Team HT Made My 2009 An Annus Mirabilis

Most people started 2009 with acute trepidation but, hey, we are nearly through it and there have been a surprising, but very welcome, number of highs here at HT. We have done some great work and won some very competitive pitches - McCarthy & Stone, Nicholson's and Miller & Carter to name a few recent triumphs.

But one especially unexpected upside of the current economic climate is that people have just got their heads down and got on with it. Focusing on the things we can actually do something about.

Staff churn is at its lowest level in over 10 years. And because the team has been so stable, coupled with a real focus by the senior players, team spirit has really thrived. Many members of staff have been going through their first recession, but they have just knuckled down. So I would just like to say a massive, massive public thank you to Team HT - you have done yourselves proud.

Bring on 2010!

Bron.

Haslimann Taylor Reveals Life Saving Snaps!

Haslimann Taylor has revealed the 12 photographs which will appear in an exclusive calendar to raise awareness of Mountain Rescue, following an appeal for images on behalf of client Goodyear.
The Mountain Rescue 2010 calendar is made up of snapshots from across England and Wales, as seen through the eyes of outdoor enthusiasts. Supported by tyre giant Goodyear, official safety partner to the lifesaving organisation, the calendar will be sold in aid of the charity which relies entirely on a network of volunteers and donated funds.

Megan Woods, account manager, said: “We have been overwhelmed at the standard and number of entries received for this competition. It’s great to see so many people wanting to show their support for this lifesaving charity.

“We’ve very much enjoyed working with Mountain Rescue to create this calendar, help raise additional funds for the charity and draw attention to the fantastic work they do.”

Andy Simpson, spokesperson for Mountain Rescue, added: “Our volunteers have access to some of the most breathtaking views, but due to the nature of search and rescue operations, they don’t often get the chance to appreciate it.

“This calendar is a fantastic way to draw people’s attention to our organisation and raise the funds necessary for us to continue providing top level assistance to those that find themselves in difficulty.”

The calendar is available with a recommended donation of £5 from www.mountain.rescue.org.uk, as well as through individual Mountain Rescue teams.

Why The FAI Have Had A Hand In A Big Own Goal

Dan Clifford, director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

What is the most own goals ever scored in a World Cup playoff match? I’m not really sure but the Republic of Ireland and France seemed to be trying to beat the record during (and more importantly following) their recent clash in Dublin.

How should you handle a sporting travesty like the one Ireland faced? And should France, in the shape of Thierry Henry, have acted differently in the first place?

Firstly, Henry was unlikely to own up to the handball, and to be fair, he probably wouldn’t be expected to. Football is a massive game of very small margins and players strive for every advantage they can gain – whether that be appealing for a throw in when they know they were the last person to touch the ball, or pulling the odd shirt or two on the blind side of the referee.

The poor judgement that Henry then made was to take on the role of lead consoler of broken hearted Irishman when the final whistle blew. In 2005, Haslimann Taylor was working with Andrew Flintoff when the memorable image of him kneeling beside a broken Brett Lee was captured, and given to the sporting world as an icon of true competitive spirit. But this was very different – Freddie was not harbouring a grubby secret about how the result came about and he was not attempting some reputation protection; it was a natural outpouring of emotion after five days of toil. Henry’s ‘gesture’ towards Richard Dunne smacked of a quick PR exercise, and if anything left everyone who had seen a TV replay of the winning goal cringing with embarrassment.

Ireland would have emerged with huge credit for the way they handled the injustice, had it not been for the bungling FAI flying in studs first yet again. Calling for the match to be replayed was desperate, ridiculous, and a waste of time. All it did was damage the goodwill felt toward every green shirt for the way things had unfolded. If we replayed every game where an injustice had occurred then hardly a result would ever stand – and it wouldn’t be football. And the FAI should know that.

And then there are the French, who said nothing at all. You would have imagined it to take about an hour for the French Football Federation to produce a statement defending Henry, sympathising with Ireland, admitting that they were hugely fortunate to progress and drawing line under the tie – but they chose to keep their heads below the parapet and leave their striker to be demonised.

Then, to make matters worse, Henry waited for FIFA to declare that replaying the game was an impossibility before announcing that he felt a reply was the fairest solution (it wasn’t going to happen) and admitting that he considered retiring due to the lack of support from his football bosses in France – but decided against it because it wanted to be in the World Cup. Further salting Irish wounds.

All in all - as a very public example of a crisis communications test – Thierry Henry, the FFF and the FAI have all failed miserably.

HT Celebrates PRide Success!

HT's Emma Howden and Jess Hardisty celebrate scooping a CIPR Midlands Gold PRide Award 2009 for Best Campaign Under £10k for Help Stops Snoring Boot Camp.

Haslimann Taylor Organises the UK's First Snore-chestra!

Haslimann Taylor is organising the UK's first snore-chestra on behalf of client Helps Stop Snoring and is calling for snorers to take part.

Helps Stop Snoring will take the noises made by UK snorers and create a tuneful alternative to the usual night time racket. Snorers who feature in the Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra will be given a year's supply of anti-snoring products.

Senior account manager Emma Howden said: "We know that snoring can be a real nuisance, and no one suffers more than the person who is sleeping next to a culprit. We’re launching the UK’s first snore-chestra to put a smile on the faces of hacked off partners and want snorers from across the country to sign-up, or volunteer the services of someone they know."

"The Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra is a fun way to communicate a serious message, with snoring affecting 15 millions across the UK. Plus, if the entries are good enough we may even send the finished song to Simon Cowell for him to critique!"

Entries are also welcome from snoring pets, with both dogs and cats notorious for their snoozing sounds.

Snorers looking to snooze their way into the Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra can enter by emailing stopsnoring@htpr.co.uk, or calling the snoring hotline 0845 270 0602. Snore-chestra hopefuls with then be asked to complete a short questionnaire and submit their snoring sound clip. The closing date is Sunday, 22nd November 2009.

Mobile Phones Are The Ticket To Ride In UK First For Bus Users!

Haslimann Taylor has launched a unique new mobile phone ticketing service for client Arriva, already securing four TV pieces, nine radio broadcasts and 32 press cuttings.

The company is the first UK bus operator to offer people the chance to buy daily, weekly and four-weekly tickets via their mobile phones, which they then show to the driver when boarding.

Arriva's m-ticketing service is believed to be the largest deployment of its kind in the world, covering approximately 1,000 routes served by the company’s regional fleet of 4,500 buses.

Denver Coulson, account director, said: "The mobile phone is an essential part of modern life and so launching this service gives additional flexibility and convenience to Arriva’s customers."

"Customers can buy tickets using their phone at anytime from wherever they happen to be. It saves them searching out the cash to buy a ticket and speeds up getting on the bus as they simply show the ticket on the phone display to the driver."

War Of Words

Heather Power, account director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

It will be a sad day when Terry Wogan finally gives himself a well-earned lie in and retires from his regular breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 at the end of the year. And I’m not just bemoaning the loss of the country’s most popular radio show. Sir Tel has long been a staunch defender of the English language and I worry that his departure could mark the start of further deterioration of our linguistic standards.

At the risk of sounding like a TOG (one of Terry’s Old Geezers and Gals) is it just me who gets wound up by the increasingly slovenly use of language, poor use of grammar and shocking spelling in much of our day to day communication? “I got an invite for the party.” No, you received an invitation. “I was sat watching the TV.” No, you were sitting.

Gordon Brown’s mistake-riddled letter widely reported by the media in recent days is just the latest high profile example of the sorry state of affairs we are all too often faced with.

