2012 has been an interesting year in the world of PR. Although we lost two accounts due to acquisitions, the marketers and decision-makers in charge of those accounts have found themselves new jobs and as a result éclat has won two new accounts. It is obvious to me that we as a team must be doing something right when, even though the accounts are different, we still deal with the same people on a daily basis.

On that note, I have also noticed the astounding number of changes amongst my journalist friends and the respective publications since the dawn of 2012 and perhaps due to a few personal New Year’s resolutions. Of course, a few congratulatory emails, phone calls and Tweets have been exchanged, and again I was dumbstruck to find exactly just how fast this industry is moving.

Probably more so than in any other line of business, in PR it definitely goes without saying that “it’s not who you are, but who you know”, and as any of our clients can testify, here at éclat we proud ourselves on building personal relationships with the press and analyst community. A few years ago I made a conscious decision to befriend junior journalists at a number of publications, and today I reap the benefits of having close and personal relationships with those that have climbed their ladders and are now the editors.

Having said that, I will not abuse these good relationships. I take extreme pride in advising my clients in what the press needs, and wants, and refuse to be a “yes-man”. So when I do get in touch with members of the press, they know that I think the story (a) is timely and newsworthy, (b) it is a good fit for their publication and readership, and (c) I can add value.

That is the whole point of appointing a PR agency, right?

Ever since starting at éclat I have worked with IT security clients, and it’s no secret that it’s my favourite area to work with in B2B, and to brag ever so slightly, it is an area that I am particularly good at!

Since I enjoy security so much, I was given the ‘short-straw’ of attending Infosecurity Europe. Trade shows are a great way of networking, but can be a very tiring affair. Trying to find meeting rooms, rushing from one meeting to another, it can be very hectic. Call me strange, call me odd (my colleagues do), but I really enjoyed the show.

One of the best things about the show was the opportunity to meet my clients in person. We have clients from all across the globe here at éclat, and it is rare that we have the opportunity to meet them face to face. Infosecurity brought them in from all over the world virtually to my door step, and so it was great to meet them, some for the very first time.

Every year at éclat we arrange our annual pre-Infosecurity event the evening before the show, where we get our clients together with journalists for an informal social evening. This year we had the ‘Red Box Challenge’ held at Carom at Meza. It was a great evening where we all had a lot of fun, and I’m happy to say that I was on the winning team (naturally).

The show itself was very interesting and what I enjoyed most was that I was immersed in a world of the IT security elite. I met with people who are at the forefront of IT security, from vendors such as Trustwave or Corero Network Security, to renowned journalists and security analysts from some of the most well respected publications and analyst houses in the country.

Attending Infosecurity has opened up a whole new world and has shown me that although I am well versed in security and probably better than most, I have still barely scratched the surface. It was at the show that it occurred to me that the people who I met are all at the top of their game, and since this is my speciality at éclat, then why shouldn’t I aim to be at the forefront of IT and Security PR.

I’m under no illusion that to get to the top will require hard work, sacrifice and probably a few paper cuts along the way. There isn’t a downside to my plan either. If I don’t become the best Technology PR executive in the UK (I told you I was aiming big!), the worst that can happen is I hone my skills even further, develop great relationships within the industry, and get great coverage for my clients.

It’s with that in mind that should you be looking for technology PR, and in particular in security, then you should definitely be talking to me. Oh, and security analysts…you’d better watch out because I might be gunning for your job one day!

When it comes down to relationships, we all have our highs and lows. But the one I have with the internet is the most turbulent relationship I’ve ever been involved in, and I’m sure I’m not the only person to think this.

Not sure what I mean, well let’s discuss. The Internet links us to contacts we would never even dream of making, whether it’s a connecting to a business network on the other side of the world, finding a long-lost relative, or just meeting a stranger who could just change your life forever. It provides a service like no other I know – without it we wouldn’t be able to access the World Wide Web and stalk journalists on Twitter or LinkedIn… okay just me then!

That’s another thing about the Internet; it changes you into a different person, or creates a completely new personality that only you (and thousands of hackers) have access to.

For example, I do not randomly chat to strangers on the street about how the world of Technology PR is changing (perhaps I should). But this is something I do every day on Twitter without a second thought. I also do not speak the Queen’s English in any conversation (again, perhaps I should), but online I send emails making me sound like I wear a diamond tiara in the shower.

All these things help push my career forward and without the Internet, I’m sure I’d be lost.

