Wednesday was a momentous day in the history of the Internet. It was a day that saw some of the biggest sites in the world effectively close down in protest at proposed US legislation known as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) – a bill designed to fight online trafficking of copyrighted intellectual property such as music, films and video games. For 24 hours sites such as Wikipedia, Tumblr and WordPress (to name just a few) “blacked-out” their content in protest to what they feel are measures that go further than stopping online piracy, and instead, censor the internet.

Why is a free Internet so important, and how would a censored Internet affect the PR industry? By placing a bar on the freedom of information and investigation, working with journalists to build stories could become nearly unworkable. While we all know you can’t trust Wikipedia implicitly, for PRs and journos, it is a starting point. The fast-paced world of online journalism would be forever changed without it. It may seem to be a huge leap, but the consequences of there not being a “free internet”, would – in the grand scheme of things – mean that user-built sites whose lifeblood is content created by its users wouldn’t be possible and in turn the sharing of news and information that’s become part of our everyday lives.

You could argue the Internet is now ‘too big’ to be destroyed, however, if SOPA was in place in 11 years ago, sites like Wikipedia would in all likeliness not exist today. Incidentally, Wednesday, my first port of call to find out when Wikipedia launched was to check Wikipedia, which just goes to show how valuable a tool the site has become and how often we can take it for granted. And that was the point of yesterday’s black-out, these sites are as much part of our daily lives as BBC News or Coronation St. If they didn’t exist, our lives would be lesser for it.

Think of how many times a day you Wiki something or look up a video on YouTube. It could be for inspiration for a pitch or because you have to write a press release on the banana export legislation of Costa Rica. We get inspiration and information from the Internet. Hell, you could even think of a great campaign idea based on that video of Hello by Lionel Ritchie made up from film clips that seems to be going around. So what would really happen if SOPA went through?

In a nutshell, more trips to the library – and no wants that.

David Macnamara

Of the clients I regularly work with, I see inspirational work that highlights plights and causes the world over. Just a snapshot of these include work with inner-city schoolchildren, leukaemia and cancer sufferers and budding athletes eager for their shot at glory. Advertising plays a huge part in communicating the message that these often ignored areas of society attempt to broadcast, and in doing so bring in attention, funding and advocates.

Just a look down the street in the past few weeks will have shown the sea of poppies that flooded our streets in support of those who give their lives for the UK, a campaign that receives huge support from the advertising industry in terms of creative production as well as advertising placement. Case in point: a slot during X-Factor worth £3m was given to them free of charge for this year’s appeal. A media infrastructure that allows companies to spread such important social messages should not be so readily dismissed.

Yes, Mr Monbiot may dislike many of the products, services and messages (he’d probably just seen another ‘Go Compare’ advert) that are communicated through billboards and TV ad breaks, but there are constantly ideas and reports covered by the mainstream newspapers that could be deemed equally influential, misleading and morally questionable, and so I feel his footing in the argument is far from sound. In the end, surely there are more important things to discuss and critique than the too often used scapegoat-for-society’s-ills that is advertising?

Chaos ensued as only two group members were allowed to star in the video and the other person had to film – inevitably this ensured that the point of the challenge was missed. Instead of spending the eight hours available to them coming up with a creative concept which might warrant spreadability, they bickered about who would be front of camera.

The results were pretty woeful. One group did a skit on Prince William and Kate Windsor (nee Middleton) on their honeymoon night, another also centred on the sex sells theme and spent the afternoon dressed as nuns flashing anyone that passed by and the third took the comic route of having someone dressed in a sumo suit exercising on the edge of a pond who was given a shove by a very Jim Carrey Riddler-type character. Despite being allowed to send the clip to one contact per group to spread the word and get the metaphorical ball rolling between them they didn’t manage even 1,000 hits. As one of the judges waspishly commented: “About as much buzz as wasp flying into a window”.

