In fact, we often tell clients and prospects that “we take our work seriously, just not ourselves.”  It’s not PR spin; it’s the truth (truth is at the heart of effective humour, by the way, but more on that later).We love to have fun and we love what we do – it’s a powerful combo in today’s budget-slashing, belt-tightening economy.

At Peppercom, and at Flagship, many of the women are leading the laughs and delivering the punch lines. According to a recent article in Stylist, this isn’t the case everywhere. The article investigates a new study on workplace humour that reports women are not hardwired to be humorous – at least not in the office.

The study, published in the International Journal of Humor Research, examines female/male humour at work and concludes that, at work, “humour is much less a part of the female’s communicative patterns.” Sounds like another John Gray book to me…Men are from Mars and Women are From That Not-So-Funny Planet.

The article references other studies that lump male and female workplace humour into two distinct buckets. For example, men will often use humour as a way to be competitive and dominating (translation: they put down others) and women often use humour to collaborate and bond (translation: we put down ourselves).

I disagree with this archaic view. I work with some of the wittiest women on the planet who are able to make a dull day fun and exciting without (always) resorting to self-deprecating humour. Sure, we like to bond and assimilate but, when we crack a joke, we’re more focused on telling a great story, engaging with our peers, and being authentic – rather than on loving and being loved.

What I do agree wholeheartedly with is the numerous benefits that humour can deliver in the workplace, to which the article calls attention and from which both men and women can benefit. Humour helps bust stress, improves workplace performance and engagement, enhances the ability to think on your feet, and enables you to form stronger relationships with employees, clients and prospects. With the right dose and delivery, it also builds credibility and, simply put, makes you more human.

Recognising the importance of humour in business and in the workplace, Peppercom recently introduced a new offering called Comedy Experience. The workshop teaches storytelling, quick thinking, and properly reading and engaging an audience, all critical business skills. Participants are called upon to perform their own stand-up routines, which are then critiqued.

It’s terrifying and fun at the same time, but also extremely valuable. I’ve participated in four different sessions now and have performed a series of routines including “A Bad Haircut” and “My Life in Uniform,” which appeared on NBC. I bite my nails before and after but, admittedly, I’m getting better – and more confident – each time I perform my routines and each day I perform my job.

Deborah Brown, a partner at Peppercom and comedy blogger for Stand Up Executive , co-leads the workshops. In launching the new offering, she said:

“Every organization aspires to be authentic and transparent. Stand-up comedy and communications are founded on the same core principle – truth. The best stage comedians begin with the truth in creating their material and the best corporate communications must always be based on truth.”

So when it comes to women and work, here’s my truth: today’s modern woman is not afraid to be funny and she’ll do so on her own terms. In fact, some might argue we’re laughing all the way to…the office.

By Courtney Ellul, Director, Peppercom

Courtney Ellul  has more than twelve years of experience — agency and in-house — helping companies increase visibility and brand awareness through targeted marketing, corporate communications and public relations campaigns.

She is responsible for spearheading the communications efforts for several BtoB clients and, working alongside Peppercom’s new UK partner Flagship Consulting, helping to drive and support new business opportunities in Europe.  Prior to joining Peppercom, Courtney served as Director of Public Relations for Affect Strategies, an integrated PR and marketing firm in New York. Courtney oversaw and managed Affect’s public relations practice, managed account teams and maintained and grew client relationships.

Europe’s leading hotel portal, HRS, tripled its sales in the mobile bookings segment between 2010 and 2011. The mobile reservations share of total sales reached approximately three per cent in 2011. This year, HRS expects this share to double.

Business travellers are booking more hotels via apps and mobile websites. According to an HRS study, almost one third of business travellers have now booked a hotel room from a mobile device. By 2014, HRS expects that one in five business trips will be booked from smartphones or tablet PCs.

Jon West, Managing Director of HRS UK and Ireland, said: “Mobile applications have become a significant sales channel for HRS and its hotel partners. The high annual growth rates confirm the increasing significance of mobile solutions.

“Business travellers in particular often book spontaneously and at short notice. Mobile booking tools thus enable travellers to react to circumstantial changes and spontaneously reschedule their stay, for example, to cater for a last-minute meeting.”

