The main reason for my visit was to network with those in the travel industry, a market where we have many clients and depth of experience. I attend many industry conferences – the travel ones are often the best as they are frequently in lovely hotels overseas – and so I thought I would share with you my top tips for maximising the opportunities.

Decide why you are there

It might sound obvious but it is important to mentally set yourself objectives and maybe even some targets in order to be sure you come back feeling it was a good use of your time. Are you there to network and create new contacts? Or is it to attend the conference sessions and learn about the industry, its trends and issues? If it is the former, then it is worth familiarising yourself with the attendee list and see if you can prearrange meetings. If you are there to learn, I would share your observations – most conferences will have a prearranged twitter# and it is useful to see what other delegates are saying. Or maybe you are there to skive work, in which case the travel conferences offer the best options with poolside restaurants and bars!!!

Networking.. “the be-all and end-all”

OK, it is true that the best networking is done in the bar, or at breakfast, or at the coffee breaks. Most conferences have social events and there is no doubt that it is much easier to approach and chat to people when they – and you – have a glass of beer or wine in your hand. It is also much easier if you can get someone else to introduce you to key people so you don’t look like a stalker!

Being sociable

All work makes Jack a dull boy! And it also makes you a dull networker. Even if you are there to meet potential business contacts, they do not want to be sold to at these events. So be subtle about it. But also listen and learn about those you are meeting as you want to engage with them after the event, and knowing that they are Man Utd fans makes it much easier to have a post conference conversation.

Drinking..

I admit it, I am a lightweight and unlike some, I cannot spend the evening drinking. But it is important to be ‘there’ so I have learnt to drink copious amounts of water and to ‘nurse’ a beer for a long time.

Follow up

Yes, this is where LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for touching base with those you have met. Or you can opt to take out all those business cards you have gathered and email those you met. Whichever route you take, make sure you do follow up and then keep in touch with relevant information or offers, and hopefully you will reap the rewards!

We have ambitious growth plans, and need a New Business Development Executive to achieve this new business drive.  Reporting directly to the CEO and a senior Director, your role will be to help us to win new business.  Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying and proactively building relationships with key prospects by phone and email, co-ordinating new business meetings and managing prospects through to conversion
• Database management
• Supporting the marketing efforts, including management of eDM calendar, newsletter mail outs, attending networking events
• Weekly report on activities to senior management team.

Our Ideal Candidate

We need someone who is commercially minded, enthusiastic about sales and business development and knowledgeable about marketing and brands. You will be an outstanding communicator, both written and on the telephone, and be professional in everything you do. You will take the initiative and get the job done – thriving under pressure.

The successful candidate will be motivated, intelligent, with a positive outlook and mature attitude. Organisational skills are a must, as is attention to detail. You’re presentable, balanced, socially at ease and a fast and creative thinker. Working well in a team environment is essential.

Flagship Consulting is well known as a fast-paced, lively and enjoyable place to work, and for the right candidate a place to truly thrive.

To Apply

If you feel that you might be a good fit for this role, send your CV and a detailed covering note including salary expectations, with ‘New Business Development Executive’ in the subject line, to Sarah Milward at sarah.milward@flagshipconsulting.co.uk.

Likes don’t save lives. At least, that’s the message emanating loud and clear from Unicef’s latest online campaign, which castigates the ‘slacktivists’ who aren’t as generous with their money as they are with clicking the ‘Like’ button on Facebook pages.  The campaign even includes a rather moving video featuring a ten year-old orphan who directly addresses a camera and says “sometimes I worry that I will get sick, like my mum got sick. But I think everything will be all right. Today, Unicef Sweden has 177,000 likes on Facebook.”

It’s certainly a risky move to directly criticise your own supporters, and this is the first time we’ve seen such a move from a charity – a type of organisation which heavily relies on the goodwill of the very same people. The campaign does, however, address some of the shortcomings of Kony 2012, a social media campaign that was hugely successful in raising awareness of Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony but has ultimately done relatively little to bring him to justice.

This lack of action is not a new challenge for charities either. How many times, for example, have you walked past one of those pesky clipboard-holding, personal space-intruding charity workers in the street (who in reality are just doing their job and encouraging people to get involved in a good cause)? Social media has helped by making it easier than ever before to publically display support for a cause, but not necessarily any less difficult to solve the problem itself.