This just goes to show that creating a viral isn’t easy. What you may consider funny, isn’t to other people. The key is to think about what would make you forward something onto your friends. The programme rightly said that ad agencies (and indeed PR agencies) are increasingly turning to viral as a medium as it is a cost effective route to gaining wide scale awareness – however it is only cost effective if it does create wide scale awareness – otherwise it would probably be cheaper to place an ad in Downstream magazine (a specialist title for the Oil and Gas industry) which has more reach.

Viral isn’t easy and it just goes to show that not everyone with a camera can generate buzz; it is all about understanding how to get the clip correctly seeded out so that it does get those all important views. It is here that PR comes into its own. We have the skillset, the contacts and the heritage in creating conversations – both online and offline.

Baking is my hobby. Unlike most hobbies you undertake after office hours, it’s not something that helps you lose weight or meet new people. Baking is a hobby that gives you great culinary skills but best of all it gives you the ability to put huge smiles on faces with lovely cake.

I’ve baked a few cakes and jam tarts for the office and I’m proud to say the discerning palettes at Eulogy! polished them off in minutes. I feel I’m doing a service for the agency by giving them a bit of sugar to get the creative juices flowing and create some excellent PR!

When I was asked by the Grand Marnier account team to have a go at making the brands chocolate fondant recipe I was delighted to take part. At the time I was hooked by the British bake off and considered applying, so I was treating this task as though I was competing in the competition. That was until I realised I was being judged on producing a type of cake slightly out of the realms of my signature bakes. The image from the recipe looked like something Raymond Blanc would whip up without looking. While I feel confident with sponge and pastry, getting the gooey soft centre and silky hard casing correct for the fondant would prove a challenge.

Armed with my ingredients and Cath Kidston apron, I pre heated the oven and carefully read the recipe instructions three times. As the mixture started to emerge into what I felt was the correct consistency I threw caution to the wind and divided the carefully crafted chocolate goo into individual pots. After placing the fondants in the oven I had one eye on Coronation Street and the other watching every millimetre of the mixture rise.

When the seven minutes of cooking time was up I pulled the cakes out of the oven and plopped onto a plate with whipped cream and icing sugar. Initial reviews were very good as the piping hot runny chocolate centre went down a storm with my first critic, my possibly biased boyfriend. However after sitting in the fridge all night waiting to come to the office the cakes did not look their best. I should not have worried so much, while they might not have looked like something from Pierre Hermé in Paris; they were devoured by the Eulogy! cake lovers in seconds. As I like to say, it’s not what it looks like it’s how it tastes…well that’s what I like to think anyway. The fondants provided a little sugar to fuel our excellent creative PR ideas.

If that last sentence was utter gobbledygook to you, you’re not alone. I also stumped my fellow study groupers with the same sentiment. Following a lecture on individual difference, we were allotted our syndicate teams and asked to discuss the kinds of individual data we captured and acted upon within our organisations (for those of you that know me, the word data meant I was up out of my seat and in the break-out room before anyone else had even gathered their files – if there’s anything I know its data, so all my fears evaporated – this would be a breeze).

I shared my group with people from huge organisations such as British Gas, J&J, Royal Bank of Canada and people from smaller companies including a steel manufacturer and vaccine producer. Spurred on by data collection, I set about mining the information from my colleagues – although none of them had much to say (until we went on to discuss data privacy – but that’s a whole other blog post) further than discussing what happens to the information collected at interview and during appraisals. I on the other hand was fit to bursting with oodles of individual difference information on my fellow Eulogites. This is because we use a psychometric testing tool called Insights. However, where some organisations seemed to use similar tests for candidate selection, at Eulogy! we use it to understand ourselves and team mates. In a nutshell (and at a very basic level) Insights through a series of multiple choice questions assigns you a colour either Red, Green, Yellow or Blue and attached to each colour are a series of traits which suggest how you manage people and how you yourself like to be managed – from your communication preferences through to your speed of work. This has become a part of Eulogy! culture. We all joke about our colours and are constantly reminded by our blue colleagues to TIDY UP or encouraged by our more yellow ones to come for a drink, however, behind the fun facade it really has helped us at an operational level. We are all aware of each others’ colour and make a conscious effort to work in the ways that suit that person, making a very harmonious (most of the time) and conflict free work place. One of our common sayings is that it PR not ER, but this reminds us that the job itself is stressful enough without having to worry about team conflicts – and Insights has helped us to eradicate this.

