Join our Aspectus experts for a free online webinar discussing the challenges that marketing and PR professionals face in an ever-changing business landscape.
For many businesses, especially right now, there is concern about how you market yourselves whilst ensuring you get it ‘right’ — whether that’s investing in the channels that will deliver the best return, or communicating with your audience in a way that will resonate.
And, with 58% of consumers claiming that the way brands behave during COVID19 will affect their decision to give them their business in the future, the need for you to communicate effectively couldn’t be more crucial.
During this webinar, you’ll hear from some of the leading minds at Aspectus and their thoughts on how you can positively position your business, both now and in the future.
In this webinar, you will learn:
The importance of messaging and tone of voice – run by our content and strategy director, Chris Bowman
Cutting through the noise with considered creativity – run by our creative director, Daniel George
Integrated campaigns – run by our head of integration, Lucinda Armitage-Price
Managing sensitive issues and crises – run by our MD of North America, Alexa West
Plus commentary and advice from Aspectus’s Global CEO, Alastair Turner and Chairman, Bill Penn
Watch on-demand
Positive positioning: marketing your business during COVID-19 and beyond
Like most of the global office-based workforce, the Aspectus Group team is working remotely (see some of the tech team’s faces at the end of the blog).
We’re lucky to be able to do so, but going fully remote is not without its challenges for a business. For a culture-focused company like Aspectus, keeping that culture alive and protecting mental health are top priorities. That’s why we’ve set up several initiatives from guided meditation sessions on Microsoft Teams, motivational talks from an ex-Sky Sports producer, through to a wellness buddy scheme.
Something our CEO has tasked us is to share what hobbies we’re thinking of taking up or what we’ve been up to outside of work.
It’s fair to say most people fall into one of two camps. You’re either part of the ultra-hustle culture where you’re using your time at home to learn a new language or how to code, or you’re using this time to focus on your mental health and do things that bring you joy.
So, starting with our technology team (other teams to follow in coming weeks) we’ve collated some of the things people are turning their hand to during this time – from self-case to self-improvement.
Astor Sonnen, account manager:
Sorting the garden – de-weeding and preparing it for some sunny weather
Replacing the nice living room mirror with a dartboard (see picture below)
Home circuit training
Watching Tiger King and being thankful that my parents didn’t call me ‘Joe Exotic’
Listening to Yale courses online. The ‘moralities of everyday life’ is pretty mind-blowing. Loads of university courses are free to stream online now
I designed some stuff in pen and ink and watercolour, trying to get back into art again
Finished ‘Testaments’ by Margaret Atwood and ‘The Last Night of the Earth Poems’ by Charles Bukowski. I’m now reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Lots of bath bombs and books
Hanging out with my family cat / taking photos of/with my family cat
Enduring some family ‘banter’
Ellie Clark, account executive:
Knitting (Hmu if you want a knitted accessory, hats are a speciality)
Jigsaw puzzle
Home workouts/yoga
Reading – currently halfway through Homo Deus
Running outside (in the daylight!)
