News & Views

Downtown Preston in Business’s recent business week had a strong regeneration focus to it. I agree with a strong element of last week’s LEP review of the week which concludes that Preston needs to take action and stop talking. 

Unfortunately, in the world of PR, talking forms a central part of what we do, but talking positively. I often get asked the question ‘how would you promote Preston’ and I have to say it’s a challenging question. Not because I don’t know what to do (some people may say otherwise!) but because confidence is so low in Preston as a product. How can we promote our great city, when our own folk, ambassadors and advocates speak so lowly about it, and focus too much on what hasn’t been done rather than what can be done? 

PR cannot help if a product has zero confidence, is poorly positioned or doesn’t meet market needs. Is Preston therefore doomed? I for one am not giving up. I’m a Prestonian and managing director a Preston-based business. We took the rare decision in 2009 to move offices and stay IN Preston, in the heart of Winckley Square. What an amazing place to work. We’ve had London and international visitors comment on how great the square is, and how easy it is to get to. It’s tailor made for a great ‘business district’. 

A short walk and we have ‘green Preston’ – Avenham and Miller Parks. I can’t think of any city centre in Northern England that has such vast, spectacular, central green spaces. Down by the Ribble, we have the New Continental – wonderful example of good creativity, product development and PR, bringing guests from across the area to its beer festivals and comedy nights while creating a huge talking point. 

A walk up the road is UCLan and the education district. The home of over 34,000 students from over 100 countries. Now what an establishment that is, bringing millions into the economy. Simply not celebrated enough, more chastised for the noise and litter its students manufacture. 

The flag market (which should be called Museum Square) boasts the Harris Museum, a historic yet modern giant that sets architectural and cultural pulses racing. Closed on a Sunday – the busiest day in Europe for visiting museums. Can anyone explain that one? 

Manchester and Liverpool have had their fair share of problems down the years but what they do have in abundance is soul, pride and confidence. We don’t. You feel it when you walk the streets. 

I have frustrations about Preston. We all do. There have been some bad decisions. But we can’t turn the clock back. What we do have is a massive opportunity, all of us. 

My message is there is a hell of a lot of good things about Preston and until we realise this and be confident about it, Preston will never compete with other Northern cities.   

We might also run the risk of being reported to trading standards for calling ourselves Proud Preston.

Posted by
Simon Turner

We have just completed a project to help position AEI Cables as a world leader through the announcement of a major £8m contract with the MoD for the supply of cabling for the latest generation of aircraft carriers. 

This involved close liaison with the MoD to ensure maximum exposure of AEI Cables within the MoD’s own package of announcements, supported by a separate announcement to specific UK-based and worldwide industry publications both online and offline and a dedicated announcement to the regional and local media. A package of photography was also supplied to help explain the scope of the project as well as the opportunity of a briefing. 

The results included widespread coverage of the announcement both as part of the MoD announcement and overseas into worldwide publications both online and offline, as well as strong coverage in the North East including radio interviews with the CEO and follow-up coverage in UK-based electrical trade titles.

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Freshfield has launched a new blog for accountancy and business advisory firm, Moore and Smalley. The site has been named www.bottomlineonline.co.uk after Moore and Smalley’s quarterly business publication, which Freshfield also produces. The blog will feature thought leadership posts from Moore and Smalley’s business and sector specialists, as well as guests. 

Following the success of www.harrison-drury.com, Freshfield is building a strong reputation for creating web 2.0 solutions for professional services firms, embracing the skills of our design, digital and content generation experts to maximum effect.

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Vanessa Horwell is founder of ThinkInk and The ThinkTank, a creatively driven PR and visibility agency based in Miami. Here she examines whether PR can always help start-up businesses.

During a recent discussion with a partner, we talked about early-stage start-ups and whether PR was the right tool to promote their business and help find new business. The issue, we finally agreed, was not how early in the process they were, but rather how mature they were. Did they have a true business plan? Had they researched their target market? How mature was their product, or was it still a concept? These are all very important definers of whether or not PR can help an early-stage start up. Or, in fact, any company.

Having been part of two start-ups in my early days, I’m only too familiar with the teething pains, sleepless nights worried about development loans and bridge funding, product deliveries not showing up, promised orders not coming in from buyers, not knowing where to find new customers, not having enough cash to advertise, market and PR the business — instead, being able to only choose one. In two words — living nightmare.

Of course, every business has business “concerns,” but within the context of a start-up, these concerns can be so acute, so all-consuming that it becomes hard to see the forest for the trees. And especially foggy for those start-ups that haven’t mapped out a proper vision, strategy, what if scenarios and an exit plan if the proverbial crap were ever to hit the fan.

It’s not that I don’t like working with start-ups. To the contrary, it is thrilling to be part of new innovation, to see your hard work and ideas propel a company’s success and that smug sense of satisfaction in knowing that you helped a start-up realize its goals.

The reality check
But more often than not, it doesn’t go like that. With little cash, sometimes not more than two or three months of “emergency funds” in the kitty, many start-ups look to PR as THE sales/business development/lead generation do-it-all lifeline, and expect far more than PR can deliver within an extremely short lifespan and budget. This is where it falls apart.

