EXHAUSTED DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS Issue 5
ENCOURAGE
Learning from UK Sport
Target Audience
to ‘Opt In’
Digital
Detox
Get On Your Bike
Social Media Marketing World Conference 2014
Why Corporates
Choose
Liftshare
A New Bright Idea?
EDITOR’S NOTE
W
elcome back, this issue of Exhausted is packed full of useful snippets for you to takeaway and digest over your morning coffee. Whether you want to know more about the circular economy or understand how UK sport can influence your business, this edition can help; check out the articles on page 5 and 8. Whilst you may have adapted to the social world and accepted your electronic device as part of your body, it’s not good to live a electronically connected life 24/7, so this month we’re encouraging you to spring cleaning your lifestyle with the introduction of a digital detox (page 3). Just because you’re switching off a little more though, doesn’t mean you can’t keep up - I visited the social media world conference in San Diego a few weeks ago and thought I’d share some of the key takeaways with you in this issue (page 6).
We’re celebrating the arrival of the improving weather and longer days with a competition for you to win a hybrid bike; all you need to do is answer the question on page 9. As part of a commitment to deliver useful, more timely content Exhausted is becoming more regular, so there’s less of a wait for the next edition – it’ll be released every other month. We’re always trying to shape and improve the e-mag and we hope you find the content lively, engaging, informative and relevant. Please write or send an e-mail to let us know what you think or to share an idea for a future story.
Happy reading...
and we’ll see you again in June.
Jemma Editor
jemma@liftshare.com And if technology and the online world have you running for the hills, how about cycling?
CONTENTS
Digital Detox Why corporates are choosing a Liftshare car-share scheme
3 4
5 takeaways from the Social Media Marketing World Conference 2014
6
Get on your bike this Spring
The secret to encouraging 2/3rds of your target audience to ‘opt in’ What’s the beef with quantifying ‘sustainable’ products?
9
The future developments of Liftshare
7
The business approach to a circular economy
11 10
5 Web: www.liftshare.com/business Linked-in www.linkedin.com/ company/liftshare
2
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
What your business can learn from UK Sport
8
Is this a bright idea?
12
Let’s be honest we don’t always have the healthiest relationship with technology…
T
oday 68% of us are taking our phones to bed, checking emails in the middle of the night, and 36% are texting and interacting on social media whilst eating out at a restaurant. No wonder we are stressed out and wired, our digital baggage day after day wreaks havoc on our minds and bodies. Harvard Medical School scientists found using a mobile phone or laptop before bed can disrupt the body’s production of melatonin and negatively affect sleep quality. And a recent study published by the Public Library of Science found the more time a person spends on Facebook, the more dissatisfied they feel with their own life. It’s time for a break - a ‘digital detox’! That is a period of time during which you refrain from using electronic devices such as your mobile or computer; to reduce stress and focus on social interaction in the physical world. If the prospect fills you with dread, consider the following 4 insights to help you through: Phantom Phone Syndrome – you are not alone
When you switch off don’t be surprised if you feel your pocket buzzing or ringing when your phone is nowhere to be found. This discomfort and awareness of dependency is par for the course and aids your own realization that technology has become a physical extension of yourself.
EXHAUSTED
x o t De
D GTAL Withdrawal is temporary Once you get past the impulse to Google a random thought, reply to an email the second it arrives or check the social buzz on Facebook, you might just find that you don’t actually miss the constant online connection so much – and shocker you’ll probably connect more in-person with those you see than you have in a long while.
Enjoy more meaningful experiences Not everything you do has to be shared through social media. Removing the gadget between you and your surroundings opens your eyes and allows you to enjoy much more. After the initial unease and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), wondering what your network is up to online without you, you’ll realise all the pictures, posts and tweets don’t actually add up to much and emails can wait. Experience JOMO (the Joy Of Missing Out), spending those previouslyoccupied minutes on things that truly make you happy. Unplug to reignite your passion Invest your newfound free time, as a result of digitally detoxing, into an old, possibly lost hobby. It’s proven that unplugging can help boost your creativity – creating balance and allowing your body and mind to reboot and get back to basics.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
3
corporates are
Why
car-share Liftsharescheme ? choosing a
Car-sharing can help corporate organisations achieve many goals, including: reducing the need for physical space for parking, improving accessibility, cutting C02 emissions, saving employees a substantial amount of money and building stronger internal relationships.