While the sentiment behind such a hand written note is worthy, I can’t help taking the old fashioned view that poor attention to detail in one area implies carelessness elsewhere. I’m not trying to make a political statement but, in most cases, I can’t really see any excuse. In the workplace in particular - whether that be government, a PR agency or any other business - surely we should be doing all we can to make our communication - and by implication our organisation – appear professional?

Maybe in these days of e-books and SMS messages, nobody has time for the good old dictionary anymore. Perhaps the apostrophe is too small a trifle for people to be bothered with. But I certainly don’t subscribe to the common view that it is modern technology that is fuelling the decline of our use of language. In fact, many forms of e-communication actually make it easier for us to get things right (making mistakes even more inexcusable). Surely the quick use of a spell check tool isn’t too much to ask before you press the send button on that hastily scribed email?

To paraphrase another well known linguaphile, Stephen Fry, just because you use Facebook and Twitter doesn’t mean that you don’t also read books. Like Stephen, I’m happy that such new methods of communication have resulted in new words being introduced into the English language – like the verb ‘to text’. All I’m asking is that people don’t throw out the old standards while embracing the new.

So, with Terry set to disappear from the daily breakfast routine of over eight million Brits, who will man the barricades to stop the nation from sliding into a linguistic abyss? At least the public outcry over Gordon Brown’s hastily scribbled note (however hyped up by the media) would seem to suggest that there is still a glimmer of hope for us all.

Former Hack Carves His Way Up The Career Ladder

PR consultancy Haslimann Taylor has promoted Denver Coulson to the role of account director. A former journalist, Denver joined the company as a graduate trainee and has quickly risen through the ranks to his latest position.

Denver has over five years’ PR experience across sectors such as leisure, food and drink, transport, travel and motoring. His new role will see him drive some of the agency’s key accounts including Arriva, Papa John’s and Mitchells and Butlers. He will also be part of HT’s management team and play a key role in new business development.

Speaking on the promotion, Denver said: “Since joining Haslimann Taylor five years ago, I have benefitted from the opportunities offered by one of the major agencies outside London. The range of clients and accounts that I have been able to work on has not only helped me progress my career but has led to an enjoyable half decade at the company.

“The culture at Haslimann Taylor encourages personal development and I’m looking forward to continuing this in my new role, while embracing the new opportunities.”

Managing director Bron Eames said: “Good writing skills are core to effective public relations and as a former journalist Denver has excelled in driving his clients’ key messages in the media. As well as inspiring his team to deliver results for their clients, Denver has a huge amount of creativity and energy and an excellent sense of humour. We are delighted to promote Denver to account director in recognition of his outstanding work.”

Denver Coulson, account director at Haslimann Taylor PR

Tests Underway For Waste Chip Fat In Asphalt

The chips were down for Haslimann Taylor this week - down on the road that is - when it organised the first live trials to test the use of waste chip fat as a replacement for bitumen in asphalt.

On behalf of client Aggregate Industries, Haslimann Taylor arranged a series of trials lead by the company’s research manager Helen Bailey, in conjunction with Amey Plc and Central Bedfordshire Council.

Helen’s pioneering work could reduce the carbon footprint of Britain’s road building industry. The solution she developed, which was on trial in Bedfordshire, uses waste vegetable oil to achieve the same key properties as bitumen to bind the asphalt mix, beneficially exploiting a waste material without loss of performance in the asphalt.

Helen, 26, commented: “I am thrilled to have reached the milestone of the trials and look forward to analysing the full results. The asphalt industry produces approximately 25 million tonnes of asphalt every year, requiring about 1.25 million tonnes of bitumen. This comes at a significant environmental and economic cost, as the whole process relies on expensive imported hydrocarbons. The industry needs a more sustainable alternative and with reduced CO2, reduced dependency on landfill and less energy required for storage, Vegetex could be it.”

Helen is currently studying for a PhD in civil engineering materials at The University of East London, supported by Aggregate Industries. Her work forms just a part of Aggregate Industries commitment to sustainable construction.

For more information please contact Rosie Sanderson at Haslimann Taylor on 0121 355 3446 or news@htpr.co.uk.

Snorers Needed For UK’s First Snore-Chestra

Snorers across the country are being sought by Helps Stop Snoring, makers of the UK’s first natural snoring remedy, as it launches the UK’s first snore-chestra.

The company, which holds an annual boot camp for snorers, is appealing for people to either put themselves forward, or to volunteer the snoring services of someone they know.

Helps Stop Snoring will take the nocturnal noise of UK snorers and create a tuneful alternative to the usual night time racket. Snorers whose rumblings are used as one of the Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra will be given a year’s supply of anti-snoring products.

Graham Carr-Smith, of Helps Stop Snoring, said: “We know that snoring can be a real nuisance, and no one suffers more than the person who is sleeping next to a culprit. We’re launching the UK’s first snore-chestra to put a smile on the faces of hacked off partners and want snorers from across the country to sign-up.

“The Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra is a fun way to communicate a serious message, with snoring affecting 15 millions across the UK. There is hope out there for snorers and their long-suffering partners - our natural anti-snoring remedies are offering relief to thousands of people already.

Entries are also welcome from snoring pets, with both dogs and cats notorious for their snoozing sounds.

Graham added: “You never know, if the entries are good enough, we may even send the finished song to Simon Cowell for him to critique!”

Snorers looking to snooze their way into the Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra can enter by emailing stopsnoring@htpr.co.uk, or calling the snoring hotline 0845 270 0602. Snore-chestra hopefuls with then be asked to complete a short questionnaire and submit their snoring sound clip. Closing date is Sunday, 22nd November 2009.

The Helps Stop Snoring snore-chestra will use audio submitted by snorers to create a song. Snorers who are featured in the finished tune will be given a year’s supply of Helps Stop Snoring products to help them on their way to a peaceful night’s sleep. To find out more, visit www.stopsnoring.co.uk.

-Ends-

For further information, please call Jess Hardisty or Emma Howden on 0121 355 3446 or email: jess@haslimanntaylor.com.

The Death Of Postman Pat?

Heather Power, account director at Haslimann taylor, writes:

Today marks the start of the first nationwide postal strike for two years, following a summer of regional disruptions and a host of unpopular changes to deliveries affecting businesses and members of the public alike. And who can forget the public outcry when the closure of many a beloved village post office was announced?

While all these changes might be deemed necessary by Royal Mail from a commercial perspective, I doubt that I’m alone in thinking that disruption and moaning about the postal service in general have come to be considered the norm rather than the exception to the rule.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson’s comments that the Royal Mail could ‘irrevocably damage’ its reputation and drive its customers away might be the first and last time that I agree with him, but I can’t help but think that there’s more than a grain of truth in his words – and that’s not something I thought I’d find myself saying about a politician.

It seems the days of the friendly community postie carrying his bag of letters on his red bicycle have long gone. Like the milkman before him, no more is the postman part of our early morning ritual – and he’s in danger of slipping out of our national affection forever too.

When was the last time that you heard one of those feel-good stories, once so beloved of regional newspapers, about an heroic postie rescuing a small child or saving an ailing housebound pensioner? Instead, our positive images of the postal service, once epitomised by Postman Pat, have become tarnished by constant coverage of industrial action and the affects on customers.

And, to add insult to injury, the latest dispute has turned into a slanging match, with the Royal Mail, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the government all doing their bit to air Postman Pat’s dirty laundry in public. With the Royal Mail calling the CWU’s actions ‘unjustified and irresponsible’, and Lord Mandelson calling them ‘totally self-defeating’, union leaders retaliated by dubbing him the ‘minister without responsibility’ and accusing him of bearing a grudge over privatisation.

Represented by people wielding increasingly personal insults in place of professionalism, whose status can possibly remain unscathed, least of all Postman Pat’s? An exercise in reputation management it certainly ain’t.

