Business Digest Magazine Featuring Ayelet Noff Public Relations Expert by Business Digest Magazine

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

CONTENTS 5

You are Never too Ready

Is all Press Good Press

Public Relations in the Bespoke Tailoring Industry

Andrew Bloch 12

Cover Story: How to Strengthen your Brand Aylet Noff

Jamie Henfrey

How to Take your Promotional Skills to the Next Level

How to Become a Publicist

Tips to Gain Media Attention

Press Release Lion Spirit Media

The Importance of Public Relations

Aâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Z for Positive Mental Health Claire Davis

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

WELCOME!!!!! FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Public Relations should be mandatory for every business. This strategic communication process is often ignored by businesses. But why? It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of a PR campaign. Media mentions and published stories can be indicators but at the end its difficult to quantify the impact. The advantages of Public relations is that it is more influential than advertising since the messages are emanating from objective sources. In this edition the authentic experts are opening their treasure chest. These are not overnight sensations or proponents of instant solutions. These are credible experts with successful businesses. From Ayelet you will glean on how to strengthen your brand. And from Andrew Bloch you will learn not to wait for the sun, moon and stars to line up according to your expectation before starting a business. And there is more……….

CONTRIBUTORS:

AYELET NOFF LUCY SPENCER JAMIE HENFRY ANDREW BLOCH SALLY STONE

FANELE MOYO EDITOR

YO U ARE NE VER TO O READY! Andrew: The moment I stepped through the doors of Lynne Franks I fell in love with it. It was a crazy place. It was actually the agency that Absolutely Fabulous was based on, and the reality of working there was pretty much what was portrayed on the show. The agency was predominantly fashion and entertainment based – they had all these big glamourous clients in the world of fashion and entertainment, and ran events like British Fashion Week, the British Fashion Awards and The BAFTA’s.

Andrew Bloch

F ounder and Non-Executive Director at Frank. Consultant in the creative and marketing services industry.

BDM: Was PR what you wanted to do before you started working? Also, what companies and experience did you first encounter that were most memorable? Andrew: Well actually, no, I kind of fell into PR by accident. My A-Level Art teacher, told me that I would be good at advertising. I clung on to this thought for many years. No one had ever told me that I would be good at anything before, so this was an important piece of advice for me. The last piece of advice I had, was when I took a multiple-choice career quiz at school, some years earlier, which informed me I would make a great fireman. I didn’t really fancy that! Since that point, I always wanted to go into the advertising industry. That was my dream. When I left University, where I studied Management, I set out to try to get a job in advertising, which was a pretty long and arduous process. I went through various stages - form-filling, interviews, assessment days… and while I was doing that, someone else said to me “Why don’t you try PR? That’s similar”. I just wanted to start working, so I applied for some PR agencies as well, not really knowing too much about what PR was, if I’m being honest. One of the companies that I applied to, Lynne Franks PR, invited me to do an unpaid work placement. I just thought, you know what? I’ll give it a go; I’ll keep my days busy and it will give me something to do and that’s how I fell in love with PR. Three weeks into my placement, they offered me a full-time role, and the rest, as they say, is history. BDM: What drew you into the Public Relations sector?

Fashion wasn’t really my thing. I turned up on my first day wearing a suit, and I still cringe when I think about that. I was put into the brand division. This was the money-making division of the agency. You had all these big brands that wanted to associate themselves with the glamour and excitement of fashion and entertainment. I was working on clients like Coca-Cola, BT, Asda, Lloyd’s Bank, Absolut Vodka…some iconic names! I loved the pace and the immediacy of the PR industry. You could have an idea one day, and the next it would be in the media.

“People who have an entrepreneurial spirit always know that one day they would do something, but what often holds them back is that feeling of not being ready and wanting to get more experience.” I also loved the diversity of it – all the different clients and sectors. But the best bit for me was the creative aspect – the opportunity to come up with campaigns for clients that would grab attention and really make a difference to their business. I’m someone who gets bored really easily and am never happier than when I’m juggling lots of different things at the same time. I think that’s what drew me to the industry, and it’s definitely the thing that has kept me passionate about it over the years that have followed. It’s a bit of a cliché, but no two days are ever the same.

BDM: Did you ever think that you would own a company and that it would achieve the level of success that it has? Andrew: That’s a good question. I think people who have an entrepreneurial spirit always know that one day they would do something, but what often holds them back is that feeling of not being ready and wanting to get more experience.

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

YOU ARE NEVER TOO READY! And that was certainly the case with me: I was in a job, I was doing well, I was happy and I was progressing, and then the former managing director of Lynne Franks who had left a couple of years previously approached me with the idea of setting up Frank. I remember saying “I love it, sounds brilliant, but I don’t think I’m ready”, and he said to me “You are ready… you’re never going to feel ready, so let’s just do it”. And, you know, I went through that process of thinking “what’s the worst that could happen?” Which may sound like a bit of a negative starting place for doing something and starting something off… but I’ve always been relatively cautious as a person. So, you know what, the worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work out the way I had hoped and hopefully I will still be employable so I can go back to my previous job cap in hand and beg them to take me back.