A
nd Liftshare does car-sharing better than anyone. With over 15 years’ experience and the largest UK network of members, the chance of finding a car-sharing match through the Liftshare system is higher than anywhere else. Not only that the system’s reporting and monitoring function provides extensive data, proving its value. And it’s not all left up to the organisation, with a dedicated Client Account Management team on hand to assist in launching, promoting and supporting a scheme, success is guaranteed.
With over 15 “ years’ experience and the largest UK network of members...
”
These are just a couple of the many reasons why Liftshare has a solid client base of over 600 organisations, with the likes of Jaguar Land Rover, Wessex Water, Sainsbury’s and Vodafone adding their names to this list in the last few months.
If you’d like more information – or like to see/understand what Liftshare could do for you, please contact Jemma or Kate on 01603 389321 or email jemma@liftshare.com kate@liftshare.com
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DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
There is an increasing understanding that what was once considered waste, is in fact a valuable resource, and that by adopting a ‘circular economy’ model a business can make substantial economic gains. The ‘circular economy’ comes down to sustainable economics – it’s time to rip up the tried and tested ‘make, use, throw away, make another’ model and now look to use as few resources as possible, ensuring that those resources can not only be re-used, but re-used in a way which is regenerating and helps improve the earth’s natural resources. Whilst it’s a common sense approach, businesses are slow to implement it. Changing business models is daunting and for many it’s usually a case of ‘if it isn’t
And that’s just at home in the UK. There are even greater gains expected across Europe by the end of the decade.
broke, don’t fix it’. The problem is the current model is unsustainable – the only way you’re going to future proof business is to change and if you don’t, competitors will.
There is strong evidence to suggest consumer market interest for these models, but there’s no need to put all eggs in one basket. Businesses should try something out on a small scale and understand the model before implementing a big change.
Would you not rather be the one to disrupt your business than a competitor?
There is a wealth of “ opportunities on offer
There is a wealth of opportunities on offer through a circular economy approach to business. By 2020 the circular economy model will have a major impact on both job creation and the bottom line.
ASSESEMENT pportunities for the UK’s net O exports to increase by more than £20 billion. usinesses could reduce B their costs by more tha 50 billion a year.
through a circular economy approach to business.
”
So for example, if you are a large retailer wanting to adopt product trade in as a business model, start small. Introduce it for a couple of product lines in one or two stores or on a web platform that you can manage easily. After the trial period, assess the data to see if it worked. If it did, there is an opportunity to roll it out wider, and if it didn’t, then it’s relatively easy to rethink the approach. It’s about being smart in the implementation process to reduce risks.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
5
ta s e ay th aw om ke fr
Social Media Marketing
World Conference
2014
Liftshare recently returned from the Social Media Marketing World 2014 event in San Diego, California. It was a great place to learn from the very best and it was also a great place to get a glimpse at what the experts think are the next big things on the
SOCIAL MEDIA FACTFILE
[1]
[3]
There are 15,000 things Facebook can show in an individuals newsfeed at any one time
It’s all about visual marketing - the brain can comprehend visual images 500,000 times faster than copy - visual strategy is key and big!
Google+ tops the list for what marketers want to learn about.
ans expect a response time of F 30 mins on Facebook
[2]
n average people consult 10.4 O different sources before they buy 0% of what you see online 9 is driven by offline activity/ engagement
66
social media and digital marketing horizons. Here are 6 major takeaways from the event and the areas where you should pay close attention over the next
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
Blogging is the best thing to do as the big platforms go public. The likes of Facebook are now hiding you unless you pay. Create a blog and produce 2 good articles a day; it is more powerful than paying for Facebook.
[4] Podcasting is the most rewarding marketing activity you can do, if you do it right. Those who listen to podcasts are the most loyal ravings fans – it’s proven!!
[5] FB ads trump everything else when you are paying.