HRS is the first hotel portal to have developed applications for sixteen smartphone and tablet PC platforms. The new version of the multi-award-winning HRS iPhone app, which was launched in autumn 2011, has made the top 10 most downloaded travel applications in 89 countries. This makes HRS one of the world’s leading providers of mobile services for the iPhone in the tourism sector.

The HRS iPhone app was awarded the Mobile Innovation Award at the Mobile Communications Conference, January 2012 – organised by the University of Augsburg and the IT association, Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. The app was praised for its cutting-edge features such as augmented reality, social media, rating and Click2Call

ENDS

HRS – The Hotel Portal

HRS operates a global hotel portal for business and leisure travellers featuring over 250,000 hotels in 180 countries and covering all categories; on average, the site has 10 million visits per month. The company has the largest range of hotels in the world available, including tens of thousands of independent hotels and hundreds of chains. The complimentary booking service allows travellers to book accommodation online at rock bottom prices – with a best price guarantee. Moreover, the exclusive HRS price guarantees a saving of at least ten percent compared with those offered by the competition. Choosing a hotel is made easier by comprehensive hotel descriptions, detailed hotel videos and some 3 million guest reviews. In addition to serving millions of private customers, HRS regularly receives accommodation reservations from more than 30,000 companies organising business trips, conferences and group travel; the latter benefit from special HRS business rates with up to 30 percent off the day’s current prices. As a leader of innovation, the company also sets standards when it comes to mobile reservations. HRS provides apps for all standard smartphones and tablet PCs, thus allowing customers to book the hotel room of their choice even when they’re on the move. Founded in 1972, the company is based in Cologne and operates branch offices in Shanghai, London, Paris, Warsaw, Rome, Istanbul and Moscow. HRS is sole owner of the Alpine portal www.tiscover.com based in Innsbruck and the majority shareholder of hotel.de AG based in Nuremberg.

For more information go to www.HRS.com

HRS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HRS

Pitchup.com has put together some classy camping suggestions for a girly glamping trip to remember, incorporating all of the elements of a traditional camping adventure, with a few to make it that bit more appealing for modern hens:

• For surf, sand and champers…

Idos Camping, Pembrokeshire:

Idos Camping is something pretty special. The luxurious ‘cloud house’ yurt is kept cosy with a log burner, the wooden nomad with an oil burner, and the two benefit from their very own hot tub under the stars. Beach-bum hens are just ten minutes from the coast, and the site has its very own surf shop and coffee bar. Idos will organise group lessons with their instructor friends at the local surf schools, as well as archery, horse riding and cycling all being close by too. In fact, there’s very little outdoorsy that the site cannot arrange for your hen adventure. The yurt is priced from £53 per night and the wooden nomad from £42 per night.

• Farm days and fluffy animals…

Court Farm Country Park, Somerset:

The roomy tipis at Court Farm sleep up to six people and are fully kitted out for a comfy stay. In the summer, the girls can muck in and become farm-hands for the day, helping out on the farm itself (it’s a working farm with pedigree herds of sheep and cattle, plus lots of other furry and feathered friends). If an escape from the pastoral is needed after a mucky day on the farm, then it’s not far to the beaches of Weston-super-Mare and the lively city of Bristol. Tipis are priced from £60 per night.

• Fine wining and dining…

Little Upton Boutique Bell Tents, Cornwall:

An evening’s entertainment at an open air amphitheatre, or a shower in a converted piggery: an array of new experiences await guests at Little Upton. This bijou glampsite, located in the heart of the beautiful Cornish countryside, offers guests roomy bell tents and a luxurious yurt with some beautiful finishing touches, such as tea-light chandeliers. Each tent has a decked “balcony”, with ample space for outdoor dining and relaxing. Home-made farm produce is available to purchase on site, or there’s a small shop a five minute walk away in the hamlet of Upton Cross (the local delicacy is a world champion cheese, Cornish Blue). With a cluster of charming country inns surrounding the site, hens will be spoiled for choice if they fancy eating out instead. Bell tents are priced from £50 per night and the yurt from £65 per night.

