I was going to stay at school for a week, which is really frustrating, because I was eager to get out and to learn outside of the classroom.

So, I decided to use my initiative to look for a placement outside of the local area. I was speaking to some family friends who have their own business and that is when Lindsey started to tell me about PR and what she does for a living.

It sounded really interested and I got really excited by the conversation. I had never heard of PR before, so this was completely new to me. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible, but I asked if she would be willing to offer me a place with her for my work experience. I felt so relieved when I knew I had a different place to go rather than school, nobody wants to stay in a classroom when they can experience something new and exciting!

Leaving home for a week.

Because the agency is in Leeds I have had to stay away for a week. I don’t normally stay away from home for so long, but I have done it on occasion before so I know what it’s like. Because I have never worked in an office before, just the local pub in my village, I had no idea what to wear and no Idea what I needed to bring with me.

Rather than stress too much about it, me and mum just threw some of my nicest clothes in a bag and hoped that I would have an outfit each day that would be suitable. I had to bring some of my dresses, which I very rarely wear, and it felt weird walking into an office with clothes on that I felt would be more suited to a night out. Needless to say, it was quite out of my comfort zone.

First day.

For a start, getting up at 7am every morning was the first hurdle! I normally get up at 8am for school, so it was a bit of a challenge getting up and ready to leave the house so early.

Once I was ready – and I had managed to get everything in my bag for the day ahead – me and Lindsey went to Tesco’s to get some lunch before setting off on the 30-minute drive to the offices.

The estate the office is in (Nostell Priory Estate Yard) is lovely and the sun was shining so it looked even better. Once we are all parked up and got our bags out of the car, we came into the office and I had a little desk set up for me with a laptop, sticky notes and pens.

I sat down and got out my note pad out ready to get started. Just then, Ed walked through the door and came straight up to me to shake my hand. I wasn’t really sure what to do, people don’t usually greet me like this and it freaked me out a little. I literally never shake anyone’s hand and I don’t know why but it scared me to death! (I have been laughing about it all week).

The first task of the day was for me to watch Anna go through the social media accounts for HARIBO. When she goes through all the social media she has to reply to any messages on Facebook and Twitter. It was great to feel useful, as I helped her to choose what to put in the replies to each of them.

Some of the comments can be quite interesting, while others are quite funny and made me laugh, it just goes to show what a varied mix of fans the brand has.  

When we had finished that, Lindsey sat me down to talk about a press release; what it is and what it is used for.

I had no idea where to start and although I could have asked for help, I could see everyone was really busy, so I used my judgement and watched a number of podcasts on how to structure a press release.

I noted it all down and put it together like a facts sheet off the internet. I then put some time aside to do some research about the charity that I was writing the release for.

Before long I was ready to put it all together; my first press release done, and in wasn’t that difficult although it did take me a while.

So, my first day done and I have to say, my first impressions of the team where that they’re really nice people and so welcoming. They’re also talkative which I really liked.

Day two.

On my second day I finished off the press release. I was very proud of the completed piece and I went through it with Lindsey. Although she made some amends, I was still really pleased to see that much of the content I had drafted was used.  

We then sent the press release to the organisation that it was about for their approval. Within the hour the company had come back to us and agreed it was a really good piece.

It felt really good to have it approved because it’s my first ever press release that I have ever done and they liked it, so when they came back with such positive comments it was great.

The next step was to send it off to a selection of local journalists. We did this using a platform called Vuelio. It is a website that has all of the contact details for all of the journalists in the country on so you know who the best person will be to send a release on to and which publications are relevant.

Day three.

On my third day I came into the office and Lindsey suggested that I draft a blog about my experience. I think blogs are important because they give people a little glimpse into your personality and what you’re interested in. They also draws people’s attention to the website that you are posting them on and can be shared on other channels like YouTube or across social media pages.

By this stage in the week, I feel quite settled in the office now, I’ve had a chance to get to know everyone a little bit better and they are all so lovely and friendly. I love the fact that they all watch Love Island (even Ed!) and it’s the topic of most of the convocations we all have together! 

On my lunch break I went for a walk around the park and it was gorgeous, its’s quite different than at home because all the fields and land is filled with cows and sheep (and their muck) but here it’s so well looked after and it’s such a big area to just walk around and take some time to relax. 

When I got back I was asked by Emma to pack some boxes for a campaign that the agency are planning. I didn’t really understand why I was doing it at first, but then Emma explained that it is a way of sending products to journalists and that it gives them chance to experience and eat the products that we distribute.

