The TV stream becomes a flood?

Who's got control now?

So, the KPMG bi-annual Media and Entertainment Barometer show that we are finally starting to watch TV via BBC iPlayer, ITV player, 4oD, LoveFilm and Netflix. Big deal.

And soon we’ll all have digital TV in the UK. Yawn. And we’re all getting smartphones. Tell me something I don’t know.

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Reasons To Be Cheerful – the people who make a difference

Bangers for Heroes 2011

The stock market may be uncertain, the outlook grim and everyone ‘feeling the pinch’ but there is good reason to celebrate at least one thing in this challenging economic time – we haven’t lost our soul.

This blog celebrates the people who have not been phased by the sense of economic inevitability and instead have taken the individual decision to try and fill the income gap faced by the charities and organisations helping those left behind after the economic hurricane struck. Read More »


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10 Business Reasons To Use Twitter

This blog is about Twitter and why it matters for business. It’s aimed at you if you’re just curious about the whole Twitter thing or maybe you are a ‘never in my lifetime’ Twitter agnostic. It’s an executive briefing to get you ahead of the social media game, armed with information to review your own Twitter use and that of your company – you’ll also have a guide to get started on Twitter if you’ve been waiting for ‘the moment’ to begin. Read More »


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FairFuel UK – this year’s most effective comms programme?

‘The best things in life are free’ sang the Beatles, but the best things in PR are usually free and also simple. In fact one of the best PR campaigns in years proves this point. It was launched by the road haulage industry here in the UK as part of a fight for the survival of their livelihoods. Read More »


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Make Your Anniversary Count

Not everyone likes birthdays. Some people want to let them click quietly by, others want to rip it up and have a wild time. It’s the same with anniversaries around brands and businesses. Read More »


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Apes to Apps – the 4 ages of social media

We all want to know where we are on the map. Any map. Are we at the start, middle or end of our journey? The big ‘You Are Here’ arrow gives us comfort and helps us get our bearings. Social media is no different, and as of now (June 2011) we’re at ‘Phase 3’ and the ‘You Are Here’ arrow tells us we’re at the ‘Consequences’ phase. But what does that mean?

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Car Dealers on Facebook and Twitter – Why?

Why would you as a car buyer want to follow a car dealer on social media? That’s the big question I’m hoping to hear addressed at the Motor Trader Social Media Conference next Thursday 2 June 2011 (more at http://bit.ly/m8QI41 ).

The point is this – just because a dealer has access to the social tools and is prepared to find the time to tweet, doesn’t mean customers will want to engage with them. But that sobering thought hasn’t stopped dealer groups diving deep into the social media pond.

Commercial return or vanity publishing?

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Two screening. Are you doing it yet?

Brits now prefer Facebook to television. It’s official. According to a survey by online technology retailer eXpansys whose chairman is the ‘Tall Dragon’ Peter Jones:

  • 1/3 of those asked now have a smartphone and check social media sites up to 20 times a day on them
  • TV loses out to Facebook amongst the 3,000 people asked as we spend an average of just two hours a day watching TV but two and a half hours looking at social media
  • 3/4 of people watch TV online as well as through a traditional TV set  (see more at http://bit.ly/ety0KPRead More »


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Twibel. How Twitter could cost you a fortune.

After nearly five years and with 200 million users we’ve just had the first high-profile Twibel (Twitter-Libel) activity reported http://bit.ly/twibel. What might previously have been a disagreement in private or on the phone can now turn into public and expensive litigation.

So what? That’s what celebs do sometimes, eh? Well, no. It could be you, or your company,or your employees staring down the barrel of a major payout. Read More »


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What do you say when you meet the Prime Minister?

THE BUZZ STARTED started as the Prime Minister walked into the room, guests edged forward, ignoring their companion’s conversation. Who was going to meet his eye and be introduced? Tall, immaculately groomed, relaxed and confident, David Cameron’s first intro was to a VIP for the charity in whose honour the reception had been arranged. A couple of minutes of smiles, polite laughter chat…. and then it was the turn of my host, the Daily Mail’s Transport Editor Ray Massey to grip the hand of high office and say hello. Ray has grilled the last five PMs and scalped a few ministers in his time, so the small talk was easy and he suggested David Cameron might exchange his glass of water for a more relevant Guinness. Ray bantered with him about the earlier Prime Minister’s Questions. OK, so now I’m now a metre away from the man of the moment (David Cameron, rather than Ray…) What happened next?

Meeting the Prime Minister

(Left to Right - Al Clarke, Ray Massey, Chris Boffey, David Cameron)

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