The challenge of converting awareness and conversation into transaction is something every business using social media faces – the difference this time is that Unicef has decided to confront us about it. But if its social media isn’t effective enough in boosting donations, isn’t it their responsibility to use social media channels to encourage greater participation? The range of possibilities is vast and growing; from kickstarting new projects using crowdfunding to sharing success stories through videos and infographics.

Most importantly though, I think it’s fair to say that the biggest benefits of social networks for businesses lie in raising awareness (be it a product, brand or a cause), creating or curating conversation, and improving customer service – not getting people to part with their cash. This may well change over time, but for now perhaps Unicef should reconsider what they want to get out of social media. Likes might not directly save lives, but if they help spread the word about what Unicef does and subsequently encourage others to become an advocate, then perhaps they do.

Written by Callum McCaig, Graduate Trainee at Flagship

Working in PR, we are very aware that the world of newspapers, both online and in print, is changing. In a constant battle to remain at the forefront of breaking news and information, newspapers have had to offer their content online in competition with traditional broadcast media and the ever-evolving world of social media and online news sources.

Unfortunately, we have taken this for granted. We now don’t need to pay to read the branded, trusted news that was traditionally only found upon opening a broadsheet. Instead, we can click online and read media that is updated 24/7. This is fantastic – what’s going on all over the world is available at the moment it occurs – but it is also unsustainable. Newspapers are struggling to earn revenue while they’re giving their content away for free. Enter the paywall.

Paywalls have been met with dismay as we are all so used to being able to read what we want, when we want. “It’s not right”, we cry. “It won’t work”. Restricting online access to The Telegraph simply means that readers will just click elsewhere, doesn’t it?

I spoke to Will Brewster, account director at Flagship. Will doesn’t share the general gloom about paywalls and instead sees them having a positive role in the future of the newspaper industry. In fact, he argues that the entire PR industry needs to support his ‘no such thing as a free lunch’ attitude.

Here’s his reasoning:

1. We’re threatening the quality of our media. It is in our interest, and the interest of our clients, to have high quality, functioning media that will hold people to account and remain a reliable and quality source of information. It is fantastic that we can generate our own PR content online, but we do also need the quality third party endorsement of clients that can only come from trusted media brands – very often the newspapers.

2. Newspapers need to make money somehow. This means that they end up relying on sponsors who will then drive content direction. Content should be determined by the interest of readers, not sponsors, so introducing paywalls brings the power back into the hands of the reader – where it belongs. Another worry is that the media may resort to ‘doing a Facebook’ by selling your data for revenue. Instead, this data can be used to tailor the articles you read based on your preferences and browsing history.

3. There are a number of business models that work. The Sun’s paywall is interesting (being introduced this August), as you might think its demographic is less likely to pay for online access than the rest of the News International stable (The Times and Sunday Times). However, News International is introducing exclusive access to Premier League goals so readers (and viewers) of The Sun and The Times will be paying for content they can’t get anywhere else. This is crucial for the other papers – they need to have a USP that will encourage readers to go that bit further and part with their pennies.

Ultimately, everyone is in agreement that the online sphere is changing and that we need to change with it. As readers and professionals, we’ve been too used to getting our veritable, branded news for free but as this isn’t feasible in the long term, we need to support alternative funding models for media. We also need to suggest to clients that paying for the media they aspire so strongly to appear in isn’t such a bad idea.

It will be interesting to see how paywalls develop. We may well be at tipping point, where more content is paid for than free, and it will be interesting to see how News International’s new content-led strategy works. The addition of Premier League goals may just be a masterstroke, and others may seek to follow suit. Watch this space.

Written by Flagship Graduate Trainee, Zoe Blah

The first story related to Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the daughter of the new Pakistani Prime Minister, who has been credited with increasing his party’s appeal to a younger voter. She is not just the ‘pretty’ face of modern politics; she has strong opinions and has made many speeches on her country’s poor record for female education. The reporter credited her for setting out to woo people through social media and using Twitter to connect with many voters and that she had matched Imran Khan in using this channel.

On the opposite page in the newspaper (yes, I still read a newspaper – sometimes on screen but this time in print) was the story of the astronaut, International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield. The story focused on the release of his in-space recording of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, with space and the space station as his backdrop. But it also talked about how he has engaged over 800,000 people with tales of trivia, about life in a space station – how to clean your teeth, what happens to your tears in a gravity-free environment and how to keep the space station clean.

