Hill+Knowlton Strategies

This is the first in a series of nine blog posts which takes inspiration from a Cabinet Office commissioned report entitled MINDSPACE. The report sets out nine of the most robust (non-coercive) influences on our behaviour, which is captured in the simple mnemonic MINDSPACE:

MINDSPACE (Dolan et al., 2010)

The vast majority of government public policy aims to change or shape behaviour – changing or shaping behaviour and inspiring or engaging people is often a perquisite of many of the work we do for clients at H+K. “Hard” instruments such as legislation or regulation is the most effective way for policy-makers to compel us to act in certain ways. However, these instruments are not readily available, of course, to PR professionals aiming to change people’s behaviour and attitudes towards detergents, gin, football boots and the like – “hard” approaches are not appropriate. Policy-makers are increasingly turning to less coercive measures, such as incentives and sophisticated communications techniques, to change and shape behaviour. These less coercive approaches, summarised by MINDSPACE, are directly applicable to the work we do in marketing, advertising and communications. My series of posts in the coming months will work through each of the influences outlined in the MINDSPACE framework, giving examples and explaining how the framework is applicable to our industry.

+  +  +         #1  Messenger         +  +  +

The way we respond to information depends greatly on the reactions we have to the source of that information.We are heavily influenced by who communicates information. Whatever our considered judgment about the value of a message, we automatically give it more or less weight according to the messenger. For example, we are often swayed by authority that has associations of expertise: public trust in expert public sector workers like doctors and teachers is much higher than for politicians.

Brands understand the importance of ‘the messenger’ with regard to influencing consumer choices and driving sales. Celebrity brand ambassadors are effective marketing techniques, because who communicates determines the consumer response and engagement to brand messages. Marketing spends are increasing in budget for the celebrity brand ambassador - PepsiCo struck a $50 million deal with Beyonce to be Pepsi’s brand ambassador.

Beyonce - Pepsi Brand Ambassador

Of course there are plenty of notable examples in UK/global brand marketing campaigns, and include Walkers veteran Gary Linekar, Marc Jacobs and Taylor Swift for Diet Coke, and Blackberry and Alicia Keys. However, sometimes brands can get it wrong – Alexander ‘Hooray Henry’ Armstrong was dropped in 2009 after 7 years as Pimms brand ambassador, reportedly for being ‘too posh’.

Brad Pitt - Chanel No. 5

In order to quantify and qualify the use of celebrities in marketing campaigns it is important to evaluate their awareness, appeal, and relevance to a brand’s image and the celebrity’s influence on consumer buying behaviour. Advertisers are using celebrities for voice overs, and public relations + communications agencies understand the importance of influential celebrities to engage and shape behaviour. Harnessing the power of celebrities social media platforms can be a very powerful marketing tool. We saw that this week at H+K in which Ricky Gervais and Stephen Fry’s Twitter accounts generated a huge amount of consumer engagement with a hashtag campaign for our client Aviva.

Post your comments below on which celebrity brand ambassadors you think are the good, the bad and the ugly!

Follow @AndrewPCBarratt

For a really interesting look at social media in the pharma industry this week, check out this post on the Eye For Pharma website.

The article looks at how the pharmaceutical industry responded to the growth of social media as a new comms channel and suggests that those companies that were willing to dip their toes in the water in the early years are now reaping the benefits of being at the forefront, “having learnt from their experimentation and having started the cultural change process that this ‘new’ channel requires”. The majority of companies, however, who were overly cautious at the emergence of social media, perhaps waiting for more regulatory clarity, are now struggling to play catch-up.

This is certainly a compelling argument. Genuine engagement with social media requires a considerable shift in company attitudes and behaviour, particularly within the traditionally conservative pharma industry, that can take years to implement. Companies willing to take risks early on will have had more time to adjust to the changing environment and to lay the foundations needed to utilise social media within their organisations.

