The Recognition Bloggers

Iphones help on the site!

2012-01-31T16:15:00.000+01:00

Paul White writes......
You still hear a lot of people complain: “All I want to do is make a phone call. Why does my mobile have to be so complicated?”
I have to admit that there have been times when I have felt intellectually humbled by modern technology.
It is true that all some people want from a telephone is to call or text. However, as a PR professional who often has to work out in the field, the additional benefits of my iPhone have never been more useful.
For example, last week I spent the day working with clients as part of the coverage of the GDP figures for the final quarter of 2011. A few days earlier, Sky News’ Gerard Tubb had contacted our office, asking who we might have available from various sectors to discuss the economy once the figures were revealed.
Sky’s planners eventually settled on the construction sector and we arranged to be on site in York with Fabrick Housing Group’s Martin Hawthorne. The site is being built by another Recognition client, Southdale, and we were joined by Southdale’s Siobhan Campbell.
Having used my iPhone to ensure everybody involved made it to where they were required to be, it was the additional utilities of the phone which then came to the fore.
Prior to Martin’s interview, I was able to use Recognition’s app, which features all of our clients’ recent media releases, to remind him of some facts and figures.
As he was about to “go live”, I opened up the Sky News app and watched the channel’s coverage on a one minute delay. Not only was I able to confirm very quickly that the strategically placed Southdale branding had been featured in the item, Martin could also watch himself back as soon as the interview was over. At least he would have been had someone not chosen that moment to call me...a moment when I felt that perhaps the phone element of the iPhone should be removed, just as it has been for the iPad!
A few minutes later, when Sky decided they wanted to change the emphasis of the coverage to manufacturing, the phone’s ability to conference call allowed me to almost instantly grasp the opportunity for another client, Ebac, and it was up the A1 to Newton Aycliffe for more great coverage.
At Recognition, we have even started using our iPhones to record videos for our client, to be edited back in our studio.
The technological advances being made by companies such as Apple are literally creating opportunities in the palms of our hands and making communications and feedback almost instant. We should embrace it to help us do our jobs even better.

Good day in London promoting Tees Valley

2012-01-26T10:54:00.005+01:00

Jamie writes.....Recognition helped organise a successful delegation to London to deliver the message that 'Tees Valley is open and ready to do business'. The objective was to meet a City audience but while we were there we also held a very effective event at the House of Commons.

We worked with the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership to facilitate the event at Westminster, which gave MPs and Lords the opportunity to find out how the LEP is driving the growth in the Tee Valley economy.

The event was attended by MPs from across the country coming along to meet the LEP team and see what one of the UK's first LEPs has already achieved and its plans for the future including the new Enterprise Zones.

The main event for the LEP in London, was for property investors and intermediaries based in the City.

So, just like a scene from BBC’s The Apprentice we packed up at Parliament and jumped in cabs to take us across London for the city event!!

This meeting was organised in conjunction with City PR firm Redleaf, a business Recognition has worked with on a number of occasions over several years.

As well as giving the LEP the opportunity to showcase Tees Valley to guests, it also enabled the LEP to hear directly from a City audience of what would attract them to the area.

Taking the Tees Valley LEP to London not only highlights Recognition’s event management experience and utilisation of its invaluable network, it demonstrates our understanding of the issues affecting businesses and the influence decision makers and those in positions of responsibility can have to support the continued growth within the Tees Valley.

Recognition and DFC, a brief history

2012-01-19T14:02:00.002+01:00

Graham writes......I am not the biggest football fan in the world. I can’t tell you who scored in a league match in 1983 or memorise facts and figures from league tables in years gone by. But I do follow my local team and I do know the importance of football in binding ties together in local communities and its relevance to the image of a town. The fact that Darlington gets a mention on the Final Score results show, that every few weeks TV programmes preview the matches is a symbol of a town’s strength and vitality.

That is why, in 2004, I listened to Northern Echo editor Peter Barron when he urged me to help the new chairman of Darlington football Club, Stewart Davies. Peter had received some unjustified complaints from the Chairman about the paper’s coverage of the team. He had met him and calmed him down. Peter realised that the club had no structured media relations service and suggested my firm, Recognition PR, get involved to help with communications.

Recognition is a successful PR firm, dealing with well-known people and growing businesses; not just in the North East but all over the UK. One of our best known clients, Duncan Bannatyne, had always warned against getting involved in football. In a memorable phrase he said he would “rather have a sex change than buy a football club.” Darlington had just been taken over by an unknown Chairman after the rollercoaster years of George Reynolds. That Recognition could represent a club that serious businesses around the UK regarded as being owned by a ‘safecracker’ was not something I relished.

However, Stewart Davies was a reasonable man and had only come about owning the club in lieu of a resolving a dispute with George Reynolds; I dubbed him the ‘accidental chairman’ chairman. He regarded it as his responsibility to stabilise the club and move it into new ownership. I agreed to waive the usual fee structure at Recognition and provide a full time media service, 24 hours a day, for around £1k per month. The normal cost of the hours put in by the three staff involved would have been three or four times that amount, and if other clients knew that this special arrangement was being made they would not have been happy!

Things settled down well. The highly regarded David Hodgson was manager and he worked well with our team. Community initiatives were undertaken and on more than one occasion in under Stewart Davies attendances were between 5000 and 7000; compared to recent crowds these were brilliant. In other initiatives a big screen was bought, the Sunday carvery introduced, conferencing facilities promoted, and youth development and schools outreach enhanced. The new chairman also met the fans and ran a tight ship with excellent cost control.

When the time came for him to sell we entered the reign of George the second; George Houghton, a self-made millionaire who had started his business life trading from a cart on the quayside of the River Tyne as a teenager. He now owns a respected chain of nursing homes, Executive Care Homes. I got to know him and our firm stayed on providing a media service. New management was brought in, including Jon Sotnick, who was never popular with fans and had reservations about David Hodgson’s approach. The clash led to David’s departure and arrival of Dave Penney from Doncaster. Dave performed well but costs were still the issue; the stadium was too big. George reached an agreement with a long standing business contact of mine Philip Scott, which effectively put up the land and the stadium as security against a cash injection to help the club continue. Around this time George had also sought and achieved planning permission for limited development on land near the stadium; offices and a hotel but, rightly, council covenants remained in place which limited the scope for commercial exploitation of the site at the expense of football or anything which might put the town centre retail market in jeopardy. Philip Scott is a good man. I knew him professionally, we had started our businesses at around the same time in Darlington and instinctively got on. He is a wonderfully confident entrepreneur and has compassion born out of his early career as a trained nurse. He got a bad wrap as the former chief executive of Southern Cross, the firm was successful under his leadership and, while it is true he made millions, he has reinvested a great deal in UK businesses in the care sector. After Southern Cross he chose to stay in Darlington and relocated the HQ of his current company to a site at DTV Airport, creating jobs as a result.

Professionally, it is important to maintain confidences so I’ll not go into the behind-the-scenes account of the lead up to the transfer of the club to Raj Singh.

Just before Raj took over Recognition was happy to end our professional relationship with the club. What had started out as a genuine attempt to support the communications between the club and the media had ended up as a massively over-serviced account that cost our firm thousands and ended up with many late-night calls from club officials lurching from crisis to crisis, always wanting words to put the best gloss on things. Nevertheless, I remain of the view that the club’s existence is vitally important to the town.

The position under Raj Singh was that DFC became a tenant of Philip’s firm, Darlington Arena Ltd, on a peppercorn rent not much more than £10k per year.

At this recent time of crisis for the club the media has called me every day, many think we still act for DFC, others know that my firm acts for Philip Scott’s business. On Sunday 8th Jan I made a suggestion to Philip. My wife and I were walking the dog by the River Wear in Durham and I took a call from the Northern Echo. It was obvious time was running out and the administrator of DFC needed cash quickly just to keep the club playing and in the league. I knew from my previous involvement with the club that the Supporters Trust had a large sum of money. I’d given a donation myself, in the bucket collections of 2003. At the time I thought the money would be spent saving the club from the collapse under George Reynolds. I also knew it was a constant source of frustration to David Hodgson and Stewart Davies that the money was never made available. So at this important moment for the club I suggested a match funding arrangement to Philip Scott: £50K from him, if the Trust put in £50K. He isn’t a football investor and didn’t want to be but this gesture of goodwill could extend the time for talking providing a vital breathing space. The Northern Echo has proved critical at this time for the club. It has been a vital conduit for messages; Philip didn’t want to invest in the club but was keen to see it survive, purely out of a sense of community.

The Northern Echo reported the offer and, although it didn’t eventually come about with the Trust, the Rescue Group saw the logic and a similar match funding arrangement ended up reprieving the club. Philip has been a great asset at this time of crisis for the club and will be an asset for Darlington. His business, Darlington Arena Ltd, has now gone on the record as saying it will relinquish the stadium in consideration for re-payment of the loans, rather than just at a development premium. Given time this position could really make a difference in the negotiations which will progress between multiple parties.

My next job; to offer some sponsorship for Saturday’s match…..who to call?

NORTHERN ECHO ARTICLE 17 Jan 2012

2012-01-17T18:39:00.003+01:00

Graham writes,

I have had some good reaction to the article below, which was published in the Northern Echo today:

The Northern Echo report about employment last Friday only looked at on side of the equation – job losses. It was myopic picture of a regional economy which is dynamically changing. Jobs are being created too – in Tees Valley marginally more gains than losses in recent months. Our exports are strong, the manufacturing sector is investing and a new type of Government support is emerging which targets help in different ways.
David Cameron has been demonstrating something that has gone out of fashion in politics: integrity. The Government has decided to stick to simple orthodox economics – spend only what you can afford; borrow only what you can repay and only cut taxes if you can balance the books.
Everyone knows we need the economy to grow. But that growth cannot come at the expense of losing world-wide credibility on public finances. The Government’s bitter medicine is slowly starting to work. I don’t duck the hard facts that times are tough but some indicators are starting to move in the right direction. Inflation is starting to come down. Many North East people have kept more of their pay packets as lower rate tax thresholds rose. Interest rates have been low and stable for many months, saving a fortune in household mortgage repayments.
The Regional Growth Fund has put targeted resources directly into areas like the North East. The Enterprise Zones offer incentives in areas of need. The cuts to corporation tax will give companies a bit more cash to play with when they invest.
In addition there is the smart idea of using public money to ease credit for small and mid-size firms; which need access to funds on better terms than banks are providing at the moment.
Our regional economy is in a period of transformation. Change is hard and it hurts. But to have a long term sustainable future we need successful private sector firms. Some sectors are performing really well. The offshore supply sector is a good example, so it’s the automotive supply sector.
There are four new factories and facilities projects in the Tees Valley: Nifco the automotive parts manufacturer; Lotte Chemicals; Cleveland Potash; the AV Dawson facility on the River Tees. Also, TAG Energy recently opened the largest factory in England in five years. Two major inward investment projects have happened in the last 12 months: The purchase of the Corus steel plant by Thailand’s SSI and the announcement that Hitachi trains will locate its massive UK production facility at Newton Aycliffe.
Tees Valley was one of the first Local Enterprise Partnerships and won 10% of total of the first Regional Growth Fund bids. The newer Northern LEP is now working; its local authorities and businesses preparing serious proposals. Targeted initiatives have been given the green light for Government funding in recent weeks: Neptune Energy Park on the River Tyne. Central Gateway, in Newcastle leading to development of Stephenson Quarter. The Enterprise Agency Consortium - six leading enterprise agencies combined with The National Enterprise Network and Barclays Bank with a business start-up programme for the North-East.
Since September 2010 over 36,000 new jobs have been announced – I know this because they were covered in the inside pages of The Northern Echo and I keep a tally – but most are in small firms and wouldn’t stand out as a front page headline. When added together they are significant and are part of the rebalancing our economy so urgently needs.
Critically important, more people are establishing small businesses. These did not figure in the Northern Echo’s report on Friday. However, the Barclay’s Regional Business Index now puts the North East in first place for SME confidence, up from fourth place last year.
I run a small but growing business. Business like mine create jobs, keep wealth here and are tremendously loyal to staff in hard times. In the last two months my business has created two jobs; both pay higher than minimum wage and were given to young unemployed people. The second job was created after a company called Triage contacted me. They have been hired by Government to persuade employers to hire registered unemployed people. It saves going through the hassle of job centre advertising and pre-screens applicants. In other words, the system accesses the all-important ‘unadvertised jobs market’. It is an innovative approach and part of a wide ranging series of initiatives that form the Government’s Work Programme.
I was at a meeting of the Institute of Directors recently and witnessed the frustration among business leaders and entrepreneurs about the media talking up our economic woes but ignoring good news. The Northern Echo cannot be accused of that but the mood music from Labour can. Labour’s commentary starts from a premise that prospects are bleak and then highlights the worst but offers no credible alternatives while refusing to apologise for getting us in the mess in the first place.
‘There is no money left’; the only real truth spoken by a Labour politician in recent times in a jokey note from a Labour Treasury Minister to the new team after the last election.
Fortunately, in an uncertain world North East businesses are showing real resilience and are creating jobs when possible. The Government has set out to deliver macro-economic policies which will create the long-term stability that these businesses need to invest and grow.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T16:24:00.000+01:00

Graham writes.....Recognition started the year well. We won two new contracts and distributed loads of material for all our clients. In fact we stored material up over the Christmas holiday to take advantage of media outlets being a bit short of business copy on their first days back after Christmas.
The return to work felt really positive, the phones were ringing quickly with enquiries about our services. If feels as though business owners, particularly owner managers, have decided that despite the predictions of financial Armageddon, they need to promote their products people and services. The economy is growing, albeit more slowly than predicted in 2010. Two key retailers - Next and John Lewis – have said the High Street outperformed last year and was better than expected. Manufacturing is still doing well – so well there is a skills shortage – and other sectors continue to grow. We won clients in healthcare, food and drink and manufacturing in 2010.
We are hopeful and positive about 2012. Give us a call if you like us to help promote your business and its services.