“You are ready… you’re never going to feel ready, so let’s just do it”.

I never really stopped and thought about what success would look like. At that stage, it was about just getting the agency up and running. When we started there were three of us, no clients, and just a big empty office space to fill. We just began building it bit by bit. Our first two clients were friends and family. Three months in, we got the chance to pitch for Amstrad. We lost the pitch. We knew this was a big opportunity for us, and we weren't prepared to let it pass us by, so we literally begged for the chance to work on their business. I think they felt sorry for us. They reversed their decision and awarded us the account. That was the start of my relationship with Lord Sugar (Sir Alan at the time), a client who has taught me more about business than I could have ever hoped, and that I’m very happy to be still working with today, 20 years on. A year in to Frank, we won the Brylcreem account. We found out on our first birthday, and I still remember the call telling us we were successful in our pitch. It was our first real mainstream, proper FMCG client and we felt that we’d ‘arrived’. We had beaten two major agencies to win the business, and once Brylcreem came onboard, other big-name brands soon followed. I never really looked back on what 6

YOU ARE NEVER TOO READY! Frank had achieved until 20 years later when I made the decision to step-back from the agency, move into a NED role, and set up my own consultancy business, Andrew Bloch & Associates. I’m not really one for self-reflection. I’ve always believed you should never get too high on the highs or too low on the lows, but it’s hard to make a decision like that and not look back on everything that’s happened during those years. When I reflect now, I’m very proud of all we achieved. BDM: What people or brands have you worked with directly and what did you do for them? Andrew: Our client list over the years read like a who’s who of some of the world’s most loved brands and I’ve been lucky enough to work with the likes of Coca Cola, Budweiser, Rimmel, EA Games, 20th Century Fox, Aldi, Deliveroo, Mastercard, BBC, Burger King, Doritos…and many more. I had to pinch myself sometimes when the phone rang with a new business enquiry. There are thousands of PR agencies out there, so I never took it for granted that we had made it onto a company’s radar. It's one thing to represent all these amazing brands, but to do great work, requires great clients, and I’ve been fortunate to have had lots of them too. There have been so many great campaigns over the years, it’s almost impossible to single them out, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be our work for HP Sauce. We brokered a deal that saw HP Sauce become the first ever brand to sponsor a ball in snooker (the brown ball obviously). And to commemorate the deal, we got the legendary snooker player, Jimmy White to change his name by deed poll to Jimmy Brown for the duration of the Masters snooker championship. We wound up the BBC who were broadcasting the tournament, by getting Jimmy’s lawyers to write to them, insisting that if they wanted him to play then they must refer to him by his new moniker. They went mad, playing right into our hands, and the re-

sulting talkability® was like nothing I had ever seen before. Another favourite for me was our work for Compare the Meerkat. Our brief was to make a fictional, talking meerkat famous. We could never have predicted how popular Aleksandr Orlov would go on to be. We had his catchphrase ‘Simples’ recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary, launched a “Meer-chat” podcast where he interviewed Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff, premiered his ad in London Zoo’s meerkat enclosure and released a limited-edition cuddly toy. Today, over ten years later, a stuffed meerkat is still given away with each policy sold via the website, and people are still going mad for them. I just wish I had negotiated a share of revenue on them in lieu of fees. One final campaign that deserves a mention is the work that we did with Burger King last year to ditch all plastic toys from their junior meals. The Meltdown campaign was created and the move was commemorated by melting a giant toy – an oversized jeep-driving bunny called Beep Beep – on Southbank. It was a major step away from Burger King’s use of single-use plastics and is predicted to save 320 tonnes of plastic each year. Burger King invited the public to donate old plastic toys to amnesty bins and the plastic collected was transformed into ‘interactive play opportunities for families’ at Burger King restaurants. Each plastic toy donation, even if not from Burger King, was rewarded with free Junior Meals. The PR campaign attracted global publicity and was widely praised by the media. We further fuelled the publicity by cheekily encouraging Burger King’s 'friendly' rival McDonald's to join the plastic-free movement.

“I’ve always believed you should never get too high on the highs or too low on the lows.”

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020 terview

BDM: You have worked for Alan Sugar as a PR Advisor since 2000 and for all of The Apprentice winners since the show started in 2005. I’m what a heck of a gig! You must have some stories to tell the grandkids as they say, what sticks out for you the most from this experience?

on a TV programme, and being able to work with them right from the beginning, establishing their businesses and using the fame and publicity they’ve had to channel it into the right direction is such an interesting part of the job.

