Whatever...

It’s good to talk… so why don’t we?

By Rebecca Surtees

In 1994, BT launched the “it’s good to talk” campaign.  You remember - a jolly Bob Hoskins, an elderly lady celebrating her birthday, and a dog. 

But what happened?  These days, you’re more likely to hear the ping of your email or the incessant beep of a text message rather than a person’s voice. 

In the digital age, the use of the telephone is clearly a dying skill – let alone the ability to conduct an articulate conversation.  This is particularly true in the realms of PR, where email has, quite literally, swallowed us whole.

Recent research has shown that employees admit to checking their emails between 30 and 40 times per day, while the average number of emails sent by workers each day was 37 in 2006, predicted to rise to 47 in 2008 (which all seems a little low to me!).

Whatever happened to picking up the receiver, dialling a number and having a good old chat?  Instead, we spend considerable amounts of time chasing emails round our inboxes, gagging for someone (please, anyone!) to make a final decision.

There’s no denying that email is a wonderful thing – but there is a limit.  Yes, it enables companies to leave a documented trail of evidence; to transcend time differences; and for all of us to be involved in correspondence.  But at the same time, it’s also given us the curse of the “cc” box, not to mention the deluge of spam.

The telephone, on the other hand, is (usually!) a direct line to a living, breathing human being.  And in PR terms, that means you can get a sense of your clients and journalists, and they, in turn, can get a sense of you – as opposed to a string of impersonal emails.

Good communication really is the crux of our job.  A client and its brand must be understood and expressed to the relevant people in the correct manner, therefore the communications we engage in must be crystal clear (or pretty darn close) and based on dialogue where possible. 

If we don’t get the balance right, all that lies ahead is a future of crossed wires and a murky quagmire of emails – and that’s not a pleasant thought for any of us. 

Impatience is a virtue (for PR)

By Richard Scarlett

In an age where we can log on, double click, then put our feet up and wait for our groceries, books, gadgets and clothes to be delivered directly to our doorstep, it strikes me as all the more amazing that some people are still prepared to descend upon a given shop come rain or shine, queuing for hours upon hours, just to get their hands on the latest and greatest new thing. 

Yes, despite the comforts of online home shopping, there are still those among us who crave the instant gratification and assurance of being ‘one of the first owners the UK’.

And of course, impatient consumers are a PR dream in more ways than one, because round-the-corner queues generate their own hype and buzz.  Whether it’s the opening of a new Primark, the lure of the latest Sony Playstation or the launch of a limited edition Kate Moss/Cavalli/Madonna/Kylie range at a popular high street chain, a salivating crowd is a great photo op for the press.

However, the numerous headlines ahead of the launch of the iPhone, promising ‘huge queues’ and a ‘surge of customers’, were perhaps a little premature, as the reality fell somewhat short of spectacular.

Aside from a hardcore of Apple worshippers at the flagship outlets (here’s four of them complete with branded umbrellas), you could have been forgiven for thinking that the day of it’s UK launch was much like any other at the Carphone Warehouse, O2 and other iPhone stockists – and that’s hardly surprising.

Strong marketing and PR couldn’t disguise the fact that the iPhone isn’t a limited edition, it’s already been available for six months on the internet, and the teething troubles faced by Stateside early adopters may well have convinced many potential buyers that it just wasn’t worth the hassle. 

At the risk of upsetting the Apple cart, I don’t think its marketing strategy completely worked this time.  And the deliberate choreography of a ‘stunt crowd’ is, well, a little bit desperate and beneath a brand that’s usually so slick in its communications.

Staged events such as this are thwarted by the fact that consumers are increasingly refusing to be pawns in PR’s bid for buzz-generation.  Having already seen the problems associated with first generation products or the inevitable price drop a week after launch, could it be that we might be learning to put the crazed-mob tendencies behind us and actually become more patient?

I guess we’ll have to wait until the launch of the ‘next big thing’ to find out.