So, while the UK at large has another moan about the inconvenience, but then adjusts (sometimes by taking their business elsewhere) and carries on, the real lasting damage has already been done. The latest postal strikes themselves might not be the final nail in the coffin of Postman Pat, but the continuing high profile arguments and ugly accusations between the Royal Mail, the CWU and government are surely killing him off pretty effectively.

The End Of The Road For Free PR Creative?

Sarah Kent, deputy managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

Confused.com has been making news in the world of PR again recently. Following on from its decision to invite agencies to pitch for its account via Twitter (a Twitch no less!), the company has now been making headlines by offering to pay unsuccessful agencies for their creative ideas.

In most areas of business ‘company pays agency for creative work’ is hardly front page news and the fact that is has got so many people talking highlights a fundamental issue faced by agencies in the weird and wonderful world of the PR pitch.

Once past the credentials stage, agencies are expected to respond, in detail, to a live brief. Agencies often get their best brains together to create a slick presentation that includes research, insights, strategic consultancy and a boat load of campaign ideas for good measure. Some of the most valuable tools of our trade are literally given away – a practice you’d be hard pushed to find in other professional service industries.

And what happens when you don’t get the business? In some cases, agencies can only sit back and watch as someone else is appointed and then implements a campaign that looks suspiciously familiar. Or worse still, it turns out to be a ‘ghost pitch’ where the client in question doesn’t end up appointing anyone at all, and everyone involved is left feeling like they have just provided an elaborate and free brainstorming service.

The PR industry has long debated the issue of whether we should charge for pitches, but unless there is buy-in from every single PR outfit in the country, the idea is unworkable.

So this recent move from confused.com is encouraging. At best it may encourage other companies to follow suit; at worst it at least highlights the fact that ideas presented in pitches have value in their own right. But the practice does pose two fundamental questions. Will agencies want to sell their concepts to be implemented by someone else and, if they do, how will the value of those concepts be calculated? It will be interesting to see how confused.com and the agencies involved reach an agreement on the value of a campaign, before the success of that campaign is known.

Bumble Gives Me A Genuine Buzz

Bron Eames, managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

The sporting world is overly rife with scandals and PR issues at the moment – diving, stamping, deliberate F1 crashes, bloodgate, ridiculous protests from people who should know better (Mark Hughes says there was ‘no malice intended’ by Adebayor when he stamped on Van Persie’s face!) etc, but as a counter to all this, isn’t David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd a legend?

David Lloyd was not only a top class professional with all the technical credentials to talk about cricket, but he is an absolutely first class communicator. All the more so because he is so genuine and so honest.

Many a CEO and company spokesperson could learn from Bumble. If the England cricketers play rubbish cricket, he says so. He is not rude. Just truthful! He is self effacing, he is interesting, he knows his stuff. Unlike many ex-footballers turned pundits, Bumble has informed opinions and is not afraid to criticise the play of professional colleagues, but he does it in an inoffensive manner. (As a coach, he maybe caused slight offence with a few inappropriate comments, but he did apologise!).

Few corporate spokespeople probably have David Lloyd’s reserve of quirky phrases - ‘Start the car!’ and ‘Swinging like a rusty gate!’ being two of my favourites – but how refreshing to have someone on our screens who we believe, respect and enjoy to such an extent, and he clearly has such fun! He is happy to dress up and play the clown, but he even pulls that off with dignity. He may not have Jose Mourinho’s sex appeal, but he is no less of a special one.

As this Summer’s cricket comes to an end, we will be seeing and hearing less of David Lloyd for a while but I for one am already looking forward to the South Africa tour when he will be back, showing us all that genuine, good communicators can achieve so much more than contrived, ill informed, boring wafflers.

Haslimann Taylor Is Shortlisted For Prestigious Awards

Haslimann Taylor has been shortlisted for five Midlands PRide Awards, which celebrate excellence and reward achievement in public relations and communications.

Haslimann Taylor is competing in the corporate and business communications category with its ‘Better Ingredients, Better Pizza, Better Business’ campaign for Papa John’s. The agency is celebrating two nominations in the best campaign for £10k and under category with its Snoring Boot Camp for Help Stop Snoring and the launch of a new development in Wincanton for Taylor Wimpey.

Account director Anna Jester has been shortlisted for the title of young communicator of the year and the final nomination is for Arriva’s ‘We are Derby!’ network review.

Bron Eames, managing director for Haslimann Taylor, said: “Being shortlisted in the CIPR PRide Awards is a tremendous achievement and we’re really proud that our work has been judged to be amongst the best in the Midlands. It’s very rewarding for our efforts over the last year to be recognised and it’s also a great opportunity for our clients to see their campaigns showcased at such a prestigious event.”

The Midlands winners of the PRide Awards 2009 will be announced at the ICC in Birmingham on the 20th November.

Why Sometimes Your Face Doesn’t Fit

Dan Clifford, director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

Hurry up, there’s a bandwagon rolling and we all need to be on it – it’s the corporate craze of setting up Facebook pages and it is clearly too good an opportunity to miss.

Don’t worry too much if your brand doesn’t have much (if any) of an audience on the platform, and there is no need to bother yourself with trifling matters such as what content will populate your page, what interest it will hold for potential ‘friends’ and how you will keep it fresh and interesting.

I am, of course, joking. But have a scout round Facebook and you will find any number of awkward corporate looking pages posing as social networking enthusiasts in a cunning ruse to recruit new customers and become a communicative brand.

It highlights one of the bizarre knee jerk reactions that has come out of the immense success of online marketing – that as soon as something new is declared a success everyone must leap in with both feet or regret it forever.

And it’s bizarre because it wouldn’t happen with any other kind of media. You wouldn’t find an upmarket chain of hotels scrambling to get themselves into a lads mag or a top end car company putting pressure on their marketing team to secure them space in a teen title – but being wide of the mark on a social networking site can appear just as awkward as these examples.

Of course, there are many brands that offer a great fit for sites like Facebook, they have things that they can regularly update their Facebook Fans on, they need, appreciate and use the feedback they receive – and most importantly all parties get something useful from the page.

So the message is this – just because it’s social networking doesn’t mean you don’t need to look before you leap. If your brand has a big potential audience on the platform, you have enough interesting/fun/insightful things to share without having to manufacture them, you can give people something they wouldn’t get anywhere else and they can genuinely interact with you then it sounds good – if not then don’t just board the bandwagon.

Bryant Homes Hooks Purchasers

There was no need for Bryant Homes to fish for compliments recently as visitors to its ‘Expert Angling Event’ at Hopping Mill Meadow in Derby were hooked as soon as they saw the beautiful new homes.

Martin Jacques, a veteran angler with 24 year’s experience and match secretary for the Belper and District Angling Club, spent the day at the development teaching beginners how to angle. For visitor James Spencer, 7, the event was even more special as he won a £100 voucher to buy fishing equipment from Belper Tackle Shop in a fantastic prize draw.

Anne Wallace, regional sales and marketing director for Bryant Homes, said: “We were thrilled to welcome so many visitors to Hopping Mill Meadow and enjoyed a lovely day learning a new skill by the River Derwent.

“Our homes here really are a great catch, as proved by our fantastic sales figures. As our purchasers have found, being able to relax and unwind with a stroll along a picturesque riverbank at the end of a long day at work is very appealing. We’re sure that once visitors see our beautiful properties they’ll be hooked!”

Martin added: “You can’t beat spending the day beside a peaceful river with the sun warming your back. I very much enjoyed the chance to teach visitors to Hopping Mill Meadow how to angle and hope that I may have inspired a few people to continue. Those living at the development, or close to it, are lucky to have one of the best angling spots the area has to offer.”

