Blog

A doggie day out!

In: PR · 15-Mar-10 09:20 · Comments (0)

We had an interesting week last week meeting new clients and some existing ones all over country. One particular highlight was attending Crufts on Thursday at the NEC in Birmingham as our client Retrieva, the dog tracking collar, was exhibiting there.

Having heard lots about Crufts and being a huge dog-lover myself, I was very excited about going. Even with the two hour journey, it was definitely worth it - after visiting our clients' stand and speaking to some key target journalists at the show, we had the opportunity to explore the vast array of breeds in the ‘Discover Dogs' area.

What really amazed me was how large the pet sector is, and it seems to be thriving even in a recession. It's interesting to see what companies are out there, especially as we are interested in working with more businesses in the pet sector; hopefully we have a couple of strong new business leads from it.

If you haven't been to Crufts as a visitor I would definitely recommend going; you will see every kind of registered dog breed there is and some interesting pet gadgets too. My dog Buster, was also pretty excited about my excursion as he got some freshly baked chicken and liver muffins from www.thepetbakery.co.uk

Louise

Budget sparks election fever?

In: Media, PR tactics, Topical Interest, Topical News · 10-Mar-10 14:51 · Comments (0)

Today's announcement from Gordon Brown that the budget will be held on 24 March is the start of the much anticipated run-up to the election in May. The world of politics doesn't generally spark national interest until the general public is actually given the chance to vote for a leader for their country. This year's election will be no different, but voters who have been affected by the damaging recession will surely want to voice their opinion by voting for a leader who promises to pull the country out of the recession.

The recession, and how leaders promise to resolve this, will certainly form the backbone of each party's PR campaign, but voters will also be looking for other attributes in a leader like; does he have charisma, does he personally appeal to voters, does he work well in a crisis, is he looking out for the well-being of all voters? All of these aspects and so much more will be drilled into each party‘s PR campaign and I'm intrigued to see what kinds of stories develop in the media in the next few months.

I don't think that the forthcoming election will generate the same frenzy and euphoria as the US election did or when Tony Blair first came to power in 1997, but there will still be a massive PR buzz in the build-up, with the world watching who UK voters choose to lead the country.

Angela

 

We have a right to know...

In: Topical Interest · 05-Mar-10 10:01 · Comments (0)

Having seen on the news yesterday that Jon Venables, the boy convicted of torturing and murdering toddler James Bulger in February 1993 has broken the terms of his probation and been returned to jail, I'm reminded of the horrific nature of this terribly sad case.

A debate has now opened up as to whether the public deserves to know the reason that he is back in jail. Jack Straw has commented, "I would like to give that information but I'm sorry that for good reasons I can't and that is in the public interest."

There has always been a fine line between journalist reporting and the criminal justice system but I believe that the public does have a right to know. On the same day that the Government are allowing people to find out what dangerous people are in their area, they are preventing us from knowing if someone convicted of murder has committed again.

I understand the parents of James Bulger's hurt and anger of not knowing the details and I believe that in their case there hasn't been much justice for the loss of their young son. I am sure that soon enough we will get to hear the full details of this case, but for now it seems the department of justice is keeping a lid on it.

Louise

Your Mr Faithful...

In: Intelligence, Monogamy,, Social Trends · 04-Mar-10 09:45 · Comments (0)

 

According to a new analysis of social trends in the Telegraph today, intelligent men are less likely to cheat on their wives because of evolution. Researchers at the London School of Economics and Political Science found that men with higher IQ's place greater value on monogamy and sexual exclusivity in comparison to their less intelligent peers.

Apparently, the researchers couldn't find any evidence to suggest that the results are mirrored in women, which I'm not sure, is a positive result or not? Does this therefore mean that intelligent and less-intelligent women are equally capable of cheating or remaining faithful?

Personally, I don't see why our intelligence levels would have a reflection on how faithful we are to our partners. I think this is determined by our personalities and beliefs and most of all, our conscience. I think anyone is capable of deceit, whether they score high or low in the IQ test, as it is often provoked by methods of persuasion and temptation, which can only be controlled through self-discipline. This is not something that is decided by how brainy we are, surely?

What I would be interested to see is whether this changes with age, perhaps we are more loyal in a relationship once we've settled down with a mortgage or family, simply because we have more commitments and more at stake to lose? Whereas during our youth, we might be more inclined to experiment and explore all avenues prior to settling down with ‘the one'.

Donna

And the award for best piece of coverage goes to...

In: PR · 03-Mar-10 09:29 · Comments (0)

A short snippet from me today - I really wanted to pass on my congratulations to Danielle, one of our account executives in Reading who has won the prestigious honour (and subsequent prize) of ‘coverage of the month'. At Ascent PR we like to reward our staff for exceptional effort and Danni has certainly made an impact on our client MTA Solicitors with a fantastic piece of national newspaper coverage in the Guardian.

Danni secured this piece of coverage in the Guardian by demonstrating perseverance, tenacity and a relentless passion to succeed (not to mention ensuring she had a good news ‘hook' and could provide the journalist with exactly what he was looking for). Her speed in acting on press interest and suggesting her own feature idea led to a face to face interview and a quick turn-around - the journalist even positioned our client as the expert voice in the half page piece; happy days for all concerned.

Danni - spend that well-earned cash prize wisely. A new pair of shoes is always a safe option!

Natalie