Getting up at normal time and ‘commuting’ – 20-minute walk before starting work
Garry Dix, account director:
Taking Animal Crossing and the interior decorating of my house in-game incredibly seriously
Doing a thirty-day challenge that maxes out at a disgusting number of sit-ups, crunches, leg raises and a two-minute plank
Adult colouring and join-the-dot books
Baking and cooking (flapjacks, homemade ramen, chicken and leek risotto are a few early highlights)
Walking – below is a photo of allotments from today’s walk, you can’t see them but loads of people out tending to stuff
Hattie Curl, account manager:
Using House Party app to do daily workouts with mates and have random video chats
Making my little dinosaurs in their moulds – and painting them will follow soon
Lots of walks and lots of reading – just finished The Secret Barrister, very interesting read but a bit heavy going in places
Had a virtual pub night with mates where we all had drinks and tuned into the live stream of Bongo’s Bingo which was a laugh
G&T and Scrabble night (I lost)
Izzy Dann, account manager:
My book club’s gone virtual this week; after that, I’m finally going to read Michel Foucault’s Abnormal: Lectures at the College de France, 1974-1975, which has been sitting on my shelf for far too long
Yoga with Adriene and ClassPass digital workouts
Painting – going to complete all these unfinished pictures of mine and paint the pond in absence of swimming in it ( )
Getting outside absolutely every day, lest I become miserable
Honing my #TinCanCook skills but also baking a Nigella cake on the weekend, as we all need something to look forward to
Virtual pubs with pals, complete with life-dissecting
Melissa Jones, integrated account manager:
Downloaded a lot of audiobooks. Would recommend So Lucky – Dawn O’Porter, Grown Ups – Marian Keyes, The Flatshare – Beth O’Leary
Colouring books
Opening all the windows (I have no garden so is the best I can do)
Themed movie nights – we do this a lot anyway, but we’ll pick a random actor/actress and find a film they’re in that we haven’t seen before
Remembering that I don’t have to be productive in my ‘spare’ time
Michael House, head of technology:
I have a strict rule to get up early and go for a run every day. So far so good
Spending a lot of time in the garden, currently have created a hanging pot garden and planted a veggie patch
Am learning finally to use a cutthroat razor – figure knicking my neck is way better when people can only see me on video screen!
Preparing for the arrival of baby number two
Sofie Skouras, deputy head of technology:
Getting through my stack of books (see below) from some of the classics, like The Great Gatsby, through to new debuts novels like Queenie
I’ve downloaded Sims 3 for some nostalgic fun (which I’ve got very into)
Going on walks in the forest near my house
When I go to the shops for food, I pick up some daffodils too to cheer up my working from home station
Enjoying the extra sleep I get without a commute!
Catching up with family and friends on WhatsApp video
I’ve recently considered getting into candle making…
Stacey Cockram, account executive:
I did this quick 20 min yoga stress-reliver this morn and walking in Epping Forrest
Lighting all the candles to make me feel zen
Reading (just finished Circe by Madeline Miller and now I’m reading The Handmaids Tale)
Also enduring some family ‘banter’. Boardgames yet to be brought out, but they will soon – this will either make or break us
Using House Party to video chat my nan and friends
Write some handwritten letters (no one does that anymore, so it seems like a good time to bring this back)
The battery storage market across Europe is developing at break-neck speed. The continent expects to increase its production capability 20-fold in the next seven years. Northvolt is a well-known example of a gigafactory expected to come online in Europe, but it will not be the only one. Some estimates suggest Europe will have ten gigafactories, but this could only be the start. And Europe isn’t the only region pursing the battery revolution. Globally, battery investment is set to soar.
And the battery supply chain is not just growing its capacity; it is developing new products too. Innovation in energy storage is rife, with developments of the current go-to favourite lithium-ion batteries, as well as exploration into other battery compositions taking place. Innovations include reducing the amount of cobalt used in batteries, increasing silicon in the anode, and more radical concepts such as solid-state batteries.
Whether the future lies in solid-state batteries, lithium-ion batteries or something new yet to be invented, one thing is certain; the battery storage market will continue to grow and develop over the coming years.
And with innovation and proliferation of technologies comes competition and complexity. Which tech is the best fit for where and which use cases? Why this company and not the next?
This innovative, fledgling sector has strong support from governments too, who are keen to accelerate the take-up of battery storage as a way to support renewable integration and reduce carbon emissions to meet legally binding targets. But this isn’t enough to ensure your success. For every funding pot available, you need to show why your solution will work and how it helps to reach our decarbonisation targets while standing out from the crowd. Then, you also need to convince customers to buy your products. The value of the innovation needs to extend past just kWh savings and into tangible value for the customer.
This is when the engineers step back (and start working on the next innovation) and the comms professionals step forward.