But with every high comes a major low, I’m afraid. The Internet probably knows more about you than your mother does: your credit card details, IP address, those pictures you uploaded privately on Facebook… the list goes on. You’d think something as amazing as the Internet would be able to protect your most inner secrets, but no – it’s one of the many ways your enemies can penetrate your weaknesses.

Without spyware or malware protection, the Internet would happily give away your personal details. Remember that Samsung Galaxy Note you bought with your credit card on that dodgy-looking website? Oh yeah, the Internet just happened to have your credit card details stored and some hacker decided he might like a shopping spree.

The Internet can destroy your trust; it can cause depression; it basically just makes you utterly miserable. The Internet allows you be attacked, destroying your business, spamming your contacts, and (most annoyingly) making change all your passwords (twice in the past month, I have to add).

As it turns out, I’ve been in this bittersweet relationship for 12 years (and counting) – one of the longest I’ve ever been in. I have no desire to take a break from it, cut it out of my life, or even find a replacement. To me it’s irreplaceable. Nothing can compare to it. I’ll never find anything better…

Okay, so personifying the Internet might be leading you to believe that I’m some kind of Internet stalker (I’m not in any sense of the word!), but I can’t help but think that we all take our time with the Internet for granted. What would happen if it left us one day, never to heard or seen of again? What would we actually do without it? And what would replace it?

Perhaps I’m getting too carried away with myself. There’s no evidence to suggest that the Internet will be leaving me… I mean us. But I can’t help but think; if our relationship with the Internet did end, I believe it would be the most devastating break-up ever…

Pondering on the subject of our recent seminar on the “Differences between Dealing with the North American and UK press”, two thoughts immediately sprung to mind. The first is the widespread perception amongst the PR community that the British press are more cynical and probing than their North American counterparts and the second that the sheer size of the USA makes it difficult to build strong relationships with journalists on anything other than an email, Twitter or telephone basis.

The catalyst for these ponderings was the fact that éclat has finally taken the plunge and opened up its own US office for B2B Technology PR. It was in working with my new US colleagues in building PR plans around the fast approaching NAB event, the Mecca for the broadcasting industry, that the question of why US companies routinely keep their best news stories for major industry events, came up for discussion. It was then that the penny dropped. Exhibitions are the best chance that most vendors have of meeting press and analysts in person. Whilst on our small Island, where heading into London for a series of press briefings or a more casual lunch or dinner with our journalist colleagues is a regular occurrence, the same is not possible in the US and the only time that vendors and industry press and analysts congregate is at the major trade shows. Since this common sense fact hadn’t occurred to me, I’m fairly sure that the same is probably true of many of the US based Marketing staff who assume that – like in the US – UK exhibitions are the best chance of meeting with the British press and analysts.

Using exhibitions as the focus for your best news stories in the UK is not a great strategy. Firstly because the press and analysts prefer to attend the exhibition conferences to hear from customers and speakers that they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to hear from. Secondly because as a vendor you’re competing with all of your competitors for column inches, which means that an announcement that would ordinarily glean significant coverage will get dramatically less.

So what about my other earlier assertion that British press are more cynical than their American colleagues? This once again is based on my own personal experience of accompanying numerous US technology spokespeople on press briefings in London and hearing on regular occasions that the same story that was enthusiastically received by US press, met a less than rapturous reception with our own local hacks. I’ve often found myself explaining to irate US VPs that this reaction is perfectly normal and that their cynicism just belies a healthy desire to probe and validate, rather than taking facts on face value.

So what earth-shattering conclusion can we draw from this momentous discovery. Well, perhaps once again it indicates the importance of dealing with local PR people who are familiar with the cultural as well as the linguistic differences. It also underlines once again for me that we often assume – wrongly in my opinion – that because we share a common language with the US, it is perfectly fine for a US agency to manage UK media and analyst campaigns and vice versa.

Please feel free to share your views on what differences you’ve experienced in dealing with US and UK press…

“Security regulations are merely a snap-shot in time, technology advances and resultant changes in human behaviour, make them incomplete very rapidly. As a result, enterprise compliance becomes an exercise in box ticking rather than the delivery of real security. ”

The phrase above was coined during a mock media interview with a new client and I was struck by the truth it contained. Many of our clients have businesses that are driven (at least partially) by the need of their customers to comply with various regulations. A sea of acronyms invented by governmental and industry bodies that are almost always behind the times, even on the date of their publication. The specific example being discussed was PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), an information security standard for organisations that deal with cardholder information for the major debit and credit cards. Our client was discussing the fact that this set of standards makes no mention of the use of mobile devices in payment transactions; leaving the financial institutions and merchants involved entirely to their own devices as far as card data security is concerned. Given the increased use of the Smartphone for all types of internet transactions this seemed to me to be quite a major gap in the regulation concerned.

