Archive for February, 2010

Has the world gone 3D crazy?

February 25th, 2010 by Georgia Field

For a majority of consumers, 3D has always been about film, but a recent series of media developments have thrust into the mainstream.  Whether it be sport,  television or even the first-ever 3D catwalk at the Burberry’s  London Fashion Week show, I think we can safely say that nothing is off-limits from being ‘three-dimensionalised’.

Without question, the success of Avatar has had a huge impact, so much so that I wonder how long it might have taken the phenomenon to catch on if it wasn’t for the 3D James Cameron epic. Could we still be fumbling around with dodgy old novelty glasses with the lenses cut out and replaced with cheap blue and red cellophane? Probably not, but I don’t think that would be miles from the truth. For the general public, Avatar made 3D cool.

But the million-dollar question is where the technology will take us. The explosion of excitement around 3D makes it seem like anything is possible. Who knows, with the pace of technology in ten years’ time, 2D viewing might be as archaic as the gramophone. It’s even been mooted that 3D contact lenses could be the norm.

All this seems very exciting. But at the same time, I have to wonder if there’s going to be a bit of a backlash.  How much do we really want to see a close-up of a sweaty rugby player as he grapples with four other guys in the scrum, or a malnourished model limping towards us on her way down the catwalk?

Whatever your opinion, 3D is upon us and this time it would seem well and truly here to stay.

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Posted in Creativity, TV | No Comments »

Latest ABC figures and the multipack controversy

February 23rd, 2010 by Louisa Papachristou

There was an incredible buzz in the office last week, caused by the release of the biannual ABC CCR report. Produced in February and August, this document provides the circulation figures of consumer magazines and reveals the true breadth and depth of the market.

Despite the recession, it seems that one of the things consumers are not ready to give up just yet is their weekly or monthly fix of their favourite titles. Magazines are considered by many as an inexpensive luxury, which can bring a little light-hearted relief to everyday life. As such, six of the top 10 market sectors have shown growth, according to the report.

Even before the report was released, the CCR was making headlines, as the publisher of CondeNast’s Vogue accused NatMags of using multipacks as a way of even though it is a perfectly legitimate marketing tool

In terms of circulation trends, satirical magazine Private Eye saw a year-on-year circulation increase of 3.4 per cent, taking sales to more than 210,000 for the first time since 1992. However, we were more impressed with Private Eye editor Ian Hislop’s quip: “The Eye’s circulation figures are like John Terry’s shorts. In the past they may have been down – but now they are firmly up again.”

Debut circulation of Wired magazine, which launched last April, was 48,275 in the second half of 2009, whilst Sky Magazine retained the highest distribution of any magazine,, mailed to 7,423,570 BSkyB subscribers.

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Posted in Print media | No Comments »

NME’s new model retains army of readers

February 15th, 2010 by Andrew

NME

The ABC figures released this week paint a familiar picture for the music press: year on year, music titles are facing a brick wall as prominent as Pink Floyd’s; their readership being squeezed like Jools Holland on a bad day.

Weekly titles NME and Kerrang! announced falls in circulation of more than 20 per cent, while monthly titles MOJO and Q also posted circulation decreases, albeit on a smaller scale. It poses the question – what must a music publication do to survive?

NME, for example, has evolved and diversified to fit the needs that today’s tech-savvy reader demands. Far from its humble beginnings as a grassroots newspaper nearly 60 years ago, the magazine is now part of a multi-faceted music brand which includes its own TV and radio stations, concerts, awards, merchandise and a website that boasts 3.5 million unique users a month.

The print publication of NME – while still arguably the most iconic aspect of the brand – has simply become just one part of a much bigger remit. Those who interact with NME now do so across multiple platforms, engaging in content that moves far beyond the page.

In establishing a multi-platform offering, NME has not only safeguarded its brand, but enhanced it, too. The brand offers a much more tangible experience: for example, you can read the review of the new Marina and the Diamonds record in the magazine, listen to it on NME Radio, read her interview on the website and watch her live on the NME tour.

There’s a lesson to be learned here in the ongoing debate surrounding newspapers’ attempts to safeguard their existence. In creating a coherent brand across various platforms of which the print magazine is just one part, NME has negated the risk of readers flocking to other publications to consume their music content by effectively creating a ‘one-stop shop’.

