What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 25 March 2013

Welcome to another week!

We continue to be busy bunnies (notice our tribute to Easter!) this week with the closing date for the Midlands Media Awards, lots of activity for both Fresh and the CIPR Northern Conference as well as preparation for the new Bristol Media Awards, Brand You which are launching after Easter.

However, this week all of our focus is on the new PRCA DARE Awards which we are running in partnership with the Public Relations Consultants Association.

DARE is diverse and so much more than just another awards scheme for the Public Relations & Communications Industry. It's about providing new business opportunities, developing talent and showcasing effective communication techniques and campaigns.
DARE TO BE DYNAMIC AND DELIVER YOUR PROFESSIONALISM AND EXPERTISE LIKE NEVER BEFORE...

ACHIEVE more with DARE. Each of the five, day long DARE events will offer an exclusive opportunity as the events will be a heady mix of key industry speakers covering the topics that matter, a key training element, client consultations and networking, exhibition opportunities and prestigious lunches where awards will be presented only to those organisations or individuals who have shown the courage to challenge.


Open to Consultancies and In-House teams, DARE is all about encouraging you to be different - in your thinking, in your ideas and in your approach to communications. And each event will provide a platform for powerful and positive reinforcement of the excellence that is demonstrated on a daily basis.

RECOGNISE that in this increasingly competitive and challenging industry, embracing new skills and understanding how the array of tools and tips available can make a significant impact on your effectiveness and achievements.

Lord Chadlington Co-Chair of DARE Jury

DARE has a commitment to deliver a definitive training element to each event and two of the industry's leading professionals will also deliver key lectures. Client invitations will be issued enabling new business opportunities and all delegates and guests will play a part in the DARE event, with networking and connection exercises.
 
ENGAGE in DARE in 2013. The first step requires an entry from you or your organisation, and includes submissions from Individuals, Consultancies and In-House Teams from both the Public & Private Sector. There are just 10 entry categories in DARE although an additional Award will be presented which will be the Chairman of the Judges Choice.

There are 10 categories within DARE, all very different to any of those currently on offer and they include-

Innovation & Integration |Marketing, Media & Measurement | Campaign Challenges | Social Strategy | Research & Results | Effective Engagement | Consumer Choice | Live, Launched & Loud | Technology & Trade |Internal Inclusion

From the 10 categories, the truly excellent panel of judges will make their decisions that will be followed by five regional DARE events in Leeds for DARE North, in Edinburgh for DARE Scotland, in Slough for DARE South East, in Bristol for DARE South West & Wales and in Birmingham for DARE Midlands.

You really wont want to miss out on DARE this year and with all of our attention on being daring and being different, we did wonder just what other daring activities the PR Industry and their clients, as well as Joe Public might have undertaken in order to go that extra mile?

And blimey….we certainly found some corkers!

We loved Tropicana’s Bright Idea from 2012. Tropicana installed a large sun over Trafalgar Square on a dreary January morning in London. They handed out over 35,000 orange juice cartons that day too and allowed the commuters and tourists to sit and watch the sunrise with branded sunglasses and blankets. What a bright way to gain publicity!

Also from 2012 is this one from Ryan Holiday who was pretending to Get Publicity
Instead of trying to get press to solely benefit himself, Ryan Holiday tried to get press for any reason at all, as a joke. He used Help a Reporter Out to seek out queries by reporters needing people for stories. He made up tons of things and in the end was featured in multiple stories. For example, he posed as the poster child for “Generation Yikes” on Reuters. On MSNBC he pretended that while working at Burger King someone sneezed on him and did other stunts like this on various other news sources and ultimately got his name out there.

Back in 2010, Car insurance comparison site, confused.com, created a stunt where they bubble wrapped Britain’s most accident prone street. They used 1,500 sq meters of bubble wrap to raise awareness on the dangers of winter driving.