Lazy stereotypes ignore the good work in our region

2011-12-14T09:55:00.001+01:00

The following article appeared in the Newcastle Journal on Wednesday 14th Dec 2011
Wednesday Forum

By Graham Robb
Senior Partner Recognition PR
www.recognitionpr.co.uk
Chairman Institute of Directors County Durham

I’ve never believed the adage ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’ or even ‘all publicity is good publicity’. When it comes to the North East economy too often it is the bad news that makes the national headlines. Last week ITV delivered a double whammy of good coverage – but not from the news bulletins, instead it was from the entertainment department.

Using specialist evaluation software to estimate the value of coverage as if it had been bought in advertising, I discovered the extensive good coverage of talented X-Factor finalists Amelia Lily and Little Mix was worth around £40 million to the region. It was a refreshing change.

We know the bad stuff – high unemployment and tough times. But what about the balance? The state of the North East is not a one dimensional story and North East leaders – whatever their politics – should unashamedly put the other side too.

With the exception of the X-Factor the national media has been portraying the North East in a grotesque caricature.

On BBC Newsnight two weeks ago the lead item was a report suggesting that Tees Valley was worst hit by the Autumn Statement. The report failed to take into account the extra Regional Growth Funding, Enterprise Zones and other measures to offset the bad news.

The BBC, in particular, has started using the region as a theatrical backdrop for gloomy news. In September 2010 it commissioned Experian to say which towns would be worst hit by public spending cuts. This resulted in a day of reports from Middlesbrough, which were universally downbeat.

Since then Middlesbrough has been the victim of lazy media short hand, as was Merseyside in the 1980s, as reports fail to look at the alternative story of economic transformation that is underway. The result is to give national and international audiences only one picture of our economy, thus compounding the problems and putting further obstacles in the way of renewal and hope.

During October and November other reports included using Norton High Street as an indicator of a story headlined ‘cuts concern much higher in the North’ and using Middlesbrough based young employed people to feature in two reports about youth unemployment in 8 weeks. (One of these reports had a good effect though – I hired one of the young people featured!)

I do not object to the content of the reports but they could have been made in any industrial area of the UK. The problem I have is that the North East is becoming the ‘go-to’ area for TV pictures in a way which fails to adequately explain the measures industry, businesses, local and national government are taking to transform the economy.

There are four new factories and facilities project in the Tees Valley: Nifco the automotive parts manufacturer; Lotte Chemicals; Cleveland Potash; the AV Dawson facility on the River Tees. Also, TAG Energy recently opened the largest factory in England in five years. Two major inward investment projects have happened in the last 12 months: The purchase of the Corus steel plant by Thailand’s SSI and the announcement that Hitachi trains will locate its massive UK production facility at Newton Aycliffe. The national news did not seem to cover these stories in the same depth as the bad news.

Tees Valley was one of the first Local Enterprise Partnerships and won 10% of total of the first Regional Growth Fund bids. The newer Northern LEP is now working; its local authorities and businesses preparing serious proposals. Targeted initiatives have been given the green light for Government funding in recent weeks: Neptune Energy Park on the River Tyne. Central Gateway, in Newcastle leading to development of Stephenson Quarter. The Enterprise Agency Consortium - six leading enterprise agencies combined with The National Enterprise Network and Barclays Bank with a business start-up programme for the North-East.

More small and medium sized enterprises are setting up. The Barclay’s Regional Business Index puts the North East in first place for SME confidence, up from fourth place last year.

The North East is known for high unemployment and every time there is a significant job loss announcement it rightly receives widespread coverage. However, since September 2010 over 36,000 new jobs have been announced – I know this because they were covered in The Journal and other local papers – but most are in small firms and wouldn’t merit a mention on the national news. When added together they are significant and are part of the rebalancing our economy so urgently needs.

I was at a meeting of the Institute of Directors recently and witnessed the frustration among business leaders and entrepreneurs that our efforts to stimulate economy growth are deemed unworthy of proper national reporting. In an age of instant economic commentaries easy stereo-types mean that national TV reports too often start from a premise that prospects are bleak and then seek out commentators to validate this stand point.

If you are in business or in a position of influence you might be interviewed by a national media outlet about the state of the North East. My advice is to read this article – or the Journal’s North East Vision magazine - and talk the region up. You won’t have long on air to do it; so make every second count!

New media Christmas card for Pimlico Plumbers

2011-12-07T16:38:00.004+01:00

Graham writes.....the new digital media is advancing throughout the PR sector. PR companies are becoming adept at offering a more hollistic service - effectively become communications specialists - with more and more advice and support on the use of digital commuincations. A good example is a recent assignment we conducted for Pimlico Plumbers. It encompasses Corporate Social Responsibility, digital and internet communications and traditional media. We arranged a competition for students at a North East based Arts College to win a paid assignment to design an e-xmas card for Pimlico Plumbers. Young people in a poorer part of the UK were given a chance to earn something worthwhile for their CV (and £500!). The winning entry has gone viral using You Tube. And the fun element of the message has received media coverage. Take a look at what the plumber to the stars says this Christmas!

Recognition’s clients among the most influential

2011-11-25T12:22:00.002+01:00

Jamie Collis writes......The annual report detailing the 250 most influential people in the North East has been published by the Newcastle Journal. Recognition and its clients are featured.

Our clients have always been important in their own sectors, but it is good to see the Journal recognising the importance of business leadership in the way our region functions. Recognition’s Senior Partner, Graham Robb, was also featured as a new entry on the list.

Good communication of ideas, products and services can lead to influence. People who set the agenda and are at the forefront of their field are sometimes too quiet about their achievements and successes; however, properly presented they can result in influence and greater success.

RECOGNITION SIGNS UP TO PRCA INTERN POLICY

2011-11-17T15:25:00.001+01:00

Recognition PR has become the first public relations consultancy in the North East to publicly commit to a list of firms paying at least the minimum wage to interns.

The Darlington-based firm has become one of more than 30 PR agencies across the UK to sign up to a campaign to ensure all interns are paid for their work.

The move follows an initiative by the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) – the professional body that represents UK PR consultancies – and PRWeek, a trade publication for the PR industry.

The PRCA placed a list on its site of all member agencies who commit to paying at least the minimum wage to interns.

Graham Robb, senior partner at Recognition, said he was proud the firm was setting an example as the first in the North East to join the scheme; the scheme reflects existing practice at Recognition.

He said internships allowed companies to evaluate the potential of possible employees.

Meanwhile, interns get the opportunity to build their CV and gain hands-on experience in a career sector.

Graham added: “There are many firms using interns in the North East but not paying them.

“Sometimes clients don’t know their work has been done by unpaid interns.

“By paying interns a modest sum you can give them a real taste of the cut and thrust of life in the workplace. The scheme is to be welcomed and I am proud to say Recognition has paid its interns for a long time.”

Tom Hawkins, PRCA research and policy executive, welcomed Recognition PR to the scheme.

He said: “I’m delighted to see another member agency wanting to join up to our expanding intern list.

“PR is a people business that must attract the best and brightest talent, not the best connected.

“Our industry must improve in helping to ensure that nobody is deterred from a career in PR because of their background.

“Recognition is making a progressive commitment to paying interns that not only improves social mobility, but adds value to the service it provides.”

Other agencies to have signed up to the pledge include Edelman, MHP Communications, Burson-Marsteller, Grayling, Portland and Cohn & Wolfe.

RADIO FESTIVAL PR SUCCESS!

2011-11-04T12:26:00.001+01:00

Graham writes……Recognition won a prestigious account earlier this year and the work was delivered this week. We were appointed to handle the PR for the UK’s Radio Festival 2011, organised by the Radio Academy. Throughout the year we have been planning our media operation for an event that boasted celebrity speakers, leading industry figures and real debate about the future of this important medium.

Our team, which included Melanie Smith, Caroline Walker, Jamie Collis and me, attended the festival for four days and ran a dynamic and proactive media operation. The result was widespread coverage on TV, Radio and in the printed press. We also had extensive coverage on blogs, twitter and all over the internet.

The Festival – thanks to its creative producers and the inspired leadership of the Radio Academy – was the most successful ever.

Take a look at this tongue-in-cheek film with an American presenter, Elvis Duran, who was broadcasting live from the festival to 30 million listeners. It shows the virtue of juxtaposition – the leader of Manchester Council on a ‘zoo format’ US breakfast show!

Big Issue founder visits Coast & Country Housing

2011-10-18T08:44:00.003+01:00

Graham writes… Last week John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, visited a range of Coast & Country Housing’s innovative projects which help people gain the skills required to find work. During his tour of the Redcar and Cleveland area, John Bird met people who have been assisted by such schemes as ‘Empty Homes’ and ‘Steeplechase’, which emphasise local employment initiative and helps people learn skills vital to finding work. John Bird also visited the ‘Living Sober’ scheme which helps people addicted to alcohol or drugs over come their addition.

We helped co-ordinate the visit, which resulted in excellent coverage, so far, in key regional press and a superb report on BBC TV.

We have worked with Coast & Country for seven years now and it’s still great to see its commitment to excellence and leading the way in providing schemes to not only providing affordable housing, but helping people raise their self esteem develop key occupational skills.

PR SPECIALISM - ENERGY SUPPLY CHAIN

2011-09-30T14:08:00.002+01:00

Graham writes……The launch of the new TAG Energy factory on the banks of the River Tees was an exciting occasion. 200 of the top people in the renewable energy sector, local business and politics joined staff and their families for a celebration. The guest of honour was Rt. Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Recognition has worked with TAG Energy for a year, publicising the investment, preparing marketing materials and organising for top political and business leaders to see the new facility. Recognition is a specialist in PR for the energy supply chain. There are hundreds of businesses in the UK that have development products and services which are used in the energy supply chain and factories like TAG Energy are positioning Britain as a key provider of high tech engineering solutions to energy companies throughout the world.

Positive news in Tees Valley!

2011-09-06T19:54:00.003+01:00

Graham writes........September 1st marked a new financial year at Recognition. The last year was a pleasant surprise. Turnover increased and profits were maintained in a difficult economic environment. The last few months have also been bright with three new client wins including Southdale – a national construction and development specialist – and NorChem a respected chain of pharmacies.
We have also been working with the new Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership. Tees Valley Unlimited has announced its new Enterprise Zones recently and has been involved in communication with its stakeholders to promote its vision for the growth and development. Recognition is playing its part; promoting the organisation and ensuring that the media has all the information needed to report on significant milestones. This report on BBC TV told the latest story really well.

LOCAL ITV ADVERTISING – act now or miss the chance before ITV reforms!