On this occasion we were working on an updated product for HARIBO which is still top secret!

Day four.

On the third day me and Lindsey went to see a client. It felt weird going into another office and discussing future plans with them about their company and on this occasion their new website.

The office looked quite modern and everyone that I met was very friendly, which was nice. Lots of people where smiling at me and I felt really welcomed.

We went into a large meeting room on the top floor, which was quite daunting, but we were soon discussing plans for the website and I felt confident enough to share my thoughts and suggestions. The client seemed quite pleased that I was interested and that I had some views to share.

It was quite a long meeting and we didn’t get back to the office until gone 3pm. I continued to write my blog and to record all of the things that I had done and learnt.

Day five.

Well, it’s Friday, and my last day of work experience. It’s been great; being a PR for a week is completely different to what my normal life is like. I like working in an office because the atmosphere is calm and the environment is quiet – until Anna and Mish start chatting about Love Island!

There are always lots of different things going on in PR and different ways in which you can approach things. It has been weird being away from home, but like I said, I have done it before and it’s not like I’m staying with strangers!

I’m pleased that I have learnt what happens in a PR agency and what the team is tasked to deliver for clients. The biggest achievement of the week has to be that I was able to draft a press release and understand more about the stages that it goes through to get to where it needs to be.

Lindsey has promised to keep me updated with the coverage and to share it with me when it comes through. I can’t wait to add it to my portfolio.

Over all it’s been a great experience and who knows, PR just might be the career choice for me in the future but for now it’s back to the classroom.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT BUY YORKSHIRE

Posted on May 18, 2018 by

The Buy Yorkshire Conference

Showing support for the largest business to business event in the North

For the last eight years we have worked with the Yorkshire Mafia (YM) to provide the team that is responsible for an annual schedule of events including the Buy Yorkshire Conference with PR and social media support.

As the largest business to business event in the North, it goes without saying that it’s a busy time for us, not just on the day but in the run up to the exhibition when we spend hours liaising with speakers that will take to the stage on the big day and media that may want to come along.

There are so many reasons why this account is particularly exciting but for me securing broadcast, national and regional media coverage has to come top of the list. Some might think that’s an obvious answer but having worked in the PR industry for more than a decade you would be forgiven for thinking that the leap in my tummy when we secure a great piece of coverage may have waned over time.

Nope. Not a bit. In fact, it’s why I fell in love with PR in the first place.

Getting to know you

Coming a close second on my list of reasons to enjoy working on the Conference has to be the speakers. As the preferred PR partner for the event we are given access to each of the entrepreneurs, brand representatives and campaigners that attend and what an experience that is!

You never know who will be added to the line up next and with candidates such as Helen Pankhurst (great-granddaughter of the leader of the Suffragette movement) and Gerald Ratner (the entrepreneur that lost everything thanks to a glib comment about his products being cr*p) you can see how contrasting they can be and that makes our job all the more interesting.

A change of venue

This year the event took place at the First Direct Arena, a change from the New Dock Hall and Royal Armouries as has been the case in previous years. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how this would work, but after taking a tour and seeing the event from above in the arena seats it didn’t disappoint.

The exhibitor stands were all in one space, which made for a vibrant and engaging showcase for delegates and it also created a camaraderie between the brands. It was great to walk around and see people having a laugh and engaging with each other as well as delegates at the event.

Never a dull moment

As the team that manage all media relations, we don’t get time to wander around, our remit on the day is to manage the media and support any interview requests, while also drafting blogs during the seminars which will be posted on the website after the Conference.

It may sound easy, but it takes a lot of work and makes for a long (but fun-filled) day.

Having access all areas means that we can pick and choose which seminars and sessions we attend, which is a real coup. Over the years I have listened to and met speakers including Michelle Mone, Ann Widdecombe, Jacqueline Gold, Nigel Farage, Alastair Campbell and more… let’s be honest, there was no way I would have bumped into these people in the street, so once again it all adds to the experience.

Working with a talented team

What astounds me most about the Conference is that the team from the YM always seem so relaxed. Whatever comes their way they just deal with it and move on to the next thing. I can’t even imagine what it is like to manage an event of this scale knowing that it takes a full year to plan, arrange and deliver.

Once again, the team did a fantastic job and this year more than ever I heard lots of positive comments that I duly passed on. The philosophy behind the YM is that we are stronger together and I have to say that working with them adds real credibility to that statement.