Martin Jacques teaching visitors to Hopping Mill Meadow how to fish

Campaigns That Deliver The X Factor

Sarah Kent, deputy managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

To coincide with the return of the X Factor last weekend, Premier Foods launched The Oxo Factor, an appeal to find the next Oxo Family (Linda Bellingham was presumably too busy doing Strictly Come Dancing). The campaign invites families to make a 30 second TV ad for a chance to win £10,000 and appear on national TV during the X Factor final.

The public competition is not a new PR tool, but the explosion of social media and online content sharing over recent years had made it easier than ever for companies to engage directly with their target audience and create a two way dialogue. Significantly, the success of these campaigns is often dependent on them gaining momentum online through blogs, forums, content sharing and social networking. Coverage in mainstream media is beneficial but no longer essential.

And whether it’s bearing all for Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty or making an ad for Doritos, consumers seem more than happy to collaborate. Earlier this year, more than 34,000 people worldwide applied for the ‘Best Job in the World’, as Island Caretaker on the Great Barrier Reef, by making a one minute ‘Big Brother’ style audition video. Oh yes, gone are the days when you could simply fill in an entry form and complete a 25 word tie-breaker.

User-generated content and ‘citizen journalism’ are key features of modern communication, as is our passion for sharing that content. During April 2009, we viewed nearly five billion videos online in the UK, an increase of 47% from April 2008 and it would take you more than 412 years to view all the content on YouTube. Campaigns such as The Oxo Factor feed that appetite by enabling the public to view entry videos via You Tube and involving them further by inviting them to vote for their favourite.

The real value of these competitions is the relationship they create between a brand and its consumers. People become brand ambassadors just by entering. They work well because they don’t treat consumers as a passive audience. Instead, the public is invited to help shape brand identity, offer real insights and, through participation, develop an emotional bond with a product or brand – a powerful combination and not one easily achieved through traditional marketing activity.

Harvester Makes A Wish For Charity

Harvester is aiming to raise tens of thousands of pounds for Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK this month by selling specially commissioned branded trolley tokens and Chuppa Chup lollipops.

Customers are invited to make a donation of £1 for a lollipop and £2 for a special edition trolley token. Everyone who makes a contribution will be entered into a prize draw to win a free family meal at their local pub and grill.

Alex Meyer, marketing manager for Harvester, said: “We’re hoping each restaurant will raise at least £500 for this fantastic charity by selling the lollipops and tokens. We’re urging people to come along to their local Harvester and help us achieve this total to kick-start this year’s fundraising.

“It usually costs around £4000 to make a wish come true for a child with a life- threatening illness, so we’re hoping that through our 173 restaurants we will be able to make a real difference. We will also be doing other fundraising activities during August, so watch this space!”

In the last two years Harvester has raised more than £50,000 for Make-A-Wish. The charity helps children and young people with life-threatening conditions by granting their magical wish. It was founded in the UK in June 1986 and, since then, has granted over 5,500 wishes.

Karen England, Make-A-Wish’s Director of Fundraising, added: “We are delighted to be working with Harvester to increase awareness of our work as well as raising much needed funds that will add magic to the lives of special children. Make-A-Wish is a great charity to support, whether you are an individual donor, a community group or a company like Harvester. You can see directly the real difference your donation brings to a child’s life.”

Eee By Gum - Yorkshire Sayings Are On The Buses!

Arriva has showcased Yorkshire’s heritage by displaying the top ten Yorkshire sayings, as voted for by local people, on its fleet of new buses.

The bus company has introduced 17 new buses into its services in Dewsbury, Batley, Birstall and Bradford, representing an investment of over £2million. Arriva decided to use these vehicles to highlight the wit and wisdom of the people of Yorkshire and is displaying a saying on the destination screen of each bus.

The company appealed for people to send in classic Yorkshire sayings such as 'sit thissen dahn and tell me about it' and 'Where tha’s muck, tha’s brass', in a bid to keep these colloquialisms alive.

Chloe Leach, marketing manager for Arriva, said: “We’re delighted to launch our new buses with the winning Yorkshire sayings following our appeal to the local public.

“We know that the people of Yorkshire have been respected not only for their blunt and forthright nature but for the wisdom this contains for many years, and now we want to ensure that these colloquialisms do not die out by displaying these sayings on our new buses.

“Hopefully, by creating a repository of these regional proverbs and witticisms we will keep these classics alive and pass them on to the younger generation.

The top ten sayings, listed below, were revealed on the new buses on Yorkshire Day, Saturday 1st August, at Batley Mill.

1. 'Ey up

2. Sit thissen dahn an' tell us abaht it

3. Tha can allus tell a Yorkshireman but tha can't tell 'im much

4. Well, Ah'll go to t'foot of ahr stairs

5. It's neither nowt nor summat

6. Put t'wood in t'oil

7. Wheere ther's muck ther's brass

8. Ee, by gum

9. See all, 'ear all, say nowt. Eat all, sup all, pay nowt. An' if th'ivver does owt for nowt, allus do it for thissen.

10. An' Ah'll tell thi that for nowt

Goodyear Helps Motorists Get To Grips With Efficiency

A new tyre launched by innovation specialists Goodyear will offer motorists an environmentally friendly addition to their car - lowering fuel consumption and Co2 and offering high mileage without compromising on safety.

Years of research and development has culminated in the unveiling of Goodyear’s new EfficientGrip tyre, which becomes the first product to harness the company’s unique ‘FuelSaving Technology’.

Independent performance tests run by world renowned TUV SUD Automotive have shown that, compared to the average performance of other leading brands, the new tyre has achieved 13 per cent better rolling resistance, and close to a two point increase in both fuel consumption and braking distances.

The success in improving rolling resistance has led to a staggering mileage performance, with a car equipped with the new EfficientGrip tyres showing almost 50 per cent increase in long term mileage on its free axle, and close to 10 per cent on the driven axle.

The tyre has already received the thumbs up from the environmentally friendly Nordic region in the form of the official ‘Ecolabel’, and now Goodyear corporate communications manager James Bailey believes it will offer a simple solution for UK motorists.

He said: “In the past it has been very difficult for motorists to choose a tyre for environmental of fuel saving reasons because it has normally meant a compromise somewhere else, whether it be on performance or safety criteria – the EfficientGrip changes that.

“People are becoming more and more aware of the difference that their tyres can make on fuel consumption, in every way from the product they choose in the first place to the way they are maintained during their lifetime.

“The EfficientGrip offers a great way for people to do their bit in reducing emissions whilst still having the peace of mind offered by Goodyear’s track record in safety.”

The launch of the EfficientGrip comes in the wake of EU plans to introduce mandatory tyre labelling in less than three years time, meaning that motorists would be encouraged to understand the fuel efficiency, wet performance and noise pollution implications of each product before making their purchase.

Goodyear has welcomed this move and believes the EfficientGrip will pave the way for drivers to think more carefully about these factors before they buy.

Mr Bailey said: “EfficientGrip simplifies the equation as it offers excellent performance in all three areas – the new system will highlight those tyres that focus heavily on market leading one area at the neglect of another.”

For more information on the EfficientGrip visit www.mygoodyear.co.uk

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For more information contact Megan or Dan on 0121 355 3446 or email megan@haslimanntaylor.com

Gripping Challenge For Motoring Experts

Six of the country’s top motoring experts are to pit their driving skills against each other to prove they’ve got the best grip on efficiency.

The EfficientGrip Challenge, hosted by tyre giant Goodyear, asks drivers to extract the maximum mileage from a limited amount of petrol in order to promote the advantages of economical driving.

