It has been a frenzied year for anyone with an investment in SEO – not dissimilar to conservationists the world over, waiting tensely; jumping excitedly at even a wink from Mr. Panda at Mrs. Panda – the roll-out that started in February, and that has gradually been updated since, has been met with a flurry of blogs, opinion pieces, how-to-beat articles and suicide notes as pagerank plummeted along with traffic. These changes shouldn’t come as any surprise, for too long those who manipulated the algorithms have taken Google for granted and diminished the web-users experience with spammy, poor-quality content (content farms, I’m looking at you). Google’s prerogative is to give its users the best experience possible, to provide searchers with the most credible, qualitative and above all relevant content, if Panda serves to better process the validity of links and the most up to date information, then it means an improved experience for us all.

The question that is raised so very often with SEO techniques is: is their value in correlation with the time spent achieving them? Panda will further fuel the nagging doubts and the trend is in their favour. The reductio ad absurdum points to Google’s algorithms getting to the point where even the subtle tricks of link building will be cast off with everything else, eventually, they’ll be able to view the content and pass subjective opinion on each one, although, with the rate these things are progressing reductio ad inevitable-um, is probably more apt. The fact is, whether it is here with Panda or whether it’ll require another update inhabiting the endangered species list, the realisation is that the best way to ensure you’re not overlooked by the world’s gateway of choice, is to produce relevant, high-quality content.

The critics of course, point to YouTube and Zagat and say that it’s all a move, by means of subtle shift, of Google dominating content as well as search; they’re fed up only being able to monetise their users until the point that they’re lost through the door that Google opened for them, if they can push their own content then the users remain a possible source of revenue. Google would argue that all they’re doing is pandering to the wants of a more discerning consumer: quality content. We want what we want, and we want it now, if you can’t give it to us, we’ll find someone else who can. It’s the mantra that Google has used from its inception through to it’s Super-brand status now, and they recognise that it’s one they share with consumers, everyone else would do well to do the same.

The unconverted would also do well to study the implications of Panda, it is the most significant step so far on the inevitable migration from outbound to inbound marketing. Getting a brand or company’s message out through content is a humble way of becoming part of the conversation or becoming part of the community which undoubtedly already exists. Arrogance and pushy sales will not serve a long term credible campaign, because people won’t abide it. Rather than pushing sales messages at consumers, it is far more effective to understand the target consumer, becoming involved in the community on whichever platform they are already using, talking about the issues which are important to them and otherwise embellishing their experience.

Consumers know what they want and demand it instantly. Google Panda has shifted value towards regularly updated quality content around a subject, making websites or brands which are linked to topics rank higher than those without. Consumers, therefore, will find what they’re looking for if you produce quality content, optimised for search. Maybe it’s time to stop resisting; face the inevitable, the best way to be seen and remain seen is not to try and force yourself in front of them and shout, but to continuously improve your consumers’ experience and earn the right to be seen.

And so I’ll leave, never to return, and within moments I’ll have found somewhere else with equally good content.

And I’m not the only one.

In fact, 84% of 25-34 year olds have left a favourite website because of intrusive or irrelevant advertising and this is marking a trend of a worrying shift for marketers and companies alike, one that is unlikely to go away. The reason? The fundamental shift in the way we, the consumers, behave, and the tools we can now use that put us in control. And that is the problem: we are now in control.

Outbound marketing and advertising puts the company in control, they insist on their spot in front of us, distract us, preach to us, try to set our social agenda and try to manipulate our self-esteem to engage our interest. But now, people don’t have to subscribe to it. The fragmentation of media; the internet and its infinite resource of content, has given control to the consumer and they’re unlikely to want to hand it back to the advertisers.

It has given birth to the rise of content marketing; these are the people who understand that consumers use their media platforms to access quality content, so if you want to get yourself in to that spot in front of these consumers, you’re going to have to earn it. They understand that PR stunts, digital PR campaigns and two-way interaction can become more far-reaching than outbound marketing, because it is all about creating quality content, creating content your audience wants to find. But what is the cost?

