Monday, 28 June 2010
Love all...
Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to spend up to £800,000 on a new three-year hospitality deal at Wimbledon. The new contract with the All England Club gives RBS executives and their clients sole access to the suite for the 13 days of the tournament this year, and for the next two years. The cost this year is £260,000.
No where to hide!
HSBC data stolen by Herve Falciani three years ago has been given to Spanish authorities. Details on around 3,000 private bank accounts, which could hold around €6bn, will be used to seek out tax evaders. Investigations have already been launched in France and Italy.
Another good idea finally delivered........
Bank Machine has installed 21 free-to-use ATMs across the UK which only dispense £5 notes, in a bid to get more of the notes into circulation as well as assist people with their budgeting. The new ATMs, launched today in towns and cities including Manchester, Oxford and Portsmouth, follow two trial machines in London which are putting around 100,000 £5 notes into circulation each month.
Monday, 21 June 2010
Bye bye blighty
Aegon is readying its UK life and pensions business, Scottish Equitable, for sale later in 2010. The insurance group is to update on plans to quit Britain this week, and hopes to gain £1.5bn for its UK operations.
Friday, 18 June 2010
Tesco could be moving away from price comparison market
TescoCompare chief executive, Debra Williams, has stepped down from her post, prompting speculation about the retailer's commitment to the price comparison site market. Commentators suggested Tesco's priority will now be to invest in its own-branded insurance vehicle with Fortis.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Splash splash
Barclaycard is to launch a follow-up to its Waterslide Extreme iPhone game. Rollercoaster Extreme is based on the card provider's latest TV ad for its contactless payment technology. The game follows the character through four New York environments, avoiding obstacles and racing against the clock.
New Bank opens first branch - how refreshing
Metro Bank will open its first UK branch, located at 1 Southampton Row, Holborn, London, on 29 July 2010, and will follow this with a second in Earl's Court a week later. Branches will be open seven days a week and from 8.00am to 8.00pm during week days. Staff will target a 15-minute turnaround for approved account applications in-branch, while services will be supported by online banking and a London call centre.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Silicon Valley Eastern block style
Barclays Capital is to establish a new $2m global technology centre in the Ukraine which it expects will deploy around 500 IT professionals by the end of 2012. Operated in partnership with Eastern European systems house, Epam Systems, the centre will focus on application development for in-house projects in C++, Java or C# for a range of business applications across the bank.
Move from Dorset
Confused.com research has revealed that the average credit rating in Dorchester, Dorset, is the worst in Britain. The comparison site's figures also showed that the South West of England has the worst regional credit profile of all the British Isles, while the Channel Islands has the best.
Costly credit cards for retailers
BRC research has found that the average credit card transaction costs retailers 34p, compared to 8.5p for a debit card transaction and 2.1p for cash. The consortium said that card payments accounted for 76.7% of retail spending by value in 2009, and that its members (which account for 50% of all UK retail sales) could pass on savings of £480m p.a. if card costs were equal to those of cash.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Government pledges "best marketing plan" for London 2012
UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced his plans to produce the “best ever marketing plan that any country has ever had” around London 2012.
The Government has pledged to create a new fund with the aim of generating £1bn worth of marketing activity and public relations in priority markets in the years around the Games.
Speaking in the Dorset Coast, where the sailing events will be held, Hunt says Britain should look to boost foreign visitor numbers while persuading more Britons to stay at home.
The tourism budget will not be immune from planned government spending cuts to tackle the nation’s record budget deficit, but tourism has “huge potential growth” and could help rebalance the economy away from its recent dependence on financial services, Hunt says.
The government will work with the private sector to build up the fund, with further details being published by the end of September, he adds.
Stressing the importance of working with the tourism industry and the non-departmental public body VisitBritain, Hunt also said he wanted to increase the proportion of domestic tourism spend by Britons from 36 to 50%.
"You'll need the best marketing agencies and people then !"
The Government has pledged to create a new fund with the aim of generating £1bn worth of marketing activity and public relations in priority markets in the years around the Games.
Speaking in the Dorset Coast, where the sailing events will be held, Hunt says Britain should look to boost foreign visitor numbers while persuading more Britons to stay at home.