The challenge, which aims to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, will highlight the fuel consumption benefits gained from efficient equipment, driving techniques and careful route planning. Each team will be tasked with devising a route which they feel will allow them to cover the most miles on as little fuel as possible.

Goodyear’s James Bailey said: “Drivers are becoming increasingly aware of the massive savings that can be made by taking all possible steps to increase fuel economy. Trends like ‘hypermiling’ are also becoming increasingly popular in the US, where it is claimed to be able to affect a 40 percent mileage increase.

“The EfficientGrip Challenge therefore calls on teams to put their driving skills to the test in order to lower their fuel consumption – and we can’t wait to see the results”.

All competing drivers will be given identical cars, fuelled to the same level so that their efficiency can be measured at the end of the day. Cars will also be fitted with EfficientGrip – the company’s latest tyre with ‘fuel saving technology’, which due to excellent rolling resistance can have a significant effect on fuel consumption.

The company will also be raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust and are appealing for sponsorship in order to reach a £30,000 target by the end of the year. To pledge your support, simply visit www.justgiving.com/EfficientGrip-Challenge

Goodyear will also be making a donation directly to the charity, totalling the sum of each team’s points score from the event.

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For more information contact Meg or Dan on 0121 355 3446 or email megan@haslimanntaylor.com

Paul's House? Only In Adland!

Bron Eames, managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

There are times when I envy the admen with the talent and budgets to produce iconic commercials which really are ‘art’, like the Guinness horses, or the Nike football fests with an abundance of World class talent.

And there are other times, when I thank my lucky stars that I am in PR and grounded in a world where we have to take a reality check and have to keep in touch with the consumer.

Have a look at this ad which is currently getting considerable air time here in the Midlands, and you will see what I mean.

Yep – a small boy is asking to go and poo at his friend (?) Paul’s house, because Paul has Glade Touch & Fresh in the bathroom.

The potential for satirical remakes of this ad are tremendous – perhaps where the small boy soils himself on the way to Paul’s? What other totally unlikely aspirations does this little chap have? Would he like to help do Granny’s laundry maybe? Unload the dishwasher?

I find it hard to believe that this ad was made with any input from real mothers, or anyone who has had to coax a small child towards better toilet etiquette. My son (at that age) would delight in ponging the house out and, strangely, even now at 15 would never think of using air freshener. Clearly, it all went wrong very early doors!

I suppose there is one positive, the mother has at least succeeded in educating her son that his s**t does stink, and he will not grow up into an arrogant, overconfident autocrat.

£6.98 Glue Stopped My 50ft Yacht From Sinking!

When marine engineer, Stephen Spencer from London, discovered his 50 foot yacht had a hole and was taking in water in Poole Harbour, not even the pumps could keep her afloat. Instead, it was a £6.98 tube of adhesive that stopped his ketch from going under.

Stephen explains: “It’s quite an eerie feeling stepping on board a boat that is filling with water. After identifying where the leak was coming from, I was desperate to patch up the hole, which was about five inches square. I went to B&Q and came across Wet Grab adhesive from Evo-Stik, which claimed to work under running water.

“I admit I was skeptical! When I got back to my boat, I found some cork and some plywood and, with an enormous amount of cynicism, stuck it down with Wet Grab. To my astonishment, it didn’t get washed away but stuck like a barnacle to your worn out anti-fowling! I squeezed the remainder of the tube into the gaps and, without even having to wait for it to dry, the leak stopped.

“I was able to pump out the water and after 48 hours, I took the boat out to sea and sailed to Fox’s Marina in Ipswich without taking on a single drop of water.

“I learnt two things from this experience. Firstly, two inches of scrap ply and an old sanding block are worth keeping, regardless of what your partner might say when she is tidying up the boat! And secondly, if I’d got the hole when I’d been at sea, the boat would definitely have gone under – possibly taking me with it. I’ll never take the boat out again without a couple of tubes of Evo-Stik Wet Grab on board.”

Wet Grab from Evo-Stik is available from B&Q, Focus and Homebase. SRP is £6.98. For further information, log on to

http://www.evo-stik.co.uk/

For further press information, please contact Claire Heavisides or Anna Jester at Haslimann Taylor PR on 0121 355 3446 or email claire@haslimanntaylor.com / anna@haslimanntaylor.com

I Swear This Won’t Do Cameron Any Harm

Dan Clifford, director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

In a world rocked by recession, sweeping global illnesses, corruption, and war, the news finally peaked this week with the breaking story that David Cameron needs his mouth washed out with soap and water.

In a radio interview Cameron explained away his un-cool absence from the world of Twitter by trying to fashion a cool reply “too many twits might make a twat”.

My first reaction was to burst out laughing, not because I think it was clever (and I’m fairly sure it was preconceived) and not because I think it would have struck a chord with younger voters (which has been rumoured to be his motivation) – I laughed mainly because it was absurd and bizarre and in a serious world it offered some entertaining light relief.

Arguments are already raging about whether twat is a swear word or not (which in itself is brilliantly funny) and broadsheet newspapers are running lengthy articles on the origins of the word and the way that different upbringings lead to different perceptions of its vulgarity.

Mr Cameron probably tried too hard when he followed it up with the expression “pissed off” as he summarised the publics feelings about the expenses scandal, and he does have to be careful that his efforts to be cool don’t turn him into the cringeworthy uncle who tries to be ‘down with the kids’. You would have hoped that ‘Hug a Hoodie-gate’ would have taught him some lessons.

However, I think the commentators who are now trying to say that Cameron will regret this slip of the tongue are missing the point; choosing to focus on the fact that his attempts to prove he is a man of the people have, in fact, shown the opposite.

But that does not take into account the fact that people already know that nearly all politicians are detached from the real world – and that being the case voters don’t expect to connect with them in this way.

What Mr Cameron has shown is that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he’s not arrogant enough to think we should all like him just because he’s a clever politician and knows that he has work to do on his public image. But most importantly, he has shown us that swear word or not, we’re more interested in someone saying “twat” than the majority of other words spoken by our politicians.

Cannock Gates Makes An Entrance For West Midlands School

A West Midlands school has bagged themselves a fantastic new entrance worth up to £2,000 from gate manufacturer Cannock Gates after going head-to-head in a competition with ten other finalist schools from across the UK.

Roman Way First School in Redditch was so determined to win that it generated over 74,000 votes. The competition also struck a chord with regional press generating 110 pieces of press coverage, which could have been read by over six million people, as well as six radio interviews with a listenership of 644,000.

Jane Scarborough, head teacher, commented: “Pupils and teachers at the school have been working extremely hard to encourage people to vote for us. We’ve sent flyers out and put posters up all around Redditch and we’ve held coffee afternoons for parents to come in to school and vote. In addition, we’ve had support from schools all over Worcestershire, companies, both local and international, plus West Mercia Police Force.

“We are absolutely delighted to have won the competition and we’d like to say thank you to everyone that has voted for us. We’re all really excited about working with Cannock Gates to design the perfect entrance for our school.”

Julie Turnbull, general manager for Cannock Gates, comments: “We’re so pleased that Roman Way First School has won the prize. As a Midlands based company ourselves, it’s great to be able to support a school on our patch! We offer wrought iron style and wooden gates in over 750 standard sizes and designs and we also offer a bespoke service, which means Roman Way First School can really have fun choosing the new gate. The gate will be fitted in the near future and we hope it will welcome many pupils and visitors to the school for years to come.”

Red Lion Pub Relaunch A Roaring Success

The transformation of a run down country inn into a stylish gastro pub has proven to be a big hit with the community and regional press.