What this all comes down to, is the age-old argument: how do you monetise websites? Part of the problem, of course, is that there is so much good quality (and above all) free content that any attempt to monetise it is just an open-invitation to the users to go and find it elsewhere – garish, irrelevant advertising? Subscription fees? Abandon ship!

Some websites have managed it of course; interestingly, a quick Facebook search of “pay for Facebook” throws up a multitude of groups, events and organisations, whose total members number in the tens of thousands; all protesting through their membership at any attempt by Facebook to levy a fee for its services. So, given the demands of the armchair militants, instead of making the website a product, it made its users the product. It seems a regular occurrence now that a change in facebook’s privacy settings makes headline news, along with a scandalous list of the information pimped off to advertisers… but the truth is, that’s the cost of keeping it free, the result? Targeted advertising, stuff that – chances are – you might be interested in. Google uses sponsored search results, but these are things you were looking for anyway, so who can complain? Twitter remains the enigma; its format makes it a lot trickier than sponsored links or targeted advertising but you can be damn certain there is a team somewhere trying to figure it out.

Of course, the more tech-savvy out there have embraced things like Adblock, and you sense that these plug-ins will become more available and more accessible as the need grows, the question is: when will the freedom of control over our consumption kill-off outbound marketing for good? And more pertinently, what will the implications be? The trend is one of less and less tolerance, but if the passion of the demand for an end to advertising matches that of that of the refusal for paid subscription, where does that leave Facebook and its 700 million users? I’ve seen the Social Page, Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t strike me as the charitable type.

People are prepared to put-up with advertising on Facebook and Google because it’s subtle and – they would argue – embellishes the users’ experience. And that is the key to the future of advertising and continued monetising of websites. So long as the adverts are as much content as the content itself, consumers will abide them. Facebook will certainly be well aware of this, their demand for quality content may end up outweighing their users, but then they’ve the headstones of MySpace and Bebo in plain-sight; they were weakened by advert-inspired emigration, a combination of epilepsy-inspiring banners and spammers can share out a sizeable portion of the blame, the rest goes to a website that was doing something similar but without the adverts and spam; Facebook will know them very well indeed.

We’re always happy to help, so here’s the six essential questions every start-up company needs to ask itself before setting off on the public relations trail ….

What’s the scoop?

Think about your readership; is what you have to say interesting? Is it newsworthy? Hundreds of companies start-up every day, chances are (unless yours is truly unique) that news of your business starting isn’t going to be inspiring enough to make it’s way to print… but don’t despair, there is always an interest in something, it’s just a case of figuring out what! So, if not your launch then consider: a new product or feature, promotional events, or your company’s position on a relevant newsworthy topic.

Remember, you want to interest the journalist, journalists want to interest their readers – so make sure you’re targeting their readers with something they’ll want to read!

What are you trying to say?

Obviously the most important thing about PR is making sure your message is understood by the public, right? Well, you’d be surprised how many times the key message in a press release gets lost in a sea of jargon and off-topic dialogue. Make sure that you can keep your message as clear and concise as possible, after all, you want as many people to understand as possible to maximise your exposure, and of course, journalists aren’t interested in things they or their readers won’t understand.

Easier said than done? Unsure if your message is clear? A lot of people involved in jargon-heavy industries can sometimes struggle to recognise it, try getting a friend to read it and tell you what it’s about, if they can’t figure out what you’re trying to say, chances are others won’t either.

Who’s going to read it?

Everything is interesting to someone, and chances are, there will be a publication for that someone, so make sure your releases are going to the right kind of places to be read by the right kind of people. The simple fact is, not everything your business does is going to have a widespread appeal, but it will have some appeal! It’s important to recognise who is going to be interested in what you’ve got to say. Consider building a variety of different mailing lists that can target specific areas, what might interest a journalist from a trade website may not interest a regional newspaper journalist, so make sure the right releases are going to the right places.

How do you build a mailing list? Hit the search engines; look for news items and articles with a similar content to your own, find the kind of publications that would be willing to publish items that can cover a variety of different demographics. And phone them! Ask for email addresses; remember, journalists always want stories, so they’ll be happy to have them sent directly to them or to a generic address… but, all the more reason to target your releases. If they know you only send relevant releases they’ll want to read them, but if you get a reputation for spamming them with everything, you’ll end up getting ignored.