Andrew: Yes, it is definitely one hell of a gig, and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him and learn from him. Representing individuals is very different to representing brands. Its more personal. More intense. I’ve been there with Lord Sugar through the highs and the lows. We started working with his company Amstrad in the early days of Frank, and we did a decent job, and then over time I got to meet Alan Sugar, we got on well, and the relationship built. When you work with someone personally, it’s a relationship that is built on trust and you get used to each other’s styles. He took the role on The Apprentice in 2005, so fifteen years ago. And my role, as well as looking after his personal PR, has always been – when someone wins the show – to take them on and represent them.

Lord Sugar is someone that when people know you work with him, they always ask “what is he really like?”, they’re just interested in him…I’ve always said that with him what you see is very much what you get: He is incredibly bright, a brilliant businessman, but the bit you don’t see necessarily behind the camera or outside of the programme is that he is an incredibly fair, generous, loyal man. He is a role model to a lot of people, as a result of what he has achieved in life. He has taught me a lot, in terms of work ethic and I often look at him and I think, he’s someone in his 70s, he really doesn’t need the money, he doesn’t need to work, but he totally loves what he does, and he’s so passionate and efficient and effective at what he does. He just gets stuff done, but at the same time he has a really good work-life balance, he certainly enjoys life as well as working, I can send him an email or call him, and I know that whatever day of the week, whatever time of the day, he will come back to me within a couple of hours – maximum! – more normally within a minute or two. I’ve never had to chase him for anything… he’s super-efficient and I think I’ve learned a lot from his style of working.

So, for the first 10 or so years of The Apprentice, they got a job working for him in one of his companies, and then, more recently, the winning has been an investment from him, so he puts £250,000 into the business of the winner and they become business partners. I take them on when they win, I help them shape their business plan, and from a PR point of view, it is important to turn them from being TV contestants into respected business people in their own fields. And I think it’s really interesting, as you see people going through the process every year: they don’t quite know what to expect, they don’t know Lord Sugar particularly well, because they’ve just been

When you watch him on The Apprentice, it’s a bit of a caricature. You don’t see some of his other traits: such as how sharp he is as a business person, his loyalty to his staff and his family side – he’s such a role model in terms of being a strong

Y O U AR E N E V E R T O O R E AD Y ! family man with great values and principles. You probably also don’t see his sense of humour in the same way. He is very funny and entertaining. And, of course, you don’t see all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes when you’re having to deal with aggressive media or other obstacles. When it comes to stand-out moments, they are probably for the wrong reasons in that they’re the headaches. When he was announced as Enterprise Tsar and made a lord, the media went to town saying there was a conflict between that and his role on The Apprentice and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such intense media attack. We went into battle on that one. I don’t think either of us will ever forget it. But there have also been some lovely moments. I was invited to the House of Lords for the ennoblement ceremony and was a guest at Lord Sugar and Lady Ann’s 40th wedding anniversary party. And I’ve been lucky enough to have lunch on his boat, Lady A. BDM: How important is PR in business and what should be the ultimate goal of a successful PR campaign? Andrew: Clearly, I’m biased, but PR in my opinion is a critical part of the marketing mix for any business. The ultimate goal of any successful PR campaign has to be linked back to achieving business objectives. There is no point doing PR for the sake of doing PR. Everything you do should elicit a reaction and get people to sit up and take notice. BDM: There are some misconceptions that PR is a waste of time and money. What would you say to those people that are saying this? Andrew: They haven’t been using the right PR person. BDM: Are you still participating in other media opportunities and if so what's the best way for people to contact you? Andrew: I’m always open to hearing about new and exciting opportunities. You can email me at ab@andrewbloch.co.uk

EMOTIONAL FITNESS:

A-Z FOR POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH Have you ever wondered why some people manage their emotions more than others? We all have our ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ in life, reacting to events emotionally. We can ‘t just ‘get over’ our emotions. But we can learn to notice them and work on them on a daily basis. This is where preventative measures and emotional fitness are key. In this book, experienced coach and trainer Clare Davis discusses 26 easy ways to increase the positive emotions in your life and improve your emotional fitness, with plenty of practical activities to help you put theory into practice.

or find me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbloch/

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

YOU ARE NEVER TOO READY!! BDM PR Week shared an article explaining your decision to move to a non executive role at Frank, what was the reason for this and what’s next for Andrew Bloch? (https://www.prweek.com/article/1680606/frankco-founder-andrew-bloch-moves-non-executiverole) Andrew At the beginning of this year, I decided to move into a non-executive role. It wasn’t an easy decision. I love Frank. I’d spent nearly half my life there. But 20 years in, the time felt right. The agency was in a great place. It was continuing to produce award-winning work for amazing clients. There was an excellent senior team in place. And, more so than ever, I just felt the urge to try something different. In May, I set up Andrew Bloch & Associates and I now work across three different areas: 1. Advisory Boards - I’ve been advising fast growth companies like Propel and Phoenix51 to help them build their offering, develop their brand, design their sales proposition and manage their marketing. A large part of my job is connecting them to agencies and the right people that can help solve their problems. I’m working in the M&A space for PCB Partners, advising their buy-side clients who are looking to make strategic acquisitions in the marketing services area, and on the sell-side of the business, I’m advising marketing services agencies who are looking for an exit. I’ve also carried on with my work for Lord Sugar and his associated companies.