I was astonished to find that Eulogy! (and indeed the PR industry as a whole) was well ahead of the game when it came to Organisational Behaviour (particularly given the size of companies and range of sectors represented on the programme who in my mind were the guys to follow) – however, given our PR Week Best Places to Work accolade last week, I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge. Lesson learnt. At least I’ve now got something to write about in the exam in December – not bad for an uncaring red. I’ll be fascinated to see whether my green side increases as a result of my stint in Edinburgh.

As a PR, I’m not remotely threatened by the damage Borkowski suggests will be wrought on my reputation, or that of my industry, by the characters in Absolutely Fabulous.  The show, arguably a classic of British comedy, is populated by caricatures and scripted around hyper-real situations, told to the audience in a familiar comedic format, set to a laughter track.  What’s more, it’s been part of the television landscape, on and off, for two decades.  Will its appearance really make any difference to how PR and its people are perceived, especially when it’s worth noting that with the greatest will in the world, these new episodes won’t stray more than a few drunken steps from the themes of the original, for fear of disappointing a nostalgia loving audience?

My issue with Borkowski’s viewpoint is twofold.  Firstly, it doesn’t matter what the wider audience thinks about Ab Fab; it’s what our audience thinks.  Are we really suggesting that client budget holders, the channel owners, the industry experts, the media at large, the users of our skills and services, will base their opinion on something that’s been part of the national consciousness for so long?  Anyone can tell I’m not from the Ab Fab mould within the first 30 seconds of meeting me, so what’s the worry?  And secondly, if we’re going to think about changing perceptions, shouldn’t our time and effort be focused on building on the existing stature and value of PR to these aforementioned audiences, so we’re able to secure even larger shares of the budget?  This, to me, should be based on what PR can and does achieve, and has nothing to do with bemoaning the misadventures of an obviously fictional character.

Yes, Lynne Franks received some stick through association, but that also didn’t stop her highlighting her role as the show’s inspiration (in true self-promotional style).  Say what you like about her but Franks has always been a smart PR operator, especially when she recognised the value her association with Ab Fab delivered over any negative connotations, and went on to build a career out of it.

Getting hung up on a TV show which the entire audience knows is nothing more than a fashion-conscious joke seems a little like overreaction, or perhaps it’s simply a way of Borkowski saying something mildly controversial to generate some self-promotion of his own.  I suppose that’s what ‘PR gurus’ are famous for.

The Eulogy! team not only let me come and experience what working in an agency is like, but got me involved with real work on real accounts, producing work for important clients. Everyone went out of their way to get me involved and the fact that I felt like part of the team after only a week is a real testimony to how open and fun the environment at Eulogy! is.

From brainstorming with the team to speaking to journalists on behalf of clients, I feel that I contributed to the team and gained some valuable experience this week. I feel that I have genuinely gained as much of an idea as you can get (without actually working there) about life at an exciting PR agency.

Although I have gained valuable work experience this week, I have also gained a lot more. During my time at Eulogy! I have met some very cool and interesting people and with them I have smiled, a lot, and for that, to everyone at Eulogy!, thank you.

JJ
Work experience 8th-12th August 2011

This time however, direct marketers were ready. The industry comprising 280,000 jobs, the industry which contributes £27bn to the economy, the industry that created Tesco Clubcard joined together under the DMA and took a stand and let it’s voice be heard. And what a roar it made! Using social media and the hashtag #panoramamail debate whizzed round twitter; 574 tweets were logged reaching 48,000 people.  Eulogy! spent much of Monday seeding the hashtag and encouraging industry members, thought leaders and consumers to join the conversation whilst the programme aired. And judging by the buzz, the industry’s first foray into social media self defence was a resounding success. We felt proud to represent the industry.

