1. I pulled a calf muscle after 5k which while very frustrating was quite exciting as it’s the only thing I’ve pulled in months

2. My new hip, it seems, was donated by a tortoise

3. While my head still thinks I am in my twenties, my heart reminded me I was in my fifties

Still, I managed to raise £700 for The Christie, Euro RSCG PR’s chosen charity, with more promised that should take it to £1000.00, so it was all worth it in the (not so) long run.  And it was a ‘timely’ reminder of how important sport has been to me over the ages and how, even now, if I don’t do exercise I get depressed.

Swimming was first at Swinton Baths, where you were considered posh if you didn’t have a verruca.  Every week, the aptly named Mrs. Barrow tried to teach 40 kids to swim in a pool that now would be considered to be no more than a foot spa.  She failed to keep me afloat but I did get a certificate for diving in to rescue a brick dressed in my pyjamas.  Not surprisingly, I have never had to use this skill to date but it is very reassuring to know I can, if needed.

Then football, with playing for Swinton Labour Club for years being the highlight of my career.  If it looked like a game was going into extra time and we might miss last orders – with clubs only being licensed until 2.00pm on Sundays in those days – we’d throw the game so we could get back for the beer, pie and peas and cabaret, with such greats as Bunny Lewis, Aidan J. Harvey and a man who used to bang a tray over his head singing ‘Rawhide’.  Or was it ‘Mule Train’?

Squash I discovered at university and actually became quite good at it, playing North West Counties Division 2 for many years, making some good friends and losing two teeth somewhere along the way.  I have actually been tempted out of retirement by the guys at Knutsford to play team squash again next year, which isn’t quite a Paul Scholes type return but could be the best/worst sporting decision I have ever made.  And I played racquet ball last week, which is like squash, but slower.

Marathon running was very much of the 1980s when I was in my late twenties/early thirties.  Having struggled with the 10k it seems bizarre that I used to run 26 miles plus, if not comfortably then certainly knowing I was going to do it in a very credible time, albeit in the long term at the expense of my knees and my hips.  Watching the runners in the recent Manchester marathon plod on through the wind and the rain I was reminded of my mate who has run 302 marathons to my 5!

In the seven ages of man, golf takes centre stage next.  It is, without doubt, the most frustrating game ever.  The harder you try, the worse you become.  I have never had a hole in one; have only ever had one eagle; but have had a plethora of double bogeys and worse, as I struggle to play to my handicap of 18.  A good walk spoiled is how the game is described and that is how I feel most days, with me standing too close to the ball…after I have hit it.

Next will be crown green bowling, I’m sure, with dominoes in my dotage.  And I will still play to win.  As Victor Lombardi says, ‘If it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, why do we keep score?’

At the beginning of the season Ferguson said he didn’t need to invest heavily in the squad as he believed it to be amongst the best in Europe.  The fact that we got knocked out of the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions’ League and the Europa League and lost out on the title in our worst season for seven years suggests otherwise.

Indeed, it is a miracle that we finished runners up with one of the weakest squads ever assembled at Old Trafford.  No doubt we will be assured that a ‘war chest’ will be made available for next season – around the time season tickets have to be renewed, usually – but this will be petty cash compared with what City, and others, will be spending.

We didn’t miss out on the title because Ferguson picked the wrong team for the derby.  The out of form and out of condition Park; Nani, the one trick pony, instead of Valencia, our player of the season; and played a centre half at full back, again.  We lost it because we can only invest in potential, rather than proven ability, or recall past masters.

Jones, Smalling and Welbeck may well make it but they are work in progress, as is Evans (with a bit more work needed as far as he is concerned.)  Rafael is an average squad player and I am not sure he has a twin brother as I can’t remember seeing them together.  And Hernandez has experienced classic second season syndrome.