And that sums up the beauty of Twitter – it is what you want it to be, it is totally personalised to your interests, career and work or not as the case may be. I follow an eclectic bunch of twitter folk and a quick look shows that they reflect my love of sport and food as well as my interest in my clients and their relevant media, and the PR world and my colleagues.

So if you are not on Twitter yet (!) then start by following and ‘listening’ and once you are ready to start tweeting follow these simple tips:

1. Keep it short and simple and think about the time and context.

2. Use helpful hash tags to signpost the content and link your comments to the bigger picture and trends of the day.

3. Mix up your tweets to show your interests, so two personal tweets to three / four business-related topics.

4. Hints and tips go down well, as do visuals – pictures or infographics

5. Re-tweet and respond to tweets of interest.

Watching a brilliant adaption of Mark Haddon’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Apollo Theatre last week, there is a scene where the main (autistic) character comes to London for the first time and is completely overwhelmed by the heavy bombardment of signs, ads, posters and announcements – a constant stream of information screaming at him from the moment he steps off the train.

This got me thinking about how brand, and just how insane the level of exposure we have to it in our everyday lives. According to The Guardian, in one 45-minute journey, the average London commuter is exposed to more than 130 adverts, featuring more than 80 different products. In an entire day, we’re likely to see 3,500 marketing messages. That’s a lot to compete with. So, how do successful brands stand out and, ultimately, influence consumer behaviour?

The million dollar question, I know. But for starters, it’s all about positioning:

1. Nail the proposition – what is the emotional, and functional, value of your brand? Remember: honesty is the best policy.

2. Determine your best assets – what do you want to become known for? This can be anything as simple as colour so think about design too. Virgin has done well with red, easyJet with orange…

3. Flaunt your personality - identify who you want to be. Think like the Innocent smoothie gang. Will it appeal to your target audience?

4. Live the magic “Marketing Mix”- the holy grail of marketing: the 7ps – product; price; place; promotion; people; process, physical evidence

5. Generate consumer pride – create pride in the customer experience. Would they carry your shopping bag with pride?

6. Be aware of your heritage – essential for corporate brand management; an in-depth understanding of past successes and failures is key for any future coups

Get this right and any brand can remain competitive, credible, clear and consistent – a sure-fire way to stand out in the crowd!

Written by Alison Wood, Senior Account Manager at Flagship

The goal is for all vulnerable individuals to have a net, but key issues remain around the misuse of nets and lack of awareness about malaria. It is therefore crucial to support the global malaria community with effective educational initiatives.

Task

Flagship Consulting created the ‘Me and My Net’ outreach campaign to:

• Build relationships with key African youth/health/malaria organisations
• Demonstrate Olyset Net’s commitment to malaria education to the UK malaria community
• Position Olyset Net at the forefront of behaviour change communication
• Educate young people on the dangers of malaria

In order to achieve this Flagship needed to:

• Engage with the wider malaria community, from UK based NGOs (and government bodies) to those in-country
• Educate 11-15 year-olds to understand that proper net use will protect them and their families
• Capture young people’s thoughts on malaria to shape future education campaigns
• Create content that youth/health/malaria NGOs can use to combat malaria

Solution

• Flagship approached The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) proposing ‘Me and My Net’ for its 100th annual schools competition. Flagship consulted with key malaria NGOs for their desired output.
• Using its extensive networks, RCS promoted the competition through posters, E-Blasts, lesson packs, and launched the microsite, ‘meandmy.net’, filled with myth-busting content.
• The packs – linked to the curriculum – gave teachers a malaria prevention lesson plan, information on encouraging student participation and prevention advice. Competition entries – written or visual – should showcase how to educate young people on malaria.
• Flagship supported two RCS team members attending Me and My Net in–school events in Tanzania and Kenya, which included malaria advice from Olyset Net and lessons on erecting a mosquito net. Targeted malaria-related organisations, local NGOs and government representatives attended and participated.
• Entries judged by Olyset Net, Malaria No More and Ghanaian actor John Apea. The winner, brought to London, flew her country’s flag at the Commonwealth Observance Day (annual RCS event attended by the Queen) and participated in the competition debrief event.