The Red Lion, in Ashington, West Sussex, welcomed over 600 guests to a special champagne opening party where visitors were introduced to the new surroundings at the pub which has been completely refurbished.

To keep the local community informed about the pub’s plans links to the Red Lion’s website were posted on key forums. Haslimann Taylor also secured sponsorship by the Red Lion of the village Fun Run and opened a dialogue with community wardens who are key local opinion formers.

As well as being popular with the local community the event also attracted wide spread interest from regional press. Coverage was achieved in the local paper for four consecutive weeks, a ‘Hello’ style photo spread appeared on the social pages of Sussex Life with pictures from the launch party and presenters on Splash FM talked about the party live on air every day in the week preceding the event.

Landlord Mark Jackson said: “The evening was a tremendous success. We had in excess of 600 guests at the party and took great pride in showing them all the new surroundings and great new menu. The feedback has been fantastic, and the general feeling has been that the new-look Red Lion is exactly what the area needed.”

Should CEOs Be Media Spokespeople?

Bron Eames, managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

The FT was asking the question recently whether CEOs should be media spokespeople or not. Predictably, the importance of media training was brought up. As was media relations being part of the job, as was the media’s appetite for picking up on bad news and looking for a quick hit.

There are times when the need for common sense is really quite staggering. Of course people, staff, customers, shareholders, local communities want access to the CEO. If he or she can’t communicate effectively, surely they should not have been appointed?!

Media training will help with confidence and technique, and an understanding of the practicalities, but being a good communicator should surely be part of the mandatory criteria for the man or women at the top?

Honesty and integrity are more important now than ever before – even when the news is bad, people need to know.

This is not a plea for companies to spend more on media training, but for more boards to understand the importance of communications. Bad communications can damage share value on its own, and in the current economic climate, that risk is surely one to avoid?

TV Designer Launches Interior Design Competition At Swindon School

Top interior designer Derek Taylor visited Ridgeway School in Swindon this week to launch a competition to design a bedroom for the new showhome at Bryant Homes’ Wichelstowe development.

The designer, who appears on ITV’s ‘60 Minute Makeover’, offered his expert advice on creating a stunning design scheme, and demonstrated a variety of different mood boards.

Derek said: “Interior design is important because it sets a house alight, turning a blank canvas into a vibrant living space. The kids at Ridgeway School seem really enthused by this contest, so I can’t wait to see the exciting themes they come up with.”

Year 9 pupils at the school will now battle it out to impress Derek with their own bedroom designs. The winner will not only scoop £100 of prize vouchers, but will also have their concept executed by Derek, who is designing the rest of the new Fairfield showhome at Wichelstowe.

Entries will be submitted before the school breaks up for summer, and the winning design will be in place for the start of the new school term in September to coincide with the launch of the new showhome.

Neil Simpson, regional sales and marketing director for Bryant Homes, commented: “This competition is a unique opportunity for the pupils at Ridgeway School, as their creativity is not limited to pens and paper. The winning design will literally jump off the page and become a reality in our new showhome, which is a fantastic prize for one talented youngster.”

Bryant at Wichelstowe offers homes for all types of purchaser, with a range of two, three and four-bedroom properties available. For those looking to move up the ladder, the three-bedroom semi-detached Chester is priced from £169,995 and the four-bedroom detached Fernlea is priced from £209,995.

Consisting of three neighbourhoods, Wichelstowe is a carefully planned urban extension to the town of Swindon. Plans for the area, located to the north of the M4 between Junction 16 and Croft Road, will create a modern living space which benefits from community facilities and an abundance of green spaces.

For more information on the range of properties currently available at Bryant Homes’ Wichelstowe development visit the marketing suite on Croft Road which is open daily from 10.00am until 5.00pm. Alternatively, telephone 0845 671 9013 or log onto www.bryant.co.uk.

Derek Taylor with pupils from Ridgeway School

Project To Use Waste Chip Fat In Asphalt Commended By Engineering Industry

Young engineer Helen Bailey has won a prestigious industry award for her pioneering work which could reduce the carbon footprint of Britain’s road building industry using waste chip fat.

Helen (25), research manager at quarrying and heavy building materials and construction company Aggregate Industries, was awarded the Fiona and Nicholas Hawley Excellence in Environmental Engineering Award 2009 by The Worshipful Company of Engineers.

She developed a solution using waste vegetable oil to achieve the same key properties as bitumen to bind asphalt mix, beneficially exploiting a waste material without loss of performance in the asphalt. A prototype of her process is currently being trialed by Aggregate Industries in Newark.

Helen commented: “The asphalt industry produces approximately 25 million tonnes of asphalt every year, requiring about 1.25 million tonnes of bitumen. This comes at a significant environmental and economic cost, as the whole process relies on expensive imported hydrocarbons.

“I wanted to find an alternative with the same key properties as bitumen in the asphalt mix, using a waste product readily available within the UK. The solution I developed complies with UK Standards for asphalt whilst reducing the carbon footprint in resultant products. My work forms part of Aggregate Industries’ ongoing commitment to sustainable construction.”

Helen was presented with the Hawley Award and a cheque for £5,000 at the Worshipful Company of Engineers’ Annual Awards Dinner, on Tuesday, 7th July at Skinners’ Hall, London, by the Master of the Engineers’ Company, Mr Chris Price OBE FREng and the guest speaker, Mr Peter Jones OBE.

Helen plans to use the prize money to fund an educational trip to Japan to present her paper at the International Conference on Asphalt in August 2010. She is currently studying for a PhD in engineering at The University of East London, supported by her employer Aggregate Industries.

Patents are in the process of application.

The Worshipful Company of Engineers is one of the City of London’s modern Livery Companies and has over 300 members. The Company promotes the development and advancement of the science, art and practice of engineering. The Fiona and Nicholas Hawley Award aims to inspire engineers under 30 to present a project that has at least reached prototype stage in meeting the three environmental engineering tests of social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Helen Bailey with the Express Asphalt team in Newark

Bus Company Launches Appeal For Aspiring Gardeners

Calling all green-fingered Chester residents! A local bus company is appealing for talented topiarists and budding landscape gardeners to design a car park garden.

Arriva North West, which runs numerous services into Chester from surrounding areas, is appealing for local people to get green and creative and design a garden which will fill a car parking space in the city.

Debra Mercer, marketing manager for Arriva North West, said: “Buses offer a way to reduce congestion, with a full bus taking up to 40 cars off the road, and we know if more people left their car at home more open space could be freed with fewer car parks needed.

“Therefore we want the people of Chester to help us illustrate how much more greenery there would be in the city centre if the space used for a car park was a garden. By creating the car park garden we will hopefully show the people what could be achieved if more people caught the bus and left the car at home.”

If you’ve got a passion for planting and would like to see your garden design created by Arriva visit www.arriva.co.uk/garden or call 0845 270 1660. The deadline for entries is 31st July.

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Contact: Jess Hardisty or Denver Coulson on 0121 355 3446 or corporate communications, Arriva plc on +44 (0)191 520 4106. For media enquiries outside normal office hours, Arriva can be contacted via its 24-hour media pager service on +44 (0)7623 920 615.

Internal Training – Reducing Costs, Increasing Value

Sarah Kent, deputy managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

As part of our annual staff survey, we always ask our people what they value about working at HT. One aspect that is always up there with flexi-time, our annual away day and the snack machine, is training. Haslimann Taylor has always prided itself on investing in its people, but the current economic climate has presented us with an interesting challenge – how to maximise the potential of our team whilst getting a bigger bang from our training buck.

For us, and for many companies, the answer lies pretty close to home. We have a real mix of experience and expertise at HT – ex print and broadcast journos, former in-house professionals, those whose background is agency through and through and not to mention some with a career in the profession spanning nearly three decades (no names mentioned!).