The Royal Society of Chemistry organised a competition to see if anyone could solve the notorious cliff-hanger problem from the movie The Italian Job back in 2009. The society received over 2,000 entries and media attention and the winner won a holiday in the city where the film was made.

A Pink Street Leads Straight to Barbie and in 1997 Mattel decorated a whole street in bubblegum pink during their ‘pink month’ in order to boost sales of the Barbie doll. They estimate that they reached 100 million people with the media coverage they received.

Being a girlie team here at Cloud 9, we love this one and anything pink really does get our vote...



Of course, some stunts go a little wrong but at least they tried!


British Airways sponsored the London Eye back in 2000 and had an issue getting the wheel up when it was just lying on the ground. After several attempts while the press was watching, they had an airplane fly over with a banner saying “BA can’t get it up”. Many laughs were had that day.

To promote forgettable rom-com ‘The Love Letter’, DreamWorks did the predictable and sent anonymous handwritten adorations to selected magazine journalists. Aww. Until a genuinely frightened Elle Editor called in the police, believing she had a stalker!

So that’s a great look at some very daring stunts and now the question for you – how far will you go to be different and daring?

We really do look forward to finding out......


That’s it for this week folks, it might be a short week, but we wish you a good one, have a great Easter and we’ll be back next Tuesday.

Toodle Pip!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 18 March 2013

Welcome to another week!

This would normally be the week to remind you that the Midlands Media Awards deadline is this coming Friday, that the early bird booking discount option for the CIPR Northern Conference deadline is the end of this month and that if you want a window to be a part of the Freshtival 2013, then you'd better get a move on.

But instead, with Easter looming and a distinct lack of any sign of Spring, we thought we'd cheer you all up instead with a look at treats for Easter and more importantly for most, our eggstra special Easter Egg guide!

Yes, everyone is busy and here at Cloud 9 Towers we are incredibly busy, but somethings in life, like chocolate, are just too good to ignore....

It must be a sign of the times this year as we couldn't find any truly over the top Easter Eggs - some are certainly a little pricey but none of them quite so scandalously priced that you wonder who on earth would buy them.

The Ultimate Egg from Fortnum & Masons is entirely deserving of its name, as this exceptional egg is the ultimate gift for chocolate connoisseurs. The five chocolate eggs will lead you through a range of chocolate intensities, beginning with white and milk chocolate and ending with three dark blends made with 50%, 72% and 100% cocoa respectively. This is a chocolate tour de force and is £90.

Bargain we hear you cry! 

We are not terribly impressed with the offerings from Harvey Nics and the most expensive egg you can pick up there is a rather scary hand painted egg priced at £64.95 and features a skull from Rococo who were founded on the King's Road in London in 1983. It might just be us but it doesn't look terribly appealing if we are honest.

Selfridges offering looks a little nicer and is priced at just under £50 but we still don't think its that imaginative despite their description: Get set to impress this Easter with our Selfridges Selection large milk chocolate Easter egg. With enough chocolate to satisfy even the biggest chocolate lover, the egg is filled with four varieties of foiled, filled mini eggs.

Hotel Chocolat has some interesting offerings this year including a £70 Classic Ostrich Easter Egg which includes enormous egg shells – both shells are cast in classically creamy 40% milk chocolate, studded with cookie pieces, crispy puffed rice and chunks of white chocolate.

Served with – an absolutely irresistible collection of 21 of the most sought after, dreamy chocolate recipes. Including soft caramels, velvety smooth pralines, soft truffles and much, much more. With an extra 6 praline-filled Golden Eggs to find hidden inside too. However, our favourite from Hotel Chocolat this year has to be the You Crack Me Up Extra Thick Easter Egg which inside contains piped smiley faces filled with chocolate brownie, pralines with cookies, fried eggs with melt away hazelnut paste, solid bunnies and chicks cast in milk and caramel chocolate and more.

Thorntons has a good selection this year and some interesting offers on multiple buys and we are liking the look of the new Trifle Egg especially.