brands find celebrity influencers and vice versa – I got Karren Brady to be the face of the Tide charity campaign, Fred Sirieix to launch campaigns for Bumble and Avvio, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Claude Littner to paint their nails pink in support of Future Dreams’ Let’s Nail Breast Cancer campaign and am currently working with Dillian Whyte to get sponsorship for his forthcoming heavyweight fight. 3. Charities and not-for-profits - This year, I joined The Prince's Trust’s business launch group panel - this charity founded by Prince Charles is helping young entrepreneurs start businesses, build confidence and get a job. My role as a business mentor on the panel is to ensure that the business plans presented are sustainable and viable. I’m also working with Big Community Records, an independent record label set up by the COO of Google that helps young black people from lower socio-economic backgrounds break-through in the music scene. On top of that, I’m mentoring at the School of Communication Arts and am an advisor to the School of Marketing. That’s pretty much what I’ve been up to in the last six months! I’m not sure what the next six months will hold, but I’m sure it won’t be boring!

2. Brands, agencies and celebrities - I’ve started an advisory service that helps brands, agencies and celebrities create new business relationships. I help brands find the right agencies, help agencies meet and win news clients, and help link celebrities and influencers with brands. I have partnered with AAR, and am responsible for leading and expanding their consultancy practise as well as developing new approaches to supporting both brands and PR agencies. I’ve also been doing a bit of work directly with clients. I’ve launched Cert - a new household cleaning product that can kill Covid within 60 seconds, and helped Tide Bank launch a charity fund to help small businesses that are struggling during the pandemic. At the same time, I’m helping 10

Helping Businesses navigate the post corvid world www.bestbusinessdigest.com

HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BRAND

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

Ayelet Noff is the Founder and CEO of SlicedBrand, one of the world’s leading global tech PR agencies, headquartered in Berlin and led by an award -winning team with over 40 years of experience.

ou've been in the marketing and Public Relations game for some time now. Why did you get into PR and does it still get you excited? In 2006 I was introduced to the whole world of social media. I fell in love with it and quickly understood the potential for businesses to utilize these networks in order to get their messages across the world to the masses. I recognized this type of marketing could be a highly costefficient tool, especially for start-ups who are short on resources. I started educating companies in 2006 about why they should be on social media. At first folks looked at me like I was crazy, but quickly, especially start-up entrepreneurs started to realize what I was talking about. At this time, I also understood that other than social media, it was important for companies to be recognized on top tier publications. It was not enough that these businesses shouted their messages out on their own channels, but they needed to receive the credibility of top journalists in order to really be trusted and truly grow. At the time, I was living in Israel and I recognized there was so much amazing technology there but because

start-ups did not have the same access as Silicon Valley start-ups to reporters or investors, they most often failed to succeed. Coming from the US and having those relationships to top influencers already in place plus knowing how to market products globally, I wanted to help these companies. I felt that I could be their diplomat to the world. That’s how I started. I connected these entrepreneurs with reporters from publications such as TechCrunch, Wall St Journal, NY Times, as well as Silicon Valley influencers and investors. I opened doors for them. This was an amazing feeling that I got addicted to – connecting amazing tech entrepreneurs with the folks and tools who could help them spread their messages to the whole world. Since then, I have made quite a reputation for myself in the industry and today I work with tech companies all over the world (including the US, Europe, Middle East, Australia, even Africa) helping them craft their stories and making sure they get the brand recognition they deserve.

Which has been your most memorable moment to date? I would say that launching ‘Yo’, the mobile app, to the world, and seeing it turn from an unknown app to a worldwide phenomenon within a few hours is one of my most memorable moments. We beat Instagram’s record and achieved one million downloads within just a few hours. Even though Amazon launched their phone that day, no one cared. The Yo news swept across the web like wild fire. Twitter was flooded with tweets about the new app. We were covered multiple times the first week on TechCrunch, Mashable, and other top tier publications. We even made it to Stephen Colbert’s show and ‘Silicon Valley’ made a parody about it with an app called ‘Bro’. Yo was of course a most memorable moment. But honestly, every single time I get a client in a top tier publication, it’s a memorable moment for me. I love building companies up and bringing them to greatness and positive recognition through on-going and consistent PR efforts. I’ve done that with so many companies, including Viber, StoreDot, Applause, and many more. If someone wants to get a career in Public Relations, what’s the best advice you could give them? PR is full of turbulence and unexpected turns. Always stay calm, collected, and keep your focus on the goals that you set for yourself from the beginning. It will lead you to success.

which can often take days, if not weeks. If you’re working with a start-up, you can just email the CEO and get a response asap.