2011-07-18T11:30:00.002+01:00

Recognition doesn’t do advertising; except with ITV. We are one of the smallest registered agencies dealing with ITV and have worked on several successful campaigns in recent years. We tend to offer our clients the opportunity to advertise on ITV’s local transmitters thus reaching audiences around locations they are targeting. A good example was a new nursing home in the Northern Ireland – a well-made TV advert produced some excellent enquiries; another was a restaurant in North Yorkshire. Both adverts were only transmitted locally. The adverts were affordable because ITV allows advertising to be bought by transmitters; its so-called ‘micro regions’. A typical example is the ‘micro-region’ serving Teesside, North Yorkshire and South Durham. An advert made by Recognition will cost from £1900 plus VAT to make. Then, if it is a 20 second advert transmitted 30 times in a week (11 times in peak viewing hours) the airtime will cost £3742 plus VAT, if it is a 30 second advert the same package will cost £4678 plus VAT. However, due to new technical requirements of the Sky satellite system (with the advent of new HD channels) the number of micro-regions is being reduced. This will start after January 8th next year. Hence there is now urgency to book local campaigns before ITV runs out of local space! If you want one chance of using ITV’s least costly packages get in touch with Recognition quickly!

Toby’s telly reports for the internet

2011-07-15T11:14:00.001+01:00

New! LOW COST INTERNET VIDEOS from £200 (plus VAT)

Recognition’s services business has introduced a new LOW COST band in its video offering. From £200 plus VAT our own Toby Nichol will attend your premises; shoot properly framed video and produce short web video reports (2 to 6 mins) for use on your web site.

In this age web sites have moved on. They need video more than ever! But you don’t have to go for an expensive re-design. Recognition will produce a web video for you and host it on our site; which your site can link to! See our own site for an example of how it can look! www.recognitionpr.co.uk

Toby Nichol is Recognition’s young and enthusiastic audio visual star! We recruited him from our local college two years ago and he has built up this critical element of our service. He is now equipped with a professional camera, computers and editing suite, together with the high speed broadband needed to place videos on line.

Toby’s service compliments the high quality service we already provide, using professional TV crews all around the UK.

The prices fall into the following bands:

1) Simple web videos (Toby’s service) from £200 plus VAT
2) Videos for use on Web or on DVD (shoot by our professional network of TV crews) from £390 plus VAT
3) Web TV programme from our Darlington based studios from £600 plus VAT
4) Fully produced DVDs shot on multiple sites from £800 plus VAT

Give Recognition a call on 01325 363436 to find out more and discuss your requirements

Great fun with Fish 'n' Chips!

2011-07-06T12:22:00.003+01:00

Sometimes our job can be great fun! This weekend was a case in point.The Wensleydale Heifer, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, has re-captured the record for the world’s largest serving of fish and chips. We helped organise the event and gained tremendous media coverage for one of our smallest clients. The chefs broke the record by frying a fillet of prime halibut, in its famous Black Sheep beer batter, and hand cut chips weighing a combined total of 101 lbs. They also cooked a vat of mushy peas to accompany the record-breaking dish. The Heifer was determined to use American Independence Day weekend to reclaim the world record, which was held by The Black Rose Restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts, USA with chips weighing almost 44lb and the fish 34lb, for the UK. The fish and chips were prepared in a custom made, giant pan made by Beekly Fabrications. The fillet was coated in over four gallons of batter and accompanied by an amount of chips proportional to the size of fish. The fish was weighed prior to cooking and then battered and fried as a single fish before being divided into servings. Local Black Sheep beer was used in the batter and served at the event. The record was officially verified by Guinness World Records and the dish shared amongst around 250 villagers and friends, who made a donation to the Help for Heroes charity.

Summer success

2011-06-15T10:16:00.007+01:00

Graham writes: June has been a busy month so far......! I was delighted to win an assignment to promote a leading investment bank and wealth management business which is developing a presence in Yorkshire. This world class business has some great clients in the North, many of whom are activitely investing in the regional economy. I'm looking forward to tell people about its offering and promoting its take on the ways our economy can grow.
Meanwhile in the North East clients that invest continue to prosper. GT Engineering has won more work from Russia. It has secured a £50m contract with Russia’s leading automotive manufacturer, which will enhance significant growth over the next five years. GT, now established as world leaders in this field, has landed a contract to supply exhaust gas control systems for a new range of heavy duty diesel engines to GAZ Group in Russia.
The contract will help GT Group, which currently employs 300 people, to achieve its ambitious growth programme of increasing its workforce to 500 in the next three years. The Prime Minister is visiting Russia later in the year and GT's founder has written to him to tell him how the relationship can pay off.
Finally, we want to be working with the new Local Enterprise Partnerships throughout the North. I organised a number of events, via clients, to enage with local communities. These have taken the form of 'Question Time' style panels. We asked our clients to help pay for them and invited the LEP along. We've done this in Leeds, Darlington and Redcar. Hundreds of businesses have attended the three events. Look at the video to get a taste of the format.

Hat-trick of client wins in May

2011-05-23T17:33:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.....there follows the official media release detailing a fantastic few weeks at Recognition PR...the picture is of the new Vertu Motor Group vehicle prep centre.

NEWS RELEASE
Recognition PR, a national PR firm based in the North of England, has announced three new client wins.

The firm ends May with two new retainers and the PR contract for the prestigious Radio Academy festival.

The Radio Academy festival is one of the most important events in the UK radio industry calendar, this year it will take place in Manchester from October 31st to November 2nd. Over the next two months Recognition will be announcing some of the festival’s landmark events, the firm will also co-ordinate pre-event publicity and run the event press office. The Radio Academy is a registered charity and a member organisation which operates under the direction of a board of Trustees.

Recognition has also won one of Yorkshire’s most popular drinks businesses – the famous Black Sheep Brewery. The Masham-based company has been brewing its fine cask beers since 1992. As well as its premium cask ales, the brewery has a first-class visitor centre located in the heart of Yorkshire Dales.

The third client win is Vertu Motors plc, which trades under the Bristol Street Motors, Macklin Motors, Vertu Honda and Bristol Street Motor Nation brands. Vertu was formed in late 2006 to acquire and consolidate UK motor retail businesses. The group is listed on the AIM market (UK:VTU).

Bristol Street Motors originated in the early 1900’s as a single Ford dealership located on Bristol Street in central Birmingham (www.bristolstreet.co.uk). Since those early days the business grew to become one of the largest dealer groups in the UK with a nationwide chain of franchised motor dealerships offering sales, service, parts, and bodyshop facilities for new and used car and commercial vehicles. The Group also operates a number of Bristol Street Motor Nation used car outlets (www.motornation.co.uk) and a number of Honda dealerships (www.vertuhonda.com). In 2010 Vertu Motors expanded into Scotland, trading under the Macklin Motors brand (www.macklinmotors.co.uk). Vertu Motors plc is now the 8th largest motor retailer in the United Kingdom and was awarded the Motor Trader Dealer Group of the Year in 2008. Recognition will support the dealer network with regional PR in different media clusters.

The three wins in May come on top of two significant wins in April; North East based telecommunications provider Odyessey Systems and international automotive parts manufacturer GT Group.

Recognition’s already acts for a number of well-known UK brands including Duncan Bannatyne’s Bannatyne Group of health clubs, hotels and spas, The Priory, Pimlico Plumbers and Wensleydale Cheese. It was founded in 1990 by Senior Partner Graham Robb and operates with a growing team in Darlington in the North East.

Commenting on the client wins, Recognition’s Senior Partner Graham Robb, said: “In 2010 we embarked on a serious marketing effort and it has paid off with some fantastic new client wins. Throughout the downturn our top clients, such as the Bannatyne Group and The Priory continued to grow, which provided a solid platform that has enabled our business to benefit from the economic recovery. We have also been transparent about our pricing, with rates and packages openly published on our website, and offered excellent value for money in a market that is watching costs with great care.”

ENDS
Editor’s Note: more information about Recognition at www.recognitionpr.co.uk follow us at www.twitter.com/recognition1st or www.facebook.com/recognition
Together with the UK's top 250 PR agencies, Recognition is a member of the PRCA. All PRCA members are required to hold the Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) - the hallmark of PR excellence. Combining elements of ISO9001 and Investors in People with criteria specific to a PR consultancy, it is an internationally-recognised accreditation, used by PR companies in 11 countries around the world.

May means more clients for Recognition!

2011-05-10T11:32:00.001+01:00

Graham writes…We have started May with some brilliant client wins – two new retainers and the PR work for the prestigious Radio Academy festival.

The Radio Academy festival is a wonderful opportunity to recognise and promote excellence in UK radio. The festival takes place in Manchester in November. The Radio Academy is a registered charity and a member organisation which operates under the direction of a board of Trustees.

After stiff competition, we also won the Black Sheep Brewery. The Masham based company has had its beers in the market since 1992. As well as its premium cask ale, the brewery has also a first class visitor centre located right in the heart of Yorkshire Dales.

The last but not least is Vertu Motors plc. The successful car dealership was formed in late 2006 to acquire and consolidate UK motor retail businesses. It is now the 8th largest motor retailer in the United Kingdom and was awarded the Motor Trader Dealer Group of the Year in 2008. The Group is present in 70+ locations and it has 86 franchised and 3 non-franchised sales operations.

Recognition’s team is feeling really positive about the future – watch out for more client announcements soon and follow the PR stories we issue about our clients on twitter.com/recognition1st

3 New wins in April

2011-04-04T18:45:00.004+01:00

The first week of April is here and the spring weather (together with hard work and application!)has brought three new clients to Recognition.

GT Engineering Group is a wonderful business that encapsulates all the arguments being made for rebalancing the economy to the productive manufacturing sector. It was founded by Geoff Turnbull and has clients throughout the world spending in excess of £25m per year on its engineering products. The company has several divisions, one of which provides precision products to the HGV sector and serves big name firms like Volvo; Scania and John Deere.

We also won Modus Ltd against stiff competition. Based in Darlington it provides specialist undersea equipment used in trenching. This could be laying pipes or cables. It has a base on the River Tees and its high tech kit is manufactured in the North East. Another global business extending the reach of Great Britain plc!

Final we won Odyssey Systems a telecoms business based on Teesside. Established by a brilliant enrtrepreneur the firm has supplied telephone equipment and line rental to the private sector for nearly 25 years. Its a great unsung success story....you'll be hearing more.

All three companies show Recognition is winning PR work in the real world of business. We are best when we are serving dynamic entrepreneurial organisations and, even in the downturn, there are great success stories to promote!

Bannatyne in Haiti

2011-03-09T18:43:00.003+01:00

It is wonderful to support clients who are doing some good in the world. Duncan Bannatyne is someone who uses his wealth an influence to great benefit and his work as a UNICEF representative illustrates this perfectly. We were only too happy to produce this short video for him, taken from his own home movies of a recent visit to Haiti. Duncan has been supporting the charity Mary's Meals which is feeding children in the earthquake zone and helping families as they come to terms with their future. well done to our young editor Toby Nichol on a great job produce this.

Recognition launches new hydrogen power system

2011-02-22T12:10:00.004+01:00

Recognition has been asked to promote Inova Power Limited, a new North East engineering business, which has launched a cost effective new energy innovation capable of extending the range of electric vehicles and reducing carbon emission from the existing UK vehicle fleet.

The new technology, developed in conjunction with the University of Sunderland, was demonstrated to a group of leading opinion formers from the region by the team behind the innovation.

The breakthrough will significantly enhance the distance capabilities of electric vehicles, such as those being manufactured in the North East, overcoming a major barrier to commercialisation.

A research partnership has been established between Inova Power Limited and the University of Sunderland to commercialise the product.

Inova Power’s system extracts hydrogen from water, safely and cleanly, with the ability to revolutionise the development of electric and hybrid vehicles. The hydrogen produced can also be used in conventional engine powered vehicles.

Inova Power is headed by managing director Mark Nailis, a chartered engineer with more than 20 years’ experience in developing and commercialising new products across a range of markets, including the automotive and defence sectors; and chairman David Bowles OBE, a former Northern Development Company director and current chairman of NDI Ltd and Entrust.

We like innovations such as this and so did the business leaders and media that attended our launch - we achieved coverage on all the key newspapers and radio and journalists enjoyed seeing model cars powered by hydrogen in our demonstration.