What else will you need?

You’ve sent your release and generated some interest. Fantastic. But some journalists think there is more to the story than just running the release and they’re on your case, now what? It’s always good practice to make sure you’ve got readily available resources that you can send at request, this can include: photos, videos, quotes from key people, any data or infographics or a deeper explanation and insight in to the topic.

Make sure that you mention that there are resources available in your pitch; it may seem obvious, but make sure you enclose contact details too. Give a little information about what resources are available, whether images are hi or lo-res and who potential quotes would come from.

When should I use embargoes?

Embargoes can be very useful when you want to time coverage at exactly the right time. Got an exclusive bit of news? A new product? New service? New launch? If you place an embargo on a release you can ensure that all your targeted journalists can have stories lined up to coincide with the big day for maximum exposure! And as the velvet cloth is whipped away to the open-mouthed gasps of onlookers, the rest of the world can share in the adulation as publications mirror the big reveal in writing, what could go wrong?

Be careful! Embargoes are there when you want journalists to have advanced warning of a big event, either to give them sufficient time to develop the article or to coincide with an event day to get maximum publicity. So make sure that an embargoed piece falls in to one of these categories! If a pitch is needlessly embargoed journalists may ignore the embargo or, more likely, forget about the piece come the big day.

How can I build a relationship with journalists?

So you’ve built your custom mailing-lists, and your sending your tailored releases. But somehow, it doesn’t feel enough, you want a better idea of what these journalists want so you know you’re sending the right stuff. If only there was some way of being able to stay continuously connected to this large number of people so you can know what they’re thinking. Good news! Social media is the future! …it is also the present, and no self-respecting journalist will miss out on the benefits of an online presence; following journalists on Twitter will mean you’re constantly plugged in to their wants and needs. This insight can be invaluable when tailoring your releases and pitches.

But don’t feel you have to be totally passive, the clue is in the name, SOCIAL media – a little interaction can go a long way and can be a great way to build a relationship that extends beyond solely professional.

Of course, the critics are already pointing to the faintly visible sails of Google and Apple on the horizon, but the idea that anything in this industry can be left behind – stood, teary-eyed, suitcases in hand at an empty port – is ridiculous. If it has something innovative to offer then it has every chance of challenging, the question for Microsoft and Mango is: does it? Or, more importantly, can they convince us?

The challenge is a sizeable one; the decaying headstones of HP’s WebOS and Microsoft’s own Zune will serve as an ever-present reminder that these things can and will fall flat, if neglected. Both could provide valuable lessons: first, the death of an – arguably – excellent operating system born of mismanagement, and second, that innovation is born out of a conviction in the product; not abandoning it at the first sign of trouble.

To give you an idea of the challenge that faces Microsoft, in 2008 13% of smartphones ran a Windows operating system; the first half of 2011? 2%. This, compared to Apple’s 19% and Android’s 42%.

Should Mango, therefore, have the right to assume it’s place on the shelves alongside Android and iPhone, it still won’t be mission accomplished. The problem for Microsoft is that matching its competitors in terms of actual product, was only ever going to be half the war. For Mango to truly succeed it needs to escape the culture of failure.

At the root of this, is Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia. At a quick glance, the world’s largest computing corporation and a telecommunications company that sells more handsets than any other, looks a mighty team. The slightest of deeper analyses reveals that it counts for nothing. The ghost of Windows Mobile will still haunt the corridors, now clutching that leaked Stephen Elop memo. It will float up and point to the lines that say ‘The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don’t have a product that is close to their experience.’ and ‘Android came on the scene just over two years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes.’

Scary stuff.

So it is a necessity that the Micria/Nokiosoft partnership recognises that the success of Mango, and the Nokia smartphones it’ll inhabit, will be in their ability to make sure that everyone but them forgets about their prior ventures.

If Elop & co. thought it was a challenge to take on the iOS and Android in a battle of technology, they’re in for hell when it comes to the battle of the brand. Apple and Google have permeated every part of their brands with a culture of innovation; Apple is practically synonymous. A sweep of the messageboards shows that it is so embedded in people’s mindsets that they want to believe that everything they do is new and wonderful, even if the technology has been around for ages and developed independently (read Siri). These are companies that the term “Super-Brand” might as well have been coined for.