EXHAUSTED
The
[ secret ] to
encouraging
myPTP, Liftshare’s online travel planning tool, provides individuals with a personalised travel plan direct to their inbox. It gives all journey options available for a specific journey and the comparisons between each option.
of your
target audience to
‘opt in’
The tool is sold to organisations, who then encourage staff to ‘opt in’ to receive their own personalised plan for their daily commute. Original ‘opt-in’ rates to receive a plan were around 12%, whilst not terrible; the myPTP team knew they could do better. After months of testing different approaches, the team found the secret sauce to encourage ‘opt in’. The strategy was applied in the last ‘opt in’ run and it achieved a 69% success rate. The myPTP secret sauce for ‘opt in’. Humorous pre-delivery marketing materials designed to raise awareness of myPTP and highlight the specific travel issues employees face in the organisation i.e. parking, with a clear call to action to ‘opt in’ for a plan. Pre delivery materials included posters and flyers (on desks and in communal areas) Incentives were provided (vouchers / chocolate) in return for ‘opt-in’ data and inclusion within mass emails, briefings, on the intranet and within the corporate publication over a 2 week period was year.
The strategy “ was applied in the
last ‘opt-in’ run and it acheived a 69% success rate.
”
If you’d like more information about myPTP and how it could help your organisation, or if you’d simply like to understand our secret sauce a little better, please contact Jemma or Kate on 01603 389321 or email jemma@liftshare.com kate@liftshare.com
also undertaken. A myPTP video was embedded into emails, with a link to ‘opt in’ and reminders within other corporate notification emails were sent out. A myPTP champion was also enlisted to talk to colleagues about it and let them know how they could receive their own. Within a two week period, these activities encouraged over two thirds of employees to ‘opt in’ and request a personalised travel plan.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
7
What your business can learn from
UK SPORT UK Sport were responsible for driving the system from good to great, to help achieve the UK’s 2012 Olympic medal position – the best yet! You may not have realised that behind every UK winner and finalist there was a carefully calculated system of thorough preparation to make it happen.
It was about a whole system: the sports science, the physical and mental preparation, the honest feedback and resilience, the meticulous attention to detail and all of this wrapped up within a clear vision and passion. Taking lessons from F1, UK Sport applied a scrupulous and marginal approach to each activity and made quick decisions based on good data. Optimising performance and pushing individuals to reach their full potential was fundamental in our athletes’ success.
...pushing “ individuals to reach
their full potential was fundamentally in our athletes’ success.
”
Does your business operate in this way? Do you?
When you walk through that door to work in the morning - what are your goals, are you prepared, are you operating efficiently, do you have all the resources to deliver what you need to deliver, are you resilient to cope with the situations that will be thrown at you, are you maximising every opportunity, and is your personal development designed to optimise business performance when it matters? If you want to ‘win’, look in depth at UK Sport and the processes they undertook, you’ll learn more than you’d imagine.
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DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
EXHAUSTED
bike Get on your
THIS SPRING
To celebrate the arrival of Spring and to encourage you to get outdoors and active, we’re giving you the change to WIN a hybrid bike, worth over £500.
To enter... Simply send an email to jemma@liftshare.com with the answer to the following question:
Which of the following is not a type of cow:
A Highland B Daisy C Friesian
Please include your full name, company, job title and contact number within the email to ensure your submission is eligible.
T&C’S 1 This prize draw is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland aged 18 years or over, except employees of Liftshare UK, their families, agents or anyone else professionally associated with the draw. 2 Details of how to enter form part of the terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 3 Entries must be submitted via email to jemma@liftshare. com and entry is restricted to one per person. Once submitted, entries cannot be amended in any way. 4 No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of despatch will not be accepted as proof of receipt. The winner will be drawn at random from all entries received by the closing date. 5 A ll entries must be received by midnight on
Wednesday 11th June, 2014. 6 The winner will be contacted within 14 days of the closing date of the prize draw. Should the Promoter be unable to contact the winner or should the winner be unable to accept the prize, the Promoter reserves the right to award the prize to an alternative winner, drawn in accordance with these terms and conditions. 7 One winning entrant will win a hybrid bicycle, medium-size, 17.5” frame. 8 The prize is subject to availability, non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives. 9 The winner may be required to participate in publicity. 10 Events may occur that render the prize draw itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter and accordingly the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result thereof.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
9
beef
What’s the with quantifying ‘sustainable’ products
?
You may have heard recently about McDonald’s making a big green splash announcing that it will start buying “verified sustainable” beef in 2016.
