PR Story #3

Is it that time of week again already? This is the third in the series of (in my opinion) the most interesting story in the PR Week magazine. For the previous posts in this series look through my post history on the right hand side and select 'PR Story #1' and 'PR Story #2'.

This week's focus is on Ryanair's new Head of Communications Director (dubbed worst job in PR by Ryanair itself) and his shock statement on the brand's forth coming communications strategy.

Ryanair Airlines

Robin Kiely has been quoted saying that Ryanair would not be using social media as a part of it's communications strategy. Whilst other big name airline companies have utilised social media as a part of their brand, Kiely intends to use traditional media to get Ryanair's message across. One of the ways, he explained, was through the Ryanair website and have a dedicated area where journalists can get more information from Ryanair themselves. This is an attempt to prevent false claims about the airline as  The Sunday Times wrote before Christmas that Ryanair had broken safety regulations 1,201 times in Spanish airspace. Kiely added that social media is a 'two way tool' and maintaining a Facebook or Twitter account would mean hiring extra people just to sit at a computer all day.

Robin Kiely- New Head of Comms at Ryanair

So, smart move? Being a student, and taking into account everything I have learnt so far, I'm going to say... no! Airlines bigger than Ryanair can manage their social media accounts, and yes they probably do have people on their payroll 'just sitting at a computer all day' but this is how the modern generation communicate!! I feel that Ryanair need to start embracing social media quicker rather than later as they could see a slide in their customers and sales pretty soon as the summer period is coming up!

Social media is a two way tool but it's a good thing. As much as you may get some bad comments, particularly if you're not one of the very top airlines, customers like to feel that they can be interactive with their brands. Sending an email or letter or even phoning up isn't enough any more- customers no longer want that feeling of being pushed from pillar to post, between departments and being put on hold. Social media gives customers the power to make brands react and keep them on their toes; social media allows that instant reaction from the brand, giving customers a solution to their problems. Even if you choose not to be on social media sites... that doesn't stop people from posting or tweeting about the brand. One of the first things I learnt on my course is customer feedback is key to improving and constantly reviewing your business and by having an online presence you can see what people are saying. This was proved yesterday that journalists get their stories just as much from social media and they do from the actual brand itself (HMV Twitter Account Hijacked).

Examples of the many social media sites available for brands to utilise

Consumers these days are pretty demanding creatures, especially since the back end of Generation Y is fast approaching 18 years old and believe me if you thought we were difficult children and teenagers, we are going to be nightmare adult consumers!! But the truth of the matter is, if brands don't engage with us now, they're going to find it twice as hard to know how to target us for the future.

I feel Kiely thinks that if he dismisses social media it means that social media dismisses Ryanair and it doesn't work that way. Social media and the web is our future, even if you don't like, it's happening!! Even the fact that being on a university course in PR and Marketing, if you don't have a Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, some sort of personal website or blog and knowledge on how to utilise all of these you're behind in the runnings for a career!! Having a dedicated area on the website may be a good idea but as part of a wider initiative maybe.

Journalists (well everyone really) know that brands are only going to promote the good things about their brand, but good news doesn't always make great news, sometimes a bit of scandal can go a long way. If you're a brand that have an amazing crisis management team and react to negative things in the right way, you can gain more credibility than a brand that simply ignores it or wishes it to stop.

I'll agree I know a lot of people that would laugh at the idea of people being hired just to sit on a social media site all day and get paid for it but you have to think of them as an extension of the marketing team I suppose? But if this is the future, no matter how much Ryanair try to break the mould, they are eventually going to get left behind.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plans out for Ryanair and if it works then it's a lesson for us all not to be so over obsessed with social media. But currently I just can't see it working, can you?

PR Story #2

Okay folks, it's that time of week again to blog about the most interesting story from PR week (in my opinion). To see the first story in this series follow this link: PR Story #1

This week's story is Alton Towers and its agency Cake's latest campaign ready for summer 2013. Alton Towers' is launching a new ride called The Smiler and in order to promote it a viral campaign was created. The Smiler symbol, as seen below, has been projected onto tourist attractions in and around London, such as Big Ben and train and tube stations. There has been a lot of speculation about what the symbol means or what it is associated with.

A few examples of where the symbol has been spotted.

More recenly the campaign has taken on somewhat a more organic nature with flocks of sheep having had the symbol sprayed onto their wool. Passersby picked up on the symbol and started tweeting again causing a buzz and more speculation. Newspaper such as The Sun and the Mail Online picked up the trend and ran their own stories on the campaign, helping it to go completely viral.