So how?

A large portion of this roll-out, you would hope, will be a big online presence, and in online communities perhaps lies the window of opportunity (pun not intended). At the moment, Apple and Google have filled the general public’s cup in terms of what they’re willing to consider innovative, but the Tech community are a little less susceptible to the smoke and mirrors of branding. This is a demographic that Microsoft should not overlook in terms of its sway on public opinion. HTC found themselves presented with a clear path in to the mass-consumer market after years bubbling under the surface as the reserve of “people who know what they’re talking about”. It is these people’s allegiance that will provide the most compelling case for Mango to be taken seriously as a competitor, the “My mate Dave, who knows computers…” that will always have ear of peers when it comes to new technologies emerging on to the market place.

The fact is, an informed approach to social media can connect a brand to the right individuals and communities; those that are setting the agenda and advocacy. It can ensure that these messages translate in to a fertile online reputation.

This is something that will need to be keenly managed. Aiming at a more informed demographic means a much higher degree of scrutiny – the product had better be up to it. Also, Microsoft can not afford to wait for tech-savvy positivity to roll-out organically, they’ll need to be plugged in to every engaged community and ensure that it makes it in to the public-eye. And this lot are not a forgiving bunch …a saying vaguely comes to mind, something to do with swords and living, or was it dying?

It would certainly be a brave move were Microsoft to pin their reputation on the scrutiny readily-damning tech community, but that’s the thing about innovation, you have to be prepared to take risks. If not, they had better hope that Mango becomes the new benchmark, because the side-effect of allowing yourself to fall behind is that you’ll need to be running faster than the men in front.

Amidst these acts of mindless violence, there have been numerous heart-warming examples of community spirit. The #riotcleanup movement is a fantastic example of such community service. In the early hours of the third night’s rioting the hashtag #riotcleanup started trending, and by 5.30am of the 9th August the website was up and running. The platform was used to organise people who wanted to help clean up, and hundreds of people turned up to various locations in affected areas the very day. The site is now serving as a portal for information, listing where you can donate to people who have lost possessions and other useful contacts.

Another story we stumbled upon when reading about those affected by the riots was that of Aaron Biber, an 89 year old barber who has lived and worked in Tottenham for over 40 years. When Aaron arrived at his shop on the morning of Sunday the 7th August after the previous night’s disturbances he found the place smashed up, with windows broken and everything of taken by looters.
Aaron said at the time – “I will probably have to close because I haven’t got insurance and I can’t afford the repairs.”

Two interns who are currently part of Ad agency BBH London’s intern programme BBH Barn realised that with the riots came alot of negativity towards todays youth and the use of social media technology to mobilise people.
They wanted to show that youth and technology could also be a force for good, so they came up with an idea that enabled them to use social media to help someone that was neither young nor technology savvy.

They started a campaign called ‘Keep Aaron Cutting’, a blog that has used the power of social media to spread the news and encourage people to make donations online. They asked each of BBH’s twitter followers to donate just £1 to the cause.

The campaign has raised an incredible £35,000 not only for Aaron, but for the surrounding North London community. An open letter on the blog from Aaron’s Nephew says that “…the knowledge that the shop will be secured and repaired, has given him the strength and heart to continuing cutting hair for many years to come. He really is at a loss for words of gratitude and has told me he thanks everyone from the bottom of his heart, who has made a donation”.

News of the campaign has spread to the local Tottenham FC, and star striker Peter Crouch paid Aaron a lifelong Tottenham fan a visit earlier this week to show his support (and to grab a free haircut), joking with him that the only thing that hadn’t been looted was a signed picture of Crouch himself!

After the predictable backlash against social networking from politicians blaming it for spreading the riots in the first place – it’s valuable to remind ourselves how it can also unite people for the better. The emotive action has demonstrated the massive influence that effective use of the internet and social media communication can have in digital campaigns.

The site works by allowing you to select a topic of your choice and then search for related news articles, Tweets, Facebook posts, Flickr photos and then prompts you to drag and drop them into a multimedia story which can then be embedded into any website.