Scholes proved he is the best player the Premiership has ever seen, but where is his successor?  Well as he has played this season it certainly isn’t Carrick, who is neither a Cantona like play maker or a Roy Keane midfield general.  Giggs can’t go on for ever, on the football field at least.  And Rio is deceptive – he is now slower than he looks.

Meanwhile, who will want to join United with our salary cap?  It may be immoral that a player can earn 250k a week, but no fan would turn down a better paid job so why should we be indignant when a footballer gets what he can?  Long term, salaries for such mercenaries may destroy the game but in the short term, winning is everything.

Ferguson wants to leave a legacy and to do so, he must stand up to his masters and insist that funds are made available and quickly.  City’s title win was only a matter of time once their new owners took over.  Likewise, our steady decline was inevitable once our new owners revealed their true colours.

No doubt I will get the mailer shortly with my season ticket renewal form.  I would never/could never stop supporting United but somehow I have to make my displeasure known.  Do I go or do I stay?  That is the big question and one that Ferguson should be asking of himself too.  You are only as good as your last figures/season…

Depressed of Manchester

Today sees the publication of Euro RSCG’s new Prosumer Report, ‘This Digital Life’. Looking at the post-technology era it investigates how consumers and the trend-setting ‘prosumers’ are reacting to an age in which digital tools are seemingly omnipresent and asks how healthy we think this is.

As a digital addict I felt the report was refreshing and, even, shocking. People all across the world are experiencing the same digital anxieties as myself, the ones I try to suppress. You know the feeling, the guilt as you check in to a restaurant before you say hello to your date, the photograph you ‘like’ on Facebook of the old friend you’ve not physically seen since you left school.

But these anxieties concern relationships and actually the report uncovers some more philosophical concerns. The highlight, for me, is the comparison between religion and technology looking at the facets of omniscience, community, knowledge, self-examination, good-works and prophets.

Living our lives in the open, under the mantra of this technological force, can see us devout ourselves to achieving more Klout, to having more re-pins and to – literally – gaining more ‘followers’. In turn, we become the prophets for the demi-gods themselves, such as Google, Facebook and Apple.

Hyperbole, certainly, yet it’s tongue-in-cheek and a reminder that our behaviours aren’t as ‘free’ as we think they are, despite the mobile world.

In fact, as Kevin Slavin points out, we are living under an ever increasing ‘tyranny of algorithm’ in which 57 signals monitored by Google act as filters for what we see, read and do.

So it’s no surprise that 69% of prosumers in the report worry about society’s lack of community and interconnectedness.

Is it the closer we become online the further we become in our real lives?

Well, no, not really. In the report we can clearly pinpoint a trend to wanting more privacy, a better quality of information and from a break from relentless progress. It’s not a rejection but a natural progression as people cope with a new age of information freedom and ever increasing time pressures.

The new way forward will be for marketers to help consumers achieve a long-term satisfaction and escape the quick rush which is currently the norm.

I believe this requires a return to the values of the old British community and incorporates respect, tolerance, disciple and family.

Give people an idea, let them connect in the digital and physical world and invest in this as a community of ideas. It’s an adjustment of our current lives and a chance for reflection, to help us enjoy our digital life again.

Now if you can please re-tweet this and ‘like’ it as quickly as possible, that would be great…

By Jon Welsh

Latest win for Euro RSCG

The Manchester office of Euro RSCG PR has been appointed by Thomas Cook to run its regional press office, providing support to its 1,200 stores across the UK. The agency will report in to the company’s national press office team in Peterborough.

The tour operator is the second largest leisure travel group in the UK with around 19,000 employees and has just launched its biggest brand campaign to date under the strap line ‘It is a wonderful world. Explore it with us.’

Commenting on the appointment, Bronwen Griffiths-Barrasso, Director of PR for Thomas Cook, said: “Euro’s retail credentials were extremely impressive, as was their knowledge of the changing media landscape. We are delighted to have them on board.”

This year sees the 140^th anniversary since Thomas Cook, the company’s founder, embarked on a round the world tour. It now sends more than six million passengers abroad each year and is the largest retailer of UK holidays.