• A rustic retreat…

Magical Camping, Norfolk:

Hidden away in lush meadows, Magical Camping’s luxury bell tents and tipis are kitted out with comfortable beds, carpeted floors and atmospheric lighting to provide the ultimate luxury camping experience. Learn a new skill and take part in a foraging course, and gather round the rather fantastic fire bowl for an evening glass of wine and a spot of memory-sharing. The site boasts a modern shower block heated from solar panels, laundry room, on-site shop, five miles of farm walks, four acres of open space and is a close distance to both the fine city of Norwich and the beautiful Norfolk Coast. Tipis and bell tents are priced from £85 per night, or £440 per week.

ENDS

About Pitchup.com

Winner of the Travel Journalists’ Award for Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011 and Best Travel Information Site at the 2010 Travolution awards, Pitchup.com is the most comprehensive website in the camping and caravanning sector. Launched in July 2009, the site features 5,000 campsites and holiday parks in the UK and Ireland, including many in hard-to-find locations. The website enables users to search and book using more than 80 search criteria to fine-tune their holiday requirements, and features mapping technology to make getting there simple too. The site also lists accommodation near nine National Parks, hundreds of beaches, 17 World Heritage Sites and the main UK festivals and can view nearby Good Pub Guide pubs, National Trust properties and National Cycle Network routes. Website owners can also add custom Pitchup.com listings to their site.

Issued by Flagship Consulting

For further media information please contact:

Lewis Shields   020 7886 8449 lewis.shields@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Laetitia Redbond 020 7886 8457 laetitia.redbond@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

The research was commissioned by the global specialist recruitment company Hydrogen Group and conducted by ESCP Europe. 94% of those who responded to the 2012 survey are considering relocating or have already done so, and they are taking the step to gain international experience because they recognise it as a key factor in career success.

The report highlighted the continued importance of recruitment companies in finding candidates the best overseas opportunities.  37% of respondents working abroad said that they had found their role through recruiters.  Tim Smeaton, CEO of Hydrogen Group commented that “Candidates recognise that recruitment specialists provide them with access to the global organisations of their choice.”

At the same time the survey found that this international migration of professionals is spread more widely than ever before. While the three most popular places for respondents to live and work remain the US, the UK and Australia, their dominance is waning: the US fell from 18% last year to 12% this year, Australia fell from 11% to 9% and the UK from 10% to 9%.

As Dan Church, Client Services Director at Hydrogen, says: “The most significant impact of the global financial crisis of 2008 has been that migration is spread more widely than ever before. “People now need to go where the revenue is,” he explains. “Five years ago this might have been New York, London and Hong Kong; now it is also Shanghai, Houston, Vietnam and so on.”

Other key findings from the report include:

-          overseas work is no longer just for the young with 45% of those respondents working abroad aged over 40

-          women who work overseas are doing it early in their careers: 36% of women who are already abroad are between 21 and 30, while this applies for just 17% of the men. Only 19% are over 40, compared to nearly 50% of the men

-          people who make the move tend to stay much longer than they expected to: on the whole respondents said they expect to stay overseas for up to five years, while in fact a sizeable 45% of respondents have already been overseas for more than five years and 50% plan to apply for permanent residency.

As Raymond Madden, Visiting Professor at ESCP Europe and the academic in charge of the survey, concludes: “We’re not seeing people going abroad to do a quick two-year assignment. More and more people are spending their entire careers working overseas, doing stints of several years at a time in one country before moving to a new region where they gain fresh perspectives and experiences. Very often they are hesitant at the start but become hooked on the lifestyle and keep doing it much longer than they intended.”

Notes to editors:

-          In this survey, conducted at the end of 2011, ESCP Europe’s Master in European Business team interviewed 2,353 people from right across the world.

-          The resulting 8,000-word report, Global Professionals on the Move 2012 highlights the ten striking insights and analyses trends together with commentary from Hydrogen experts, opinion from independent observers such as the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, Deloitte, and Forbes, and stories from several professionals who have recently moved overseas.

-          Hydrogen is a specialist recruitment business. We build relationships by finding candidates our clients have difficulty sourcing, placing professionals in over 50 countries.

