If you work for a PR agency; your client list is something of which you are typically very proud.

But how different agencies go about displaying their clients can vary… Some, GK included, choose to display a selection of the companies and organisations for which they currently work. Others, however, show a “selection of clients we have worked for” (into which you might place a major emphasis on the word ‘have’).

Only the other day, a journalist told me that if you added up all of the PR agencies which claim a certain petroleum company on their client list, you’d have about 50 agencies fighting over a chunk of business big enough for no more than three to four.

At GK, we prefer to say things as they are. And we are very proud of the fact that some of the major organisations we work for have not just been clients for a decade, or even two decades, but for more than 25 years.

One thing’s for sure though; I’ve never seen a client list attracting as much attention as this one. Spotted on a bill board on the streets of NYC!

But now there’s a new kid on the block; although, in my opinion, it just doesn’t look the part. I expect to see Ford Transit Connects driven by the British Gas man or the ‘meals on wheels’ worker on the streets of Europe; not picking up fares from JFK and 5th Avenue.

On a recent long weekend in The Big Apple, I (thankfully) managed to avoid getting a ride in one. But I saw plenty of them pounding the streets.

Let’s just hope they don’t start replacing our Hackney carriages with similarly dull looking vehicles! Long live the traditional black cab in London!

We're double-dipped! Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith

It’s official. We’ve double-dipped.

The UK economy has slipped back into recession – its first double dip since the 1970s.  But what does it mean?

Not being a financial expert, I’ll keep my own counsel on the long-term effect on the country (although I believe no-one really knows).  However, I do think as a country we could PR our economy so much better.

Negativity spreads like wildfire and as soon as the headlines say doom and gloom that’s what we’re talking about at home, at work or in the pub.  Such small talk could quickly shatter already fragile consumer and business confidence, and more worryingly become a self-fulfilling prophecy, sending the country back into a real recession.  The fact is that this data is subject to change, depending on who is counting.  Even Deputy Bank of England governor, Paul Tucker, commented recently that the GDP numbers come with a “risk of mismeasurement”.

As it happens, the British Chambers of Commerce quarterly survey suggested the economy grew by around 0.3% in the first quarter of 2012.  Not a huge increase, but an increase nevertheless.  Let’s go with them and keep our headlines and our talk to building on that momentum rather than digging ourselves a bigger hole.  Yes, we’re in for a tough few years to come, but we need a collective positive mental attitude.

Let’s focus on the fact that the days are getting longer, temperatures are rising (the rain will stop sometime) and the excitement that will surround the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics.  Oh, and while we are at it, can we rename the credit rating agencies please? I can’t help thinking we’d all be better off if ‘Standard and Poor’ and ‘Moody’ were renamed ‘Average and Excellent’ and ‘Optimistic’.

We’re not allowed to water our gardens or hose down the car, because there simply isn’t enough water in the ground – despite the torrents pouring from the sky.

And in terms of the economy, everyone is scared to spend or doesn’t have anything spare to spend – yet we are led to believe that the Bank of England has been pouring billions into the system through quantitative easing.

Both seem to suggest that the bedrock of our society is bare to the bone.

We hear that it needs to “rain until Christmas” and we are also told that we probably face years more austerity, so it all looks pretty bleak.

… I don’t know about you, but I’ve just decided to get on with living.

I sense a similar mood with the clients we work for, who have all had to pull in their belts another notch and are asking and expecting more of their staff. Everyone I talk to seems to have more than enough to do.

I know things are excruciatingly depressing and tough for those not in work but for those of us who have managed to remain gainfully employed, there seems little more we can do except simply getting on with the job.

Who knows, perhaps if we all just keep busy, the economy may simply decide to catch up with us! Maybe the sun will even make an appearance again?

Photo (C) LOCOG

Today marks the 100th day to the Olympic Games, summer 2012 games, London… no; I don’t know either. Can I say a major sporting event taking place in England throughout July and August?

It seems strange that the official motto of: “Inspire a Generation” may lead to anyone who tweets or posts a photo to Facebook from any Olympic venue, could find themselves on the wrong side of a (very draconian) law, which can affect everyone from athletes to Olympic ticket holders and businesses.

Just imagine the “horror” of Usain Bolt if he Tweets about drinking Pepsi? (Coca Cola is the main soft drink sponsor). Or god forbid a member of the Joe-Public who uploads a video to YouTube showing themselves to be enjoying the event.

Social media is a powerful tool, and it must be in high regard with the officials, as they are embracing their own dedicated athlete hub amongst other technologies, but you try stopping Aunt Gladys sharing her photo of her visit to see the synchronised swimming and there’ll be a revolution!

According to an article in the Guardian, the IOC/LOCOG have stated these rules:

Inspirational stuff…

Joe Clarke is General Manager – Business Operations of Garnett Keeler PR and takes a keen personal interest in all IT / technology-related matters for both business and personal use.

Whether this is Americanisation at its best, or a brilliant marketing idea which will achieve the ultimate goal of making people feel all warm and tingly inside, I haven’t yet decided.

What I do know is that my partner’s daily updates on Facebook – showing the attempts of the same barista at spelling his name correctly – were highly amusing!