The jam packed schedule started the moment we hit the airport where we met with Gemma Greaves, Marketing Director of The Marketing Society to talk serious business (well more the best restaurants, parties and bars, it was imperative to visit).

After dumping our bags we hit the Croisette for a spot of steak tartare and bumped into no other than Tim Hipperson of G2. Vicky then had a meeting with MEC and Phil and I co-created probably our most glamorous comment piece ever (in terms of location) with Christoph Becker at Gyro. No rest for the wicked (and no planned nap) we headed off to the back of town to catch up with The Brand Union following their stupendous installation, The Big Book, which had pride of place at the foot of the Palais. And yes our photos could be found amongst the pages, much to our delight. Although we still haven’t forgiven Rankin for not recognising our photographic genius by failing to select them for the top 11 (eleven is the new ten, apparently). Never mind, we don’t hold a grudge (much).

Supper was a lovely affair at a beautiful garden terrace, where we spotted none other than Robert Redford – although on closer inspection, I suspect it wasn’t really him… although has anyone else noticed the distinct resemblance to John Hegarty???

And then to the Gala Party, followed by the Gutter Bar where they ran out of beer – outrageous. I think we crawled to bed at 5am.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning (going via a pharmacy for Phil, who managed to lose his voice the night before), we grabbed a coffee and awaited the arrival of another client, Alchemetrics.  Given it was their first time at Cannes, the weeks previous we executed a campaign nattily entitled “Cannes You Find Us” through LinkedIn and Twitter. This culminated in a photo shoot by The Big Book, which challenged delegates to come and find us; the prize a free lunch. We were “found” but we promised not to reveal by whom – they don’t want anyone to know they like free lunches! (But it’s sooo tempting). After a long lunch in the old town we were joined by the lovely Caroline Barker at Momentum and Gemma from the Marketing Society, where the “after, after party” was conceived, brainstormed and agreed. Amuse bouches (not sure that’s the plural) were a key feature.

Caroline and I then went to her interview with Adforum.com and then had a wander around the amazing Japan exhibition, a collection of fundraising creative activated by adland in response to the earthquake. Here we spied Michael Roth and the Japanese Ambassador to France. On to The Big Book cocktail party where we entertained journalists from as far afield as Australia.

Again shunning a nap we hot footed it to the Campaign Party (sleep is for wimps) and hobnobbed with Phil Smith, Sara Kimberly, Jeremy King, Suzanne Bidlake amongst others. Without a doubt a fantastic event (although I probably would say that!), not least because I had my first paddle and met a super new business lead. On to supper and then another session a la Gutter alongside Momentum who had just finished organising one of the parties that everyone wanted a ticket for. So exclusive was it,  even we didn’t get a pass (!!!). Then to Bed. Selflessly we had given up one of our rooms to the plight of a journalist so  Vic and I shared a rediculously small bed – it’s a good job we like each other (and I think we still do, Vic?).

The following morning we sorted out our Shots tickets, caught up with a few more journalists, harassed Phil Smith, who happened to have the misfortune of staying in the same hotel, and then hung out on the Carlton Terrace to people watch. Then off to the Ogilvy party which had the most magnificent aerial acrobats amongst flowing cocktails and plentiful sausage rolls. Contentment is a party called Ogilvy. The battered mars bars were a big Eulogy! hit.

We then decamped to The Shots Party, which was absolutely heaving and at capacity by 12.30am. An apparent record. Big thanks go to Attilio and Hayley for looking after us so wonderfully.

And then because it’s the law, a stint back at the Gutter. Where the prices had magically increased by 7% on the night before. We are seriously in the wrong business.

Not only did we meet and spend time with some great people,  but we also learnt masses too. Watching sessions such as the debate between Murdoch and Sir Sorrell were invaluable, not to mention listening to the controversy  caused by Will.i.am’s exertion that “Ad agencies are yesterday”, innit.

Another festival over, but it was without a doubt the busiest I have seen in recent years and the mood exceptionally buoyant. If that’s anything to go by, hopefully the industry can look forward to a more positive year than last.