Whether for data protection, web filtering, spam, intrusion prevention, contraband detection, aviation security and in many other areas, I suspect regulatory compliance can actually hold back progress, both in terms of technological development and in the improvement of real levels of security.

Strangely, the more tightly an industry is regulated the more innovation is stifled and progress is delayed. For example, in the aviation industry, airport security screening technology has to meet the latest approved standard specification(s). Airports have to buy and deploy the approved equipment and the manufacturers have to deliver equipment that meets the specified design. Even if more efficient, faster, cheaper, more effective screening technology is available it will not be deployed unless and until, the aviation regulators catch-up and approve it for use. This seems to me to be plain silly.

I also think the solution is simple; the pace of technology change has to be matched or exceeded by those organisations that define and publish the regulations. Simple to say, but I suspect much more difficult to implement.

Could the news this week that Groupon – the daily online voucher company – has reported an unexpected loss on sales profits be a knock on affect from fears of further recession, or a sign that online couponing has become somewhat lackluster with an oversaturated market and the introduction of new technologies?

The launch of couponing and discount websites such as Groupon were a welcome commodity to many looking for a bargain during the first wave of the recession. However, the quest for a bargain is fast becoming notably easier with the unveiling of near field communication (NFC).

We have already seen many major companies backing this short-range wireless technology as a way to facilitate cashless payments, from TFL to Google Wallet. Though it is still a relatively new technology, 2012 is poised to be the year for NFC with reports from the BBC predicting that NFC equipped mobile devices will lead the way, allowing users to expand the use of mobile technology for cashless payments.

Even so, electronic payments are just one of many potential uses of NFC, with numerous organisations already offering Mobile Couponing. Companies such as Mahindra Satyam, who launched their own mobile couponing and geo-tagging solution last year, are recognising the benefits of providing discounts to ‘Joe Public’ and embracing NFC technology. Allowing users to present coupons via mobile phones that can be easily and conveniently scanned and redeemed, without the need for printed vouchers and offers like those obtainable through Groupon.

NFC is the lynchpin in future technology, combining payment, offers and loyalty in a single transaction and my prediction is that these financial results are a sign of things to come and voucher sites such as Groupon will soon be Group-gone!

It’s been a busy start to the year for everyone here at éclat as I’m pleased to say we’ve signed up a number of new technology PR clients in both the cloud and security sectors. It’s always a frantic time when the agency first starts work with a client, not just because we often need to build the client’s profile from a standing start, but because of the need to figure out the best way of working with each individual customer. To be honest getting to grips with the technology is often the easiest part – particularly as we’ve got a strong track record in both of these tech areas. What takes time and effort is figuring out how the client ticks, working out the processes to get the information we need and educating the client about what is actually newsworthy and what is just marketing hype.

There’s also the thorny question of when to take the client out to meet the press and who will make the best spokesperson. It’s not always the CEO who will be the best person to engage with the media and we can often suss this out from doing some media training with a group of potential spokespeople and then giving our honest feedback on who would work best. This can of course be political suicide for the agency or the client side contact if handled insensitively!

Getting time to meet the media is also difficult in this day and age, with most journalists having their nose to the grind meeting daily deadlines for online news. That’s probably why informal social events like getting together over a beer after hours seem to be more popular these days. Finding a strong news story to tempt our time-pressured media friends out for a meeting is a must have – but some clients need help in appreciating what is and isn’t newsworthy. This is again where having agency time with client spokespeople who have first-hand experience of dealing with customers can be invaluable in helping us wheedle out potential news angles. Impressing on our clients the value of statistics and independent endorsement of marketing messages is also vital as well as helping them to understand how to craft a comment on a breaking news story that offers new insight or information.

What makes a massive difference in helping to speed up this process and enables the agency to quickly start gaining coverage for the client is the competence, understanding and credibility of the PR contact at the client. When that individual can help in digging out those PR nuggets – particularly when the client HQ is overseas – the speed and success of any media engagement is dramatically increased. The willingness of that individual to also take advice and guidance from the agency is also paramount. Here’s hoping our new batch of clients falls into this category!