Practising what you preach is a big part of what we do here at Open Communications so to have clients that work by the same values makes our job all the more rewarding. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers once again for bringing this fantastic event to the region and also to the individuals, brands and businesses that we worked with to pull the content together.

I’m very pleased to report that we secured coverage across national and regional media in print, online and across broadcast media. Well done team Open Comms, good work!

Now let’s get on with planning for next year’s showcase, which will have to be bigger and better than ever. We better get our thinking caps on.

GIVING BACK TO BECOME #100STRONG

Posted on January 16, 2018 by

100strong Ho Ho Homeless

From the very start, here at Open Communications, we have always taken the opportunity to give something back. Not because we want to be seen to be ‘doing our bit’ necessarily but because we believe that it is important that when we can, we help out and have a positive impact on the local community and those less fortunate.

Christmas is always a great example of this and for the last three years we have donated to a very worthy cause Ho, Ho, Homeless, which provides festive packages including clothing, food, sanitary products and treats for rough sleepers throughout Yorkshire.

Taking a step back, the initiative was the brainchild of a friend and client, Geoff Shepherd, who had a chance encounter with a homeless person on a bridge in Leeds. Offering the chap some money, he was surprised to be handed the notes back. After some discussion, he insisted the money was taken and the rough sleeper produced a Christmas card as thanks.

Children should be seen and heard

That could, like many similar interactions that happen every day, have been the end of his encounter but Geoff’s young son asked why there was nothing more that could be done for people that have no home and no one to care about them.

A very interesting comment and a shining festive example of why we should listen to children and consider how their ideas can become a reality.

As a result of this, Geoff created Ho, Ho, Homeless and asked businesses to donate money, clothes, toiletries and any other items that would be of use to a rough sleeper during the winter months. Better still, he asked that treats also be considered, not just everyday items so that the recipient would also realise that they are not forgotten and that it is Christmas, a time for special gestures.

100strong

Ongoing support

We have been privileged to offer body warmers and money over the years but as we embark on our third-year things have changed slightly. This year the campaign message was #100Strong. The idea is simple; 100 businesses donate 100 pounds. This would generate £10,000 which would then support the homeless in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.

So, as well as contributing as an agency – I believe we were seventh – we also asked others within our network to do the same. Headed up this year by Bob Proctor, we received regular updates of the fantastic work that had been done and the products that helped individuals and service delivery partners throughout Yorkshire.

It is no simple task to engage with rough sleepers, nor to spend time purchasing items, engaging with retailers, packing bags and making the deliveries but the team did an amazing job and it just goes to show that we are ‘stronger together’.

Homelessness isn’t just about Christmas  

Now that we are in the new year, and looking back over the campaign, I can’t be the only person who is astonished by the number of visible rough sleepers in Leeds and let’s not forget, there are always those that we don’t see too! There must be something more we can do than refuse their requests for money?

It’s at times like this that I am most proud of Open Communications and all that we stand for. I know lots of businesses and agencies that are similar, so I would ask that rather than just donating at Christmas we all think about the many ways that we can show our support throughout the year.

For updates on the progress of the campaign please follow @MafiaYorkshire or search for the hashtag #100strong.

Ho, Ho, Homelessv2

TROLLING NO LONGER BELONGS UNDER BRIDGES

Posted on September 15, 2017 by

Despite the fact that social media platforms have been around for a number of years now, with many of us incorporating these communication channels into our everyday lives, there are still people who either don’t understand how to use them or worse still, abuse them.

There is a real difference between the two audiences; one simply can’t get their head around why you would share information online to a potentially global audience, whereas the other takes it upon themselves to misuse the platforms to target, insult and intimidate other users with harmful or hateful comments.

Thankfully, most of us would never dream of sending a comment with the explicit intention of hurting another person’s feelings, but sadly that’s not the case for the minority. As ever with these situations, these people have now been given a name and it has been widely adopted by the social community.

Using social media for all the wrong reasons

Now, in my day, trolls featured in nursery rhymes and books. They typically lived under a bridge or in some other insalubrious environment and they would scare anyone that came near. Unfortunately, young people today now associate ‘trolls’ with individuals that intentionally target others with negative comments online.

Trolling is so prolific that there is even a programme about it. Far from being ashamed about their behaviour, some of these people actually make it a ‘hobby’ to post regular and often unnecessary comments to celebrities and those who have a larger social media following in the hope that they will incite a reaction.