©Dan Taylor Photography

“At SlicedBrand we don’t see ourselves as an external PR firm, but rather as an extension of our clients’ teams. That’s one of our core values.”

What big brands have you worked with and what are the pros and cons to working with brands of these sizes? I’ve worked with many big brands including Google, Microsoft, Intel, HP. I would say the advantage of working with big brands is obviously the name recognition aspect. You don’t need to explain who the company is or what it does. Reporters are also obviously more likely interested in writing about a big name and you don’t need to convince them. Then again, I see that as a disadvantage as well because I like the challenge of bringing new start-ups to the awareness of reporters and convincing them to write, only for them to later understand they had a part in making history. Another disadvantage about big companies is that they’re much less agile - if you need a response for a reporter asap on a story he’s writing, there’s usually an approval process

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020 tures as if they were our very own. At SlicedBrand we don’t see ourselves as an external PR firm, but rather as an extension of our clients’ teams. That’s one of our core values.

You were named as one of the top 50 PR Pros in the Tech Industry in 2017 by Business Insider. How did that make you feel knowing all your hard work has paid off? https://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-prpeople-in-tech-of-2017-8 It made me feel amazing of course to be recognized for my work, especially because that year the list was compiled based on journalists’ recommendations. If you know anything about PR, you know that it’s all about the connections you hold. Therefore, the fact that I got this recognition based on journalists’ feedback, meant the world to me. I was also just selected on November 25th as one of the top 36 PR Pros in the tech industry in 2020 by Business Insider. Guess I moved from top 50 to top 36 J This time the list was based on journalists’ recommendations, company profile, and experience. https://www.businessinsider.com/top-publicrelations-experts-in-the-technology-industry-2020 -11?r=DE&IR=T#ayelet-noff-founder-and-ceoslicedbrand-25 And yes, of course it feels great. But what makes me feel even better, is seeing the smiles on my clients faces regarding the dedicated work that we’re doing for them. We treat our clients’ ven-

It made me feel amazing of course to be recognized for my work, especially because that year the list was compiled based on journalists’ recommendations. If you know anything about PR, you know that it’s all about the connections you hold. Therefore, the fact that I got this recognition based on journalists’ feedback, meant the world to me. I was also just selected on November 25th as one of the top 36 PR Pros in the tech industry in 2020 by Business Insider. Guess I moved from top 50 to top 36 J This time the list was based on journalists’ recommendations, company profile, and experience. And yes, of course it feels great. But what makes me feel even better, is seeing the smiles on my clients faces regarding the dedicated work that we’re doing for them. We treat our clients’ ventures as if they were our very own. At SlicedBrand we don’t see ourselves as an external PR firm, but rather as an extension of our clients’ teams. That’s one of our core values.

You’ve come such a long way but what’s next for Ayelet Noff? I founded my second PR firm SlicedBrand at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Our vision is to offer the most experienced senior team to clients, while taking on only clients with a vision that we can share - keeping quality truly high on both ends. Our team has over 40 years of experience collectively. I lead all the accounts personally and I love it. Clients know if they come to us, they will be in the best hands and we can be selective about who we want to work with. 14

HOW TO TAKE YOUR PROMOTIONAL SKILLS TO THE NEXT LEVEL no longer want to be identified with things they don’t relate or care about. Taking your promotional skills to the next level will entail stirring the consumer’s emotions, this will help gain their attention and make the products or services you are offering known to them at a personal level.

oving your promotional skills to a much updated version is very important. Understanding how to take these promotional skills to the next level is GROWTH. There are various ways of getting to the next level : Being authentic  Creating an authentic content not only gives you uniqueness in the industry but also provides a platform that gives you an advantage over your competitors. Consumers nowadays are craving for originality in a product or services. Originality is evident in stories and anecdotes that are unique to you. 

Relating with consumer’s emotions. People

Know how to connect with people  As you are doing a promotion, it important not to make it all gloomy. Jokes and fun add life to the promotion. A happy people will always tend to impulse buy due to the state they are in. We can therefore conclude that humor is essential as you are promoting your goods or products. 

the required commodity is needed is key. Studying the trends that reveal when certain products are needed most will take you to the next level. One can keep up with trends through social media and networking. 

For you to be successful, you will need to plan and put more time in your cause as well as effort. This applies too in the business world. Understanding context really helps in provoking and quickening reactions in the business world. This is all aimed at creating a strong root for the goods or services you want to market.

