Archive for the ‘Onlinefire’ Category

Location Matters

January 7th, 2010 by Charley

Location matters

In 2009 we saw the rise of user-friendly location-based services (LBS), but in 2010 location-sharing is set to come into its own.

This year, PRs who are in the know will be actively exploring the opportunities that GPS-aware services can offer, devising new and creative ways to capture consumer attention in a far more tailored and targeted way than ever before.

Last year saw the emergence of LBS and social community integration. South African social network The Grid launched Mobikasi, a 24-episode, location-based documentary about youth culture in Soweto.  Content was geo-tagged to the location where it was shot, enabling viewers to explore Sowetan culture by travelling through a mobile street map and watching video clips. This marriage of LBS and crowd-sourcing was hailed as the next generation of mobile social media.

In fact, the recent explosion of mobile applications has brought the advent of location-based app integration. Layar is a great example of this new trend. Winner of the Vodafone Mobile Startup Challenge in September 2009, the Layar browsing application is a mix of location-based technology and augmented reality. Combining a handset’s camera and GPS functionality, the mobile application overlays information relevant to digitally tagged real-world locations or items – from coffee shops to museums.

The advancement of LBS can be seen with the growing popularity of companies such as Foursquare and Gowalla, which enable consumers to tag and share content quickly and easily within social communities. The technology not only enriches existing core services, but also creates a more dynamic and compelling consumer offering.

The delivery of highly personalised brand messages, in the most relevant and creative way possible is the keystone of social media PR and the development of LBS looks set to raise the bar in 2010.

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Posted in Digital PR, Digital media, Onlinefire, Social media | No Comments »

PR in 2010: The future of Eulogy! and Onlinefire

January 6th, 2010 by Melanie

PR in 2010

Welcome to 2010. I can hardly believe we’re in a new decade. It seems like only yesterday I was preparing for Y2K and ‘partying like it’s 1999’. There’s no denying the Noughties were an interesting 10 years. The world has seen the Internet explode, the decline of print media, a recession and new communication tools popping up every day.

All of these innovations mean that we as PRs have to be at the top of our game. That’s why Eulogy! and Onlinefire are ready for 2010. In fact, we’ve been planning for ages. Some of the things you can expect to see on our side:

  • 2010 Awards: Yes, we’re already planning for the 2010 Awards Season. As anyone in the industry knows, award entries are a lot of work, but through the diligence of Helen and the marketing team, and working closely with our amazing clients, we hope to continue collecting honours.
  • PRing PR: Further to awards, you’re going to start seeing Eulogy! and Onlinefire more and more ‘out there’. Be on the lookout for more commentary, expert opinions and reports on the PR and social media industry.
  • Onlinefire and Social Media: Speaking of social media, Onlinefire is also ready for the future. After adding Charley Hayes and Andrew Boyers to the team, we’re making our mark by working with companies such as Panasonic, Virgin Media, the Post Office and Comedy Central. Whether it’s mobile applications, games, video, engagement with bloggers or just social media consultation, we’re happy to help.

In any case, if you want to talk about your future, or the things you’re working on for 2010, please do get in touch via a comment or e-mail. We’d love to hear about it.

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Posted in Client service, Media & Marketing, Onlinefire, PR industry | No Comments »

Eulogy! crowned Consultancy of the Year at the 2009 PRCA Awards

November 4th, 2009 by Helen

The excitement sizzled in the office from 8.30, and it was a like a couture dressing room with frocks hung from every picture and post. The day inched by but finally 5.30 arrived to see us donning our glad rags and heading to the ceremony at the London Marriott in Grosvenor Square. And what a night it was!

Eulogy! had been nominated for three PRCA awards, Agency of the Year, Specialist Agency of the Year and Best B2B campaign. Our sister agency Onlinefire was shortlisted for Best Technology Campaign for its work with Virgin Mobile and its 30p tariff.

We took home two almighty awards: we are now crowned Consultancy of the Year 2009 and Best B2B Campaign for our work with Mortascreen.