The worst thing that a person can do is respond to a troll, but you can imagine how difficult it must be when your personal account is ‘under attack’ from these people as they spread malicious content online to be reviewed by a worldwide audience. It can’t be easy and it must impact on their lives.

I’ve never ‘got’ trolling and nor do I want to. In order to understand the psychology behind these people’s action would require me either to be a. a psychologist or b. someone who has some affinity or capacity to ‘understand’ the logic behind their actions – I don’t mind admitting, I’m neither.

Tackling the trolls

When I turned the TV on recently there was a programme which immediately caught my attention. Anything to do with social psychology or communication has me gripped, so this was a winner: Celeb Trolls: We’re Coming to Get You. It featured on Channel 4 and the basic idea is to find a celebrity, review their social channels – in this case twitter – and identify those that troll them most frequently.

I consider myself to be pretty thick skinned but some of the comments were aggressive, suggestive, violent and in most instances hateful, all of which was likely to cause at the least psychological distress. What’s interesting however, is these trolls often post as an alias – basically, they hide.

I’ve always said to clients, friends and family, before you post anything on any social media channels ask yourself if you would shout it out loud in a pub or coffee shop – if the answer is no, then question if you should be sharing it at all. It appears that these people could have done with the same advice.

When there’s nowhere left to hide

The producers of the programme made it their mission to find just one of the people that had been trolling the celeb, in this case it was Zahida Allen, who has appeared on a number of reality TV shows. The person that had been trolling her made a series of comments that were unnecessary and offensive – standard practice for a person trying to antagonise and in turn generate a response.

At this point, the search was on, as an investigation team started to piece together the information they could from the troll’s social media accounts. It was no surprise, but all the same a harsh reminder, to see just how easy it is to identify someone and to find out where they lived, worked and what interests they had.

It didn’t take long for the individual to be tracked down and he was sent an email to give him the chance to explain his actions to Zahida in person.   

In all fairness, the individual agreed to meet and was very apologetic. He had no excuse for his behaviour other than he felt that it was common practice and therefore ‘joined in’. Zahida wasn’t the only celeb he had trolled and he freely admitted he never thought it was cause real harm or offence.

Although somewhat ashamed, he didn’t seem as appalled by his own behaviour as he should have been but did mention that his parents had both advised him against featuring on the programme and made it clear he would be finding somewhere else to live if he ever did it again.

Lessons learnt

I really enjoyed this programme and felt that it could and should be used as a real lesson to the younger generation that are using social media channels for all the wrong reasons. It’s so easy to hide behind a screen but sooner or later your behaviour will catch up with you and that’s what people need to realise.

Social media has its benefits and when used correctly can be a very powerful communications tool. Like anything, in the wrong hands it can be dangerous and damaging.

I’d like to see more programmes like this, that provide case studies of the impact that an individual’s actions can have when they abuse the technology that should enhance our experiences and improve our engagement.

For me, I will be passing on details of the programme in the hope that more people learn these lessons and start to implement best practice. Perhaps trolling will take on a different meaning as these people are made to take responsibility for their actions and the comments they make, intended or otherwise.  

WHY SUCH THE LONG FACE…

Posted on August 24, 2017 by

BJP_OpenComms_TeamShots_0191

I was really pleased to wake up earlier in the week to some light-hearted news; the announcement that Ken Cheng was named winner of the 10th Annual Dave’s Joke of the Fringe competition with his one-liner about a pound coin.

For those who missed it: “I’m not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change.”

It wasn’t so much the joke in isolation that made my day, in fact, I think others in the list were arguably more deserved, it was just refreshing to have something less depressing to focus on than has been the case of late.

As someone who works with the media, the first thing I do is put the television on when I wake up to catch the national BBC news. I then wait for the regional updates before hopping in the car whereby I listen to BBC Radio 2. Once I get to my desk, I start with the online bulletins that I receive through email and then it’s onto the papers.

By this time, as you imagine, I often feel the need for a strong coffee before I can even think about embarking on the to do list.

Knock, knock…

Of course, PR isn’t really this depressing, we are very fortunate to work on some amazing campaigns and with some fantastic brands. Interestingly, the briefs that we receive often ask that we focus on the experience that a consumer will receive as the result of engaging with a brand or an activation.

I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that I have never been to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival but I would love to go along. The reports have been amazing and I honestly think that as a professional working in the creative sector, it would do me good.

I think we all need to step away from our day to day lives sometime and to let our imaginations run wild. All too often we get stuck behind a desk or embroiled in process and what we really should be doing is sitting back and thinking like children with no barriers or limitations.