The coffee giant didn’t manage to make him feel warm and tingly but he certainly won’t forget it in a hurry. Maybe it is a good marketing idea after all – albeit for a different reason than intended.

Have a nice day y’all!

Having just finished the 3-day Ecobuild Show at London’s ExCel Centre in the Docklands, I thought it might be pertinent to blog about the subject and give some thoughts on the best way to use this ‘channel’.

This particular show is huge with over 1500 exhibitors, but even at smaller shows, the Press will be inundated with press releases, product launches and ‘major announcements’.

Getting the desired attention can therefore mean finding interesting and unique ways of attracting the Press to visit your stand.

As an agency, Garnett Keeler would generally advise clients NOT to try and make big announcements at trade shows as they can invariably be ‘drowned out’ in the general noise and hubbub, with everyone trying to shout for attention.

Worse still would be insisting that busy editors make their way to your stand at a designated time, only to find that you’re not sending them away with any ‘real’ news or even a story, as they will seriously think you have simply wasted their valuable time.

It is often better to arrange your own launch, maybe even before a show, where you can entertain the Press properly and they will have more time (and less distraction).

In the case of Ecobuild, my client had an interesting story to tell, but was not launching any new products or announcing any radical new business proposal.

They also had a private area with a bar, so we simply invited our key media to drop in and join us for a beer which seemed to have the desired result.

Several editors even thanked me for not hassling them for an exact time to meet as they had already been solidly booked for months.

The result, a steady flow of press visiting the stand, welcoming the chance to sit and relax for 20 minutes or so and happy to chat through the issues facing the industry – and hear my client’s take on things.

I find this a little ironic when you consider that the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg whilst crossing the Atlantic, and that part of the reason it did so was that the crew in the birds nest (the ship’s lookout post) didn’t have any binoculars!

The four part series, in which the disaster is told from a different perspective in each episode, has already aired two episodes in the UK – with two more to follow. It reportedly cost £11 million to make.

http://www.itv.com/titanic/

It’s almost as if someone’s gone and poured petrol on the flames – and what a waste that would be if it turns out the pumps do run dry!

The Unite union (which, by the way, should be chastised for false naming – as all they seem to do is disunite the public), has stressed this strike is not fuelled by pay disputes (only a little bit about pensions). But mostly about the health and safety conditions of drivers. And who are we to argue with safety when it comes to one of the most flammable substances known to man? And while the union attempts to strike our hearts, the Government wages its own campaign to create panic by telling everyone to remain calm… Because it’s not going to run out. We know this; that’s why we’re not training the army as replacement drivers; why you don’t need a jerrycan (whatever that is) and you certainly don’t need to top up from half way. No. There’s absolutely no need to panic that the M25 will splutter to a halt and the whole country will run dry and we’ll come to a screaming economic standstill. No chance at all.

So Cameron’s on the camera and Maude’s at the microphone, Unite is disuniting and the public’s petrol fighting. Gone is common sense, and consensus in the Commons, there’s an overload of gas – in our tanks and media ranks. Politicians are pasty eating while we’re at fuel courts beeping, no one’s learning from this fable – why don’t they just get around the table?

I’ve heard enough of their refrain, causing nationwide disdain – they can fight it out themselves – I’m off to take the train.

BLOG UPDATE: Friday March 30, 11am:

In breaking news, the Easter fuel strike has been called off in a bid by the union to Unite all parties around the table. I can only think this common-sense approach has been spawned following the reading of this blog.

Let’s hope they’re not served pasties during their deliberations…

I was out on the road this morning shortly before 5am, and passed several filling stations that had run-out of unleaded and diesel already.

The problem is that most cars typically trundle around with a little under half a tank of fuel in them most of the time – and there’s a fair percentage of the population who never actually “fill-up”, they just add another £25 worth to keep their vehicles ticking over for a little bit longer. So if everyone suddenly starts to brim their tanks, and a little bit more, the supplies on forecourts are always going to fall to dangerously low levels.

But what’s the alternative? Sit back and take the revised advice not to panic buy? That’s all fine and dandy, until you see that everyone else has panic-bought, and the pumps are empty or have long queues, at the precise moment your fuel gauge starts pointing to empty.

So the fleet motorist is stuck between a rock and a hard place. And, unfortunately, if business dictates you need to commute to work, drive to meetings and the like, then you need to ensure you have access to fuel.

Thankfully I dug out my collection of jerrycans on Monday evening, hosed them down, and filled them with diesel. The last time I’d used them – back during the fuel crisis in 2000 – they collectively held about £40 worth of unleaded (60 litres). Cue a move to a diesel car today, and this time I squeezed almost £90 worth into them, before dispersing the six 10 litre cans between the garages of family members who live locally (to stay within the letter of the law). One thing’s for certain, the jerrycans haven’t got any bigger. But the cost of fuel has – ouch!

Whether or not this fuel strike actually goes ahead, one’s got to believe we could be in for more of the same this summer. If the Chancellor is intent on his plans to raise fuel duty by 3.02p (plus VAT) on 1 August, something tells me the nation won’t stand for it – and hauliers could well be leading fuel blockades, to ensure the point is driven home in Westminster.