Although we had tapped into this wealth of knowledge on an ad-hoc basis in the past, we had never created a formalised internal training programme. So in April we launched the HT Academy – a series of training courses for HT people by HT people.

I’d be lying if I said that saving costs wasn’t a significant driver, but when the feedback forms came in, it soon became apparent that we had a real win-win situation on our hands – lower cost training that the team felt was actually more valuable than many external courses (and better still, they wouldn’t be cancelled at the last minute because too many people had dropped out to make it worth the trainer’s while to travel up to the Midlands from London).

Developing and maintaining an in-house training programme does take commitment and time. It is vital that it is given the same importance and approached with the same professionalism as paid-for courses. We ensured that we trained the trainers and always provide course outlines, delegates packs, post-training feedback forms and, of course, refreshments.

The most powerful aspect of internal training, whatever industry you’re in, is that it can be tailored in a way that external courses simply can’t be. We keep groups small, because it doesn’t cost any more to run three training courses rather than one, and because we know the people so well, we can adapt the level, tone and content accordingly. We use a mixture of industry best practice and real examples from our own clients and we are able to deliver what we believe is a competitive advantage by ensuring that the HT culture and ‘the way we do things’ always underpins the theory.

Everyone will always have an element of external training in their annual schedule – it’s vital that we provide a well-rounded approach and keep ahead of the game in ever-evolving areas such digital communications. But the HT Academy is here to stay and we believe its graduates will be better than ever.

Graduate Trainee Programme Is The Path To Promotion

Birmingham PR consultancy Haslimann Taylor has promoted Meg Woods to the role of account manager.

Meg joined the company as a graduate trainee in 2006 after leaving the University of Sheffield with a degree in History, and has worked her way up the career ladder under the direction of senior account manager Emma Howden.

Speaking on the promotion, Meg said: “Having just left university I had limited PR experience but joining Haslimann Taylor at graduate level gave me the structured training programme I needed, as well as a solid grounding in all aspects of PR. I really enjoy my job because of the variety it offers, from planning a launch event with a pub landlord to visiting journalists on national publications and even detonating an explosion at a quarry! I’m really proud to have been promoted to the role of account manager.”

Managing director Bron Eames said: “Graduate trainee programmes are an excellent way to start your career, giving you support and training as well as the help and advice of senior colleagues. Meg has done a fantastic job on all the accounts she supports, securing excellent results for our clients. When she joined us Meg was new to the world of PR, but we knew she had good qualifications and the right skills and attitude to be a successful communicator.

Megan Woods

Builders Get Advice On Staying Safe In The Sun

Thousands of construction workers across the UK are being encouraged to cover up and slap on the sun cream as part of a national sun safety campaign from Taylor Wimpey. Sun safety posters have been put up on developments across the country and the housebuilder has linked up with on-line retailer thesuncareshop.com to offer discounted sun cream for all its employees and contractors working on site.

The initiative comes on the back of recent research which revealed that one in five British men never wear sun cream.

The sun safety posters, which appear on the company’s Bryant Homes and George Wimpey developments, offer the following advice:

1. Keep your top on
2. Keep your hard hat on
3. Stay in the shade whenever possible and during breaks
4. Use a sunscreen of at least SPF30
5. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration
6. Tell your doctor about any new or changing moles

Ed Woods, Taylor Wimpey’s director of health, safety and environment, comments: “We want all of our people, whether employees or sub-contractors to go home at the end of the day safe and healthy. We’ve been promised a scorcher of a summer this year, so it’s important that people working outside take sensible precautions. The purpose of this campaign is to get people thinking about sun safety and provide advice on some simple steps that they can take to protect themselves.”

Brickie Russell Gibb (pictured right, with Martin Rees) said: “This is a really good idea. To be honest, I think we all know that we should put sun cream on when we’re working outside, but we either don’t think about it or don’t have time. The posters will be a good reminder and the discounted sun cream is an added bonus!”

Goodyear Dunlop Takes The Plunge In Charity Launch

Employees from Midlands tyre giant Goodyear Dunlop have taken their fundraising to new heights to launch the company’s support of Teenage Cancer Trust.

The company, best known for its commitment to safety and innovation, has pledged to raise £30,000 for the charity to be spent on a specialist teenage cancer unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

To officially launch the fundraising, twelve Goodyear Dunlop associates threw their fears aside and descended 120ft down the renowned Fort Dunlop building, situated in Erdington.

Mark Brickhill, Group Managing Director said: “Teenage Cancer Trust is a fantastic charity, and we are thrilled to be supporting the development of a unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that will be the first in the county for 13 to 16 year olds.

“We have been so touched by the work that the charity does and I’m certain that all of our associates will get firmly behind the fundraising to help to make a difference to the lives of the young people who face this terrible illness.

“I would like to thank those who undertook the abseil for kick starting what I’m sure will be a fierce fundraising campaign.”

Having raised and donated over £52,000 to the Children’s Hospital in 2008, the company is no stranger to fundraising, and will be organising a variety of events throughout the year in order to reach the target.

Paula Hancox of Teenage Cancer Trust said: “We are delighted to have the support of a company like Goodyear Dunlop and are very grateful at its pledge to help support the building of a specialist unit.

“The development of a Teenage Cancer Trust unit in Birmingham means that young people from across the West Midlands will have access to the comprehensive services they need to help fight this terrible disease.

“The funds raised by Goodyear Dunlop will go towards ensuring that young people with the illness have the chance to be teenagers first and cancer patients second.”

To make a donation and support the charity abseil, visit
www.teenagecancertrust.org/sponsor/Goodyear_Dunlop

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For further information contact Meg on 021 355 3446 or email megan@haslimanntaylor.com

Goodyear Dunlop employee Kirsty Williams takes the 120ft plunge down Fort Dunlop

PR That Takes The Mick

Dan Clifford, director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

If you were ever looking for examples that prove the power of PR, one of the best places to turn your attention to is the sporting world.

Sometimes it is natural and often it has been worked on very carefully, but the effect of good PR is all too obvious in this high profile arena. Take last week’s US Open golf held in New York. You would expect the world to be rooting for Tiger Woods, he’s the best player on the planet (probably the best to have ever played the game), it’s a privilege to watch him ply his trade, and he is gunning for a record that nobody had thought could ever be broken.

But people weren’t pulling for Woods, because he might be the best but he is not their champion – that title goes to Phil Mickelson*. And why? Just look on message boards, picture galleries or read a few features. Along with being a very fine competitor Mickelson is a PR machine. “Have just stood and watched Phil sign autographs for two hours in the rain – he stayed until he had signed for everyone in the queue” reads one post. “Just seen Phil and his family at the In N Out Burger drive through – what a legend”, “Played in a corporate golf day yesterday and Phil Mickelson was in my team, he turned up wearing shorts carrying his own bag and introduced himself to me and my colleagues by saying ‘hi I’m Phil’”. Quite simply, he knows how to play the game on and off the course. And it matters more now than ever. Social networking and the thirst to share every juicy bit of information have combined to mean that forums, message boards and personal sites are helping to shape the perceptions and images of everybody – and it really matters. If people like Mickelson, then they want to use the same clubs as him, wear the same clothes, eat at the same chains, drive the same car etc.

And that’s the point – this isn’t about Phil Mickelson. It’s just that I’m golf obsessed and he’s a very good illustration of how PR can be so powerful when done genuinely and done consistently. Brand Mickelson shouldn’t be more popular than brand Woods. But it is. Because it reaches out to people, communicates with them, gives them a good experience and encourages them to tell others because they feel priviledged. It doesn’t always deliver the very best, but it’s forgiven because it apologises, it offers to put itself out to compensate and it is accessible. And this PR works in the very best way – you start it and your brand fans embrace it and take the message out further and deeper than you ever could.