 However, not that we are swayed by packaging here at Cloud 9 Towers (yeah - right!) but the Continental Statement Egg looks pretty good to us....and as you can get two for £30, that's got to be a bargain.

Yummy....

If you like a bargain then all of the supermarkets are racking up the offers on a variety of branded eggs and from Caramel to Crunchies, and you'll be sure to bag a great deal, but we are also liking these offerings from some of the lesser known manufacturers...

Sybil the Splattered Easter Hen from Chococo in Dorset. Sybil is handmade with milk chocolate made with a blend of criollo & trinitario cocoa beans from Venezuela & is decorated with natural colours of either pink (beetroot extract) or yellow (paprika extract). Sybil's are all made by hand in small batches using natural colours, the yellow & pink colours may vary slightly and when opened Sybil is studded with naturally coloured milk chocolate mini speckled eggs.

We are also loving the Madame and Monsieur Eggs from Creighton's Chocolaterie in Leighton Buzzard. Mais oui! Monsieur egg is a truly dapper egg - made from milk belgian chocolate, he has an extra thick shell and a nice bushy dark chocolate moustache.

Madame egg is a terribly sophisticated egg - made from belgian white chocolate, she has an extra thick shell and a pair of bright red lips. Both eggs are presented on a sturdy base and wrapped to ensure less packaging and more chocolate!

These are not particularly cheap at £9.50 each but we are loving the look here at Cloud 9 and all we can say to these is a very loud ooh la la! 

Finally in a tribute to a shop best known for outlandish cakes, especially those of the celebrity kind, we couldn't ignore a mention for this incredibly cute and fluffy Choccywoccy Easter Sheep lollies which are available in either delicious milk or white chocolate, preferably on a stick, covered in squishy marshmallows. 

Now, if you are not feeling a little sick by now and looking for an Easter activity that is perhaps a little more energetic than lying on your sofa and stuffing chocolate then you might like to try some of the great activities that are taking place all over the UK and beyond. 

One of the best is from Cadbury who in conjunction with the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland, are holding all sorts of Easter Egg Trails and activities at over 250 different locations throughout the UK, with games galore. And at each event there is the chance to design the face of the Cadburys Egg Head as children all over the UK get a chance to see their designs come to life.

 Imogen’s delightful design who was selected as Cadburys Egg Head winner of 2012 and is in circulation now, whilst this years winner will see their design in shops in 2014 and on all of the promotion for the brand. See the website for details.

 
Easter is of course a great time to get away so if you are planning to go stateside then you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with some pretty powerful people! 

The Easter Egg Roll at the White House is an annual springtime tradition that dates back to 1878.

What started as a simple egg hunt for local children during Rutherford B. Hayes’ presidency has since evolved into a giant festival held every Easter Monday on the White House grounds, featuring sporting events, celebrity appearances, cooking classes, live performances, crafts and storytelling in addition to the main event itself. Grab a spoon and join President Obama and his family for this year’s festivities, the White House’s largest public celebration of the year. Note to memorabilia collectors: participants in the egg roll receive a specially crafted wooden egg signed by the President and First Lady themselves.

  

On Monday April 1, 2013, the First Family will host the 135th annual White House Easter Egg Roll. This year, more than 35,000 people will be joining us on the South Lawn for games, stories, and, of course, the traditional egg roll.

In addition to all the fun and games, the day's activities — which will include sports courts and cooking demonstrations — will help educate families on smart ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise choices into their daily routines, which are key pillars of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.

This year’s souvenir eggs come in four bold colours — purple, blue, yellow, pink — and include the stamped signatures of the President and First Lady. A commemorative teal “Bo” egg featuring the First Dog’s paw print is included only in the 2013 5-pack Collector’s Egg Set. The eggs first became part of the tradition in 1981, when President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan hosted a hunt for wooden eggs that bore the signatures of actors, actresses, famous politicians, and athletes.