Anyone else want to share their experiences of helping build a PR profile from scratch?

Although we’re probably all thinking about getting things finished before Christmas, it’s sobering to think that, when we come back in 2012, the countdown to Mobile World Congress will be well and truly underway.

With this in mind, here at eclat we’re starting to think about next year and all things ‘mobile’ and what to do to make a real difference from PR activities at the event. If you’re planning your PR and looking at how to really make the best of the time leading up to and during the event, then don’t forget to register for our webinar on Tue 13th Dec, which will give you the inside track on everything from the best way to get in to the Mobile Daily to what really makes an impact for journalists gathering news at events such as Mobile World Congress.

“How to Make a PR Splash at MWC” will be covering some useful hints and tips and what’s new for this year, to be presented by the Show Daily editor, Justin Springham. The freelance journalist and founder of Mobile Groove, Peggy Anne Salz will be providing her perspective and top tips on what to do to make an impact to get your story noticed by journalists.

As 2011 draws to a close, and things (we think) start to wind down a little in preparation for the holiday season, this really is a good time to start planning activities for next year. So, if you work in marketing or in-house PR, please reserve your place at this webinar and get the lowdown directly from journalists who can provide their expert insight.

Click here to reserve your place, join the webinar:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/144308808

As a species, change is one of the most unsettling inevitabilities that we face, and it has a tendency to drives us all a little bit mad when it happens. From the big things like changing career, or moving house, to the subtle things like the change in seasons, these adjustments can have a major impact on our psyche; I myself have been overcome with anxiety after changing brand of teabag.

However, during my time at éclat I have come to realise that the greatest rewards are almost always outside of your comfort zone, and actually venturing outside of it is usually a lot more fun.

So how does this all apply to the world of Technology PR? Well, throughout our quest for new clients I have come across a recurring theme, the same fallacy keeping people from making a change. Often, organisations that already have a PR agency are very reluctant to change to a new one, even though they may not be entirely satisfied with the service they are getting. Many stick with what they know for fear the problem will become worse, or they fall victim to the PR myth that there will be a downturn in activity for several months, and coverage will dip whilst the new agency, ‘gets up to speed.’

But here at éclat we understand the importance of keeping up PR momentum, even if you are in the midst of taking the leap to appoint a new agency, and that is why we are working hard to dispel this myth with our new promotion. Up until the end of January 2012 we are offering a money-back guarantee to any organisation that already has a PR agency but is looking to review, and our side of the bargain is to guarantee that we will at least match the coverage generated by your current agency in the first quarter, or you get your money back. It’s that simple. We all know that such an important decision cannot be undertaken in haste, but taking a calculated risk is entirely different to making a rash decision and that is exactly the concept behind this promotion.

So I suppose my final thought this week is that we are all creatures of habit and disrupting the status quo and venturing into the unknown can be an unsettling prospect, but change is good. It is scary but it keeps us alert, so why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?

P.S. Do you want to see something really scary? Count the amount of times I’ve written “change.”

This week has been extraordinary. One client needed last minute support for a trade delegation to Qatar, interviews at an event in India, a strategy to influence regulatory bodies at national and European level and PR support for announcements in Germany, France and Spain. Oh, and our normal work supporting them in the UK of course. Plus, this is just one of our clients!

The beauty of being part of an international network of agencies is that this sort of requirement can be met with relative ease. However, it does take more than the wave of a magic wand. Time has to be spent with each partner agency to get them up to speed so that they can deliver what is needed. Co-ordination of international activity is often seen as easy and cost free on the client side, it isn’t.

Time zone issues, cultural/language differences and a varied media climate do still exist in today’s world. Just because a PR campaign works in the US does not mean it will anywhere else. Even in a supposedly global market, and with internet communication seemingly seamless across the world, the PR methods, messages and approaches for success differ widely.

Industries like technology, security and telecom often treat the world as if it is a single entity/market, or at best they invent regions (like EMEA, AsiaPac, Eastern Europe or ‘emerging markets’) terms that mean nothing to real people in the real world. At worst this creates the internal myth that global PR is being implemented for a brand when it clearly is not. A good thing is when this thinking leads to a regional structure with marketing savvy people in each area of the world. They are often aware of the differences and, with luck, have the influence and budget to make the PR really succeed.

So here’s to diversity, localisation of campaigns and greater success.