“We have so many real-time streams now, we’re all drowning,” Storify founder Burt Herman told the New York Times. “So the idea of Storify is to pick out the most important pieces, amplify them and give them context.”
The site is becoming increasingly popular in the USA with over 5,000 sites and blogs including The New York Times, The Washington Post and NPR (National Public Radio) using Storify to create and share ‘stories’. With more than 13 million views accumulated over the past 4 months it seems that Storify really is the next big thing.

Fancy giving it a go? You can sign in with your twitter account and get started right away! We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Revolver PR team are back, our visas’ expired but far from weary. We’ve brought home a token to serve the memory of our most fondly remembered jaunts, can you guess where it is?

We’ve dotted little picture postcard clues below and on our twitter and facebook pages to help.

Piece them together and either tweet your entry followed by #RevolverPR or guess away on our facebook page or right here. The first to guess the location correctly wins our grand prize!

Here’s the first piece of the picture!

Good Luck!


(The blast of a triumphant trumpet) Well done Alec for guessing GoApe correctly!



Have a great weekend folks!

Reports from the USA suggest that facebook is doing more than just keeping people connected…it’s helping police to fight crime!
Local police across America have started using Facebook to post information on local cases and to ask the public for help.
Feedback from officers suggests that Facebook users really are helping them to catch the bad guys. “Witnesses are using our local page to give us really useful information,” said Sgt. Joe Smart of the Conroe Police Department (Texas). Police in the area have been using Facebook to profile suspects and criminals since May this year. Local people have through facebook directly helped to arrest three people and to gather leads on several other open cases.
Police are also using the networking site to posts heat maps to tell the public where thefts, burglaries, car break-ins and other crimes are happening in the local area.

Across the border in Canada, the Toronto Police Service is joining in on the facebook action. The force has a new social media initiative, encouraging officers to sign up for Facebook, specifically stating that they are a member of the local police force.
The goal is to have around 200 officers with online profiles by early November. The program is designed to improve communication between police and the public. “We’ve prevented some pretty serious incidents simply because people reached out to the few police officers that openly stated that they were in the police on their social media sites,” said Const. Scott Mills, the force’s social media officer.
Mills continued to explain that two years ago, a Facebook friend alerted him to someone posting anti-Semitic rants on their Facebook account, which led to the person’s arrest and prevented what police deemed to be a violent attack threat.
Earlier this month, the Toronto police website added a facebook page where users can report lost property, crimes under $5,000 and traffic complaints.

Across the country in Vancouver, police received more than 3,500 email tips (many linked to Facebook photos of the rioters) in the week following the Stanley Cup riot which resulted in 140 civilians and nine police officers being injured, and saw 101 people arrested after trouble broke out at the annual ice hockey tournament.

Social networking certainly seems to be helping law enforcement in the USA. What do you think about the police using social media? Would it work in this country? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The ad from LA Based agency TBWA\Chiat\Day…shows the bartender offering Santa a pair of Coca-Colas for himself and Mrs Claus. Santa declines the offer in favour of a (shock horror) Pepsi!
But Santa is enjoying his summer holiday, just wanting to relax and have some fun. “I’m on vacation! I’m going to have a little fun!” he tells the bartender before taking a big swig of the Pepsi. This goes down very well with the elves, who possibly didn’t do too well out of the Coca Cola ads!

Massimo d’Amore, CEO-PepsiCo Beverages America, explained that on the back of the summer campaign, activity around the American version of the “X Factor” will pick up. Advertising for the show will focus on Pepsi, which could be a major boom if the show’s success mirrors that of “American Idol” and its Coke sponsorship.

The campaign also includes radio and social-media elements. A “Naughty Elf” from the ad will take over the brand’s Twitter, and a Foursquare partnership will see consumers checking into summer locations, such as beaches and waterparks.

“We want for Pepsi to own the summer,” continued Mr. d’Amore. “It’s a time when people want to have fun, go on vacation. …the whole company is committed to really owning the summer.”

A really entertaining digital campaign…wonder if it will evoke a response from Coke!?

Have a great weekend everyone!