Busy week……Wensleydale launch, Carillion plc & Arlington on ITV; Pimlico Plumbers in The Times

2011-02-10T17:56:00.006+01:00

Staff at Recognition have been really busy promoting clients this week. The fantastic development at Durham Gate was featured on ITV news. The £130m development is underway near Durham City, it continued despite the recession and as the recovery comes it will be ahead of the competition as the new business location in the North. Pimlico Plumbers entered the debate about the Big Society with an excellent letter to The Times from founder, Charlie Mullin. A major social enterprise project he is involved in is slated for some excellent coverage too. Meanwhile I’ve been very busy hosting the 'Dales Kitchen Challenge' competition to commemorate the opening of the new £1m visitor centre & restaurant at Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. The competition saw two teams of local personalities competing against the clock to cook a recipe devised by our guest – celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager. I was the MC and it was a great fun event!

FUN START TO FEB AT RECOGNITION

2011-02-03T16:06:00.005+01:00

Graham writes.....Recognition's people were all over the UK this week as clients launched products and services and held events to communicate with their customers. Caroline Walker was in Northern Ireland for the launch of two new care homes in the Priory Group, the launch events were covered on TV and radio and featured former Manchester United & Northern Ireland footballer Norman Whiteside, who hails from the area that one of homes is located.
In London Paul White launched a new report about environmental efficiency from the Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors. The launch was at the Savoy Hotel in London and was attended by numerous journalists from the building and associated trade press.
Meanwhile in Leeds Melanie Smith, Emma Higgnett and myself hosted Strictly New Business, a competition for new businesses to win a great prize of a year's free office accomodation, insurance and legal advice. The prize bundle was worth many thousands of pounds and was hotly contested at an event that combined the scrutiny of Dragons' Den with the fun and glamnour of Strictly Come Dancing!
Business owner Craig Higgs, of Net 60 six, impressed the judges with his presentation and unique idea as well as his business acumen. Net 60 six allows golfers to play a round of golf in 60 minutes without the costly membership fees tied into golf clubs. The course is set up on a driving range and contains all the elements of a golf course, effectively bringing the course to the player.

Next week is even busier....

Prime Minister told of Recognition's research

2011-01-20T22:01:00.002+01:00

Graham writes...last Friday I met the Prime Minister and told him about Recognition's research into announcements published in the North East regional press about private sector growth in the region. The research has sought out positive news to balance the negative. We are simply logging these good news stories every week, and have done so since the end of summer 2010. It makes interesting reading and I invite any organisation or individual to quote from it when talking about our region in public.

The most interesting conclusion we have reached is that the rate of growth in the private sector is already in excess of the rate of job losses predicted in the public sector. For example BBC TV/Experian predicted 28,000 job losses in the North East over four years in its special programme about public spending cuts transmitted on 9th Sep 2010.

This research provides strong evidence of new innovation, growing exports and new starter businesses throughout the North East. It is a live document and will be updated frequently. It was produced by one of our most talented members of staff, Anna Dawson who also met the Prime Minister (see picture).

KEY POINTS:
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported the creation of 15391 private sector jobs in the region
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported £3,220,182,000 of new investment by private sector business in the region
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported £1,334,606,500 of new contract wins by private sector businesses in the region
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported 130 firms recruiting for new jobs

New Year - New Clients.

2011-01-07T17:34:00.002+01:00

Graham writes....it has been a good start to the New Year with some interesting enquiries and a good new client win. Creative Management Services is owned by three entreprenseurs and provides catering services to schools, clouncils and private sector organisations. It has been going a while and employs 250 people. In the North East economy the VAT rise was shrugged off by many business; our notable new indicators continued to demonstrate that private business is creating jobs....here are some of the highlights:
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported the creation of 15197 private sector jobs in the region
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported £2,965,407,000 of new investment by private sector business in the region
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported £1,127,306,500 of new contract wins by private sector businesses in the region
• Since Mid-August 2010 North East newspapers have reported 109 firms recruiting for new jobs
So we are positive and getting on business business in 2011!!

2011 the year of the APP!

2010-12-21T12:21:00.006+01:00

Graham writes... Happy New Year.

2011 is going to be a year when Recognition offers clients even more. It is my ambition that Recognition offers our PR services on all sorts of different platforms; the latest is mobile phones - in particular apps for iphone.

Last year we put considerable effort into breaking a price barrier to bring the cost of these products down and now we can offer clients a basic starter app for £3500 plus VAT(some terms & conditions will apply).

I have put my money where my mouth is and produced one for Recognition PR - its available on iTunes from mid-January. It starts with a screen about Recognition, then has a screen linking to GPS showing every client on the UK map with a dot at their HQ , then it has a screen with the logo and advert for the client and then every media release the client has issued. This took 40 hours of IT time to devise and my team needed to slightly change our web site to make it link up. If you have an iphone download it from iTunes and give it a go - search Recognition PR in the app store.

This new offering can bring clients' products and services to an audience that uses mobile internet all the time; a building society client is producing one showing every branch and including a mortgage calculator which will allow people work work out their mortgage payments while they view a house!

If you are interested let me know; we already have a small queue with three sold already. It will take a number of weeks from order to delivery.

All my very best for 2011 - once people are used to the VAT rise I'm confident there will be a sustainable recovery!

Graham

Paul writes...Tees Valley LEP event

2010-12-02T15:46:00.005+01:00

Business people from across Darlington braved the weather last night to find out how the new Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) can benefit companies and organisations across the area.

We ran the event in conjunction with our client, Latimer Hinks Solicitors, allowing firms the chance to hear from and ask questions of Stephen Catchpole, the new managing director of Tees Valley Unlimited, which was successful in bidding to run the LEP.

More than 45 people attended the event at Darlington College, where Mr Catchpole outlined the importance of the LEP for Darlington businesses.

As Anne Elliott, managing partner at Latimer Hinks, put it: “To get the best from the opportunities the new LEP will offer, companies in Darlington need to engage with the partnership.”

The turnout, especially in such extreme weather, shows the desire from business people in Darlington to find out more about the LEP and how it can help the area. Hopefully, this will lead to real benefits for the borough of Darlington in partnership with the rest of the Tees Valley.

We need to take this initial dialogue further and establish a mechanism for the Darlington business community to influence the direction and decisions of the LEP.

Priory TV advert receives lots of responses

2010-11-27T09:59:00.005+01:00

Graham writes.....the TV advert we produced for The Priory was screened in the South East of England this week. It has received an excellent response with Priory helping numerous people via its helpline. The advert took a great deal of time to be cleared by the advertising regulators. We needed to convince them that it did not break the very strict codes for services to help people dealing with a drink problem. The rules forbid 'products' to help tackle alcohol dependency. The reason is to prevent people thinking that they can have a drink then take a 'miracle cure', thereby neutralising the responsible drinking message. At first, the regulator sought to apply this rule to this advert. However, after further submissions and documentation, the advert was cleared in time for this important period in the run up to Christmas.

PRASHAD WIN MAKES ME CHEERFUL

2010-11-11T10:14:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.....Blogs should be filled with universal good news and this post has some bad to balance the good. we have had marathon run at the business. Since August we won slightly more work than we lost, then this week Rok plc went under - I am owed £7k and lost a significant contract. If I hadn't done the hard work to win the new contracts it would have been terrible, as it is we'll be fine. I'm just angry that a relatively small supplier (recognition) was not paid for three months and the money is lost. The CEO apologised personally. For other clients it means I'll be extra focussed on collecting outstanding monies more quickly.

However, to balance this, the day after this news we made the list for four new pitches and one of our most reliable clients - Wensleydale Creamery made it to the finals of HSBC business thinking competition.

But nothing beats having a new client that everybody gets ethusiastic about, this is the case with Prashad Restuarant in Bradford. This family owned Asain Vegatarian establishment made the finals of the Gordon Ramsey Best Restaurant show on Channel 4. In my view they won the programme, coming across as skilled, fun and authentic (just the type of place I like to dine) but were pipped to the title. Caroline Walker has been working on this new account and is bubbling with enthusiasm. So lots of reasons to be cheerful.

2010-11-03T17:27:00.002+01:00

Graham writes……it has been an eventful few weeks at Recognition. Firstly, I have completed a deal with Frances that sees her exit the business to follow some exciting new challenges in her career. Next, I have promoted three talented people to join me in the partnership: Caroline Walker who specialises in crisis management; Jamie Collis who gives so many of our clients access to top national media spots; and Paul White who has developed new ways of working in the new media environment. The results have been brilliant – we have won four new clients including the renowned Wensleydale Heifer Hotel; Beyond Digital an fascinating technology business; Prashad an Asian restaurant featured on Gordon Ramsey’s best restaurants; and Montpellier Developments a specialist developer in the healthcare sector. We are also advertising on TV with a special package to attract new smaller businesses to try our services for a one-off introductory offer see the advert in the video box. So plenty of action at the new look Recognition and thanks to all the clients who have supported me through the ownership changes.

Exciting events for Recognition clients

2010-10-15T12:40:00.002+01:00

Graham writes...
It has been a very busy week at Recognition, with two successful key client events taking place.
On Wednesday morning, more than 50 business people from across the North East attended a regeneration executive briefing, run by two of our clients, Henderson Insurance Brokers and Constructing Excellence in the North East.
Another of our clients, John Orchard of Marchday Group plc, which owns Lingfield Point business park, and Michael Dowson or PD Ports delivered exclusive insights into future plans.
This was followed on Thursday evening by the third DURHAMGATE Business Forum, held at Thorn Lighting’s spectacular Academy of Light.
Special guest Lord Shipley spoke to a 60-strong audience about the future of the North East, LEPs and the need to compete economically with city regions such as Greater Manchester and Leeds, in the context of the Coalition Government.
Attendees were also treated to an update on the future of Durham Gate, which has just launched its new website at www.durhamgate.com.

Brilliant news coverage for key clients this week!

2010-09-30T10:28:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.... A great news week for Recognition clients. Wensleydale Creamery was featured on national BBC TV for its brilliant export achievements and TAG Energy Solutions got widespread coverage for its £20million investment announcement, see the video below!

TV is told the case for the North!

2010-09-09T15:45:00.005+01:00

Graham writes.....the BBC has commissioned research from Experian which suggests Teesside in the North East is the area least able to hold its own at a time of public spending cuts. I don't entirely agree with the research, it uses last year's data and things have got better in the area recently, particularly with the announcement of a possible rescue for the Corus steel plant. But this week both the BBC and Sky focused on the North's fragile economy and Recognition persuaded the broadcasters to be balanced and look at the North's prospects too. Our clients TTE, Coast & Country, NOF Energy and Lingfield Point all featured on national TV putting the case for the North. Keith Hunter at TTE was particularly good, he knows his stuff, you can see him pictured here telling David Cameron how skills training should be organised. When it comes to getting people in front of cameras and microphones Recognition works very effectively!

William Hague

2010-09-04T09:21:00.002+01:00

Graham writes....I've known William Hague for more than 20 years. He has been a political colleague, a significant client (we handled all his Northern media appearances during his time as Conservative leader) and a friend. He supported me when I ended up standing in a by-election in Tony Blair's seat, which neighbours his own (see pic). I know he is a man of character and integrity. His warmth and support during my wife's battle against cancer from 1999 to 2005 was instinctive and generous. During his time as leader I witnessed him being asked about all manner of personal things by journalists from all over the world - he has said many times he is not gay and the statement he issued recently should not have been a surprise.

When the media rang me up to ask if I would comment about it, I chose my platforms - local TV and newspapers - and issued a simple statement of my own: He has been subjected to trashy innuendo from trashy people for trashy publications. I think that it is a shame that the Amercian politics of personal destruction forced him to make his public statement but admire him for doing so nevertheless. Those sneering metropolitan commentators who say that issuing the statement was wrong are just trying to create an angle to transform this into a political issue about his judgement; they claim he made the situation worse but conveniently ignore that fact that when his adviser resigned the issue would have been a full blown media story, by issuing his statement he got his position out without, in the media phrase, 'being forced to make a statement'. It is entirely in the character of William Hague to speak plainly, not for him hiding from an issue or dashing to lawyers for gagging orders like sports stars or celebrities.

In the North his support is solid. No friend, colleague, or for that matter political opponent, has said anything snide to the regional media and the regional media have not followed the metropolitan elite who so despise a successful Yorkshireman. Hague is bigger than the small minded smear merchants who attack him. He is more important to the country and his constituents than the commentators who drip poison. I, for one, was happy to offer public, unequivocal support.