With no marketing plan, no sales vision or direct contact with potential customers to support a PR campaign, the thought of PR being successful and effective at delivering sales and new customer acquisition is wholly unrealistic. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: PR does not replace a sales team or a robust marketing strategy. The problem with unrealistic expectations is that when PR cannot deliver the sales needed to sustain the dreamed-of business’ growth — which it cannot without the right support — the pain is that much greater.

I’m not saying that all start-ups are like this — I know self-funded visionaries who are creating great companies at this very moment. But my message to start-ups is this: it is all about how mature you are. In fact, a well designed PR strategy, along with viral/social components, can actually make a start-up. But if you are not mature enough, PR might not be right for you right now.

Like any successful marketing or sales strategy, PR takes commitment, resources, integration and importantly, time. Time to grow, to mature and succeed.

Just like your start-up business does.

Posted by
Vanessa Horwell

Neil Tague is assistant editor at North West Business Insider magazine. www.newsco.com

Strange days indeed for property people throughout the North West. Whatever the outcome of the General Election, there’s not a great deal of hope around that things will change too dramatically over the rest of 2010.

North West property’s at something of an impasse. The banks say they’re ready to lend, but the developers say the margins they’re being asked to operate at make it too risky on anything without the most rock-solid of covenants in place. Until the occupier market – that’s businesses, to you and me – returns to being confident enough to demand new space, the phony war will continue.

Drivers Jonas Deloitte may have to come up with a new name for its regular seminar on Manchester development activity, as “Crane Survey” isn’t really the most fitting term any more. The most positive spin one can put on Manchester property is that the development of the new Co-operative Group headquarters, Manchester Metropolitan University’s new Birley Fields campus and the Corridor (as Oxford Road is now branded) will be exemplars of sustainable development.

Although there is little hope of speculative work, there’s justifiable confidence that Manchester, helped by its city region partners, remains the best placed of the core cities. It has MediaCity, while the Mayfield civil service campus could yet provide a bonus.

In Liverpool, English Cities Fund is to build further office space at St Paul’s Square, a quality scheme that has added gravitas to the city’s commercial district, but the strength of occupier demand in the city is questionable – although several key professional services occupiers have leases expiring soon. The most active area of development is hotels, but alone they’re not enough. Max Steinberg, who is to take over from Jim Gill as chief executive of economic development body Liverpool Vision, has a big job on his hands.

There are issues in Lancashire too. Lancaster’s big scheme has had a troubled time of it, while later this month all eyes will be on the public inquiry into Preston’s Tithebarn scheme. Developer Lend Lease and the city go up against objections led by Blackburn and Blackpool, but even if approved, many believe this is a project rooted in the blue-sky days of the mid-noughties.

Conclusion? If you get an invite to the launch of Bury’s The Rock this summer, snap it up. Major opening events over the next 18 months will be rarer than hens’ teeth.

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Digital communications is playing a ever growing role in our communications’ strategies. And it’s no surprise given the results it can generate. We are currently working on digital marketing campaigns for clients, Taylor Patterson, and OSG Solicitors, providing design, content planning & generation and broadcast services. And the results so far have been great, leading to a number of appointments for both firms.

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Bottom Line, the quarterly business magazine from Moore and Smalley Chartered Accountants, has been given a makeover by Freshfield for 2010. The magazine comprises a range of though leadership articles from Moore and Smalley’s specialists and guest writers. In 2010, former BBC North West political reporter, Jim Hancock, will write a regular column.

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Educational organisation Mad Science North West has chosen Freshfield to lead a communications campaign across the region.

Freshfield will be managing an integrated programme of public relations aimed at raising awareness of the Mad Science North West activity to science teachers, pupils, parents, high schools, colleges and universities, as well as businesses, local authorities and trade associations across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and Cumbria.

Mad Science North West works with schools, local authorities and businesses to deliver unique, hands-on science education programmes to children through after-school clubs, birthday parties, in-school workshops, holiday clubs, assemblies and corporate events.

It is a regional franchise of Mad Science – one of the world’s leading science and education enrichment providers – which delivers programmes in 27 countries.

Posted by
Simon Turner

For long standing client, Napthens solicitors, Freshfield has devised and produced a new magazine for the growing Lancashire law firm. The objective of the new magazine was to promote the range of private and corporate legal services to its current and potential clients. 

The magazine is also distributed to key media contacts in the region and has been used as the source for features within a number of north west publications. The striking new A3 format includes a wide range of content with comments and opinion from some of the region’s top business owners and movers and shakers on the key issues that businesses face across the region. Issued three times a year, Freshfield’s design and editorial team deliver a product that is already receiving glowing feedback from Napthens’ clients and contacts.

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Intelligent copy-led direct mail is still one of the most effective marketing tools. Here we developed a series of mailers for Moore and Smalley which was supported by a telesales campaign. Our campaign focused on the message of value and challenged the recipient to call for a surprising quote. Our copy was therefore based on… surprising quotes! Good direct mail is about targeting the right people and developing engaging content to get the best response and return on investment.

Posted by
Simon Turner