Jo Blogs
Liverpool’s latest leading brand (CIM event review)
A determined band of delegates made it along to the latest CIM Merseyside event last Thursday in spite of a number of unforeseen obstacles that presented themselves on the night (which I won’t bring up again here!)
Those of us who managed to make it along weren’t disappointed. Speaker, Michelle Kemp, head of marketing at ACC Liverpool, home to the BT Convention Centre and the Echo Arena, gave a highly engaging presentation that took us on the brand journey so far for the impressive ACC complex at the King’s Dock.
Here are my key takeaways from the event:
- If you have ownership of a family of brands, think carefully about the rationale behind each one, their respective target audiences and how you can manage them to maximum effect.
- A mix of traditional and digital marketing channels remains the most powerful combination for many marketers.
- PR not only raises profile, it can also be an important corporate social responsibility tool.
- Social media offers marketers huge opportunities but be prepared to lose some control over your brand.
- Brands need to evolve over time or they risk losing market advantage.
- Consider the potential brand implications of any planned developments to your business.
In short, a great presentation that gave us an informative insight into the marketing activity that supports one of the city’s newest and most exciting brands.
B2B marketing predictions for 2011
There’s nothing like starting off a new year with some predictions of what lies ahead as I’m sure you’ll all agree.
I’m keeping my predictions close to my chest for now but this blog post by Holger Schulze lists the Top 10 B2B marketing trends for 2011 as ranked by the 17,000 marketing professionals in the B2B Technology Marketing Community on LinkedIn.
Definitely worth a look for anyone interested in technology marketing or B2B marketing generally. Here’s to a great 2011!
Flying the flag for freelancers
In the run-up to National Freelancers Day which takes place next Tuesday 23rd, I share my views on the region’s freelance scene in today’s Liverpool Daily Post.
You can read the article here.
Latest PR client win for Freckle
November is shaping up to be a busy month here at Freckle HQ as more businesses look to hire in senior-level PR advice on a freelance basis.
National IT and communications provider, Redstone Managed Solutions, has selected Freckle to provide the business with PR services on an interim basis. The brief for media relations includes press office services and engagement with Redstone’s channel partners and customers.
Jaci Hale, marketing manager at Redstone Managed Solutions, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Jo again.
“Freckle’s ability to deliver a flexible service and to bring in other senior practitioners to help out on the account when required were key factors in our decision to appoint them as our UK PR provider.”
To find out more about Redstone Managed Solutions, you can follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Freckle on Friday: we’re all gaga for Gaga
News broke earlier this week that Lady Gaga is the first artist to reach 1 billion views on YouTube – that’s some record.
Add to this the fact that she was already the most popular living star on Twitter and Facebook, and you’ve got to give Gaga (and ‘her people’) their due. They can certainly teach the rest of us a thing or two about marketing and creating a brand that really reaches out to people.
The YouTube story reminded me about a SlideShare presentation I saw some months back called 10 ways to be a marketing genius like Lady Gaga. If you work in marketing, it’s definitely worth a look.
CSR in the City
Don’t worry, this isn’t another opinion on last week’s comprehensive spending review. No, this is about Manchester City’s online corporate and social responsibility report which has been getting quite a lot of love on Twitter this week.
I admit that, as a Manchester City supporter, I am just a teeny bit biased but regardless of what team you support, you have to admit that the report is a great piece of digital communications.
Freckle on Friday: bend it like Bacup
The latest event in CIM Merseyside’s calendar took place last night at the Liverpool Management School.
The guest speaker, Gerry Walker from the Bacup Shoe Company, gave a highly interactive and engaging presentation that got everyone’s attention with its blend of interesting shoe facts and marketing related content.
Gerry gave us an insight into the critical role that branding, PR, patenting and innovation have all played in the Company’s business strategy and that was fascinating. But for me and most of the women in the audience, the highlight of Gerry’s presentation had to be the revelation that there is a shoe on the market with a folding sole, specifically designed to be carried around in handbags in the event of foot fatigue or a high heel fail!
Yes, that’s right, ladies, you heard it here first – the Redfoot Revolution is afoot (excuse the pun!) and in plenty of time for Christmas!
The freelancer – more than just your flexible friend
Earlier today I went along to a presentation from John Brazier, MD of PCG. PCG is the professional association that supports the UK’s growing freelancer community and is the driving force behind National Freelancers Day.
Data gathered by PCG suggests that the freelance marketplace in the UK is rapidly evolving; there are now an estimated 1.4 million freelancers contributing £82bn to GDP across all sectors of the economy.
It’s comforting to know that there are so many of us out there, doing our bit but it was also very interesting to hear that the flexibility freelancers offer actually has a tangible value to the UK economy … £21bn, in fact (source: a 2009 study for PCG by Oxford Economics).
While flexibility may be our greatest asset, it isn’t the only benefit that us freelancers have to offer the market – on the contrary, there’s much more to us than that. Here, are my top takeaways on the advantages of freelancers from PCG’s talk yesterday:
- Bright thinking when you need it – freelancers provide businesses with specialist skills at short notice and can hit the ground running.
- Reduced risk – businesses aren’t tied into working with a freelancer and you don’t have to pay a freelancer when there is no work to do. There’s also no holiday pay, no sick pay or benefits to worry about.
- Results driven attitude – any freelancer is only as good as their last job. This means most freelancers are highly motivated individuals who can be relied upon to get the job done.
- Ongoing loyalty – most freelancers’ businesses are based on strong relationships. This often results in the freelancer becoming part of the client’s extended team, creating loyalty on both sides.
Freckle on Friday: no PR stunts required
OK, so I don’t really need another excuse to like Johnny Depp but if I did, today’s news about his surprise visit to a London school would probably swing it for me.
How refreshing to see a filmstar who eschews traditional Hollywood stereotypes in favour of a more down-to-earth and accessible approach.
Yes, this story has generated lots of positive PR for the man who plays Captain Jack Sparrow and by association, the next Pirates of the Caribbean film but there’s no doubt that the visit was never intended to be a cheap PR stunt. Mr Depp, we salute you!