FRANK'S FLOORING WINNING WITH PR & ADVERTISING

2010-08-26T16:37:00.006+01:00

Graham writes.....Frank's Flooring is well known for a distintive type of asdvertising; it is a no nonsense simple message delivered by true North Easterner Frank on radio & TV and in the presss. It has been paying off with comnpany growth and some serious job creating investment. Our media release was widely covered in all the regional press and showed the serious side to a fun advert that has been delivering great results. Read the story here:

FRANKS FLOORING STORE ROLL OUT MAJOR EXPANSION AND INVESTMENT

Franks the Flooring Store is set for further growth across the North East, as it plans to open up to ten new sites and make a £1 million investment at its County Durham distribution centre.

Expansion by the region’s largest independent flooring retailer will create up to 60 new jobs as the company looks to increase its store portfolio by a third in the next 12 months to 35.

The £1 million investment at its distribution centre will pave the way for a second state of the art carpet cutting machine, along with a new delivery docking area, which will greatly increase the speed carpets can be off loaded from lorries.

Already this year, Franks has recruited 30 members of staff, and opened a number of stores across the region in Washington, Ashington and Shiremoor. The group currently employs 150 people across the region.

Franks the Flooring Store dynasty was founded by William Maguire Snr in 1981 who began trading from small premises in West Auckland. There are now three generations of the family working in the company.

Jason Maguire from Franks the Flooring Store, said: “As the North East’s leading flooring retailer we have benefitted from the growing number of people who are improving their properties buying new carpets and rugs, rather than moving homes.

“Due to this increased demand we are delighted to announce this growth and a £1 million investment. This decision will allow Franks the Flooring Store to plan on opening a further 10 stores across the North East and create 60 new jobs.”

LEADERSHIP AND PR PUT FOOD PRODUCT IN TOP THREE

2010-07-31T09:55:00.003+01:00

70 years ago when TS Elliott wrote about things that were culturally identified with Britain he put Wensleydale Cheese on his list. Well, thanks to brilliant leadership from the Wensleydale Creamery and sustained PR from the team at Recognition (Frances, Graham and Helen) Wensleydale Cheese is once more recognised internationally as a icon of the UK. An extensive survey of 4000 people conducted has identified ten things people associate with Yorkshire. The poll was conducted by Visit York to celebrate Yorkshire Day on August 1st, and places Wensleydale Cheese at number three after Yorkshire Pudding and Yorkshire Tea. This is a well deserved ranking for a firm that has worked so hard to promote a distinct product that rightly seeks protected status from the European Union.

COLLEGE IN WALES RECEIVES PRAISE FROM ‘THE FONZ’

2010-07-26T15:03:00.004+01:00

Recognition was delighted to be in contact with Hollywood actor Henry Winkler to promote the Priory Education Services innovative partnership with Coleg Gwent. the partnership provides specialist educational facilities for students with Asperger’s syndrome and tackles the long-term employment issues associated with the condition.

Henry Winkler has been associated with campaigns on this condition for some time.

In 2007, the National Autistic Society launched a report calling for better support and services for young people during the crucial transition stages between school, higher education, training and employment.
The ‘Don’t write me off’ campaign found that only 15% of adults with autism were in full-time paid employment, which could be greatly increased if the right planning, support and service is offered to people with autism during the transition stage.

Priory Coleg Wales is a co-educational college for students aged 16 to 25 designed to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of its students. The Coleg will accept its first students in September 2010.

Priory Coleg Wales is set within the grounds of Coleg Gwent, the largest further education college in Wales with 5 separate campuses. The learning centre is located on the Pontypool campus and comprises of classrooms, IT facilities, a therapy room, learning kitchen and dining room.

The learning centre is a safe area within a mainstream setting providing retreat when students feel challenged by social situations. It is also the base for the College’s in-house programme of support. Local buses and transport are used to travel between the campuses with the help of support workers where required, but with the overall aim of increasing independent travel skills for the future.

A number of therapies are also offered to students to help with their on-going personal development including art therapy, speech and language therapy and counselling.

The Priory Coleg Wales will initially create 10 jobs in the area, potentially reaching 50 plus jobs in the next couple of years.

Henry Winkler, best known for playing The Fonz in Happy Days, who is promoting the My Way! campaign, sent a message to Priory Coleg Wales: "Every child learns in their own way and no matter what that path is, each child must be celebrated."

Positive start to July!

2010-07-08T16:20:00.004+01:00

Graham writes....we have had a really positive start to July at Recognition. First we won a great new client - TAS Engineering Consultants, which has an enviable track record advising some top international firms. Secondly, we have recruited some new people, increasing our staff numbers and our talent pool! Richard Hall joins us as a PR consultant, he recently worked in the Newcastle Building Society press office; Anna Dawson joins us as a PR assistant, she recently worked at a local advertising agency and is now responsible for booking our TV crews. Kate Power joins the team as the PA to the Partners, Kate recently worked for chemical firm Croda.
Finally some excellent coverage for www.shopsafe.co.uk, which is operated by Darlington internet firm Edward Robinson. The Daily Mirror highlighted the fantastic service they provide to internet shoppers. Click here.

BUDGET 2010

2010-06-22T17:43:00.003+01:00

Recognition has organised a special event for Stockton-based Henderson Insurance Brokers and the Institute of Directors which was attended by business leaders from North-East. Budget Live! on June 22 allowed guests to watch George Osborne’s emergency Budget and then hear a panel from politics, business, and trade unions discuss its implications. The Budget was broadcast live to an audience of leading North East business leaders and was followed by a Question Time-style debate featuring a panel comprising Peter Wilkinson, Group Claims Director of Henderson Insurance Brokers, Alastair Thomson, North East Chairman of the Institute of Directors, Alan Milne, Regional Officer, of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union and Lord Bates, of the Conservative Party.

Our video shows highlights from the event, which was also covered by the regional media and the BBC's Newsnight on BBC2

Social networking widgets

2010-06-18T10:50:00.005+01:00

More and more clients want to ensure that our media releases are distributed using social networking in the internet. Now our journalist's page includes buttons so that journalists who also blog and use social network tools (which includes many forward thjinking journalists) can simply click a button and put our client's stories on their facebook or twitter feeds. See the buttons below to use the system on this blog!!

Facebook Share Widgetgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

National TV - hatrick coverage

2010-06-11T10:26:00.004+01:00

Graham writes.....three of Recognition's associates featured on an important BBC report about the economy this week. In his preview of the Bank of England's interest rate decision the BBC's business reporter, Nigel cassidy, came to the North and interviewed EOS, a company which makes steel framed housing, Arlington Financial, a Hartlepool based financial advisory firm and the convenience store group, Mills.

The BBC covered the North East Chamber of Commerce/Northern Echo/Arlington Financial shadow MPC which suggested interest rates stay on hold at 0.5%. See the video here....

Duncan's soccer aid drive

2010-05-17T18:17:00.001+01:00

Bannatyne’s Health Clubs across the UK will be ‘keeping it up for Soccer Aid’ this weekend (22/23 May) to raise money for UNICEF’s crucial work helping children around the world.

Bannatyne’s has organised a range of fundraising activities at its 60 UK health clubs to support UNICEF’s Soccer Aid initiative, which is being spearheaded by pop star and football-fanatic, Robbie Williams.

Members who raise over £50 for UNICEF will be entered into a special Bannatyne’s prize draw to win a pair of tickets for the celebrity Soccer Aid football match on June 6 in Manchester. The prize also includes an invitation to a VIP reception at Old Trafford before the game.

Among the activities planned for the weekend of 22 and 23 May, Bannatyne members will be taking part in sponsored ‘keepy uppy’ challenges. Using a football or a balloon, members will use their feet, legs, arms, chest and head to juggle a ball without letting it touch the ground – the longer they can do it, the more money they can raise.

Bannatyne’s will also be hosting a simultaneous spinning class at its 60 UK health clubs. Over a thousand members from across Britain will take part in the cycle-based challenge on Saturday 22 May, which will start at every health club at 10am.

Bannatyne’s is backing Soccer Aid after it named UNICEF as its primary charity for the next three years. Company chairman and founder Duncan Bannatyne is a UNICEF Ambassador and has visited a number of the charity’s programmes around the world to support its exceptional work.

Some of the money raised by Soccer Aid will be used to help children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Duncan was due to visit Haiti with UNICEF the week the earthquake struck and he has committed to raise money to support the charity’s work in the country.

Duncan Bannatyne said: “We’re encouraging all our members to ‘Keep it up for Soccer Aid’ and help millions of children worldwide through UNICEF’s work.

“Every minute of every day, children die from common diseases like measles, diarrhoea and malaria. Millions of children don’t go to school, or have food, shelter or clean water.

“Children all over the world suffer from violence, abuse and discrimination, are forced to work in dangerous conditions and denied the chance to play. This is wrong, but through the work of UNICEF we can help to put it right and the lives of these children can be dramatically improved.”

Nigel Armstrong, Managing Director of Bannatyne Fitness, said: “The ‘Keep it up for Soccer Aid’ activities we’ve organised should be great fun and raise money for an extremely important cause. Whether they’re going to use their football skills, endurance on the spinning bikes or take part in any other ‘Keep it up for Soccer Aid’ fundraiser, our members will be helping to make a real difference to the lives of children.”

Michael Newsome, Director of Fundraising for Soccer Aid said: “Bannatyne’s have truly risen to the challenge. Across the country, people from all walks of life will be keeping it up for Soccer Aid’, which is fantastic! With every spin of the wheels, with every header, toe-tap and goal, children across the world will benefit. What better motivation is there to get fit, join in and have fun whilst getting sponsored to make a lasting change to children’s lives. Tune in to ITV 1 on June 6 so see what a huge difference these activities make.”

NEW GOVERNMENT

2010-05-13T11:49:00.003+01:00

Graham writes.....the new Government's agreement document has been of interest to many of Recognition's clients. I've also had requests for details from both the Lib Dem and Conservative manifestoes. Already a number of our clients have been in the media commenting on the Cameron Coalition. Charlie Mullins of Pimlico Plumbers gave a great reaction in Business Matters Magazine; Tony Earnshaw of UK Commercial Cleaning was on Radio 5 Live; Duncan Bannatyne has been tweeting; George Rafferty of NOF Energy has been giving views on the outlook for nuclear power. We are at the early stage of planning a big IOD event in the North on the day of the emergency budget (which if it is 50 days on Tuesday will be 30th June). Now the Government is formed the media will have new aspects to write about it, scrutinising the detail of policy, and our clients will all be using Recognition to give their views, whatever they may be.

Publicity at the election is not just for politicians!

2010-05-04T15:38:00.001+01:00

This video is timely, it is Gordon Brown - not the THE Gordon Brown - making good use of the publicity surrounding the general election. Recognition produced this You Tube video which has received coverage in regional media. Other clients to get involved with the election were Duncan Bannatyne - who backed Gordon Brown's Labour Party and Charlie Mullins, of Pimlico Plummbers and Tony Earnshaw of UK Commercial Cleaning who backed David Cameron's Conservatives. We also placed our client Jon Sturrock of Arlington Financial in Hartlepool on the BBC's 5 Live national radio economy debate. All earned the respect of the media and good coverage for getting involved in the debate.

Strictly New Business

2010-04-22T18:55:00.004+01:00

Graham writes.....a successful PR initiative in Darlington which promotes three of Recognition's clients: Lingfield Point; Henderson Insurance Brokers; and Arlington Financial.

The event was a combination of Dragons' Den and Strictly Come Dancing - Strictly New Business gave three new businesses the chance to win a package worth in excess of £10k! Click the video for details.

Also great national coverage for The Priory - which was featured on national BBC Radio 4, BBC TV and Radio 5 live as well as a host of UK papers - for its deal with UK athelitics.

2010-04-15T10:35:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.....It was good to see the Newcastle Journal printing a massive feature about a real North East success story in Darlington. Recognition has been promoting shopsafe.co.uk for a while now and its success is really impressive.

www.shopsafe.co.uk, the North-East based online shopping directory has continued to grow with a 16% increase in page views by visitors in its tenth year.Having received 1,673,989 page views in January 2010, www.shopsafe.co.uk has vastly outgrown its modest start when it received 32,950 page views ten years earlier.During the same time, the number of monthly visitors has grown from little more than 9,400 to in excess of 304,900.Now, around 10,000 visitors a day use www.shopsafe.co.uk to access 4,000 retailers, including the likes of Hamleys, Next, Amazon, Marks & Spencer and Nike. Each site has been checked for security and ease of use before being accepted onto the directory.The directory was launched only a year after Google and web giants such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were not to appear until years later. The likes of Boo and Clickmango, big names in their day, were among countless victims of the dot com crash of March 2000.However, the key to www.shopsafe.co.uk’s success has been offering a service which continues to provide visitors with what they want – a reassuringly safe online shopping environment.

