Recognition on TV in the New Year

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'

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!

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...

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

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’

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'

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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......

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????

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

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!

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

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

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

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'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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'

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.

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'

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

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.