Doing a promotion when

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

TIPS TO GAIN MEDIA ATTENTION

finding ways in which they affect your business. For example, find ways in which fluctuating oil prices affects your business operation. Write articles and allow journalists to include your organization in their news coverage.

etting media coverage is very important to your business as it is a form of advertisement and therefore leads to an increase

of sales. •

•

Media focuses on every manner of news and most of the common news end up not getting the full attention of the media since they are considered to be norms. As a business owner it is important to think about what makes you stand out from your competitors? What attributes does your company possess that makes it special? Identifying such will make the media give you its full attention.

•

Getting your business noticed by the local community is also a major step to get media attention. One of the ways to ensure this is done is by sponsoring community events like football tournaments. This can make you get interviewed by reporters and make your business known.

Understanding the dynamics of media is also important. Media covers stories that are:     

Unique or unusual. Emotional: news that evoke the emotions of the audience. News that cover prominent people. Not old but timely. Controversial.

Understanding the media that publishes news and stories that are trending will enable you to associate and partner with successful companies.

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Also, you will have to become a media consumer. Understanding what type of media your target market consumes is important. This helps you in knowing the channel to use to reach your market and gain new market.

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Thinking outside the box. This can be done by engaging big world trends and

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

itself. Moreover, people trust what they see more often to what is being advertised.

ublic relations or commonly known as PR is very important to any business. Understanding the importance of public relations will help you build a wide market for your products and services. These are the important points of good public relation:

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As you are at the beginning of a new business, creating good public relations is essential. Remember you have not established yourself in the market hence giving a reason for customers to come back is key. In the long run, through public relations, you will have established loyal customers to your goods or services.

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Having good public relations gives you an advantage over your competitors. Customers tend to go more where they are given attention, problems solved and employees who are courteous while dealing with them. This will in turn boost your image and credibility.

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Good public relations will help you save the costs of paid advertisement. This is because public relation is a form of advertisement in

•

Another important factor is that it will lead to strengthening of community relations. This can be done through engaging in community activities and joining social. Promotes your brand. Good public relation is important in creating a great reputation to your brand and organization. Those in line with your brand will get positivity through the good public relation your organization displays. In the business journey, it’s not always smooth and fun. Challenges like unsatisfied consumers in our products. Will arise. At such critical times public relations is important in managing the reputation of the business. Conducting a press release can help in damage control thus upholding the business’ s reputation.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire Public Relations Officers. Daniel J. Boorstin

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

Mental Health and Wellbeing During Lockdown

Covid-19 has definitely tested us. Are you thinking, when is this all going to end? Unfortunately we don’t know, and we will probably have many more changes before it does come to an end. What can we do to help ourselves through this? How can we turn the negatives into positives? We can build our resilience muscle and learn to bounce back when we are feeling overwhelmed. What does this mean? We can choose the way we think when changes occur, so we feel wiser, more confident and more empowered. What daily challenges have you had to deal with in the workplace? How are you coping with these challenges? What are you doing to build your resilience and bounce back when you are feeling like you cannot cope? f we don’t learn to understand and manage our emotions, our mental health and even our life is at risk. Poor mental health can become a downward spiral that affects our relationships, our performance at work, and our physical health if we don’t do something about it.

“When you swim in deep water, adjust your strokes to get to the land.”

his is why we need to use preventative measures.

Here are 5 things I have brought into my day to help me cope: •

Have a purpose for the day. Know what I want to achieve and aim to achieve it. I don’t make the goals too large, as I know if I try to do too many things I will find it overwhelming. I have understood I should aim to achieve a few less things, and not try to cram too many things into my day.

•

Make sure I have a routine. Every morning I make sure I do some exercise with meditation at the same time to set me up for the day. I also make sure I’ve got a routine if the children are at home due to being in isolation if they have a child in their year group with Covid-19. Another routine is to go for a walk at the end of the day together. This helps us clear our heads and feel more relaxed for the evening.

•

Be grateful for what you have. I do this by writing a gratitude diary every evening. I write down 5-10 things I am grateful for. It helps me sleep better as I am going to sleep with positive thoughts, not the worries of the day.

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Keep in touch with positive people. When I am feeling isolated, I make sure I phone a friend who I know will cheer me up. Positive people really help me feel positive. Working from home can feel very isolating. We do not have the chats in the kitchen or over the water cooler. Make sure you build contact with others into your day so you are feeling like you are part of a team.

•

I believe if we can bring positive mental health into our day every day, we will cope better in these tough times. How do you bring positive mental health into your daily life? What do you do for yourself? I have written a book, Emotional Fitness: A-Z for Positive Mental Health to help. It is full of activities to help you to build your resilience muscle, bringing activities into your life to help you bounce back. It is an action book, helps you be in charge of your emotions and help your emotions be more on an even keel, than the ‘Coronacoaster’ we may have experienced since March.