The ABC figures may paint a picture that NME will forever struggle to replicate its readership figures of the halcyon days of the 70s and 80s. Then, the magazine regularly shifted a quarter of a million copies a week, compared to just 38,486 now. The truth may be closer to the fact that its readers, like the NME brand, are simply evolving in the way they consume music content.

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Posted in Print media | No Comments »

PR and journalism – an inconvenient truth

February 8th, 2010 by Phil

The launch of a campaign aimed at eradicating ‘PR spam’ caused something of a stir at Eulogy! Towers last week.  The offending site managed to infuriate almost the entire agency, and sparked lively discussion on what is no doubt a significant issue, and one which we don’t take lightly.

What’s most interesting to me is the suggestion that we need a ‘bill of rights’ to govern our actions and ensure best practice in the way we communicate with journalists and bloggers.  I fiercely disagree with this presumption.

Good PRs will adhere to these, and other, rules of engagement, and will reap the rewards accordingly.  Those with a lesser understanding of how to engage with journalists and bloggers will miss out.  That’s the penance.

And ignoring the fact that the ‘extensive research’ this campaign is based on stretches to what constitutes a tiny sample (even in PR extrapolation terms), if journalists are ‘demanding’ this, what about a code of conduct for their treatment of PRs?  We’re not all the same; we don’t all telephone after every press release we send; we don’t all bang out any old crap in the hope that something sticks.  Yet ‘journalists’ collectively ignore phone calls and emails (even when the pitch is spot on and highly relevant), and can give little or no feedback to the ideas and content we generate, and offer to hand over on a plate.  But if it’s something they want, they’ll happily be spoon fed.

Of course I’m generalising – not all journalists behave in this way.  But neither do all PRs behave in the way this campaign accuses.

PRs and journalists (and to a less extent, bloggers) rely on a close working relationship – very much you scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours.  In fact, continuing that theme, perhaps the best way to educate PRs on what’s acceptable and what’s not is to train them, like you’d train a dog.  Reward the good behaviour, ignore the bad.

The inconvenient (or do I mean convenient) truth is that PRs and journalists form part of a wider industry, a communications microcosm.  And even if PRs are the algae at the bottom of the evolutionary pool, as nature has taught us, you don’t kill off the foundation of the food chain.

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Posted in PR industry | 1 Comment »

Could you go a year without reading a newspaper? Adam Vincenzini is going to try…

February 1st, 2010 by Katie Bawler

Talk has been rife in the media world about the waning importance of print media and whether it is due to have the final nail banged into its coffin.  In his blog, the COMMS corner, Adam Vincenzini is undertaking a substantial experiment to put to the test accusations of digital media cannibalising print media.

On January 1st he embarked on a quest to go one year without buying or reading a print newspaper to see how it would affect his role as a PR consultant.

So far, he is discovering a lot – particularly about the ways he consumes digital media.  There is flexibility in digital news that allows him to choose which articles he reads, depending on his interests. He’s also become more aware of the rapidity with which he receives news throughout the day by following the Sky News breaking news Twitter feed.

I agree that taking in news digitally allows for immediate consumption. For example, when I get into work in the morning, I scroll my Digsby Twitter feed to get a steer on the stories that are due to be breaking later in the day.

But no matter what, I’ll always enjoy reading the paper. For me, the difference is that I’ll purvey a newspaper leisurely over my bowl of cereal. I look at newspapers almost as magazines now. I use them as leisure material, whereas I log on to actually read the news.

This is personal consumption, though. Professionally, I still can’t beat the feeling of seeing my coverage in the newspaper – it feels more real.  The sense of achievement is higher, and it’s something tangible that I can show friends and family. Maybe I hold print coverage in high esteem because I am quite new to social media. But having been encouraged to engage with online communities in my final year at university, I expect this to change.

I like print, I prefer it as I would Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range to Sainsbury’s own brand, but do I really need it? I imagine not. Good luck to Adam with his ‘no newspapers’ challenge.

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Posted in A bit of fun, Digital PR, Print media | 2 Comments »