So there you have it. We might be a week early here at Cloud 9 Towers but as every good Event Management Company will tell you, its pays to plan ahead.

Enjoy the week and let us be the first to wish you a Happy Easter! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 11 March 2013

Welcome to another week and we continue to be very busy bees here at Cloud 9 Towers!

It's all about people this week which is especially relevant given the programme for the CIPR Northern Conference is now in place and we have a cracking line-up for the event which is set for 19 June in Newcastle. 

'Power to the people' will be the theme and there will be a packed schedule this year with a diverse range of key note speakers, two unique panel sessions and the opportunity to network with exhibitors so delegates will be able to make the most of their time and really benefit from attending.

Delegates will also be able to enjoy the great facilities available at the Great North Museum Hancock and join an informal drinks reception to close the event whilst taking in the stunning surroundings of the Museum.

Now in its 12^th year the objectives of this high profile event are to provide outstanding learning and networking opportunities for PR professionals through a mixture of challenging keynote speeches and practical master classes and workshops. The event is open to members and non-members alike. 

The Programme for the Conference includes

guest lectures from Margaret Aspinall

Chairman Hillsborough Family Support

Group, Guy Esnouf, Head of PR & Public

Affairs, E.ON UK, David Payne Never

Seconds, Neil Midgley from The Daily

Telegraph, John McAndrew, Associate

Editor, Sky News, Milorad Adjer Managing

Director, Ipsos Mori Reputation Centre and Alex Aiken, Executive Director of

Government Communications

There is also the opportunity for delegates to participate in two panel sessions and get

the inside track on Share This Too from many of the contributing authors in advance of its release date on Friday 20 July 2013.

The day will also include contributions from CIPR North East Chair Chris Taylor and CIPR CEO Jane Wilson as well as a special session from this years headline sponsor.

Make sure join the conversation in advance of the event using #CIPRNC and tickets are now available from Eventbrite

DARE is now officially open for entries and as well as great categories, a great programme and fantastic industry speakers, this collaborative project with the PRCA is unlike any other industry awards for the communications industry.

With live webinars, guest lectures, campaign master class briefings and the opportunity to shape the future of the industry, DARE really is a terribly exciting programme and will be held in five regional locations in June.

We're also delighted to announce a rather incredible judging panel which will be co-chaired by Lord Peter Chadlington and Lord Guy Black.

Lord Chadlington has spent his entire working life in communications, as a journalist after graduating from Cambridge University and later in public relations both in-house and consultancy. He founded Shandwick in 1974 and the company was publicly listed in 1984. He established Shandwick as the largest PR consultancy in the UK, holding that position for the next 17 years. He built the firm overseas and it was sold to The Interpublic Group of Companies in 1998, forming the group that became the largest PR consultancy in the world. Lord Chadlington is a former director of Halifax PLC and has written and lectured extensively on communications, politics and public relations. He was created a life peer in 1996. Lord Chadlington is a member of the Nominations Committee.

Lord Guy Black has an esteemed career in freedom of expression issues, serving as Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group since 2005 and Director of the Press Complaints Commission for seven years. He has been a Conservative Member of the House of Lords since July 2010 and was Director of Communications for the Conservative Party from 2003-2005. 

Lord Black is currently Chairman of the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust, which seeks to promote and preserve media freedom throughout the Commonwealth.  He graduated from Cambridge with double first class honours from Cambridge.

The other judges include Steffan Williams who has has worked in strategic, financial and corporate communications for over 20 years during which time he has provided communications advice to numerous companies, governments and organisations, both during special situations and on an ongoing basis. Clients have included The Swiss Bankers Association, Greene King, Procter & Gamble, Vivendi, Emirates NBD and the Government of South Africa. He is a Director of the Public Relations Consultant's Association (PRCA), the voice of public relations consultancies in the UK, and a member of the Development Committee at The Policy Exchange, the UK's leading think tank. Steffan is a graduate in Modern History from Lincoln College, Oxford University and is an Old Members Trustee.