What I have been most amazed about are the comments and messages I have received from people telling me that they’ve never thought of emotional fitness and using preventative measures before. People started sharing their stories - stories of depression and anxiety, even suicidal thoughts. When I asked them whether they’d ever had advice about preventative measures, most of them said Accept this is the way it is. We don’t know they were told to ‘get over it’. But we can’t just when it is going to end. We don’t know how ‘get over’ our emotions. We need to work on them on a daily basis and take responsibility things will be in a year's time. Let’s accept for them. This is where preventative measures that. Let’s not grumble and say, ‘if only.’ It and emotional fitness are key. can simply make us feel worse. If we can accept this and make the most of it, we can aim to get the best we can out of this difficult situation.

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

IS ALL PRESS GOOD PRESS?

ress is always important to an organization. This is due to the fact that it makes the public become aware of a company offering certain commodities and services. Awareness of such a company will make it easy for the public to purchase from it and thus increase in sales. However, press can either be positive or negative depending on your relationship with them. This leads to the question, is all press good press? For startups and small businesses press can affect their operation hugely. Negative information released by the press about such businesses will kill their morale and make the public lose confidence in them. In this case, the negative press is not good at all. Critics may argue that it is good for the business since a lot of people will become aware of it regardless. However, such misinformation can kill a business. The press has a responsibility to produce facts that are supported by evidence. Their role is to make sure that the information

they report is accurate. Not all press is good press. A lot of things can go wrong in the world today. A competitor may leak confidential information to the press about your company tarnishing its name in the eyes of the public. Or an employee or ex-employee can mischievously leak bad information to clients or the press. The public relation department has to work tirelessly in restoring the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image. This is a long route. An image that took years to build can be destroyed in a short time. The public will take a long time to trust the organization again. Yes, the company will hit the news headlines for a couple of days or weeks but getting back to the reputation it had would be difficult. Negative press affects business operation negatively. Working on positive press should be key to your organization for it will result positively to the business sales. Therefore, good press should be positive and not all press is good press.

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

Public Relations in the Bespoke Tailoring Industry Jamie Henfrey Founder of Marc Oliver

think of luxury, smoothness, and speed. Ray-Ban is classic and cool.

n a world as competitive, and sometimes cut-throat, as the fashion and luxury tailoring industry, the public’s perception of your business is of enormous importance.

What does your brand image say about you? You should be able to sum up your own brand in a sentence, and then portray this brand identity in everything you do.

Indeed, for just about any business, reputation is paramount. But in tailoring, where so many clients come via word of mouth and personal recommendation, it can sometimes only take one bad word to bring the house down.

3. Build media relations I recently read about a start-up company in another industry (e-bikes, no less), who without having even launched their product, had done over four hundred thousand pounds in pre-sales. Their trick? Hiring freelance PR consultants and putting the word out in industry magazines. It was a risk, since they then were under immense pressure to deliver on time, but this does show the power of the media.

I’ve seen it many times (though thankfully it’s never happened to me), where a tailoring business gets off to a flying start, dresses the influencers, and reels in the clients, before letting standards slip and petering out. Just like that, their day in the sun is over. In my decades working in this industry, I’m fortunate to have learnt a huge amount about managing a company’s public relations -- some lessons are obvious, while some are all too often overlooked: 1. Consistent quality over everything else This is where so many go awry. PR is, in short, a business of persuasion. And your most persuasive argument for convincing someone to pay for your services is quite simple: the quality of your work. It’s all well and good having the media connections and the influential clientele, but if your product dips in quality, your business will be unsustainable. This, I feel, is where a lot of new tailoring businesses go astray. Brand image, voice, and marketing are seriously important, but never take your focus away from making a great product, time and time again. It’s this, after all, which makes you trustworthy. And when there are thousands of pounds of someone’s hard-earned income at stake, trust is everything. 2. Have a strong brand image Every point of contact your business has with the public -- your website, slogans and captions, social media feed, blog content and imagery, should create a simple and memorable impression. Think of some of the strongest brands in the world: Apple draws connotations of clean, simply packaged technology. When we think of Aston Martin, we

Forging relationships with journalists and editors quite simply gets more eyes on your company, therefore more leads, therefore more clients. Imagine the boost your tailoring business could get if you were featured in the likes of GQ, Monocle, or Harper’s Bazaar. But how should we go about building relationships with these publications? Many of them ask for payment to feature your brand. If you have the bankroll, why not go for it? But another method is to check out social media feeds on the likes of Twitter, and approach the journalists themselves. We live in a content crazy world after all, and there’s always a demand for more. 4. Weigh up whether “freebies” are worth it. In the tailoring business, you’re regularly getting asked to dress celebrities and social media influencers for free, or for a heavy discount. This economy of “exposure” is something that grates on all creators, be they writers, artists, musicians, or tailors. After all, working for free literally costs you money. You have to ask yourself, quite simply, if it’s worth it. A simple way of doing this is to ask where it’s going to get you -- what’s the return? If the social media guy with 50,000 followers, most of whom are earning graduate salaries, asks for a free suit, it’s probably not worth your while. But if George Clooney comes calling to get dressed for the Academy Awards, perhaps you should consider.