It was a spectacular night. And I can’t lie, it was made all the more wonderful by our two award wins. Throughout this year, Eulogy!’s board, executive committee and team – from the graduates to the directors – have worked exceptionally hard to make a difference to every aspect of the agency, from things like training and internal comms, to client service, marketing and team structure.

It’s been worth all the hard work. These accolades are a great demonstration of the agency’s excellence. Our growth proves we’re a leading agency that delivers creativity with media insight – a formidable combination.

And, as you can see, we really know how to party! Apologies if we deafened anyone sitting near us. We were the noisiest and most fun-loving crowd in the room!

The moment we found out we had won PRCA Consultancy of the Year 2009!

The moment we found out we had won PRCA Consultancy of the Year 2009!

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Posted in Awards, B2B, Client service, Creativity, Digital PR, Eulogy!, Onlinefire, PR industry | 3 Comments »

To tweet or not to tweet?

September 30th, 2009 by Andrew

Hands up – who’s recently had a client say to them that they want to do something with Twitter?

It goes without saying that a strong online presence is high on the agenda for a growing number of brands these days. And it’s easy to see why; a strong presence in social media offers a huge opportunity to create a dialogue with consumers and offer a real human aspect to brands that may otherwise seem distant and faceless.

Whole Foods Market is an example of a brand getting its approach to social media spot on. The US supermarket chain has 150 Twitter accounts, each providing highly targeted content and offering a responsive customer service. As a result, the brand has received plaudits for being highly engaged with consumers and creating a strong customer service dialogue.

Starbucks has also been innovative in its approach to social media. The coffee brand offered people a free pastry with their drink for one day, which led to 600,000 fans confirming their ‘attendance’ of the event on the Facebook group, while Starbucks became the number one topic on Twitter. That indicates nearly 1 per cent of total tweets mentioned the brand – nearly 10 times the amount of mentions on a typical day.

Scott Monty, head of social media at Ford, said recently that 90 per cent of social media for brands is showing up, and that it’s the other 10 per cent that’s the hard part. It’s true that success requires creativity and innovation, but the opportunities social media gives to offer a personal touch to consumers (not to mention extended brand exposure) means that it’s something brands can no longer afford to ignore.

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Posted in Onlinefire, PR industry, Social media | 2 Comments »

Digital is nothing to be scared of

August 13th, 2009 by Andrew

Hello – I’m onlinefire’s newest recruit. You’d think I might be a bit daunted about entering working life; what with the world deep in recession, under the grip of swine flu and at the mercy of 10 million Tweeters, it’s all changed very, very quickly.

But I actually think it’s an exciting time to be venturing into online PR.The methods of PR that companies are using are completely evolving through new media, making the opportunity to do something exciting and innovative with a campaign absolutely huge.

Whether you believe that social media symbolises the future of all media and communications or not, at the very least we can agree that it represents a democratisation of information – consumers are starting to speak up and companies are starting to listen. As the marketing director of the IAB  attested when he recently visited Eulogy!, digital and PR are becoming ever more closely aligned.

Social media sites have completely transformed the way brands and consumers interact. The relationship is becoming increasingly blurred. Rather than simply observing a press campaign, it’s got to the point where your average Facebook user, blogger, or Tweeter is becoming part of the campaign themselves. Likewise, campaigns are becoming much more tailored to the individual.

User-generated content, blogs and word-of-mouth are already playing a massive role in online PR; witness the success of the recent ‘Best Job in the World’ press campaign to see that. But online individuals are a fickle bunch, wanting more from the brands they consume like never before, so to get them on board is often easier said than done.

So what better place to face the challenge than with onlinefire? Here, it’s clear that everyone believes new media is something to embrace, rather than something to be scared of. Brands are increasingly realising that new media is not a fad and that it’s where a significant portion of future PR lies. It’s great to belong to a company that is at the forefront of this exciting space.

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Posted in Digital PR, Digital media, Eulogy!, Onlinefire, PR industry, Social media | No Comments »