The tourism budget will not be immune from planned government spending cuts to tackle the nation’s record budget deficit, but tourism has “huge potential growth” and could help rebalance the economy away from its recent dependence on financial services, Hunt says.
The government will work with the private sector to build up the fund, with further details being published by the end of September, he adds.
Stressing the importance of working with the tourism industry and the non-departmental public body VisitBritain, Hunt also said he wanted to increase the proportion of domestic tourism spend by Britons from 36 to 50%.
"You'll need the best marketing agencies and people then !"
Contactless for sandwiches
Barclaycard is to have its contactless technology marketed in the stores of EAT and London branches of Subway, which are to launch campaigns highlighting that purchases of £15 or under can be transacted using the provider's contactless debit and credit cards. The campaign, which has been organised in partnership with Barclaycard, seeks to raise the profile of the contactless symbol - common to both the cards and retail outlets which accept them.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Tips for using Social Media
1. Offer a peek behind the scenes. Offering a sneak preview of new products, services, or features online can help build demand and provide critical feedback to help smooth the launch. For instance posts photos of new products on Flickr and invites comments from customers.
2. Harness your expertise. It is unlikely that your company's white paper won't go viral. But sharing knowledge you've gathered through your trade can go a long way toward boosting your brand.
3. Demonstrate what your company does. Because multimedia is so integral to social media, getting connected allows you to express your company's value proposition beyond words. Create a series of videos showing your product in action.
4. Put your website's content to work. Want to draw more traffic to your website? Help spread the word by encouraging visitors to share content they enjoy. Add pieces to Digg allowing others to share video links on the site. Another way is to promote the sharing of your site's content is to install a widget, such as AddThis, that makes visitors able to share your site with their contacts at the click of their mouse.
5. Be candid. In unsure economic times, transparency goes a long way toward retaining and attracting customers. Giving readers the scoop on your company blog is an easy way to keep the lines of communication open.
6. But be careful what you say about others. Describing a supplier or rival business a "scam," might result in your receiving solicitors letters. While recounting negative experiences with others won't necessarily lead to a court battle, it's best to steer clear of name-calling.
7. Interact with visitors—really. Just putting up a blog, a Facebook fan page or open a Twitter account just fed by and RSS feed won't do much good if visitors sense the flow of conversation only goes one way.
8. Don't try to create a stand-in for yourself. With all the other tasks required within your company, it's tempting to outsource managing your social media or even to try automating the process. That can easily backfire, Sending automated welcome messages to new followers on Twitter will quickly be found out and could be perceived to be spam.
9. Don't pretend to be someone else. Thanks to IP address tracking, observers can also quickly tell when company figureheads adopt fake identities for the sake of fluffing up their reputation. Not only can the practice hurt your company's reputation, it could also land you in legal trouble.
11. Reward customer loyalty. Through social media, companies can not only run promotions more frequently than coupons in the mail will permit but also devise a more engaging campaign. Sprinkles Cupcakes, an American based bakery chain uses Twitter to send out daily promotional offers. The tweets, which ask customers to whisper a "password" to receive a free treat, have helped the company draw more than 17,000 followers.
12. See what people are saying about you. A quick search for mentions of your company on Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp can yield a goldmine of information concerning your reputation. Applications such as monitter and Trackur can help you keep track of the conversation across the Web.
13. Don't go on the defensive. A harsh rebuke of your business on sites like Yelp can not only bruise your ego but also hurt your livelihood. But resist the temptation to lash out in public. Respond to less-than-flattering comments and encourages them to discuss them in person. And keep in mind that you can't please everyone.
14. Keep customers in the loop. Frequently on the go? Twitter can help your customers keep track of your latest destination. Keep followers constantly informed of your location with real-time updates to manage customers expectations.
15. Find potential customers. A quick keyword search can help you find prospective customers who may not be aware of your company but could nonetheless benefit from your product or service. Whilst we aren’t sure of any UK based estate agents doing this yet, the New York real-estate management company Rose Associates, generates 100 leads per month on Twitter for his company simply by replying to users whose tweets include phrases such as "moving to New York City".