-          Each of our consultants is part of one of our global practices covering both professional support services (Business Transformation, Finance, HR, Legal, Trading & Advisory and Transformational Technology) and the technical and scientific market (Infrastructure, Mining, Oil & Gas and Pharmaceutical). They combine international reach with local expertise and specialist knowledge. (www.hydrogengroup.com)

-          ESCP Europe is the world’s oldest business school. Founded in Paris in 1819, the School provides postgraduate and executive-level business education at five European campuses (Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid and Turin), and globally via a broad network of academic partners. (www.escpeurope.eu)

For further information, interview opportunities, or a copy of the report, please contact:

Diana Soltmann / Adrian King

Flagship Consulting

T:  020 7886 8441 / 020 7886 8458

E:  diana.soltmann@flagshconsulting.co.uk / adrian.king@flaghsipconsulting.co.uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00r01vt

Just as you are about to make your payment you are told that certain restrictions apply to you and they are as follows; you can only choose a horse bred in Britain, it has to be under 3 years old, and it can have no track record of winning and have had limited training. Everyone else can take their pick. All of a sudden the game changes! You have no idea how much money you should stake. You feel constricted by the limited choice and frustrated by the fact that the odds are no longer in your favour.  The excitement you felt changes to anxiety and resentment and you just don’t feel like betting any more.

Of course this would never happen on the sports field and if it did no bets would be ever be placed. And yet in the world of work this is precisely what we are being asked to do. The government has sent employers a clear message: hire young British people – and preferably those from deprived backgrounds. In racing terms it is like asking someone to put all their money on a rank outsider with no form, an unknown trainer and an inexperienced jockey. Why would anyone do that when there is a whole stable of fabulous talent to choose from?

I understand the principle behind the government’s message, but as an employer I want the freedom to choose from the whole field and not just one corner of it.  As the world of business becomes increasingly tough and more competitive, only the best will survive and to do that we must be free to choose the best. It is up to young British people to prove that the odds are such that an employer is confident and willing to risk their money and bet on them.

This new offering means that over 185 campsites and holiday parks across the UK are now live and bookable on Pitchup.com, with a strong pipeline of additional locations to be made available to holidaymakers in the imminent future.

The new parks mean that Pitchup.com now offers a huge range of options for holidaymakers – from large fully-featured holiday parks with superb recreational facilities to cosy glamping accommodation, through to back-to-basics canvas camping.

John Waterworth, Chief Executive Officer of Parkdean, said: “Pitchup.com provides us with a unique, new means of facilitating bookings and gives visitors easy access to pitches on parks of all shapes and sizes, from one easily accessible platform. We are excited to be working with such a first-rate company.”

Dan Yates, Managing Director of Pitchup.com, says: “Holidaying at home is more popular than ever, with spend on domestic camping and caravan trips up 12%^[i] in 2011. We are seeing over 50% more traffic to Pitchup.com compared to the same period last year. The offering of 45 new parks will allow our visitors even more choice and availability when making their bookings”.

Note:

[1] Full year 2010-11; includes static caravans, motorhomes, campervans, touring caravans and camping. Source: GB Tourism Survey (GBTS)

ENDS

About Pitchup.com

Winner of the Travel Journalists’ Award for Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011 and Best Travel Information Site at the 2010 Travolution awards, Pitchup.com is the most comprehensive website in the camping and caravanning sector. Launched in July 2009, the site features 5,000 campsites and holiday parks in the UK and Ireland, including many in hard-to-find locations. The website enables users to search and book using more than 80 search criteria to fine-tune their holiday requirements, and features mapping technology to make getting there simple too. The site also lists accommodation near nine National Parks, hundreds of beaches, 17 World Heritage Sites and the main UK festivals and can view nearby Good Pub Guide pubs, National Trust properties and National Cycle Network routes. Website owners can also add custom Pitchup.com listings to their site.

Issued by Flagship Consulting

For further media information please contact:

Lewis Shields   020 7886 8449 lewis.shields@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Laetitia Redbond 020 7886 8457 laetitia.redbond@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Originally exclusive to iPhone users, the Android app launched last week and was heralded with more than 5 million downloads in six days. No wonder Mr Zuckerberg just paid a cool $1bn to buy it out. Although there are fears Facebook’s influence will ruin the service, its experience and capital backing can only strengthen what was one of the top downloaded apps of 2011.

Yet travel brands have been slow in their foray into the service, with few notable examples of firms doing it well.  But there is great opportunity here because, as agents know, strong visuals can make or break a sale – especially when a fake Polaroid frame is involved.