Outcome

• 2,161 entries from 25 countries, involving 167 schools (beating target of 2,000)
• Target countries’ entries included Uganda (34%) Kenya (19%) Tanzania (19%)
• 12,034 visits to meandmy.net website
• Attendance and presentations at in-school events from 16 core youth/health/malaria organisations including Ministry of Public Health, British High Commission, St John Ambulance Kenya, Department for International Development and AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation)
• 30 UK malaria community members attended the Me and My Net debrief, where Indian winner Siya Kulkarni (15), spoke. 50 finalist entries were displayed
• Thebest entries were displayed in Portcullis House at the All-Party Parliamentary Malaria Group Christmas meeting, attended by MPs, DFID civil servants and the UK malaria industry
• The competition has been recognised by the PR industry, having been shortlisted for two awards:

- The Golden Hedgehog PR awards 2013 for Community Engagement Campaign of the Year
- The CIPR Excellence Awards 2013 for Corporate Social Responsibility

Adam Flynn (Sales & Marketing Manager, Sumitomo Chemical) and Danny Sriskandarajah (Former Director, Royal Commonwealth Society) with competition winner, Siya Kulkarni

Siya Kulkarni’s winning competition entry

Inspired by This Little Lady’s blog about spring cleaning your life and ‘gettin’ happy’, I thought I would look at how we can all approach our day-to-day life in PR with the same attitude; creating a workspace and life that screams happy – no matter what deadlines/ pitches/writing tasks you might be dreading for the day ahead!

Make new approaches

When was the last time you updated your media contact list? Or accepted an invitation to a new event you might never have heard of before? If an invitation promises canapés and a glass of fizz there is already a perk, so grab a colleague and make use of the longer days and extra Vitamin D to get out there and network!

Pep up your client plans

Feel like the PR plan for the year ahead with one of your clients is a bit stale? If you’re bored, they probably are too. Introduce a new idea into the mix, or decide what it is that might not be adding value and how you might fix it. You don’t need to go crazy – the change could be as simple as a newly formatted report, or amendments to the regular agenda on your weekly call.

Update your tech

With Google Reader shutting down, there had never been a better time to update your organisational tech tools. Feedly is great for compartmentalising your content, whether you’re using it as a community manager or just for fun. I’m a sucker for anything that allows me to store my recipes right next to my industry blogs – work/life integration right there. Consider all the menial tasks you do every day and I’m sure there is a gadget/app that can assist you (and who knows, it might even become more FUN!)

Consider when you work best

Someone once told me he did internal communications for a communications agency (I know, go figure) and the first thing he noticed about their culture was that they didn’t start actually ‘doing’ work until the afternoon. While this might be ok for some, we aren’t all programmed the same way. For example, I know my brain is at its best first thing in the morning (providing I haven’t been at one of those events I speak of above!) There is no point staying at your desk until 8pm if you spend the first three hours in the morning flapping about and achieving zilch.

Take a look at yourself

While in our industry we might all complain about the busy-ness of the job, the perils of agency life and the pressure of being ‘on form’ at all times, PR is an industry where we are allowed to bring in some fun – so make use of it and make the best of your job on a daily basis.  If you’re unhappy or not excelling to your full potential there might just be a few things you can do about it!

When joining any company these days it is more likely than not that you’ll take a psychometric test (our client, OPP specialises in such). These tests identify what makes you tick and what ‘type’ of person you are, focusing on specific personality traits. At Flagship we do a DISC assessment which is based on the theory of psychologist, William Marston. This categorises each person into four personality traits: Dominance, Inducement, Submission and Compliance.

This was not the only time we have carried out a psychometric analysis on ourselves because, let’s face it, as PR’s we love talking about ourselves. So when offered the opportunity to take part in a trial of a client’s product, of course we jumped at the chance to swim in ‘Lake Me’!

I won’t go into the ins and outs of the different traits of us all because this is not a psychology lesson but, what was interesting was the variety of the categorisations across the team and finding out how our personality traits affect the way we work best.

On hearing my results it became apparent that my categorisation was unique to me when compared to the rest of the team at Flagship. The instant reaction in this case is to think that being different is a negative thing. However, the variation within our team highlights that there are many differed personality types within the PR world and the most important thing when building your “brigade” is getting the right mix, as we all bring different strengths and skills to the equation.

This doesn’t just relate to the PR industry. In fact, it is important for any team to make sure they have the right mix of skills and personalities to create the perfect formula. Initially, it might seem that you don’t have the ‘right’ experience, skills or personality type but actually it is worth remembering that we are all part of a whole and what you bring to the team is just as important as everyone within it.