The Sun- Farmers baaa-ffled after hundreds of sheep are branded with smiley face

Mail Online- Just grin and baaaa it!

 

 

 

The campaign was later revealed on Twitter and an exclusive was given to Metro. I personally think this campaign is genius!! I always love reading about campaign such as this one because it allows me to broaden my own ideas when asked for them. Although these campaigns are fun they're also educational. At university you're taught all the theory and logistics and technicalities but when reading up on things like this it allows your creative side to get thinking. I personally am intruied to see what is next for this campaign as it will be launched May 2013, there has to be more!!

Unfortunately though it seems that this story was very much non viral until the papers picked up on it. Jamie Robinson of We Are Social, says that this campaign did not in fact reach many people, at least not through social media. Thus the campaign has been classed as a 'miss'. However, In one way I agree-  didn't even know about this campaign until I read about it in PR week, thus it didn't reach me and no one I knew was talking about it. However, the creative idea itself was incredible- it was inventive and obviously got enough attention for the papers to cover it, right?

What could be improved though if it is such a 'miss'? Well in my opinion possibly the campaign could have started a little later... Due to the weather and what not, this has dominated the news entirely for a while now, allowing less coverage for other stories in national news. I would maybe have starrted the campaign mid February when people start to look to the summer and their plans.

Also, it was a nice idea to target London and the areas around the Alton Tower's park but it doesn't target a specific audience type and what about the demographic areas outside of those targeted? In order to overcome this the target market for the resort needs to be reassessed. On their website, Alton Tower's claims to have a core market of families and thrill seekers. So, thrill seekers, who have a bit of disposable income, who like to do crazy, nutty things and enjoy road trips with their mates... uni students maybe? Or even the universities themselves, some run limited place events such as Thorpe Park or Alton Towers day trips. A 'Smiler' tour bus could come to univerisity campuses and do an SU night or something similar. A competition could be run at universities and the winner gets their whole course a free day to Alton Towers for example.

To target families really sales promotions is a good idea although not related directly to PR as every family is looking for a great deal whilst treating their family. Other ideas could include major shopping centre appearances with a tour bus and other places that are stereotypically 'family' orientated.

Anyway just a few suggestions! Always love to deconstruct a campaign and go through all the alternative possibilities!

PR story #1

So, I thought as well as picking up news stories as they emerge on this blog, I would also pick up on the most interesting story (in my own opinion) from the PR Week magazine I get every Friday in the post and write about the topic in question. This week is the first week I've decided to do this.

The story I have picked up on this week is "UK airlines back Dreamliner." The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has faced problems with safety issues found in Japan and the US. Issues involve fuel leaks, brake problems, a crack in a window in the cockpit and a fire in an aircraft when stationary. Despite these problems and an investigation by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), Japan's travel authority and Boring itself, TUI Thomson airways are confident they are still going ahead with the PR plan for the launch of these planes in association with Hill+Knowlton. TUI Thomson are the first UK airline to be granted exclusive access to these planes, that will become available for use in the UK in May 2013, shortly followed a few months later by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic next year.

This story grabbed my attention, as a regular customer for TUI Thomson every year (as I use sister company First Choice) it was a concern for me that these planes will be available despite still having some quite serious teething problems. I can't imagine how a normally nervous passenger would feel taking off in on of those in the near future.

Hill+Knowlton and TUI Thomson have developed a campaign to help keep up excitement about Thomson being the only brand to have these planes, although this unique selling point at the moment appears to have it's downsides. The campaign so far has involved a press campaign and television advertisement. They have also set up a twitter campaign allowing the British public to name the first aircraft using a hash tag competition; #nameourplane.

I'm excited to see what strategy Hill+Knowlton use in order to reassure the public especially during the couple of months before the plane launches in the UK. From what I've learnt so far Thomson backing the PR plans still is a good sign that they are confident and may know things that we don't about what may be actually happening and implies that the story is very much hyped up as they appear not to be panicking at this potential crisis issue. However, I do think that TUI Thomson need to address the issue in a way that shows the potential customer that issues have been solved and they were just teething problems, not serious issues.

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UPDATE: I have recently discovered that the winning name for the first aircraft through the twitter campaign will be called... 'Living the Dream.'

I have also decided that TUI Travel who owns Thomson, First Choice and many other global travel brands will be the brand I decide to work upon for a brand book as one of my next assignments!