16. Target your online advertising. Both Facebook and MySpace allow businesses to run ads that attract specific groups of users based on what information they include in their profiles.
17. See where your customers are. A growing number of social networks are designed specifically for users on the go, and some, such as the mobile application Foursquare, offer tools specifically for businesses. Starbucks for instance uses Foursquare to gather data on how many people visit its locations and sends promotional offers to frequent customers.
18. Let customers help each other out. Including a customer forum on your website or social network profile can help enhance your customer service while building a sense of community. Get Satisfaction is a great site that offers dedicated spaces for customer service forums.
19. Help others promote you. Social media can help you find passionate customers who are more than willing to spread the word about your company.
20. Cultivate relationships that lead to sales. Get to know customers so well that they not only initiate conversations through Twitter, but if you are a restaurant or café periodically field menu requests through Twitter to engage with your customers.
21. But don't promote too aggressively. While social network users have proven to be open to marketing—especially if it involves a discount—they're not flocking to Facebook or MySpace to hear sales pitches. If your profile or blog reads like an ad, it will turn visitors away.
22. Find influential people in your industry. In addition to maintaining your blog, make sure to keep your eyes open to what others in the industry are buzzing about online. Reading independent blogs and joining industry groups on Facebook and LinkedIn is a good way to join the larger conversation.
23. Boost your credibility by helping others. For service providers, establishing yourself as an expert in the field can bring in a steady stream of business. LinkedIn's Answers feature enables business owners to do just that.
24. Look for talent off the beaten path. While LinkedIn is specifically geared toward professional use, some companies have found other social networks to be effective recruiting tools as well. Look at status updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Plaxo, which aggregates contact information from social networks.
2. Harness your expertise. It is unlikely that your company's white paper won't go viral. But sharing knowledge you've gathered through your trade can go a long way toward boosting your brand.
3. Demonstrate what your company does. Because multimedia is so integral to social media, getting connected allows you to express your company's value proposition beyond words. Create a series of videos showing your product in action.
4. Put your website's content to work. Want to draw more traffic to your website? Help spread the word by encouraging visitors to share content they enjoy. Add pieces to Digg allowing others to share video links on the site. Another way is to promote the sharing of your site's content is to install a widget, such as AddThis, that makes visitors able to share your site with their contacts at the click of their mouse.
5. Be candid. In unsure economic times, transparency goes a long way toward retaining and attracting customers. Giving readers the scoop on your company blog is an easy way to keep the lines of communication open.
6. But be careful what you say about others. Describing a supplier or rival business a "scam," might result in your receiving solicitors letters. While recounting negative experiences with others won't necessarily lead to a court battle, it's best to steer clear of name-calling.
7. Interact with visitors—really. Just putting up a blog, a Facebook fan page or open a Twitter account just fed by and RSS feed won't do much good if visitors sense the flow of conversation only goes one way.
8. Don't try to create a stand-in for yourself. With all the other tasks required within your company, it's tempting to outsource managing your social media or even to try automating the process. That can easily backfire, Sending automated welcome messages to new followers on Twitter will quickly be found out and could be perceived to be spam.
9. Don't pretend to be someone else. Thanks to IP address tracking, observers can also quickly tell when company figureheads adopt fake identities for the sake of fluffing up their reputation. Not only can the practice hurt your company's reputation, it could also land you in legal trouble.
11. Reward customer loyalty. Through social media, companies can not only run promotions more frequently than coupons in the mail will permit but also devise a more engaging campaign. Sprinkles Cupcakes, an American based bakery chain uses Twitter to send out daily promotional offers. The tweets, which ask customers to whisper a "password" to receive a free treat, have helped the company draw more than 17,000 followers.
12. See what people are saying about you. A quick search for mentions of your company on Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp can yield a goldmine of information concerning your reputation. Applications such as monitter and Trackur can help you keep track of the conversation across the Web.
13. Don't go on the defensive. A harsh rebuke of your business on sites like Yelp can not only bruise your ego but also hurt your livelihood. But resist the temptation to lash out in public. Respond to less-than-flattering comments and encourages them to discuss them in person. And keep in mind that you can't please everyone.
