B&B RESPONDS TO COI CONSULTATION

Band & Brown has responded to the Central Office of Information’s (COI) consultation on standardising evaluation across the PR industry.
Industry reports confirm that one of the key recommendations from the consultation is that the advertising value equivalent (AVE) not be included as part of mandatory metrics and is replaced by a cost per impact model.
Simon Francis, head of public sector at Band & Brown, said:
“We welcome the COI’s review of evaluation and the attempts to find a core set of measures to showcase the importance and the impact of public relations.
“AVEs are an outdated, inaccurate measure for public relations that are not based on any sound methodology and no longer reflect the true breadth of agency work. We have been advising clients for some years that evaluation should move away from AVEs and become more based on tracking research and other measures.
“The proposed cost per impact approach is an interesting model which better reflects the media climate we are currently operating in. We would also be interested in exploring whether this model could be expanded to include non-media campaigns as well.
“However, while we look forward to seeing the final standards, we will continue to offer all our clients a full programme of evaluation measures and metrics to demonstrate campaign impact on business or policy objectives. These are defined and measured through message delivery, audience understanding and engagement or behaviour.”
For more information on Band & Brown’s response to the consultation, email coi@bbpr.com or call 020 7419 7000.

UK BORDERS AGENCY

Online animation guides students through visa process
Applying for a visa has traditionally been a seen as a complex and lengthy process. In April 2009 the UK Border Agency implemented Tier 4 of the new Points-Based System, streamlining the visa process for potential international students looking to study in the UK.
Band & Brown brought these changes to life, creating an animated step-by-step guide to the new process. The animation, which was translated into eight different languages, was then seeded to thousands of web-savvy students online.
To date it has been viewed over 70,000 times in just three months, smashing the campaign target of 10,000. The seeding campaign has ensured the animation was not just seen, but importantly seen by those to whom it matters most, with the majority of the viewers living in countries such as Nigeria, India and Pakistan. The results have been impressive and it has proved a YouTube hit with an average viewer rating of 4.5/5.

BAND & BROWN SCOOPS HIGHLY COMMENDED AT PR WEEK AWARDS

Band & Brown Communications beat off competition from hundreds of campaigns to be ‘Highly Commended’ at this year’s PR Week Awards for the launch of the London Historical Records, 1500s-1900s on family history website Ancestry.co.uk – narrowly missing out on the ‘best use of research’ top prize to the eventual campaign of the year.

The campaign proved that indeed all roads do lead to London – with over 165 million people worldwide having an ancestral connection to our capital, including half of the British population. One of the unlikely people highlighted with a London connection was Britney Spears, whose great-grandparents’ marriage in Tottenham features in the collection.

The campaign achieved widespread national coverage and led directly to a 30 per cent increase in traffic on Ancestry.co.uk and a 57 per cent uplift in new subscriptions over the two weeks following launch, generating more than £100,000 in subscription revenue for a campaign spend of under £20,000.

ING DIRECT

Spreading the kindness offensive
Every day Londoners defy the moody and unhelpful stereotype.  So we brought this to life for ‘feel good’ savings provider ING Direct by partnering with The Kindness Offensive to show the capital’s kind hearted side. Stooges posing as struggling pregnant women and lost tourists were placed around the city – with those deciding to help being rewarded with a surprise party of champagne, balloons and cheers of ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow!’ The stunts were captured on film and seeded across the web, and widely reported in London and national media.

SEARCH IS ON FOR THE FIRST ‘PR APPRENTICE’

'Work inspiration' programme also launched as part of Big Conversation.
Band & Brown Group has launched a search for the first 'PR Apprentice' and an overhaul of work experience opportunities as part of a new commitment to improve career routes into the industry.
Two 16-plus young people will be given the chance to combine earning a real wage in a real PR job with recognised training towards business administration NVQs at City and Islington College. In addition, an existing employee will undertake a marketing and communications Apprenticeship with Outsource Training and Development.
Young people can apply through the College and via the National Apprenticeships Service matching website at www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
Following successful completion of a Level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship, the Band & Brown Apprentices will be able to follow a career path within the company – taking an Advanced Apprenticeship in marketing and communications, graphic design, IT infrastructure, digital marketing or corporate services (such as Accounting).
Gill Brown, Chief Executive of the Group, said:
"In the current economic climate, all employers are looking at how they can best nurture the talent of the future. Through our work with education foundation Edge and the Learning and Skills Council, it's become clear that the PR industry is not making the most of the recruitment avenues available.
"Apprenticeships will not only help diversify our workforce and bring a younger voice to the development of our ideas, but will also offer young people a clear route into the PR industry and a path to progress through our organisation."
Andy Powell, Chief Executive of independent education foundation Edge, commented:
"For too long, the PR and marketing industry has solely relied on graduates to fill entry level positions. Yet, by only offering this route to success, the industry is automatically closing its doors to over half of young people."
Simon Waugh, Chief Executive, National Apprenticeship Service, said:
"An Apprenticeship is a great way to start a career in any industry but we are always pleased to see new sectors picking up this valuable route into a job. We are delighted that Band and Brown are offering Marketing and Communication Apprenticeships."
Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for FE, Skills, Apprenticeships and Consumer Affairs, congratulated Band & Brown on the announcement:
"We're delighted that Band & Brown is backing young Britain in actions as well as words. We want as many young people as possible to have access to high-quality Apprenticeships and work experience programmes so they can combine real world experiences with formal learning."
As part of Business in the Communities' 'Big Conversation' between employers and young people to turn work experience programmes into work inspiration, the Group has also announced it has created a formal link with Camden Education Business Partnership to enable more young people to take part in work experience.
The structured programme will be tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of each student and aims not only to give an insight into a career in the PR industry, but also to help young people build their confidence and communication skills in an actual work environment.
Brown continued:
Our work inspiration programme will not only help the young people involved to gain real world skills and experience, but will also ensure that the company benefits from their time with us. The template for the programme has been developed over the past year with young people known to us and our clients – we now need to make sure that young people from across north London and further afield benefit from the experience we offer."
Details of both schemes can be found on our careers page.