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020 5. Maintain a high level of customer service Your most important branch of PR is your customer service. PR is much more than just magazine features and social media feeds, after all. It’s literally the relationship you have with the public. It’s all well and good creating a

buzz and getting the clients through the door, but their treatment while dealing with you is what makes them: a) become a return customer, and b) spread the word about your business. Treat your client with respect, integrity, and honesty right the way through their experience with you.

Starting with the initial phone call or email, to meeting the customer for a fitting, through your correspondence while their garments are being made, right the way to final delivery. Do this, and you’ll create a lasting positive impression of your business. That’s some of the best PR you can do.

HOW TO BECOME A PUBLICIST

ecoming a publicist is one of the few careers that is exciting and provides the opportunity to work with distinguished companies as well as individuals. A publicist is someone whose basic responsibility is to maintain a good public image of their client. To kick start this journey one needs to: 

Getting an undergraduate degree in public relation or any related discipline is the first step to becoming a publicist. The course will equip you with the skills and know how to manage the image of a client.

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As a publicist you will need to become a critical thinker. Remember the entire image of a client depends on you.

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Mastery of good communication skills is very essential since they are entitled in writing detailed press release and able to talk eloquently to the media. Also, the art of good communication skill comes in handy when the client or company is running a campaign.

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As a person interested in becoming a publicist, building a portfolio at an early age is important. Keeping records, newspapers, press releases will not only show your potential employer that you are enthusiastic but also ready to work.

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As a publicist, you will have to be smart and sharp. Many times journalists expose you by asking difficult questions that if answered incorrectly end up tarnishing the image of your client. Creativity is essential here since you will be required to turn the tables by turning the negative into something positive.

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And for you to become a successful publicist, having your client’s interest at heart is key. Don’t just do your work for the pay but own the company’s interest. This is clearly seen whenever you turn a developing situation as a platform to improve the client’s image.

By following the above guidelines, you can be sure in having a successful career.

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020

Lion Spirit Media Puts the Roar Back into Content with a new Online Store

P R O M O T I O N

Strategic content marketing and PR company, Lion Spirit Media, has unveiled its comprehensive and convenient online store, Roaring Content. By combining people, storytelling and technology, the business is offering its customers bespoke, high-quality and reliable content, with an easy order-now ‘menu’ style process that delivers perfectly crafted words quickly.

spoke, engaging and converting content, but in a simple ‘on-the-go’ easy to order format. It is the perfect solution for busy businesses that love content and know how valuable it is for their existing and potential customers, but that simply don’t have enough hours in the day,” shared Nick Jolliffe, Operations Director, Lion Spirit Media.

“In the Covid-19 Many busilandscape, we’ve ness foundseen traditional ers and networking meetmarketing ings, conferences managers and large-scale struggle to events be put on sift through hold. Now more the vast than ever, brands amounts of are turning to their data and digital marketing research to efforts to connect, put together engage and delivcontent that er the solutions will attract they need, Roartheir target ing Content will audiences. help to achieve Another this goal,” added huge barrier Natasha. in today’s fast-paced At Roaring ConNatasha Spencer-Jolliffe business world is tent, customers can order finding the time to write targeted and effecfrom a wide collection of 25 affordable tive content. content products, ranging from website Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, Creative and Communications Director, Lion Spirit Media and Roaring Content, explained: “We’re passionate about delivering unique, high-quality and affordable content for businesses. We also think that getting ROI -driven and suitable content for online marketing efforts shouldn’t be complex or time -consuming. This thought process led to the conception of Roaring Content.” “Through our experience, knowledge and communication with our customers, we recognised the need for the same be-

main page content, blogs and social media posts, to case studies and articles for online and print publications. With a handpicked team of over 60 experienced, dedicated and specialist writers from across the UK and around the globe, Roaring Content can cater to specialist industries and produce leading technical content too. Businesses are paired perfectly with the best content creator to meet their exact writing requirements.

We created Lion Spirit Media in 2015 to remove the traditional confines of business communication and speak from the heart. It’s seen us deliver a whole host of strategic, all-encompassing digital marketing services, tailored to customers’ needs. Roaring Content is the energetic sister of Lion Spirit Media, designed for businesses that are looking for the same authentic, engaging and high-quality content; but on-the-go via a few clicks,” explained Natasha. “We designed the ‘menu’ style website so it is really quick and easy to use. Customers can order straight away or complete our simple and

quick questionnaire for our experienced and knowledgeable insights on what types of content perfectly align with their goals.” All content is managed and edited by an inhouse journalist and editor before reaching a client’s inbox within five days of placing an order. There is automatic access to a personal portal, where orders can be monitored. This means customers know exactly when the content will be available and ready to be read and consumed by their target audiences. For more information, visit roaringcontent.com

BUSINESS DIGEST DECEMBER 2020