14. Keep customers in the loop. Frequently on the go? Twitter can help your customers keep track of your latest destination. Keep followers constantly informed of your location with real-time updates to manage customers expectations.
15. Find potential customers. A quick keyword search can help you find prospective customers who may not be aware of your company but could nonetheless benefit from your product or service. Whilst we aren’t sure of any UK based estate agents doing this yet, the New York real-estate management company Rose Associates, generates 100 leads per month on Twitter for his company simply by replying to users whose tweets include phrases such as "moving to New York City".
16. Target your online advertising. Both Facebook and MySpace allow businesses to run ads that attract specific groups of users based on what information they include in their profiles.
17. See where your customers are. A growing number of social networks are designed specifically for users on the go, and some, such as the mobile application Foursquare, offer tools specifically for businesses. Starbucks for instance uses Foursquare to gather data on how many people visit its locations and sends promotional offers to frequent customers.
18. Let customers help each other out. Including a customer forum on your website or social network profile can help enhance your customer service while building a sense of community. Get Satisfaction is a great site that offers dedicated spaces for customer service forums.
19. Help others promote you. Social media can help you find passionate customers who are more than willing to spread the word about your company.
20. Cultivate relationships that lead to sales. Get to know customers so well that they not only initiate conversations through Twitter, but if you are a restaurant or café periodically field menu requests through Twitter to engage with your customers.
21. But don't promote too aggressively. While social network users have proven to be open to marketing—especially if it involves a discount—they're not flocking to Facebook or MySpace to hear sales pitches. If your profile or blog reads like an ad, it will turn visitors away.
22. Find influential people in your industry. In addition to maintaining your blog, make sure to keep your eyes open to what others in the industry are buzzing about online. Reading independent blogs and joining industry groups on Facebook and LinkedIn is a good way to join the larger conversation.
23. Boost your credibility by helping others. For service providers, establishing yourself as an expert in the field can bring in a steady stream of business. LinkedIn's Answers feature enables business owners to do just that.
24. Look for talent off the beaten path. While LinkedIn is specifically geared toward professional use, some companies have found other social networks to be effective recruiting tools as well. Look at status updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Plaxo, which aggregates contact information from social networks.
Top ten rules for getting the best from PR agencies
The Public Relations Consultants' Association has produced the following 'Ten Golden Rules' for getting the best from the relationship.
1. Work hard on the understanding process – both at the outset and throughout the relationship.
2. Trust your Consultant/Consultancy. Don't keep unnecessary secrets that will hinder the relationship or the quality of their advice.
3. Involve them at an early stage in any activities that will require their support – last minute briefing usually means lost opportunities.
4. Make sure they are helped to work in harmony with other communications suppliers and with any of your own staff important to their work.
5. Ensure your top management is aware of the PR goals and are committed to their achievement.
6. Plan and manage all PR activities carefully, but be prepared to act quickly when the Consultant/Consultancy advises you it is necessary.
7. Give them a clear understanding of the limits to their brief and when there is a need to go to a higher authority.
8. Conduct regular and honest reviews of progress and achievements to ensure the relationship continues to flourish.
9. Agree what constitutes success from the programme and measure the results constantly against the criteria agreed.
1. Work hard on the understanding process – both at the outset and throughout the relationship.
2. Trust your Consultant/Consultancy. Don't keep unnecessary secrets that will hinder the relationship or the quality of their advice.
3. Involve them at an early stage in any activities that will require their support – last minute briefing usually means lost opportunities.
4. Make sure they are helped to work in harmony with other communications suppliers and with any of your own staff important to their work.
5. Ensure your top management is aware of the PR goals and are committed to their achievement.
6. Plan and manage all PR activities carefully, but be prepared to act quickly when the Consultant/Consultancy advises you it is necessary.
7. Give them a clear understanding of the limits to their brief and when there is a need to go to a higher authority.
8. Conduct regular and honest reviews of progress and achievements to ensure the relationship continues to flourish.
9. Agree what constitutes success from the programme and measure the results constantly against the criteria agreed.
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