Also on the panel is Gavin Devine, the Cheif Executive of MHP Communications. 

Gavin is a senior strategic advisor to many high profile organisations, particularly in transport and infrastructure. His specialism lies in developing business strategies to deal with complex political and regulatory environments. Formerly a senior official in the House of Commons, he was COO of Mandate Communications and MHP before becoming Chief Executive.

Also we're delighted that Emma Gilpin-Jacobs, Global Director of Communications at the FT will be on the jury. Working with a global team of communications specialists, Emma is responsible for managing all external and internal communications for both the FT and the FT Group.

DARE also welcomes Matt Neale who is co-managing director of GolinHarris, Europe and the James Bond of PR (according to PR Week), and Larry Franks, Managing Director at Beige PR– a true stalwart in the industry, known for his large personality, bad jokes and love of British bulldogs.

Fiona Wilkinson, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications for Visa Europe is also on board - Fiona is called upon to advise the EMC on the communications and reputational implications of their decisions. Fiona is responsible for stakeholder engagement, protecting and enhancing the reputation of the organisation. She has broad expertise in payment systems having previously held roles in marketing, sales, finance and HR. Fiona holds a degree in economics and law and is a former trustee of Eaves for Women. She is a member of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) London Council.

Howard Kosky, Chairman of markettiers4dc group,  a markettierian at heart, and evangelist for the power of Broadcast is also a judge, as is David Holdstock who joined the LGA in May 2012 as Director of Communications.

David comes with 20 years' experience of working in public sector communications, including local government and policing. He joined the LGA from the London Borough of Hillingdon and before that worked for Slough Borough Council and the Metropolitan Police Service. David has wide experience of crisis communications, working on high-profile events such as the Docklands bomb, Paddington rail disaster and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. He worked with the Foreign Office, helping develop police and Government communications in Bulgaria following the changes in Eastern Europe.

David is also judge for a number of professional communications awards and is a mentor on the Future Leaders programme. He was also UK Chairman of LGcommunications, the national body which represents council communicators between 2008 and 2012. 

So a pretty impressive panel for DARE!

In other people news this week, we're still on the look out for a logo for Brand You, a new initiative coming soon for Bristol Media, which is all about individual contributions to great projects and campaigns. The deadline is this Friday please!

 

Design Competition: What’s Your Idea of Brand You?

There’s a new initiative coming soon from Bristol Media and you can help to shape the programme. We’re looking for an innovative design which is representative of Brand You – a new award scheme which will focus on individual achievements in a wide range of disciplines covering everything from animation to art direction, creativity to communications. There’s no lengthy brief here, as all we want is a great logo which sums up your interpretation of Brand You.

The winning design which will be chosen by a panel including the Bristol Media Board and the Fresh Creative Awards and will then be used to launch this exciting new project. The winning designer will get the chance to enter the work into The Fresh Awards this year, free of charge, as well as enjoying VIP treatment at the Bristol Media Brand You event in September.

So get your thinking caps on, and get your ideas and designs over to paula@freshawards.co.uk on or before Friday 15th March

  

And whilst we are on the subject of competitions, please don't forget the deadline for the Midlands Media Awards is Friday 22nd March...

Have a great week and we'll see you soon!  

  

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 4th March 2013

Welcome to another week and its Awards Central at Cloud 9 Towers!

Fresh 2013 is now open for entries and in addition to lots of exciting new categories, as we are celebrating our 10th year, its Freshtival time.