The service allows you to take, share and modify pictures with a range of vintage-feel filters.  Images can then be posted to additional social sites, such as Facebook or the company’s blog. Using hashtags, images can be grouped together under a theme such as #familybreak or #spainholiday, making them SEO-friendly.  It’s very user friendly and is an easy way for agents to encourage customers to engage with their content.

Many agents are still using words as the main way to engage on social networks, but why not time to think more visually.

Originally published in TTG on 26 April 2012

Twitter did for the hash sign what Charlie Sheen did for addiction. Hash (in the tag, not Sheen, sense) came back, and found a way to pervade other social networks providing often erroneous meta-information to statuses and updates across the web.

Don’t get me wrong – I get hashtags.  I get their purpose.  I get their benefits.   I get their mildly amusing way of contradicting statements to show sarcasm – a digital knockback to the acutely self-aware-ennui of the early 90s when Nirvana’s nihilistic grunge rock seemed like rainbow wallpaper in a sarcastic landscape, when being excited was so like “not” and indeed, when adding “not” denoted our rampant indifference to our surroundings (i.e. “I like hashtags – NOT”).

But they’re irking me. #Statuses #updated #with #too #many and irrelevancy are becoming an increasing occurrence. #wariniraq. And brands are some of the worst offenders.

This year we’ve already seen two significant moments of brand fail.  Firstly, Blackberry’s #BeBold campaign turned New Year resolutions into superhero characters (for real). Predictably, the hashtag was hijacked and used by customers to chastise the campaign, the brand and its products.

Secondly, McDonalds suffered because of their #McStories campaign (read all about it) where again users hijacked the hashtag to complain about the brand which undoubtedly damaged its reputation.

Both of these campaigns used hashtags really poorly.  They were incredibly brand centric, offered zero value to social communities and didn’t generate positive engagement so what was intended to be a positive brand enhancing campaign ended up being cringe-worthy examples of how to do it wrong.

Hashtags will continue to be prevalent and I’m sure there will be more examples in the near future of brands failing to get it right. But – not if they go by the following rules of thumb:

• Try picking a brand hashtag which is already being used by your community – even ask them for suggestions!
• Don’t pick something vague, and make sure you frame and contextualise it to explain what the hashtag means and why you’re using it
• Make it unique to your brand – and NEVER just hijack other brand hashtags and claim them for your own
• View it with a critical eye – double check for possible innuendo
• Give your community a reason to use it – make it fun, incentivise it and make it easy

Originally for PepperDigital

City Cruises has released tickets offering customers the last chance to secure front row river seats for the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant on 3 June, in a spectacular location between London Bridge and Tower Bridge.

The Tall Ship Artemis will be moored by the Tower of London and the guests will be transferred from Canary Wharf Pier, for the all day event from 09.30 to18.00.

Tickets include half a bottle of champagne, coffee and pastries, a lavish buffet lunch and afternoon tea. Ticket price also includes a bar selection of wines, beers and soft drinks. Additional champagne and spirits will be available to purchase at the bar.

Kyle Haughton, managing director of City Cruises commented: “We were overwhelmed by the interest and response to our previous Jubilee cruises, which sold out in record time. On the day, there will be an estimated thirty thousand people along the river banks and being on the river will give guests front row seats for this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.”

Tickets are available for a limited time (booking closes at 14.00 on 30 April). Tickets cost £529 for adults and £499 for children. For further information or to book, please visit www.citycruises.com or call 020 77 400 400.

ENDS

About the River Pageant

The River Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant celebrates Her Majesty’s sixty years of service by bringing the Thames to life. In a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience, the river will be full with boats, resounding with clanging bells, tooting horns and sounding whistles, recalling both its royal heritage and its heyday as a working, bustling river.

Issued by Flagship Consulting

Sophy Norris sophy.norris@flagshipconsulting.co.uk 01392 860 620

Sarah Catterick sarah.catterick@flagshipconsulting.co.uk 0207 886 8452

City Cruises plc is the leading operator of passenger services on the River Thames, carrying in excess of 2 million passengers annually on our extensive sightseeing, entertainment and charter services. City Cruises has been in operation since 1985. It has a fleet of 14 river