DNA Advertising Blog » Marketing strategy

Do your own PR, don’t be boring and get coverage!

Simon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:08:20 +0000

A dull press release is likely to find the bin!

DNA isn’t a PR agency and we’re not trying to be one. Yes, we think it’s important to have a joined up communications strategy and yes, PR is an important part of the communications mix, but you can’t be all things to all men. We can deliver better results by working in partnership with specialists (so that’s what we do).

Working with a good PR person can achieve incredible results (I once witnessed someone secure a motorcycle manufacturer more than £60,000-worth of coverage with two phone calls) but if you don’t have the budget, it’s also possible to achieve measurable results on your own. After all, who knows the interesting aspects of your business better than you?!

Here are a few tips that might help…

1. Make it relevant. You must make sure that what you’re writing is relevant to the people who’ll be be reading it. If the editors don’t think it’s relevant, they won’t publish it.

2. Make it unique. Journalists receive a lot of dull, corporate press releases. Those that don’t stand out will probably go straight in the bin. As long as it doesn’t conflict with the way you do business, don’t be afraid to do things differently, be refreshingly honest or come up with a publicity stunt.

3. Understand what the journalists want. Now more than ever, journalists are looking for something interesting to publish. Information is so readily available on the Internet, they need something special in order to compete. If you can give them something that’s relevant to the hot topics of the moment, you’ll have a much better chance of gaining coverage.

4. Don’t blatantly advertise your business. You can refer to what your business does, or talk about how you’ve managed to benefit a company/person/community, but don’t promote too heavily – it’s a massive journalistic turn-off!

5. Talk about issues you know a lot about. Journalists are often generalists – particularly in the regional press. Many journalists have a network of contacts – industry experts – to whom they will go for comments on specific issues. If you can position yourself as an expert, you may find the journalists will start coming to you!

(Opinion: Jim Green – MD)

New Subway brand strategy

Simon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:05:00 +0000

We’ve been working with Subway for many years now and, although it’s never been a brand that’s stood still for long, the company is now part-way through a really interesting repositioning exercise. Working with London agencies McCann Erickson and Momentum their plan is to make more of how easily you can customise their subs into something you really fancy – whatever you feel like (something you can’t do with a KFC or McDonald’s). We’re really pleased to be part of the process and hopefully it won’t be long before we can show you some of the ways we’re chipping in!

Or check out their new ads here: www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2009/09/09/11338-subway-set-to-reveal-new-campaign

Trust in Social Media

Simon — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:54:25 +0000

A lot of articles have been written about how consumers in general make decisions about purchasing a product or a service. One thing is for certain, social media and the ability to read other people’s recommendations is playing an increasingly significant part in most consumers’ buying habits.

In a recent survey by Nielsen, 90% of people said they trusted recommendations from people they know (perhaps not surprising), while an impressive 70% trusted the opinions of other consumers posted online. These were followed closely by brand websites, editorial (invariably someone’s PR) and brand sponsorships.

The Internet has given the consumer the ability to post information online without having to go through a third party. Such “straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth” communication is clearly very powerful, demonstrating the potential of social media as a marketing tool.

Be warned though, social media can be as destructive as it can be helpful. Marketing a service or product through blogs, forums, social networks and other online communities necessitates losing control. One has to be a) supremely confident in the quality of what’s on offer, and b) willing to take the good with the bad!

How do we expect to maintain our clients’ loyalty? By giving them something they can’t get elsewhere.

Simon — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:13:03 +0000

The recession appears to have set in for at least a two-year period, and more and more people are turning to the Internet for a better deal. But still so many businesses are getting it wrong.

Most of us now accept that a website is a shop window. Just as most shoppers will look in a window on the High Street before they walk into a retailer, figures now indicate that more than 80% of potential customers will visit your website before they do business with you. With such compelling figures, why would any business not invest in a professional, well-thought-through web presence and online marketing strategy?

Click here for full article