Another good point the author makes is that companies that dabbled in social media a few years back did so in a far more forgiving environment, when it was still considered a new channel. Social media is no longer new. It is now the elephant in the room. It can’t be ignored no matter how hard companies might try, and those that have been slow to respond are at risk of falling further behind.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Many of the early frontrunners have become more cautious due to bad experiences, while others have lost momentum due to lack of tangible ROI and internal politics. Great opportunities exist for those now wanting to catch-up and use the experiences of others that have gone before them to inform their activities. The article goes on to give some great advice to those companies now looking to “jump on the social media bandwagon” and it really is a must-read for anyone involved in pharmaceutical comms.

Although not strictly a pharma company, GE Healthcare is one company that has pioneered the use of social media and digital and continues to lead the way. Their latest foray into the online world sees them teaming up with Spotify to launch the first in a series of health initiatives that will be powered by the online music streaming service.

The first of these, the “Give A Little Beat” jukebox, has been launched to raise awareness of breast cancer. Spotify users can share and listen to songs via the jukebox, which GE say “reflects the healing power and international reach of music”. As part of the campaign, the company has also produced a “Give A Little Beat” Facebook App. Having already made use of a number of social media and digital channels, including Pinterest, this is yet another example from GE Healthcare of the potential that exists.

It’s Wednesday, the sun is shining over Soho and I thought I’d take a few minutes to share with you some of my favourite PR stories of the last few weeks.

1. Fiat photobombs VW
I couldn’t resist this one I’m afraid. I love the cheekiness of Fiat to take one of their cars and park it directly outside VW’s offices. As well as getting loads of coverage on its little move, they also did something that has some longevity in that Google’s Street View won’t be updated again for quite a while, so whenever you search for VW’s site in Sweden, you’ll get this lovely picture!

2.Hyundai goes bananas
I know it’s another car one but stay with me. As they say in the world of show business “Never work with children or animals“ (W.C. Fields) yet Hyundai seemed to ignore the latter half of this and let a group of monkeys loose on their new car. This simple idea really showed how robust the new Hyundai is. Having witnessed monkey’s tearing bits off cars when I last went to a safari park, I know how destructive they can be! A great photo that generated a lot of online buzz…so it seems that monkeying around can bring success.

3. Beckham plays Beethoven
OK so it’s more of a viral campaign than anything else but the Samsung Galaxy Note film featuring David Beckham playing Beethoven with drums and footballs is definitely worth watching!

Enjoy the sunshine!

Another week, another set of people yapping away at each other on the internet in the mistaken belief that what they say matters. Earlier this week, the web watched AGHAST as two sets of people pitted themselves against each other in a BITTER WAR OF WORDS, in what turned out to be a massively unedifying spectacle both for the journalist involved and, frankly, for everyone else who participated.

I am, of course, referring to this – oh, Barbara Ellen, what were you thinking?

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Today, P&G launched its first ever global advertising and marketing campaign for the corporate brand which went live in markets across the world simultaneously. The global ‘Thank you, Mum’ campaign is the first Olympic Games themed activity from P&G which has a global 10 year partnership with the International Olympic Committee.

The activity forms part of P&G’s ‘Proud sponsor of Mums’ campaign which recognises and celebrates the dedication and sacrifices mums make for their children every day.

The highly emotive advert titled ‘The Hardest Job is the Best Job’ brings to life the hard work and dedication of mums across the world every day to help their kids to achieve their dreams. It culminates with that once-in-a-lifetime moment when each child first competes at the London 2012 Olympic Games, interspersed with authentic clips of mums supporting their kids from the stands.

The campaign kick’s off on P&G’s digital and social media platforms to coincide with 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The majority of the company’s brands – including Gillette, Pampers and Oral-B – as well as P&G’s corporate brand in all regions will activate the ‘Thank you, Mum’ campaign.

Inspired viewers can then go to www.facebook.com/thankyoumum on Facebook where, through the ‘Mum Thanker,’ they can then create their own ‘Thank you, Mum’ message by uploading personalized content in the form of a video, still image with caption or text-based message. Users will then be able to encourage friends and family to do the same, spreading the word to thank and celebrate all mums.

