activevents

Media debate sparks heated discussion

Last Monday we held our Fresh Thinking: Media conference here, which invited delegates to freshen up and find out more about the latest technologies and what’s what in the world of media.  Up-to-date info on blogging, podcasting, wikis, RSS and other media tools were explained throughout the day to keep ahead in the office!

Topics included How to set up your own blog from blogging expert Simon Collister of Green Communications, Practical podcasting with some great examples from Jude Habib on the effectiveness of sound communication.  Rob Brown spoke on Outside the traditional box, which the delegates found ‘extremely informative’ and enjoyed his examples and overview.

The highlight of the conference was the exciting panel discussion on Combining all media tools and techniques for that winning campaign.  Three very different points of view were put forward, which made for a great debate. 

Alex Brown, Communications Manager from Fast Track, kicked off by explaining his support for traditional media.  He spoke of how good old fashioned media like the press, still represents the truth better and has a loyalty and trust that new media does not and cannot have.

Next saw Katy Howell, Immediate Future’s Managing Director, put an impressive argument forward for ‘New Media’ or social media as she prefers to call it.  As she pointed out, whether you like it or not, this burgeoning area cannot be ignored as it is now everywhere. Positives for PR practitioners include the convenience and accessibility of online media, plus the many options available to monitor results / public trends.

Finally Howard Kosky, Managing Director at markettiers4DC put his point across for TV, Radio & Online, using his first hand experience.  He stresed that these mediums give us choice on which media we want to consume and when, for example how our choice of radio station reflects what type of person we are/our tastes.

Then the debate was opened up to the floor, with some interesting results.  Delegates put the panel team under the spotlight and quizzed them on issues such as, the necessity for blogging and its effectiveness.  Is the traditional press a generational thing that will die out?  Is Google genius or merely a popular brand which can actually be easily manipulated for searches?  All these questions and more invited much discussion and got everyone involved, and got the brains ticking!

If you would like to join us in the next heated debate and share your views, then come along to the second Fresh Thinking: Media conference on Monday 1 October. For more details visit: www.cipr.co.uk/mediaconference (there is a discount when you book on the Fresh Thinking: PR conference at the same time). 

Social media on the table

Well-known PR blogger and social media expert David Phillips of Internet Services Ltd opened the discussions at this morning’s senior practitioner breakfast roundtable on social media by talking about the growth of interactive media. While the traditional media such as newspapers continue to lose readers and advertising revenue, social media offers an increasing number of ‘eyeball opportunities’ said Phillips.

Practitioners need to think about how they ‘package’ their stories and should be producing new media releases, as opposed to the more usual variety that are emailed or mailed. What makes new media releases different is that they contain a hyperlink to online information, and both the release itself and online content – down to the number of words, visuals and audio they use – are structured for immediate use by the media – e.g. internet, blog, podcast, videocast can all be used to get the message across.

‘The media is the message’ argued Phillips, and early adopters of the technology will benefit from the opportunities and a whole new array of communication platforms.

Opening up the topic for discussion, participants talked about how PR practitioners bridge the gap between existing and social media and take their stakeholders with them; how they will need to keep pace with the evolution of ‘push technology’ or risk losing out; and how they must continue to take the ethical high ground and to act with transparency and integrity.

With social networking forums like MySpace selling for billions of dollars, the sky's the limit on the value being placed on relationships. And as relationship management experts PR professionals are in a very strong position to take the lead in using new technologies to manage the reputations of their organisations and client.

CIPR’s first Media conference will not be the last!

The first ever Media conference took place yesterday with a room full of eager delegates and expert speakers in their fields the day proved to be a roaring success. The conference was a great mix of interaction, group work, traditional media and new media.

Expert speakers shared their expertise

Justin Hayward and Sam Stokes from MS&L began the conference with ‘Selling-in you stories’ playing a game of network bingo. Justin, Head of Technology & Telecommunications, went on to discuss the rapid changes in media and recognising ways to remain relevant as more consumers turned to the web as an information resource. This interactive session discussed successful and unsuccessful sell-ins and the importance of researching publications before getting them published. Account Manager Sam, followed with an MS&L case study.

Annie Noble from Noble Ink used her extensive experience to give a clear understanding of exactly what journalists/publications want from PR professionals. The outcome of her quiz shockingly revealed that journalists consider 40% of press releases to be badly written. Caroline Saunders from Inferno Communications, described by one delegate as ‘a fresh of breath air’, discussed new ways to target journalists and reviewed the success of how one of her campaigns helped the client develop a reputation as specialists in the industry.

Our afternoon began with our highly popular new media topics. Delegates soaked up information from the extremely knowledgeable Ian McNairn, Program Director of Web Technology & Innovation at IBM. He introduced new ways to present and share information using new technologies, blogs, podcasts, wikis, RSS and VideoCasts. This ‘eye opening’ session provided a lesson into the many possibilities for PR professional to adopt new media and business practices. Jude Habib followed with a case study laden with audio clips and her expert knowledge of using podcasting as a low-cost and accessible method of presenting information. She showed how sound could prove more powerful than words with planning being key to strong content and context.

A lively panel discussion on new media and how it’s impacting PR’ ended the conference. With Guy Ruddle from The Daily Telegraph, Katy Howell from Immediate Future and Paul Brannan from BBC News Website all agreeing that the internet had changed the way people consumed and search for news. They reflected on current changes to the industry concluding that “audiences have now become the creators, as well as the consumers of news content.”

As a result of the interest generated in the afternoon's discussions and debate around "new" media and its use, the CIPR will be holding a dedicated New Media conference early in 2007, repeated later in the year.

What the delegates thought 

“It was useful to hear experience of other delegates. Good mix of PR & journalist perspectives from speakers”

“The panel discussion was thought provoking”

“The morning session was a great reminder on content. A wealth of knowledge about new media and loads of follow up information and websites”

For more information about the "Read all about it" Media conference you can visit www.cipr.co.uk/mediaconference.  Other CIPR events and information are listed on www.cipr.co.uk also.