Managing Director, Brian Beech, who will head up a team of six on the account, is delighted to have added another of the country’s best known brands to Euro’s client portfolio.

“Thomas Cook is a fantastic new business win for us, coinciding as it does with the
Wonderful World campaign which is set to inspire holidaymakers and showcase the
breadth and diversity of destinations – at home and abroad – offered by the
company.

“These are exciting times for Thomas Cook and we’re looking forward to working with store colleagues who we know have a great story to tell, especially as lots of them have travelled the world twice over!”

Euro RSCG PR’s other clients include Asda, Pets at Home, Greggs, Debenhams, High and Mighty, The Original Factory Shop, Vileda and Mecca Bingo

I organised the first Piccadilly Radio Marathon with ex-United commentator Tom Tyrell and I’m sure many of you can remember (not!) my classic one hour documentary to commemorate the occasion, ‘From Athens to Platt Fields’ in which the best advice from runner Jim Peters was, ‘You will never run a fast marathon if you can’t run a fast mile.’

The legendary Ron Hill led the ‘Four Hour Club’ in that marathon, guaranteeing that any listeners who ran alongside him would finish the race in less than four hours, the target of many runners.  And indeed they did, as Ron led them over the line in 3 hours 59 minutes, saying running at that slow pace made it his hardest marathon ever.

I ran the Piccadilly Radio Marathon the next year in the very credible time of 3 hours 19 minutes and that including an unscheduled seven minute stop at a house on Princess Parkway for reasons I won’t detail here.  Breaking the 3 hour barrier was the next challenge in the Liverpool Marathon but injuries overtook me and the moment was lost…

In 1985, in the middle of all of the above, I ran the London Marathon in 3 hours 28 minutes 28 seconds on a red hot day in the capital.  And that doesn’t take into account the 20 minutes it took me to cross the starting line as there were no fancy chip timing devices in those days!

I ran in memory of my mother who died of cancer when I was just 10 and thanks to the generosity of the Piccadilly Radio listeners, where I was working at the time as Tim Grundy’s producer, I raised £10,000.00 for the Neil Cliffe Cancer Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital.

Twenty seven years on, minus the moustache that inspired the 118 118 campaign and with a new hip and old knees, I have been persuaded by the young women in the office to make an appointment that my body can’t keep by taking part in the 10k Bupa Great Manchester Run on Sunday 20^th May.

My targets have changed somewhat in the intervening years.  My aim is to finish before sun down on the Sunday and I am looking to raise a minimum of £200.00 for The Christie, which is Euro ESCG PR’s chosen charity this year.  But I’ll still be running in memory of my mum.  All donations welcome at http://www.justgiving.com/Brian-Beech

Firstly, however, it’s our #PR highlight of the weeeeeeeeek#

SAMANTHA BRICK

A genius marketing stunt for the Daily Mail Online or a truly disillusioned middle aged women? Who knew that a ‘pretty’, 40 something women talking about how women hate her because she is beautiful and profits from her looks could cause such a firestorm. The original article has racked up more than 5000 comments from the dismissive to death threats. And within 24 hours it had spawned dozens if not hundreds of spoofs from Samantha Brick, the talking brick, to her own cockney rhyming slag phrase.

The original article and subsequent follow ups have apparently made the Daily Mail Online website in the region of £100k in click through revenue. In one day.

Samantha Brick is a seasoned journalist with previous articles such as – “‘I use my sex appeal to get ahead at work…as does ANY woman with any sense.” – So it’s hard to decide if she knew exactly what she was getting herself into or not. However, we’re all willing to bet that now, she probably feels like a bit of a Samantha Brick…

Wooster Collective

A group of street artists and culture jammers with an aversion to escalators. This is the picture (thanks to Claire Boyd) that started us all talking this week.

NEWCASTLE BROWN also put out a very clever advert this week…

The Euro RSCG PR product placement team have also been hard at work this week and have had some cracking Easter hits.