New staff at Recognition

2010-04-07T15:56:00.003+01:00

Graham writes.....Thanks to new clients coming on board, Recognition has added two new members to its team and awarded a promotion to employee, Michelle Bond, who has already been with the firm for two years.

Experienced Public Relations Consultant Kimberley Walker, 26, has a Public Relations degree and five years experience in the field. Kimberley is currently working on a diverse range of clients including leading healthcare provider, The Priory Group, nationwide commercial cleaning experts, UK Commercial Cleaning and leading health club provider, Bannatyne Fitness and Spas.

Melanie Smith, 23, who has a degree in Media and Cultural Studies and completed the National Certificate for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) at Darlington College, has joined the team as PR Executive. Since graduating Melanie has had experience working for BBC Radio Tees and Stockton Borough Council.

Michelle Bond, 23, has worked for the company since she graduated with a Media and Popular Culture degree. She joined the company as PA to the Partners, furthering her formal qualifications by studying for a Professional Certificate in Marketing. Michelle joins Melanie as PR Executive and will offer support to the Senior PR Consultants.

NEW JOBS FOR NORTH EAST - SOME GOOD NEWS!

2010-03-11T20:32:00.004+01:00

Graham writes.......I was delighted Recognition was chosen to promote a major new jobs announcement which featured in the national and regional media and on TV.

The GT Group Ltd based in the North East of England is to create 200 new jobs over four years and safeguard over 200 more after securing forward sales commitments of £200 million for its revolutionary engine emissions control systems.The specialist engineering product design and manufacturing company, based in Peterlee, County Durham, has secured the commitments, spanning the next five years, for its ground-breaking systems, developed in partnership with the world’s leading on and off highway diesel engine manufacturers.

You can see our video here:

Wensleydale Cheese gets Chris Evans endorsement

2010-02-24T18:14:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.....celebrity endorsements are great things. Even better when they are unsolicited. Chris Evans' chatter on his Radio Two breakfast show was a great boost to real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese at a time it is being increasingly listed in supermarkets. The radio star had visited the visitor centre in Wensleydale during the summer as part of a private trip to the Yorkshire Dales. We regularly send people like Chris, and his predessor Sir Terry, cheese to sample. Anyhow, the result was a gret endorsement which we circulated to all media especially the supermarket trade press. It is entirely appropriate we do this as the farming community in Wensleydale is absolutely reliant on the creamery performing well and the rurtal economy is under constant presure. Thanks Chris.

Click the video to see/hear his comments.

Corus - The Times features our clients' views

2010-02-19T18:06:00.003+01:00

Graham writes.....The Corus closure in Teesside has dealt a terrible blow to manufacturing in the area and afflicted thousands of families with job losses. Recognition has several clients locally and they have been affected too; both financially and, let's face it, emotionally as the bad news affects everyone who works in the Tees Valley.

We arranged for the big issue of the future development of Redcar to be the subject of a major article in The Times. This featured our clients Iain Sim of Coast & Country Housing and Keith Hunter. It is a positive feature despite the bad news.

You can read it properly by clicking here: http://www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=7764

Recognition devise competition to promote office space for start ups

2010-02-07T18:54:00.001+01:00

Graham writes........Budding entrepreneurs from across the North East are being offered the opportunity to win a year’s quality office space at Darlington’s prestigious Lingfield Point business park.‘Strictly New Business’ is the brainchild of Marchday Group plc, owners of Lingfield Point. The aim of the competition is to reward the entrepreneurial spirit of the North East and encourage anyone thinking about starting their own business to take the plunge.In conjunction with Business and Enterprise North East, Marchday is encouraging would-be business owners to pitch their ideas to win the superb prize.In true reality TV style, a selected number of finalists will feel the pressure when they are invited to present their business proposals in front of a live audience to a panel of respected and established local business people. Each contestant will be marked by the individual panellists and the person with the most points will win the prize and become the latest occupier of Lingfield House. The prize includes rent, rates, service charge, buildings insurance and utilities. Office insurance will be provided by Henderson Insurance Brokers.

Busy January

2010-01-29T19:14:00.002+01:00

Graham writes....It was a busy start to the New Year at Recognition. We have won a couple of new clients including Henderson Insurance brokers Ltd., and Costain Energy and Process which have both opened on Teesside. Pimlico plumbers in London has received lots of coveage in the national media for its reaction to the Government's boiler scrappage scheme. The Priory's senior managers had a media training course which resulted in a lovely email congratulating us on the high quality of the content. Duncan Bannatyne made an impressive plea for Haiti which received thousands of views. Our client Iain Sim of Coast & Country Housing made some impressive comments about industrial policy which were extensively reported. Also this the latest advert for TTE, Recognition's first client 20 years ago! Lots more happened besides, keep reading the blog!!!

Help for Haiti

2010-01-18T20:07:00.003+01:00

Graham writes.....we were proud to help our client Duncan Bannatyne speak up for the victims of the earthequake in Haiti. Duncan is an ambassador for UNICEF. He made a video appeal at our studios which has been used on the UNICEF website and has had well over a thousand views on our own Broadband TV channel website; thanks to broadcaster Chris Evans for plugging it and well done to Paul White at Recognition for asking him to.

You can see the video at:

www.broadbandtvchannel.co.uk/clip.asp?clipid=512

Energy for the New Year!

2010-01-12T20:50:00.002+01:00

Frances writes…….Recognition has always been at the forefront of promotion developing business sectors. Even in the recession one sector that is growing is energy. We recent won a great new contract to highlight a new North East investment by Costain Energy and Process and for several years we have been promoting one of the most significant trade bodies in the sector NOF Energy.

George Rafferty (pictured), Chief Executive of NOF Energy, which represents over 300 companies in the oil, gas and energy sectors, was featured in the media last week commenting on the Crown Estates announcement to licence nine new areas for UK offshore wind farms.He said: “This is very good news for North East businesses serving the energy sector.There is a wealth of skills and experience from the oil & gas supply chain that are transferable to the offshore wind sector. “This will provide new opportunities for our members and help create some of the 60,000 jobs that are believed will be generated by the development of these offshore turbines.”

George knows what he is talking about and, as a result of raising the profile of NOF Energy, is increasingly seen as a real UK expert in the energy sector.

Meanwhile my business partner Graham, has organised a working group of businesses to advise the Conservatives on the views of Tees Valley based businesses on reform of ONE North East should the Tories win. Energy and gas storage has been right at the heart of the discussions.

Recognition on TV in the New Year

2009-12-07T15:35:00.002+01:00

Graham writes....Recognition TV advert....from January we are putting our money were our mouth is and advertising Recognition's services on TV. Successful marketing campaigns involve a mix of devices from research to PR to advertising. Recognition is now offering all three. Check out our ad......

Bannatyne Fitness headline sponsors 'Local Heroes'

2009-12-04T15:49:00.002+01:00

Recognition has been working with Bannatyne’s Health Clubs in the North East which were the headline sponsors of the famous Northern Echo Local Heroes awards. In conjubnction with the event Bannatyne's has announced the winners of its ‘Search for a Club Hero’ competition who were guests of honour at a major sporting awards night.

The winners, who were nominated by their fellow members and Bannatyne’s staff, attended the Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Awards Ceremony on 3rd December alongside a number of famous North East sports stars and the cream of the region’s grassroots sporting community.

The Bannatyne’s heroes are:
Chester-le-Street – Joe Elsender
71-year-old Joe has completed the Great North Run over 20 times, which is even more of an outstanding achievement as he is partially sighted. Joe has raised thousands of pounds for charities supporting blind people through his running. He also helped establish the running club at Bannatyne’s in Chester-le-Street as well as a running club for local children.

Coulby Newham – Peter Swan
For the past five years Peter has been leading the Meseran Project, a charity that creates opportunities for young people in Middlesbrough and Africa. The project has funded the construction of schools in Africa and sponsored African children through secondary education. The fundraising has been undertaken by young people from Middlesbrough and Peter’s inspiration and motivation has helped show the young people of Middlesbrough what is going on in the world and how they can make a difference.

Darlington – Donna Gilmore
Donna became a ‘Good Samaritan’ to a fellow member. Ron Howe broke his leg in a fall and, as the only driver in his family, was left almost housebound. Donna came to his rescue and has been driving Ron to Bannatyne’s so he can meet up with his friends at the health club. In addition, Donna has also been driving Ron’s wife to appointments and shopping.

Durham – Jill Young
Jill has enjoyed a massive lifestyle change since she joined Bannatyne’s in Durham in 2008 and has been called an ‘inspiration to other members’ by fitness advisors at the health club. She has developed her fitness to such a level that she entered her first Great North Run this year raising £400 for charity. Jill now attends Bannatyne’s six-times-a-week and is training for her first full marathon.

Ingleby Barwick – Jennifer Clark
Jennifer swapped sofas for treadmills to kick start her healthy lifestyle and has so far lost five stone since joining Bannatyne’s. According to her nominator, Jennifer never says she ‘can’t do it’ and tries her very hardest to maintain her health, fitness and wellbeing. Bannatyne’s Health Clubs in the North East has announced the winners of its ‘Search for a Club Hero’ competition who will be guests of honour at a major sporting awards night.

The winners, who were nominated by their fellow members and Bannatyne’s staff, will attend the Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Awards Ceremony on 3rd December alongside a number of famous North East sports stars and the cream of the region’s grassroots sporting community.

Nigel Armstrong, Managing Director of The Bannatyne Group, the headline sponsor of the Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Awards, said: “Each of these members has shown real dedication and commitment, whether it’s been through improving their lifestyles or by helping others. "

Training; New York style!

2009-11-26T09:49:00.003+01:00

Graham writes……training is important and so is sharing best practice. This month Recognition has put both into practice by sending Jamie Collis, our Director of Communications, to New York to visit the senior people at some of the world’s top PR firms. He returned to us today full of stories and new ideas. He met with Donald Trump’s PR person and media outlets throughout Manhattan. The result of his trip will be to bring the latest techniques and ideas to Recognition’s clients as we continuously develop our service. This is something we have done before. A few years ago I accompanied another member of staff to meet PR & media professionals in Boston. New approaches were introduced by Recognition which proved successful; also the firms learned a lot from us. It is interesting that the Government will only fund recognised training courses yet our staff, our business and our clients will get more out of this more innovative approach to training and personal development!

Pudsey, Duncan and the cleaning businesss...

2009-11-11T10:40:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.....a fun day filming this week for two clients; Duncan Bannatyne and the terrific company he has invested in, UK Commercial Cleaning. Duncan was endorsing the BBC's Children in Need. Also the BBC was fiming a catch up report on his Dragon's Den investment in Tony Earnshaw's UK Commercial Cleaning. We managed to put the two together in an amusing film in which Pudsey Bear asks Duncan to help children in Hartlepool clean up a local area, Duncan asks UK Commercial Cleaning and so it goes on...

I've been involved with Children in Need for 24 years. I first presented the radio output on local radio in 1986 and every year at least one of Recognition's clients has had some involvement. It is something the BBC does well and in difficult economic times people respond even more.

Incidentally, we have a new member of staff at Recognition, Kimberley Walker. It was her first day at work so she joined us for the filming...a strange first day at work, to be photographed with Pudsey and filming with the BBC, but we have an interesting job to do!

NEW TV CAMPAIGN FOR WENSLEYDALE

2009-10-26T13:40:00.002+01:00

Graham writes…..if you have a moment this week please buy a slice of Wensleydale cheese at the supermarket. The Wensleydale Creamery is a rural community business and, as well as handling its PR, we have launched its first TV advert. The campaign distances the firm from the well known ‘Wallace and Gromitt’ image (which will be used for special occasions) and focuses on the key selling point; that it is the only Wensleydale Cheese made in Wensleydale. Others are the products of big agri-businesses and in the supermarket cheese wars try to undercut Wensleydale Creamery on price. The truth is that the Wensleydale Creamery makes the cheese using milk from more than40 farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. These farmers have higher costs because they have responsibilities to the environment under the National Park rules. Buying the real cheese will help them and keep the Dales as a green and pleasant land!

