2011 the year of the APP!

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

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

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

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.

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

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!

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!

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

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

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.”