A great example of their work can be seen here (look for the doggie Easter egg in the gallery)

To celebrate here’s Vic Wood’s top product placement tips:

• Most clients have a large number of products released throughout the year, the team need to be fully aware of lead times for all publications along with photography and copy dates to ensure they all tee up to produce successful staggered results

• It’s vital to know the product inside out and also the media title you are talking to – Suggest where it would work on the page and even pitch ideas

• Building relationships is key, internally and with press contacts

The rest we’re afraid is under wraps!

Lastly we’ve had the lovely Claudia from Newcastle University interning in the office for the last couple of weeks. Sadly it is her last day today, but she gives us her insight into Euro RSCG PR Manchester:

From the moment I walked into the Euro RSCG PR office in Manchester last Monday morning I felt that my two weeks work experience was going to be enjoyable. Now, on my last day, I can confirm this and add that I have gained some wonderful experience. I feel as though during the past two weeks I have built on skills I already had and also formed new ones which I will need in the working world. Greggs is among Euro’s clients so watching the team work on the campaign about the taxing of pasties was a great way to see how rewarding work in the PR industry can be.

 Euro RSCG has a really impressive client base and I was happy to have the opportunity to work with them. I gained experience of national brands such as Asda, Pets at Home, Greggs and DFS. For Asda I used a unique research tool which enables the team to offer unique insight in to the client audience and this was fascinating to experience.

 Over the two weeks I watched the team deal with media outlets and journalists on a national and regional level and I found out about events happening in local areas. I was able to assist in arranging photo opportunities too and how to prepare events for clients.

 I have really enjoyed my experience at Euro RSCG PR and everyone has been so welcoming and helped me by answering any questions I had. Everyone works so well together and I was really pleased to feel like a member of the team for two weeks.

By Brooke Curtis

Last week it was Ramsgate for an Asda store opening, a round trip of 550 miles in beautiful sunshine.  And Ramsgate is lovely at this time of year.  My hotel boasted the fact that Dickens and Queen Victoria had stayed there – not at the same time, I don’t think – and very nice it was too.  I did get concerned at one point that I was heading for the Channel Tunnel, rather than the Dartford Tunnel, but Sat Nav came good in the end.  It was slightly disconcerting, though when French radio stations started appearing on the dial, with Aznavour competing with the Arctic Monkeys…

One thing a long car journey does allow you to do is to listen to any number of radio stations and hear the very best, and the very worst, of British broadcasting.  As radio was my first love I tend to flick between stations on a 10 mile journey, so think how much fun I had on a 500 miles plus voyage!  And that is not to mention the enjoyment, and pride, I have when I see clients’ lorries on the motorway such as Asda, Debenhams, Greggs and Pets at Home and those of people I would like as clients, such as Comet, B and Q and Staples.

Anyway, back to radio…I always give Chris Moyles first refusal as I set off but tire of him very quickly.  There is one busted flush.  And as for Comedy Dave – you don’t tell people you are funny, you tell them a joke and let them decide.  Chris Evans, meanwhile, continues to be the very best in class, working on the premise that if he gets bored, so too will his listeners so it is all short, sharp and incredibly good.  As I am growing into my father, even Ken Bruce is beginning to appeal and Pop Master is worryingly addictive, simple as the concept is.

In the middle of the day I dip into BBC Local Radio stations – you can’t beat a good phone in on gardening and knitting – and to local commercial stations where Smashie and Nicey still exist a plenty.  I do wonder/worry how ‘local’ some of these stations are, operating as they do nationally with little or no regional relevance.  Still, in this fast changing media landscape, radio is not only holding its own, it’s doing incredibly well and long may that continue.  Steve Wright’s smugness, meanwhile, as I hit the Toll Road, is matched only by that of his team of sidekicks.  90 seconds before I go gaga…

I save the best till last, the genius that is Talk Sport.  If there was ever a product that did what it said on the tin, this is it.  It speaks to its listeners in the vernacular and knows what the sporting ‘water cooler conversation’ will be, hour by hour, rather than day by day.  Intelligent, informed, thought provoking, it has the lot.  Sports radio has moved on a bit since I was a sports producer at Piccadilly Radio in the 80’s, but I did give Tommy Docherty his first phone in programme, so maybe I was ahead of the game.  Now, where did I put my Sony Award…?