Pimlico’s ‘Secret Millionaire’

2009-10-19T14:23:00.003+01:00

Graham writes.......Well done to Charlie Mullins, managing director of Pimlico Plumbers, who took part in an episode of Secret Millionaire last week. A charity dealing with support for cancer sufferers and a special garden centre for people with learning disabilities were among the recipients of large cash sums from Pimlico Plumbers as a result of Charlie’s generosity. I thought Charlie came across really well. It is always best to be yourself on these shows. The producers are careful to generate the best ‘reveal’ moment at the end but the programmes also tell the story of the subject’s ‘journey’ and change of lifestyle. Charlie is the third Recognition client to appear on this programme, which was the brainchild of UK TV genius Stephen Lambert. We met Stephen before the first programme aired, as one of our clients for involved in the pilot. It was a difficult thing to sell at first – the TV company telling a business millionaire he would be made a fish out of water for a week with no access to home or phone and a microphone and TV camera following every move. What is more they are expected to give out large sums of their own money to take part. Matching up the right project to the right millionaire is also a big job, in Charlie’s case the project took two years from initial contact to transmission. But it was worth it, a great show and everyone was a winner!

The Shadow MPC - 'Panel publicity'

2009-10-06T16:38:00.002+01:00

Frances writes……today our firm organised two of our regular ‘shadow MPC’ panels on behalf of clients Arlington Financial in the North East and Lee & Priestley Solicitors in Yorkshire. The idea behind these panels is to position our clients as leaders of opinion and decision makers (which they are of course!) The panels work in conjunction with two newspapers and, in the case of the North East, also with the North East Chamber of Commerce. The Yorkshire Post and the Northern Echo each send a reporter to report the deliberations of the panels and interesting copy is generated from the front line of the economy. Each panel consists of around 10 leaders of the local economy. They debate the current trends and offer their view on what the Bank of England should do with interest rates when it decides on Thursday. We have other panels that work in a similar way, for example the property panel in conjunction with the Northern Echo and Latimer Hinks Solicitors and the commercial developers panel in Huddersfield in conjunction with Baxter Caulfield and the Huddersfield Examiner. The decisions of the two shadow MPCs were that rates should be held……click for a video

Strictly Real Yorkshire Wensleydale

2009-09-22T17:13:00.005+01:00

Graham writes.......Great day today promoting Wensleydale cheese. We have announced a new ‘brand ambassador’ – Darren Gough, the Strictly Coming Dancing star and the former England and Yorkshire cricketer. Darren was brilliant. He met the media and the public at three locations in one day – Leeds, the Yorkshire Dales and Yarm in Cleveland. Getting the right ‘star’ to endorse a product or service can really pay dividends. Darren has just the right following, is a true Yorkshireman and passionately believed in our message. We want more people to insist on buying Wensleydale cheese that is made in Wensleydale and notice the new stamp of authenticity on the package. The media day was cost effective – generating tens of thousand of pounds worth of publicity for much less than we actually spent! (pictured: Darren Gough 'dancing' with Kate Allison of Wensleydale Creamery outside Lewis & Cooper Deli in Yarm)

Black & Decker event

2009-09-16T10:10:00.002+01:00

Graham writes......Not all PR is about the media. Recognition has organised an executive briefing and facility tour for leading North East opinion formers at Black and Decker’s European Research & Design Centre in Spennymoor County Durham. The event lasted three hours and gave people an insight into a facility which many had thought had closed. In truth much of the manufacturing at the site has come to an end but the activities in the research and design side of the business are very much alive and well. Guests were fascinated by the wide range of Black & Decker products that have started their life in the creative development rooms in Spennymoor. The quality of innovation and the enthusiasm of the staff were evident for all to see. Black & Decker hopes to develop this element of its business in the UK and the guests who attended were all of the view that such developments should be in North East England.

Sep...back at work...visit to ITV

2009-09-10T18:27:00.001+01:00

Graham writes.......Caroline Walker, one of our senior consultants, and I paid a visit to the producers of ITV’s This Morning programme today. Based at the London Studios on the South Bank the team produce a fantastic and popular programme which reaches millions of viewers every day. We heard about how the show is structured and researched and the tight timings to make the films which are featured in slots every day. The films are generally split into five parts shown over five consecutive weeks. We were there to tell them about the services and experts available from The Priory and other Recognition clients. They were impressed that a PR firm based outside London had so many interesting clients! The new presenter team of Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby are away at the moment but the show certainly intends to be a force in UK TV when they return.

Flintoff filmed by Recognition

2009-08-20T09:42:00.003+01:00

Graham writes….on this important day for English cricket – the fifth test starts today - we want to wish the team and Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff well. Only two days ago our team were filming Freddie for a promotional webcast about a new video game he is bringing out soon. Our clients were the PR team for the video game store. We film lots of celebrities like this through our sister business Recognition Services, which makes web videos and audio clips for use by PR campaigns. The newspapers use them and good PR campaigns spread them around the internet, they are not expensive with a simple web video coming in at £390 plus VAT.

August seaside tales!

2009-08-19T16:49:00.003+01:00

Duncan Bannatyne has one mission in life: to help British business, particularly struggling businesses. The UK press have one mission in life: to use celebrity names to sell papers (particularly in August when there is no news around!) These two missions have collided. Duncan accepted an invitation from a TV channel to help some struggling attractions at various seaside resorts. Viewers will see him advising these business owners on how to improve their product and maximise their income. The press have noticed he spends some of his summers in his French Villa and have contrasted this to helping these business. They have conjured up the little green envy genie and suggested he is hypocritical enjoying France while others stay at home! I know that Duncan enjoys the British seaside as much as anyone, his early summers were spent attending deck chairs a seaside. The story might make a August silly season tale, but it won’t stop Duncan’s enthusiasm for supporting the small business. you can hear his response in and audio interview here: http://www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=6976

2009-08-14T10:37:00.003+01:00

Frances writes......At the beginning of August we always tell our team to beware the media’s agenda. The media need to fill the gap left by a lack of Parliamentary, Council and Court reporting as these bodies often take a break. News programmes aren’t shortened but instead the cameras and microphones turn to issues that would otherwise not have been of interest. Sources of information such as league tables from regulators, inspection reports about nursery schools, nursing homes and hospitals suddenly become the subject of detailed scrutiny. Reader, viewer and listener complaints about companies and public bodies receive greater attention.

As a result, in August Recognition is always busy. Normally around 30% of our work is devoted to answering hostile media stories, this week it has been nearer 50%. Furthermore, very often the decision makers from our clients are away and getting the information we need to fight back can be difficult. Thankfully we have managed to mitigate much of what has happened this August. But all organisations need to beware of August. Plan to issue some news and fill the vacuum, don’t let the media do it for you!

Dragon's investment......

2009-08-06T12:40:00.004+01:00

I just had to blog about this one....UK Commercial Cleaning and Supplies is Duncan Bannatyne's latest investment, did you see them on Dragon's Den. Brilliant. They reminded me of starting this firm from my bedroom and I'm sure they reminded Duncan of his own humble business roots as an ice cream van owner. He invested £100,000 in this firm. The founder Tony Earnshaw, started from a window cleaning round when he was only 19. Now 6 years on he has a business which expects to turnover £1million per year and has healthy profits. Duncan's cash will help the firm open depots around the UK and our publicity support should keep him well known. Today he is in all the North's press and on our TV too. well done Tony!

Bannatyne investing again????

2009-07-28T16:17:00.002+01:00

Graham writes........what is TV's Dragon Duncan Bannatyne doing standing next to Tony Earnshaw (left) the founder of UK Commercial Cleaning and Supply. The company is based in Washington Tyne & Wear and started from the same humble roots that Duncan began his business from - Tony was a window cleaner, Duncan was an ice cream salsman. Tony now aims to follow in Duncan's steps and build up his business with the aim of being the biggest commercial cleaning firm in the UK. You can read about its services at http://www.uk-cc.co.uk/ But why is Duncan in the picture? More soon............

ITV offers excellent local opportunities

2009-07-22T16:36:00.002+01:00

Graham writes.......a little gem of good news from the recession is the availability of much cheaper local TV advertising. ITV have been offering local businesses some excellent local packages. Although we are known as a PR firm, Recognition believes in a multi-media approach to marketing. Today I've booked a TV ad on ITV which will run for a business not normally associated with TV advertising. It will run in October on the Tyne Tees south transmitter. The deal is for one week, 30 spots, 20 seconds each spot at a total cost of £4880 plus VAT. The spots are a combination of peak and off peak time. Recognition will make the advert for less than £2k. We have only done this once, earlier this year to promote a fish and chip restaurant in North Yorks which was re-opening after a fire. The total cost to the client was less than £7k and when combined with our PR activity the business has done really well and has re-gained the level of trade it had before the fire. You can see the ad in the video box.

Sign of the times...but a client win!

2009-07-21T20:12:00.003+01:00

Graham writes.......it is a sign of the times that Recognition's latest client is doing so well. Lee Demolition is part of the Lee Group based in Gravesend. The company is one of the UK's most successful demolition specialists and the terrible economy is generating lots of opportunities. The firms has won a hat trick of substantial new projects recently and specialises in the dismantling of chemical plants (lots of work due soon in the North East - sadly). We'll be sending material out about this excellent firm and its rags to riches owner David Lee, who left school before he was 16 and made his first fortune before he was 21. You can see more about Lee Demolition at:
http://www.leedemolition.co.uk/

Charities meet at Recognition

2009-07-17T09:52:00.004+01:00

Frances writes........Recognition organised a special event for accountants Horwath Clark Whitehill. Charities from across the North East received welcome news that they could be eligible for Government aid according to charity expert Heather O'Driscoll. The Hardship Fund, announced in the Chancellor’s budget, will be available from the end of July. However, the fund has not received wide publicity leaving some smaller charities unaware of its existence. Invited guests were told of its benefits and how they would qualify for the funding which can be worth grants of between £50,000 and £250,000 for those charities earning more than £200,000. They must also be able to show that financial hardship is having a direct impact on their services.

Recognition's client in Panorama special

2009-07-14T22:14:00.005+01:00

Graham writes......well done to Jamie Bentley of the Stephenson Group, a new client of Recognition. He provided expert testimony on a BBC Panorama special called "What's really in our food". Twice winner of the Queens Award for Export, Stephenson Group Ltd has customers all around the world. From its research and manufacturing facility in the north of England, the company's expertise embraces world-class products for industries as diverse as paper recycling, textile finishing, rubber anti-tacks and personal care products.y of Stephenson Group a recent new client in Leeds. You can see information about the programme here -http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lrjk4 - and I'll upload a video about Jamie's views later in the week....

Summer BBQ for a good cause

2009-07-06T11:56:00.004+01:00

Frances and Graham write...... even in these difficult economic times it is important that businesses demonstrate some corporate social responsibility. Recognition Marketing and PR has adopted a North East charity to champion.

To launch our relationship with Stockton-based A Way Out (At Risk Woman And Youth Outreach), we teamed up with our client Arlington Financial to hold a summer barbeque.

The event was held at the Elwick home of Allan Cook, director at Hartlepool-based Arlington Financial. A Way Out, which helps vulnerable women and children, and its founder, Jessie Joe Jacobs, recently won the Bank of Scotland’s Social Entrepreneur of the year Award.

Singer Hayley McKay, from Darlington, performed at the event. It was attended by more than 60 people and we raised in nearly £300 from the raffle. It goes to show that corporate social responsibility can be fun!

Redcar's new 'vertical pier'

2009-07-03T16:51:00.002+01:00

Graham writes......I was really pleased to attend the launch of the new Redcar seafront project. This £30 million scheme will revitalise the image of the entire town and commands widespread support. Its highlight is a new 'vertical pier', a tower at the seafront with a viewing platform. This will make the project a landmark site and, if properly promoted, will attraction attention around the country.

Priory tell national TV audience about dangers of prescription drugs

2009-06-30T16:12:00.004+01:00

Graham writes.......one of Recognition's largest clients is the famous Priory Group. The company owns some of the most famous addiction centres in the country and looks after both celebrity clients and people referred by their GP. The recent news of the death of Michael Jackson has prompted a rush of media enquiries about the issue of addiction to prescription medication. Congratulations to David Smallwood for a first class media appearance on BBC TV Breakfast News. David was able to explain how anybody can become hooked on medicines prescribed by their doctor and told people about the signs to look out for and the treatments available to all. Great coverage David! The Priory was well ahead of this anyway; on a recent edition of Priory Healthcare News you can get all the information.

New spa for Duncan in Edinburgh

2009-06-23T14:48:00.001+01:00

Frances writes......