By the way, Phil didn’t win the US Open – he came second. But I’m sure the young golf fan he sat down next to on the grass verge by the green to applaud the winner will remember it differently.

* Phil Mickelson is now taking time away from golf as his wife Amy battles breast cancer. We wish her a speedy and full recovery.

“Get Experience To Get An Edge”

Anya Court, graduand of University of Birmingham, writes about her work experience placement at Haslimann Taylor:

So you’re a student weighing up your career options. How about a glamorous PR job – an endless orgy of champagne-fuelled launch parties, tottering into the office in designer heels and hanging out with celebrities? If this is your impression of PR, then clearly you haven’t done work experience!

Before I embarked on a work experience placement at Haslimann Taylor I wasn’t so naïve as to think a career in PR fitted the jaded stereotype of Eddy Monsoon, or even her modern counterpart Lauren Conrad, but I’ll admit I still had only a vague idea of what the ‘day job’ entailed.

If you really want to find out what a career is like, asking people already working in that sector, googling ‘PR’, or allowing yourself to be influenced by films and television is just not enough; you have to experience it for yourself. It is also now more vital than ever to get work experience under your belt to give your graduate job applications an edge. Not only are there more graduates generally, many of whom want to pursue popular careers like PR, but we are in the midst of a recession which means less entry-level opportunities for graduates.

The best advice I can give to students is that it is never too early to begin getting work experience. Your first and second years at university are ideal for building up your CV because you have spare time in which to do it. Come third year, with the pressure of a dissertation, numerous essays and your finals suddenly it dawns on you that you haven’t even thought about your career options, you’ll wish you hadn’t spent all your summers boozed up in the Balearics.

You may even find that a period of work experience will completely change your career ambitions. During my A-Levels and first and second years reading English at University of Birmingham I had my heart set on newspaper journalism, so began to build up my portfolio and CV by writing off to local, regional and national newspapers to get any work experience I could.

I undertook placements at my local hometown newspaper as well as at The Sunday Mercury, a regional tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, and two nationals, The Sunday Mirror and The Times. I got a lot out of them, finding that I had to show journalists and editors that I was capable and build a good relationship with them before they allowed me to write articles, some of which I’m proud to say were published.

My aspirations changed however when I attended a talk organised by my university careers service where Bron Eames, managing director at Haslimann Taylor, conducted a presentation on careers in PR. I decided to give work experience there a try, to see life on the other side of the fence, and found that PR involves much more variety than I’d thought, with no two days the same.

Work experience at Haslimann Taylor is very well structured, with a clear and organised programme of work in place – a contrast to the newsroom where I had to beg and plead for meaningful assignments.

I found that PR can be a thankless job at times, with hours spent phoning time-pressed journalists who often see you as an unwelcome distraction to the job in hand. I begin my spiel, and then hear a tapping down the phone line and realise that they have continued to type, phone held between ear and shoulder, and are only half-listening to me while I try to sell-in a story. I have realised that to succeed in PR you have to take this kind of thing on the chin!

In my opinion, Haslimann Taylor offers excellent work experience placements. In the weeks I have spent with the company I have gained knowledge of most of the agency’s clients and have completed a variety of jobs from writing press releases, to working on client websites and helping organise events to attending a client meeting. There has been the odd tea round, but less than you’d imagine as even the MD Bron chips in!

Having spent a total of seven weeks at Haslimann Taylor, I now feel confident that I understand what a career in PR truly involves. Over the coming weeks as I begin my search for my first proper PR role, I will actually know what I’m talking about and can demonstrate a portfolio of real client work I have completed. It’s an edge I hope may just make the difference for me in this undoubtedly tough year for graduate recruitment.

Anya Court during her work experience placement with Haslimann Taylor

Calling All Snorers!

If you’re kept awake every night by the nocturnal rumblings of the person next to you, help is at hand.

A Snoring Boot Camp has been organised by Helps Stop Snoring, makers of the UK’s leading snoring remedy, after the first event of its kind proved to be so successful last year.

With hundreds of applications received last year from people at the end of their tether, Helps Stop Snoring is offering snorers a second chance to stand up and take orders at this year’s army-style Snoring Boot Camp.

If you’re snoring is becoming a nocturnal nuisance, or if you’re sick of someone else’s snoring preventing you from sleeping, Helps Stop Snoring wants to hear from you. The UK’s six worst snorers, taking into account lifestyle and snoring history, will be called up for service at the three-day grunt-busting course, which will take place at a top secret location.

The weekend will be overseen by the Boot Camp ‘Sergeant Major’ and will include advice from a leading Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, along with input from a crack team of fitness and nutrition experts.

Graham Carr-Smith of Helps Stop Snoring said: “After the success of last year’s event, with five out of our six snorers seeing a dramatic reduction in the level of their snoring over the weekend of therapy, we thought we’d bring Boot Camp back to give people another chance to enter.

“The aim of the event is to provide as much information as possible to the selected snorers and their families, helping them to reduce or stop their snoring problem altogether. This, combined with the Boot Camp itinerary of exercise and healthy eating, should provide some winning results.”

If you think you or someone you know should be a candidate at this year’s Snoring Boot Camp, email bootcamp@htpr.co.uk for more information, or call the Helps Stop Snoring ‘Boot Camp Hotline’ on 0845 270 0602. Visit www.stopsnoring.co.uk to find out more. Registration closes 31st July.

For further information, please call Jess Hardisty or Emma Howden on 0121 355 3446 or email jess@haslimanntaylor.com.

You’re Hired: How To Get Work Experience At HT

Bron Eames, managing director of Haslimann Taylor, writes:

It is graduate work experience season at HT, which is great news for everyone! Graduates have a better chance of getting a job with some good work placements on their CV and our account handlers benefit from extra help.

Simple eh? Well, not that simple, actually.

Firstly, we are committed to giving our graduate and undergraduate work placements a proper work plan. This takes time. Work placement students at HT can expect a good cross section of tasks with an allocated manager. There will only be an occasional requirement for tea making or photocopying and there will definitely be a chance to write copy, join in a brainstorm, speak to journalists and if at all possible, sit in a client meeting. Everyone fills in feedback forms at the end of their stay with us and attending a client meeting was a recent request that was acknowledged and actioned. They will, we promise, get a true insight into a career in consultancy.

The other reason that accommodating work placements is not simple is that we have to trawl through an awful lot of applications to find suitable students. Now we are not necessarily looking for rocket scientists here, but, like many agencies and PR departments, we are inundated with requests for work experience, for which we are very grateful, but an alarming proportion of them are barely literate. The majority are not checked for spelling, grammar or punctuation. No effort has been made to find the name of the person responsible for recruitment, no research has been done about the business, but there will likely be a bland plea for an opportunity based on ‘excellent communication skills’, a few pub jobs and maybe a starring role in the school netball team – I don’t care! I want to know if they write for the university paper, are involved with community radio, have done voluntary work for a local charity, sent in reports to their local press, created a website, campaigned for a good cause, found something interesting to say about one of our campaigns.

So far, every year we have ended up with a dozen or so students who are bright, hard working, enthusiastic and with a real appetite to learn. We love having them and generally, I hope, they enjoy the experience. We may never see them again, we may employ them, but either way I believe we have duty to help get young people on the career ladder. I also believe that careers advisors and tutors have a duty to explicitly instill in their undergraduates that they need to step up to the mark, and students need to understand that if they can’t be bothered to put some care into their applications, potential employers will not even bother to read them. Fair enough, don’t you think?