Rather than just another awards do, we have plans for a three day "Freshtival" from 25-28th September and we'll be using The Lowry Outlet Mall, MediaCityUK, The Lowry Theatre, The Egg at Salford University, Manchester United and one or two bars all around Salford Quays - with a series of guest lectures, seminars, surgeries, special lunches, exhibitions etc.
There is also a Battle of the Bands and a Freestyle Football competition, and we are staging the Fresh PR Awards on the Wednesday night, and the Creative Awards on the Friday night.
We want to pack as much into the three days as possible, and allow delegates to pick and choose their own festival experience (and price) and as a result there will be various free events as well as those you'll need to pay for.
 

The Midlands Media Awards continue to gather momentum and not only have we an excellent jury in place, chaired by Peter Lowe from Sky News, there are also great categories and a unique opportunity for the awards to be shaped by a Public Vote for the first time.

The Public Choice category invites members of the public to vote for their favourite medium via either Twitter or Facebook and we'll be calculating the results based on comments and RT's alike!

Next we have a great new initiative which is part an awards ceremony, part a unique training experience, part an opportunity to hear from some industry legends and get first hand exposure to some of the best PR campaigns and strategies around, all of these elements will come together under the banner the PRCA DARE Awards.

There’ll be five DARE Events all scheduled for June 2013 and we’re getting ready to launch the programme which will be chaired by Lord Chadlington and Guy Black.

DARE to be different this year with the brand new recognition programme from the PRCA. Challenge your contemporaries and demonstrate the courage of your convictions in unique style.

DARE is diverse and so much more than just another awards scheme for the Public Relations & Communications Industry. It’s about providing new business opportunities, developing talent and showcasing effective communication techniques and campaigns.

DARE to be dynamic and deliver your professionalism and expertise like never before….

ACHIEVE more with DARE. Each of the five, day long DARE events will offer an exclusive opportunity as the events will be a heady mix of key industry speakers covering the topics that matter; a key training element; client consultations and networking ; exhibition opportunities and prestigious lunches where awards will be presented only to those organisations or individuals who have shown the courage to challenge.

Open to Consultancies and In-House teams, DARE is all about encouraging you to be different. In your thinking, in your ideas and in your approach to communications and each event will provide a platform for powerful and positive reinforcement of the excellence that is demonstrated on a daily basis.

RECOGNISE that in this increasingly competitive and challenging industry, embracing new skills and understanding how the array of tools and tips available can make a significant impact on your effectiveness and achievements.

DARE has a commitment to deliver a definitive training element to each event and two of the industries leading professionals will also deliver key lectures. Client invitations will be issued enabling new business opportunities and all delegates and guests will be part and play a part in the DARE event, with networking and connection exercises.

ENGAGE in DARE in 2013. The first step requires an entry from you or your organisation, and includes submissions from Individuals, Consultancies and In-House Teams from both the Public & Private Sector. There are just 10 entry categories in DARE although an additional Award will be presented which will be the Chairman of the Judges Choice:

Full details will be available soon so make sure you don't DARE miss a moment!

We are also engaged with Bristol Media this year and coming soon will be an exciting new awards entitled Brand You which focuses on the individual rather than the collective. 

There is a great opportunity to get involved with Brand You early as we need a great logo for the programme so take a look at our Design Competition

What’s Your Idea of Brand You?

There’s a new initiative coming soon from Bristol Media and you can help to shape the programme. We’re looking for an innovative design which is representative of Brand You – a new award scheme which will focus on individual achievements in a wide range of disciplines covering everything from animation to art direction, creativity to communications. There’s no lengthy brief here, as all we want is a great logo which sums up your interpretation of Brand You.

The winning design which will be chosen by a panel including the Bristol Media Board and the Fresh Creative Awards and will then be used to launch this exciting new project. The winning designer will get the chance to enter the work into The Fresh Awards this year, free of charge, as well as enjoying VIP treatment at the Bristol Media Brand You event in September.

So get your thinking caps on, and get your ideas and designs over to paula@freshawards.co.uk on or before Friday 15th March..

So, awards a plenty and we've lots of other things going on as well so have a great week everyone and remember you have to be in it, to win it!

Enjoy!