Archive for the ‘Technical PR’ Category

PR is more than tactics, Innovation is Key!

What sets a lot of PR agencies apart is their ability to be creative, no matter what their industry or if their focus is on B2B, B2C, technology or consumer markets.  Almost any agency can dig around in a ‘PR tool box’ and find a myriad of tactics, throw them together and do a fairly okay job of ‘doing’ PR for a client. 

A good agency on the other hand has the ability to adapt to market conditions, continually look for new tools for that ‘PR tool box’, try new things and have an excellent and easy to understand metric and reporting system for their clients.

But what makes a great agency, is its ability to create innovative and memorable campaigns that stand out from the crowd.  These campaigns will thrust their clients to the head of the class.

Here is a great example of creative innovation that can give your PR campaign an extra push! 

The Revd. Paul Sinclair runs a funeral business, but so do a lot of other people, so he thought, why not try something different… but unbeknown to him, his idea would set him apart and gain him notoriety, something that all PR practitioners must learn.

He was approached to do a funeral for a keen bicyclist, so why not do something a bit different he thought, he had already created a special motorcycle to carry coffins, so he invented the pedal-powered coffin carrier named Rebecca, it recently gained him an article in “The Sun” and has the coffin carrier on show at the recent CRE show in Devon.

Paul-hearse

Image: The Good Funeral Guide

This is a simple yet classic example of how PR can set your clients apart from the competition.

Innovation is key, so give that ‘creative room’ at your agency a coat of paint, throw in a few beanbags and let your PR staff become “creative thinkers”  after all, its what clients pay us for!

Guardin’ against errors

While reading a quality daily newspaper a few days ago my eyes fell on this.

guardian

It was on the main comment and opinion page and occupied an area 6cm by 7cm within a column of otherwise white space. This isn’t just a literal error; it’s a howler.
 
The Guardian (we can name names because, with an average daily circulation of 230,000 copies, this is hardly secret) playfully self references its reputation for spelling mistakes and minor factual inaccuracies by running a regular corrections section. But it has the advantage of an established reputation and being a successful media outlet with many loyal – and forgiving – supporters. Most organisations are not so fortunate and cannot afford to make blatant errors in the media.

Which brings me to my point. Pinnacle, like most technology PR agencies, spends a lot of time developing strategy, coming up with creative ideas and analysing how best to communicate with our clients’ target markets. What we, perhaps, don’t highlight enough is our ability to execute consistently, even though this is the linchpin of any social media or traditional PR campaign.

One error or broken promise can destroy trust and result in the loss of a reputation that has taken years to build. This has always been the case with journalists; recently extended to bloggers; and now, thanks to social media, one unhappy customer can share his or her complaint with the whole world before a company has a chance to address it.
 
Which is why attention to detail remains as important in corporate communications as it ever was.

Beam me up now, please…

Qualcomm’s decision to run a competition for the development of a personal medical analyser akin to the ‘tricorder’ imagined in the original 1970s Star Trek TV series was a good PR move. Adding a $10million prize has made a lot of people sit up and take notice.

The geekier among us may know that this is only one of many areas where the cult series has influenced, or at least predicted, future tech trends. This infographic neatly summarizes the current state of thinking in the Trekkie camp. Beam me up now, please…

Who wants a future proof TV?

Samsung’s unveiling of a ‘future proof TV’ this week at the world’s most celebrated tech jamboree – the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – must have been pulled off with a wry grin. When I bought my previous home desk top PC some years ago I chose one with expansion slots so that I could add memory and functionality or swap out the processor board if I felt the need to upgrade. Unsurprisingly, when that urge came upon me what I actually did was to unplug it, shift it to a corner and go and buy a shiny new computer. Because that’s what most consumers do. And it is fortunate that we do.

Japan’s consumer tech leadership in the 1980s was fuelled largely by a domestic population with a seemingly insatiable appetite for the latest gadgets. Second-hand (or pre-owned) had no Japanese translation, by all accounts. This meant that corporations could invest in product development with confidence that anything with novel functionality – faster, smaller, more features – would sell. And, having developed these products backed by a guaranteed return at home, they could happily sell them in US and Western European countries where they would be sure to have a lead on their local competitors.