Brian Beech

Read all about it!

Pimms

A drink that conjures up memories of sun, picnics, warm evenings around a BBQ and good times has kick started British Summer time this year by erecting the world’s largest deck chair in Bournemouth. The 8.5m structure, taller than a London double-decker bus and weighing more than an Elephant was created by artist Stuart Murdoch.

Rocky biscuits

Now everyone thinks a year in their childhood was the best year for kids.

Mine was 1999, Brian Beech’s was 1842.

However, a great research story from Rocky biscuits has ended the debate claiming 1976 was the No.1 year for kids, with the long hot summer and Raleigh Chopper bikes. 2011 on the other hand was voted the worst with more than a third of kids banned from playing outside unless supervised.

A great story that created follow up mentions from columnists in a couple of national titles.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4205731/1976-was-No1-year-for-kids.html

And now for the most shocking story of the week.

 The story speaks for itself. Key points in the story are as follows:

• Hat up a tree
• Sharon could hardly believe her eyes
• After April 10^th it will be destroyed.

Tweet Tweet

Trending this Friday is #prsongs. We have been having fun in the Euro RSCG PR office this morning.

Welcome to the official EURO RSCG TOP TEN.

1. If you wannabe my lover you gotta print my story, friendships don’t last for ever if coverage doesn’t hit!

2. A million phone calls later

3. Just another sell in Monday

4. Wrote a release on Monday, Sold it on Tuesday, Coverage appeared on Wednesday and on Thurs, Fri and Sat, we chilled on Sunday

5. AVE easy as 1 2 3

6. Gimme Gimme Gimme (some space in your feature)

7. I Just Called to say… Did you get my email?

8. Gorkana – What’s my name?

9. I’m starting with the man at The Mirror

10. You spin me right round baby

Budget Day 2012 PR

It has been a busy week in the office. For the budget, Jonathan Welsh our associate director, joined one of our professional services clients on budget announcement day to number crunch.

Getting a client’s message across on days such as the budget can be tough, as there is so much competing noise. Here are five top tips from us to ensure you aren’t left as an afterthought:

1. Establish relationships before the event. Find out who is covering the topic and what their areas of interest are.

2. Plan the day. PROs should work alongside experts to take a position in real-time for social media and then work to an agreed timetable for a more considered analysis.

3. Be interesting but true to your brand. Don’t waste time with ‘me too’ comments and press releases, establish whether or not you truly have an interesting point to make and why it is unique. If you haven’t got one, then don’t add to the debate – this will save time, money and not alienate journalists.

4. Ensure contact details are clear and that spokespersons are available for the next 48 hrs. Nothing worse than issuing a press release and then journalists being unable to get hold of the person making the comment.

5. Analyse the facts behind the spin. Important details can often be left in accompanying reports rather than speeches – the budget being a prime example. Find the source as soon as it’s available and ensure your client is well briefed – otherwise you may let an opportunity go begging.

Busy Bees

Myself and Vic went on another successful media drop day with Greggs Easter products. We skipped lunch and instead treated ourselves to a lemon drizzle doughnut. Just take a look at this amazing new GIANT bunny biscuit…

Not sure who the model is…

Have a lovely weekend in the sun.

I will… with a pint or two.

Ginge

Alex Duckett

There was a great campaign once that said something like ‘You’ll never remember a brand manager, but you’ll always remember your teachers.’  And it’s true, who could ever forget Miss Makin who wouldn’t let the girls wear patent leather shoes on the stage at Speech Day because it reflected their underwear?  I wonder if anyone reflects on ‘Mr Beech’ as they reminisce about the best days of their life.  I occasionally bump into people I taught and it’s odd they still call you ‘Sir’, over 30 years on!