But what is it? Turns out McDonalds don’t know, but as part of a group called the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef they are trying to come up with an answer. A draft document has been released that lays out general goals for a sustainable production system, such as minimising greenhouse gas emissions and damage to ecosystems, but it doesn’t actually say how much minimising it takes to qualify as ‘sustainable’. The argument is that this is to be decided on a national level, with different countries concerned over different areas. Additional complications occur with the trade-offs between different goals. For example, raising cattle on grass is generally worse for the climate; cattle grow more slowly and emit more greenhouse gases per pound of beef produced. On the other hand, grazing cattle can help preserve diverse grassland ecosystems. All these reasons mean finding an agreeable definition and qualification for “verified sustainable” beef could take a
10
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
very long time and the same goes for other products and industries.
...but it doesn’t actually “ say how much minimising it take to qualify as ‘sustainable’.
”
Perhaps as a starter for 10, each business should look at their own world in which they operate, agreeing at the senior level within the organisation what qualifies as ‘sustainable’ and what trade-offs are necessary. From here, you can start to tackle the wider industry goals and levels.
EXHAUSTED
The future
developments of
Liftshare, the UK’s largest car-sharing network, has been working hard for over 15 years to create a secure, friendly and strong car-sharing community. Providing car-sharing schemes to organisations, as well as the public, they have continually evolved the product and service they offered through listening carefully to customers and members alike. And this year is no different, here’s a sneak preview of what’s new for Liftshare in the coming months…
The introduction of a ratings and review system
Inclusion of a gamification
for both drivers and passengers.
programme to reward users for sharing; allowing them to compete with colleagues, other members and even other businesses.
A more accurate idea of whether those you’re contacting will respond, with ‘response time’ and ‘last active’ functions included within user profiles.
A smart phone app developed for both Apple
The app...
and Android operating systems, making it simpler and more convenient for members to navigate, message and search on the system.
The app is being built with future capabilities to include a payment gateway (so members can pay one another for their journeys as they leave the car) and real-time traffic information, such as congestion reports, parking availability and even public transport announcements
Improved architecture of the Liftshare API, allowing simpler integration/incorporation of additional services and third party features e.g. giving us the ability to easily integrate with an existing parking system.
The introduction of social comparisons – matches flagged when members have connections in common; initially determined through Facebook, with Twitter and LinkedIn to follow.
And beyond... Incorporation of the Liftshare system into
developed “for...app both Apple and
Android operating systems, making it simpler and more convenient....
”
vehicles through entertainment touchscreen/sat nav systems, to facilitate real time journey sharing.
If you’d like to know more about Liftshare and their future plans contact jemma@ liftshare.com
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
11
Is this a
bright
idea
?
Back in 2011, The Sunday Telegraph reported that England’s Highway Agency was shutting off a significant amount of the country’s streetlights overnight in order to meet a carbon emissions goal.
Back in 2011, The Sunday Telegraph reported that England’s Highway Agency was shutting off a significant amount of the country’s streetlights overnight in order to meet a carbon emissions goal. This mass turn-off ended up saving the agency about £400,000. Another of the country’s councils estimated that setting one-third of England’s streetlights to either turn off during a certain period of time, or allowing them to be dimmed, would save around £800,000 per year. Energy and financial savings that can be gleaned from switching off our streetlights are immense, which is why two Dutch companies have collaborated to produce a solution to replace the streetlight for drivers.
...when mixed “ with road paint, can
glow in the dark for up to 10 hours after charging up from the daytime sunlight.
”
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DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS
Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans, a Dutch civil engineering firm, have worked
together to create a paint that can glow brightly enough in the dark — and under outdoor conditions — in order to light the way for drivers. The team developed a photo-luminescent powder that, when mixed with road paint, can glow in the dark for up to 10 hours after charging up from the daytime sunlight. The team transformed a small stretch of highway in the Netherlands for testing and this is the first stage of a bigger vision. The ultimate vision is to add glowing weather symbols that would activate when the symbol’s corresponding weather conditions took place; for example, snowflake glyphs would appear on the road to indicate that the road is slippery and caution is advised. The paint has not yet been thoroughly tested by the rigors of time, but if it works and the idea spreads the developers will surely be glowing with pride!