Duncan Bannatyne, a long-standing client of Recognition, has played host to a number of esteemed guests at the opening of his latest venture - a brand new luxury spa based at his Health Club in Edinburgh.

Duncan is pictured (left) in the relaxation room at the new spa.

At the official opening party, Duncan welcomed along members and guests to a special champagne reception, where they were treated to sample treatments, before being given a full tour of the facilities.

The Recognition team worked with the Scottish press to arrange interviews, reviews and to guide news crews around at the opening event. Media interest was high and included business writers, features teams, spa and beauty trade magazines and regional lifestyle magazines.

The new spa offers a range of relaxing and rejuvenating treatments, include complimentary therapies and specialist massage, plus beauty treatments such as waxing, nail care and make up.

It is a milestone for the company, as the Edinburgh becomes the thirtieth Bannatyne Spa to be opened in the UK.

Its opening has also created jobs for six trained therapists and forms part of £16 million pounds of investment to be made by the Bannatyne Group in the last eight months.

Manufacturing - alive & well in Leeds

2009-06-19T10:15:00.001+01:00

Graham writes…..I was thrilled to see a real British manufacturing business prospering in this horrible recession. Everbuild Building Products Ltd is the UK & Ireland’s largest independent manufacturer of sealants, adhesives, fillers and building chemicals. Recognition has just won the PR account for this dynamic company. It has a great story to tell and we’ll be proud to tell it. The firm is 15 years old and was founded by plain speaking Yorkshireman David Seymour. David runs the business with care and attention. Being well managed the production processes are very efficient and since January the company has even managed to employ some extra people. It is a significant size with well over 200 staff and in the building downturn can see the logic in turning attention to the repair and maintenance market. Watch this firm…..its going places.

The media likes Ovenu

2009-06-11T17:25:00.003+01:00

Frances writes…….We were very pleased with the coverage in the Sunday Times of the opportunities for people to start their own business using the franchising route. We act for one of the UK’s most successful franchisors Ovenu. It was founded by the irrepressible and dynamic Rik Hellewell. Ovenu, the UK’s leading oven-valeting franchise, is offering a financial lifeline to prospective franchisees with the launch of an innovative new Options package.

According to the British Franchise Association, the average cost of setting up a franchise in the UK is £42,200 including working capital.

With current economic fears leading many lenders to become more cautious, Ovenu has designed the new Options initiative to help give potential franchisees the financial flexibility to invest in starting their own business.

This company is fun to work for, has stories throughout the UK and is very media friendly. Well done Rik and we hope you enjoyed the coverage in the Sunday Times - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6446795.ece

Darlington's landmark site

2009-05-30T10:28:00.000+01:00

Graham writes.......

I travelled to London this week to meet with the Times writer Rebecca O'connor, whose excellent Bricks and Mortar section has won awards for the coverage of the UK property scene. My client John Orchard, a director of Marchday plc, accompanied me. We told Rebecca about Lingfield point, which is a landmark site of the same magnitude of, say, Fort Dunlop in Birmingham or Harland and Wolff in Belfast - sites with an iconic status in their previous history. In the case of Fort Dunlop it was the motor sector, in the case of H&W it was shipbuilding. Lingfield Point was the UK's largest textile site and home to Paton & Baldwin. Development has been underway for several years but it is about to embark on a new phase...you'll be able to read about in in The Times in due course. In the meantime its existing buildings have been winning awards, in particular two major property awards for its groundbreaking Memphis building.Memphis, which has been created from wool factory buildings originally constructed in the 1950s is now occupied by the Student Loans Company and 650 of its staff, was named as the best Commercial Property development at the Royal Chartered Institute of Surveyors’ (RICS) North East Renaissance Awards. The RICS accolade was presented within days of Memphis also achieving first place in the refurbished/recycled workplace category at the British Council for Office (BCO) awards. Memphis joins such prestigious previous winners in the category as Fort Dunlop in Birmingham and aircraft hanger-turned-business premises, Skyways House in Liverpool. Lingfield Point’s Memphis was among 51 shortlisted entrants for the RICS Renaissance Awards, which was judged by an independent panel property professionals who consider all aspects of buildings and projects from design and planning to construction and the look and feel of the finished project.Following the presentation of the regional RICS title, Memphis will be entered into the organisation’s national awards where it will compete against other projects from across the UK.Memphis is a remarkable space which capitalises on its industrial heritage. Developer Marchday plc was keen to celebrate the building’s history and work with the industrial loft style space. This was particularly appealing to the Student Loans Company which was keen to produce a contemporary inspiring environment for its dynamic workforce. As well as being a cutting edge workspace Memphis is a low energy sustainable development.Student Loans Company commissioned award winning designers 3Fold/Graven images to create a truly remarkable bespoke interior. Other companies, which worked on the Memphis Building regeneration included architects SP&A, builders Rok plc and TMD Design.

Fish & Chips and insurance - a great PR result

2009-05-18T21:06:00.001+01:00

Graham writes……this weekend I saw first hand how a properly constructed small campaign can work and, in this case, its cost was met by the client’s insurance company. Barker’s fish & chip shop & restaurant in Richmond, North Yorks, is an award winning business. It was recently the victim of a fire which closed the business for months. Part of the insurance settlement was a sum of money to be spent promoting the business reopening. The falling prices of advertising on TV, Radio and Print make the cost of a multi media advertising and PR campaign within the reach of small business and Barkers took advantage. We organised a PR campaign with press releases; sponsorship of a key feature in the Darlington & Stockton Times newspaper; spot advertising on local radio and a 30 spot campaign on local ITV. The results were amazing. I could hardly squeeze into the fish & chip Take away on Saturday it was so crowded and the restaurant was packed too!

2009-05-15T18:58:00.000+01:00

Frances writes……

Well done to Charlie Mullins (left) of Pimlico Plumbers, one of our most successful and interesting clients. Charlie took on the MPs in a live debate about the expenses on Channel 4 News last night. It takes guts to go on national TV against well rehearsed politicians and Charlie let them have it!

2009-05-15T18:51:00.001+01:00

Graham writes….

We were delighted to win a special new PR contract from US firm Black & Decker. The firm has a fantastic design centre in the North East at Spennymoor. Despite the bad news about job losses in that part of the UK, Black & Decker is still a significant employer. I paid them a visit today and saw a 21st Century business with world class designs and some unbeatable products. The people were enthusiastic creative and talented and you’ll be hearing more about their achievements as our media release start being published.

Repairing Britain Campaign launched

2009-05-08T15:29:00.000+01:00

Graham writes......

Our long standing client Rok plc, the nation's local builder, has started a UK wide campaign called "Repairing Britain". Working with our partner firm on this project, Redleaf, we have already secured considerable coverage on the importance of putting skilled tradesmen to work on repairing the country's built environment at a time when new build projects sare few and far between.

The campaign says up to half a million jobs could be lost in the current downturn. However, it is highlighting that refurbishment and improvement projects create many more jobs than new build schemes, require skilled tradesmen and are more sustainable.

If, over the next two years, the UK tackled just 20 percent of the buildings that needed repairing and turning into homes, 250,000 new homes would be created, which would more than satisfy the country’s need.

Currently there are:

An estimated one million empty homes in the UK

Up to 20 percent of UK properties are likely to be in poor condition, in need or repair or underused. This includes properties above shops, empty shops, old factories, warehouses and private dwellings.

Four million people on waiting lists for rental accommodation

Five million people will be on social housing waiting lists by 2010 (Local Government Association statistic)

These empty properties could be made habitable much faster than new homes can be built. Repair and refurbishment of existing properties is also greener than starting from scratch on green fields.

The campaign is calling for an audit of empty buildings by local authorities to identify properties needing attention, at a time when the country needs 240,000 additional housing units a year and only 60,000 are being built we need to look at the buildings that already exist for new homes.

‘Repairing Britain’ wants to encourage a sense of civic pride in our surroundings; money is being spent on new housing developments while empty homes multiply in existing neighbourhoods, causing them to become under-populated and under-resourced.

Central to ‘Repairing Britain’ is a petition on the Downing Street website, http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/repairingbritain/, requesting a reduction in VAT on property repair work to 5 percent, which will provide a much needed stimulus.

We were pleased that the Rok chief executive received coverage for the start of the campaign in national newspapers and on Radio 5 Live. He also received coverage in numerous regional newspapers. Now we want other companies in the sector to join with Rok in promoting the 'Repairing Britain' message!

Top 'Private Eye' signs up for 'PR Starter Pack'

2009-05-05T19:58:00.000+01:00

Frances writes......

In these challenging economic times new clients often want a taster of what PR can do for them without commitment to an ongoing contract. One of the UK's top private investigators wanted to try out our service and was the first client to use our the new 'PR Starter Pack', which costs £550 plus VAT.

The result for Andy Coates has been coverage on local radio and in newspapers for an award he has won. He also has a web video that is to be used on his own web site and on sites such as You Tube and http://www.broadbandtvchannel.co.uk/ The video is also available to newspapers to use on their interactive sites.

Click here to see the full story on the page which professional journalists use down load the information from Recognition:

http://www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=6409

Terms and conditions for the PR Start Pack are on our prices and fees page:

http://www.recognitionpr.co.uk/fees.htm

Andy is delighted with the results and has already asked Recognition to undertake more work on his behalf.

2009-04-27T19:16:00.000+01:00

Graham writes........
This weekend our clients were in the news frequently. A few highlights include Duncan Bannatyne who featured in the Sunday Times Rich List - he was one of the few people who has increased his fortune in these difficult times. Also Pimlico Plumbers had a number of stories in the media including a feature on BBC TV news following the budget and one in the Sun and the Sunday Times after it released its annual results. One of our IT clients, the specialist software firm Crisp Thinking (which was founded by Adam Hildreth the former CBI young entrepreneur of the year) has featured in national and international media with features in the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. Crisp Thinking designs software that protects children from online threats and is the UK's foremost online child protection specialist. In designing software that works with all manner of internet programmes and selling its solutions to the US market it brings to life a 21st Century example of taking coals to Newcastle.

Finally congratulations to our landlord - and a longstanding client - Marchday plc. The firm has now won two coveted awards for the provision of fanstastic office accommodation at its Memphis Building at Lingfield Point in Darlington. You'll be seeing more of this story in the media as the regeneration going on at Lingfield point hasn't stopped despite the recession and we are proud to promote it.

Post-Budget 'Question Time'

2009-04-23T16:10:00.000+01:00

Graham writes.....

Today I've taken part in a fun event that raised the profile of three of our clients - the Institute of Directors, Lingfield Point and Arlington Financial. The event was a Budget 'Question Time', based on the BBC TV show. It was attended by dozens of business leaders in the North East and filmed for a 30 minute web TV programme which will appear on the websites of local newspapers and our own broadbandtvchannel.co.uk. You'll know if I spoke well by looking at the link http://www.broadbandtvchannel.co.uk/clip.asp?clipid=441 but the event was a PR success and shows the benefit of bringing clients with different interests together. In terms of publicity and attendance it worked well and our local TV crew did an excellent job. I have actually been a panelist on the real Question Time in 2004 (during a special on the North East Regional Assembly campaign) and assisted when my client Duncan Bannatyne was a guest last year. He was very good and took the trouble to bounce ideas off me in the car on the way to the recording. I can testify that guests really don't know what the questions are, but a solid knowledge of the process should enable you to predict the most difficult ones - which we did when Duncan appeared.

First blog

2009-04-21T13:27:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the first blog from the Recognition Bloggers. Our firm is located in the North East and the West Midlands with offices in Darlington and Lichfield. Our clients are from many different walks of life and business. They include the famous multi-millionaire Duncan Bannatyne and his group of companies which we have served for obver 15 years. Also we work with national chains such as Busy Bees Nurseries, Southern Cross Healthcare, Rok plc - the nation's local builder, The Priory, Just Learning Nurseries, and Four Seasons Healthcare.

We also work for a number of professional firms and some businesses with unusual products and services including a firm of baliffs, the Wensleydale Creamery (known for Wallace & Gromitt's famous Wensleydale cheese) and the Stephenson Group which has made soap products in Leeds since the 19th century.

At our Darlington office we have a working TV studio and a radio studio. These produce numerous web videos, some of which you can see via this blog.

We have an extensive network of contacts in the media politics and business and over the coming months will be making regular posts from the front line in PR detailing how we have been promoting various clients on a day to day basis.