So, it was with a feeling of ‘here’s what I could have become’ when I set off to the Education Show at the NEC last week on behalf of a client.  To say things have changed is a bit of an understatement!  There wasn’t a blackboard in sight; the teachers all looked about 12; and it was nothing like Waterloo Road (where the majority of the problems, as far as I can see, are caused by the children of the teachers who make up the majority of the pupils?).

Education has certainly moved on and looking at some of the resources available to teachers now I wondered how I ever managed to get through the 40 minute period with a lesson plan I’d prepared last thing the night before and armed only with a piece of chalk and a copy of ‘The Day of The Triffids’.  I was young, free and single then – whereas I’m old, free and single now – and getting in at 2.00am and then taking the class register at 8.30am was not that unusual.

The kids could always tell if I had over dosed on lager and lime, my drink of choice at the time – and how dated does that seem now – as I reverted to a spelling test as it was something I could do from memory.  I can still see the words now; sheriff; professor, business; rhythm; biscuit; physiotherapist; receive; and  finally, antidisestablishmentarianism, which I always threw in just to let them know I was still on their case.

School kids today don’t know how lucky they are.  (I think I have grown into my father!) Our school trip was to an outdoor pursuit centre in Capel Curig; my son’s was to Barcelona and included a trip round the Nou Camp.  We got excited if we were allowed to watch a BBC Educational video once a year, no interactive white boards for us.  And school dinners were exactly that, school dinners.  Awful and probably very unhealthy, but very filling.

Still, I did enjoy my time teaching and I remember the gifts the kids got me when I left.  From Katie, some nice flowers as her mum owned a florist’s shop.  From Tommy, some chocolate as his dad owned a newsagent’s.  And I’ll never forget the box Sally gave me.  Her dad owned an off licence so when I saw the drops trickling from it I assumed it was alcohol.  I dabbed some on my fingers.

“Whisky?” I asked.

“No sir.”

More tasting.

“Vodka?”

“No sir.”

More tasting.

“Lager?”

“No sir.”

“I give in Sally, what is it?’’

“It’s a puppy sir…”

By Brian Beech

This week at Euro Manchester towers there were a few stories that caused the PR team to tip their hat, especially to the social media world for creating fun videos we all want to share.

Thirsty?! You will be.

Starbucks

The Starbucks marketing campaign caused a frenzy in the office as the team battled the queues for their free latte before noon. The ‘get more personal’ campaign is already in place in the US putting customers at the centre of their marketing with the simple act of writing their name on cups when ordering a coffee. A smart personal branding move by Starbucks.

Guinness

Following the Starbucks campaign, another viral sensation flooded our inboxes, this time from Guinness for St Patrick’s Day. With more than a million views in the week leading up to St Patrick’s Day, the video sees a sheepdog rounding up a group of men that are distracted by the normal obstacles they would face on a night out. Eventually the bewildered group find themselves safely in the pub after battling strip clubs and a curry to share a cold pint of the black stuff. Amusing and clever piece of online fun that will continue to be forwarded from inbox to inbox.

 http://www.youtube.com/user/GuinnessGB?v=y07at1bU89Q

Littlewoods

As Mother’s Day approaches there have been a few nice topical PR stories in the press highlighting brands. Littlewoods devised one that focuses on the time Mother’s Day will be over – 10am for most hard-working pressed mums on a Sunday. The poll also found that mothers expect to be back in their routine by that time and 90% don’t think they will get a lie in. Simple, snappy and effective brand awareness.

Hope that whet your appetite for some top stories that brought a smile to our team.

It’s nearly beer o’clock on a Friday over here and I think I know which beverage I will be going for!

Over and out – Vic from Euro Manchester xx