There’s no doubt then that many agencies focus on humour. The one thing that makes people feel good is a real giggle. There is no better feeling than laughing so hard you can’t stop and you don’t know why.

Personally, I love a good knock, knock joke from a young relative, not least because more often than not it takes three attempts and we’ve heard it all before!  

Now, for a brand to achieve this feeling would be something short of a miracle, but when humour is done well there is no doubt that it captures the imagination and it engages people in a way that is becoming increasingly challenging for brands. 

Why did the chicken cross the road…

The stumbling block is typically the same time and time again, agencies try too hard. Rather than keeping it simple, like the one-liners used at the Fringe, creatives come up with concepts that are too convoluted and dare I say it, clever.

What’s so wrong with a simple ‘Why did the chicken cross the road’ gag? Ok, perhaps we need to try a little bit harder.

But, we also need to remember that people don’t have time to stop, think, digest and laugh, it just isn’t going to happen. It has to be quick and as close to spontaneous as is possible. See what I mean about the challenge? Then of course there is the fact that humour is very subjective; something that one person openly guffaws at may have someone else cringing.

Take some of the jokes that are listed; there are without doubt a few that any responsible agency (please notice I didn’t say boring!) would never, ever go near. There is a very real line and although some brands push the boundaries, even they would be hard pressed to think these would be appropriate.

And so, I think there are lessons that we can all learn from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, not least to take a step back, keep it simple and have a laugh. After all, it’s said to be the best medicine and with the ‘summer weather’ this year, I think we’re all in need of a bit of that.

OPEN EXTENDS CELEBRATIONS WITH YM SPONSORSHIP

Posted on August 9, 2017 by

Image source: Chris Wallbank, www.chriswallbank.co.uk

Image source: Chris Wallbank, www.chriswallbank.co.uk

We can’t quite believe where the years have gone, but here at Open Communications we will be celebrating our ninth anniversary in September and thought it would be a great opportunity (excuse) to get together for a drink and a natter! 

As a member of the Yorkshire Mafia (YM) we will be sponsoring the Wakefield Drinks event, which takes place on Thursday 28 September at Unity Works. All you need to do to come along is to register using the following link: http://theyorkshiremafia.com/events/view/438/wakefield-drinks-evening

Like many other businesses in the District, we can be accused of working hard but forgetting to take the time out to meet with others and to step away from our desks. That’s why we thought the drinks evening would be an ideal opportunity for us to let our hair down and to meet with some familiar – and not so familiar – faces. 

Having attended a number of the drinks events in the past, most recently Yorkshire Day at Blackhouse in Leeds, we know how popular they are and how they are a great way to bring people together in a relaxed and less formal business setting. 

Although the Wakefield drinks events are a relatively new addition to the YM calendar, we want to show just what the District has to offer. We are huge advocates of the city and surrounding towns and hope that other professionals from the area will take the time to come along to showcase the diversity of businesses and success stories that we have here. 

So, get your diaries out and pens at the ready, the 28 September from 6pm – 11pm will be the Open Comms celebration at the Yorkshire Mafia drinks evening and you’re all invited. We look forward to seeing you there.

OPEN TIPPED FOR THE TOP AT INDUSTRY AWARDS

Posted on August 8, 2017 by

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We are very pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for two industry accolades; Outstanding Small PR Consultancy and Not-For-Profit Campaign at this year’s Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards. 

Celebrating nine-years since we launched in September, Open Comms will come up against some tough competition when we attend the awards event, which will bring together the great and good of the PR industry on the 30 November at Leeds Town Hall. 

As well as providing a submission for Outstanding Small PR Consultancy, we also used evidence of the results we have achieved for our client the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Having worked alongside the team for more than four years, we are really pleased that our submission now features on the shortlist for the Not-For-Profit Campaign of the year. 

Director of Open Communications, Emma Lupton comments: “We are very pleased to have our work acknowledged and to gain the recognition that comes from being shortlisted at the CIPR PRide Awards. We are very proud of the campaigns that we produce and also of the team here at Open. 

“Since we launched in 2008 we have built our reputation as a trusted partner to our clients and know that the awards will reinforce that credibility. As the leading industry awards for the PR sector it means a great deal to us that we have been shortlisted in the two categories we entered. Fingers crossed we will be a winning team on the night.”

Open Communications, based at Nostell Priory Estate Yard, works with a portfolio of clients from across a range of industries including FMCG, food, retail, recruitment, architecture, print and technology, housing, third sector and legal.