All this has been underpinned by the astonishing innovation and problem solving skills of the electronics industry, which has risen to every challenge brought to its door – or, more accurately, that it has sought out. The result is that the price of consumer goods has fallen consistently in real terms over the past three decades making the most remarkable technological wizardry available to almost every household in the developed economies. The fact that we, the public, just use it to timeshift reality TV soaps, watch them in 3D and then discuss them via social networks on our smartphones is not the fault of the technologists.

So, should we feel guilty about the banal use of all this impressive technology? Not at all because, elsewhere, the same underlying blocks are being used to deliver better tools for medical care, safer cars and cleaner and more efficient energy systems from which we will all benefit. And that’s why no one really wants a future proof TV.

How to Get 77% More Exposure From Your Press Releases

Writing press releases is a great way to generate exposure for your business. If you have something newsworthy to say, then a well written piece of content that captures the attention of an editor or blogger will earn you some valuable coverage. However, did you know that by including an image, you increase the chances of your press release being picked up?

A recent study by PR Newswire shows that press releases which feature a photo generate 14% more views than those without. Add in photos, video and other rich media and this increases by up to 77%!

This is a trend that we have also noticed when reviewing our press release statistics. Essentially, because the multimedia elements can be found online independently of each other; for instance in an image-based Google search, on video portals or through various social networking channels, there are more opportunities for your content to be found. Additionally, because people tend to be more attracted to the visual elements, they are likely to be more engaged, which increases the chances of them sharing it.

Below is an infographic showing how the inclusion of multimedia elements affect the level of exposure generated for PR Newswire’s press releases. You can also read their full article here.

infographic_multimedia

Do you distribute press releases for your business? Have you included images or videos and seen a difference in the level of pickup? Share your thoughts and experiences below.

Pain-free PR – Know Your Onions!

In the world of PR, good public relations practice knowledge is only a part of the range of skills your agency should have. Media knowledge and strong journalist relationships and the ability to scribe the highest quality grammar are two other facets. But perhaps the most beneficial skill to the client is a good understanding and working knowledge of the client’s products and technology. As an extreme example, if a PR professional demonstrated exemplary creative writing skills and had an in depth knowledge of high-end French cosmetics, but worked for a client who designed and manufactured integrated CMOS timing devices there would be serious problems..!

In this scenario, it is likely that the client would spend significant amounts of time coming up with ideas and writing content with the PR company just correcting his grammar – not good use of the PR budget. Understanding the client’s technology not only enables the creation of quality written material with minimal briefing, but also means that the PR company, as they indeed should, brings innovative ideas for content and campaigns to the table.

So while the fact remains that no-one can be a ‘specialist in everything’, the need for PR agencies that focus on specific market sectors prevails. This has to be the case otherwise clients can end up doing the majority of the hard work themselves!

Presentations at Pinnacle Summit

Roland Gehrmann presents Toshiba Electronics latest ARM-based microcontroller device.

Roland Gehrmann presents Toshiba Electronics latest ARM-based microcontroller device.

Berthold Duecker presents International Rectifier’s latest innovations in power semiconductor technology.

Berthold Duecker presents International Rectifier’s latest innovations in power semiconductor technology.

Coffee Break at Press Summit

Editors enjoy coffee break

Editors enjoy coffee break

Paul Whytock, Sally Ward Foxton and Ralf Higgelke

Paul Whytock, Sally Ward Foxton and Ralf Higgelke

Pinnacle Marketing’s European Electronics Press Summit 2011 Gets Under Way

Our European Electronics Press Summit officially got under way this morning at Hotel Excelsior in Munich.

Simon Flatt welcomes editors to Pinnacle European Electronic Summit

Simon Flatt welcomes editors to Pinnacle European Electronic Summit

Jean-Christophe Doucet presents Cissoid’s high temperature electronics

Jean-Christophe Doucet presents Cissoid’s high temperature electronics

Pinnacle Welcomes Editors With Pre-Summit Dinner

Pinnacle’s European Electronics Press Summit 2011 started with a pre-Summit dinner at Hotel Excelsior in Munich.