Irwin Lee, Managing Director and Vice President, P&G UK and Ireland, says, “Launching our first global P&G campaign allows us to shine a light on the amazing work mums do every single day in raising their children. At P&G, our business is all about supporting mums across the world with products like Pampers, Ariel and Fairy. Through our partnership with the IOC, we are using our voice to celebrate mums for everything they do, and to inspire people everywhere to express thanks to their mum or a mum that they know.”

Paula Radcliffe, athlete and Pampers ambassador for P&G says, “I am very proud to be part of this campaign as I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the unconditional support of my mum and family. Thank you Mum.”

P&G’s sponsorship and marketing activity for London 2012 is an important step in a decade-long, global partnership with the IOC spanning the next 10 years until 2020. The partnership begins with London 2012 and continues with the subsequent four Olympic Games: Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, Pyeongchang 2018 and the 2020 Games.

Since stepping out from behind its brands for the first time in March 2011, P&G’s ‘Proud sponsor of Mums,’ campaign has delivered outstanding business and brand-building results in the UK. P&G’s corporate brand has increased +20% in familiarity and +10% in favourability with consumers in the UK[1]. A single gondola-end display in one of P&G’s leading retailers delivers +12% higher sales with the IOC association than an identical display without it.

As part of its ‘Proud sponsor of Mums’ campaign in the UK, P&G has partnered with the BOA and BPA on a ‘nearest & dearest’ support programme for the friends and family of Team GB and ParalympicsGB leading up to and during the Games. As part of the programme, P&G has guaranteed two tickets per opening session each athlete competes in for their nearest and dearest. P&G is giving 95% of its corporate ticket allocation away to consumers.

Tell us how you would thank your mum on P&G’s Thank You Mum Facebook page

I once read somewhere that the oft-cited factoid about goldfish having a memory of just 3 seconds is in fact a MYTH (yes, that’s right – Web Curios, pulling the scales of falsehood from your eyes one lie at a time!). Interestingly (I use the word advisedly), though, whilst our piscine friends are apparently swanning around their memory palaces, we on THE INTERNET are apparently as amnesiac as they come. How else can one explain the TWITTERMOBSPLOSIONFRENZY (yes, it’s a great word, isn’t it? Yours to use for only a nominal rights payment) that erupted over the latest piece of linkbait to be vomited from the online hellmouth that is the Daily Mail?

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Hey you! Yes, YOU! You there, slack-jawed, disinterested white collar worker! DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE BAD THINGS HAPPENING OUT THERE IN THE BIG WIDE WORLD???

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I am still chuckling from last night’s Funny Women 10th Anniversary Charity Challenge. 

Funny Women  encourages women to make careers in comedybut last night’s dinner had a twist.  Ten high profile women from business, the media and academia were challenged to try stand-up comedy for the first time to raise funds for 10 charities.

I was there to support journalist Rowan Pelling  who was raising funds for Children in Crisis, and who I am delighted to say was voted the winner.

While Rowan drew on her time as editor of The Erotic Review, some of her fellow debuting stand-ups treated us to stories of being the translator for verbally-challenged teens; embracing a career in computer technology; the wonders of Twitter; and battling with other people’s misconceptions. 

My personal funny moment was winning a raffle prize of a chance to host a fashion brunch for up to 10 people with The Fold London and 50% off a dress of my choice.  Needless to say I am passing this opportunity on … I’m running a mini charity auction among my colleagues today.

Funny women will also have a stall at this weekend’s Women of the World Festival on London’s South Bank, so if you’re about, why not pop by.

March! Spring! Hares! Yes, all of that stuff. Whatever this morning’s commuter rag may have told us, Web Curios is declaring winter over. So there. That’s ok then.

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I AM BORED OF FOOTBALL. Or at the very least the in-no-way-criminal, potentially racist / definitely racist, stroppy foreigner elements of it. Does anyone remember when football used to be a fun distraction from the woes of the world rather than a major constituent part of said woes? No, me neither, but there must have been a time. Personally I blame social media.  Could everyone stop talking about the DAMN FOOTBALL PLEASE?

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