Wow – what a brilliant week at Eulogy! Full of good news and smiles all around.
Why, you ask?
Well, the PR Week Top 150 Leagues came out and we have made astounding progress! We’re up EIGHT places on 2009, which means Eulogy! now resides at number 57 in the Top 150. And in the Top 50 Independents, we’re at number 21 – up 4 places from 25 in 2009.
Well done team!
Unless you were under a cloud of volcanic ash (oh, wait…), you’ll have known that last night saw the UK’s first ever leaders’ debate on ITV. The event, despite an Icelandic volcano’s best efforts, has dominated the news agenda across all media platforms for the last week.
Online opinion tracker Tweetminster provided consistently interesting facts throughout proceedings and in the aftermath with regards to interest in the debate on Twitter. Throughout the debate, a staggering 35,483 people tweeted 184,396 times, with an average frequency of 29.06 tweets per second.
To put that into some form of context, that’s fifteen times more tweets than were seen for #askthechancellors and almost triple the volume of tweets posted during BNP leader Nick Griffin’s infamous appearance on Question Time – both of which saw significant surges in interest themselves.
Admittedly, in the context of the entire UK population those figures seem less impressive. However, they still do add to the belief that – in social media circles – the appetite for political consumption is there.
What these debates and the interest around them have demonstrated, is that while social media isn’t a direct replacement for other media, it’s a hugely engaging complement to other platforms.
The observations provided on Twitter, even though much of it was superficially commenting on the state of the leaders’ make up or what they were scribbling on their notes, made the leaders’ debates incredibly exciting.
The TV debate on its own may have made for relentlessly dull viewing (BBC Parliament, anyone?), but Twitter added a whole new dimension, providing an outlet for discussion and amusing insight not just from your average Joe, but from people in power, too. Throughout the debate I was enlightened of the real-time thoughts of Alistair Campbell, the Evening Standard’s deputy political editor Paul Waugh and MPs John Prescott and William Hague.
What other aspect of the media could offer such close insight?
The leaders’ debate was part of a continuing acceptance that engagement in politics means more than simply voting at a ballot box. People are interested and engaged, but just in increasingly complex ways, including social media.
This interest in the leaders’ debates, be it superficial or not, can only be seen as a positive. Millions of people tuned in to the debate on TV and thousands of those cared enough to express some form of opinion. In the world of low voter-turnouts and sentiment for politicians being at its lowest ebb, that can only be a good thing.
Journalist lunches can be viewed as a perk by PRs. For foodies, those who view relationship building as the most important part of their role or those just wanting to escape their desk and office for a while, lunch excursions are something to be relished. On the other hand, however, if you’re stuck talking about an industry that you don’t have a natural affinity with, they can be a painful, drawn-out process!
Whether you love or hate them, I wonder if we, as PR people, put in enough thought when choosing a restaurant.
Sure, there are basic questions such as whether the journalist has allergies or any food they just don’t like, but are there different rules of etiquette that should be adhered to when at lunch with client and journalist together, rather than a one-on-one?
Another thing to consider: does the choice or style of restaurant have any impact on the outcome of the lunch or the journalist relationship? Is choosing tapas at Polpo, Fino or Salt Yard going to create a convivial atmosphere or will sharing all those small plates just be messy? By going somewhere formal such as Murano, do we risk creating a stilted or strained atmosphere, or could this be advantageous if there are various areas of discussions that your client wants to avoid?
Whatever the restaurant you decide on, one of the main meal components must be a tipple! It sounds simple, but ensuring that a journalist is offered a drink, (frequently and repeatedly) is, according to some, the most important rule of PR lunch etiquette.
But be sure to do some research into the journalist’s preferences beforehand. The more you know about them already, the better the lunch and the conversation can be. In short, making sure that the journalist has a good time will help you to strengthen your professional relationship, as well as help them get the story they need
If you have any favourite restaurants or tips, be sure to leave a comment.
Photo graciously borrowed from Locals Night Out