Business change doesn’t happen overnight and so a sustained and pertinent message is key – just look at the smart meter rollout and the challenges required in getting customers to change their habits. This is a minor change in how bills are calculated – requiring less human involvement – and not a fundamental shift in market operation and offering increasingly competitive procurement of grid services.
Technical information needs to be distilled into understandable chunks, key selling points need to be sold as part of the wider energy transition and innovations need to be understood in how they integrate the grid – it’s more than simple media relations or technical content – it’s a whole-system approach to the media landscape.
One thing is for sure, the demand for batteries is only set to grow as we electrify transport and decarbonise the grid, so focus needs to be placed on building a communications plan that’s charged and ready to cut through the competition to lead on delivering the energy mix of tomorrow.
Aspectus, the global communications agency, announced today the appointment of Melissa Jones as Integration Account Manager working in the Technology Practice.
Melissa brings more than six years of communications and digital marketing experience in the technology sector to this position, both in-house and agency side. Her mission at Aspectus is to grow integrated accounts in the Technology Practice, in line with Aspectus’ wider integrated strategy.
Previously Melissa worked at fast-growing HR tech firm, Breathe, managing the marketing team and external suppliers to ensure social, blog and PR campaigns increased brand awareness and drove leads. Breathe’s 8,000 SME client base includes the likes of Huel, Big Issue and AgeUK.
Most recently, she worked at Brighton-based agency addmustard where she led the content team – building engaging and creative brand and content campaigns and measuring impact through an integrated approach to marketing communications.
Commenting on her appointment, Melissa said: “From my time at Breathe – where I managed our partnership with Aspectus – their hard-working and fun company culture was infectious. I admired the team’s proactivity, business-results focus and knowledge of the technology sector. I’m excited to be part of this dynamic team and contribute to the team’s growth, by accelerating new integrated revenue streams in 2020.”
Aspectus is one of the fastest-growing global technology communications agencies. The Technology Practice represents firms from Silicon Valley-based security firm, Malwarebytes through to expense and travel management giant SAP Concur.
Michael House, Head of Technology at Aspectus added: “Melissa is going to be central to the technology sector’s growth this year. What’s super exciting too, is her unique experience of the kind of integrated approaches that drive results on the client-side and her experience running accounts at leading digital agencies.
Lucinda Armitage-Price, Head of Integrated Communications added: “Our communications strategies are powered by industry knowledge and digital expertise – all under one roof. With Mel joining the team, we have someone with sector knowledge who can connect the team’s PR efforts with a measurable, multi-channel approach that delivers business results.”
In the previous two blogs in the series, I looked at the most popular tech podcasts and the best business ones I listen to on my way to work. Today, we’re going to explore how businesses can start their own podcasts.
As the popularity of podcasts continues to boom, we’re not simply seeing a greater number of podcasts from the traditional sources, but more organisations are releasing their own versions too.
They provide a platform for experts from across the enterprise to talk about their specialisms in-depth, without the constraints of word counts or time that come with articles, and radio and TV opportunities, respectively. However, this doesn’t mean that podcasts should just involve experts speaking at great length – that’s not going to cut it. Some listeners may well be potential customers and if they’re disengaged, they won’t come back.
When thinking about technology, much of the successful comms within the space is about finding and telling the stories behind the innovation. The fires of imagination need to be stoked, enabling listeners to understand what and how new developments can benefit them; but that can be really quite difficult when you get bogged down in the more technical aspects.
How to start a successful podcast
So, obviously, it’s vital to get the content right, but there’s a lot more for any organisations thinking about launching their own podcast to consider too. Every step of the listeners’ journey has to be thought of.
The host / presenter and any guests need to be engaging, dynamic and conversational, not sounding as if they’re reading a script word-for-word.
The MANY abbreviations that the tech industry loves to deploy have to be explained, the knowledge of the listener-base shouldn’t be assumed. It’s always better to start more basic and build upwards – take the listener on the journey.
Deciding the format and sticking to it helps with consistency. If each edition is delivered in different ways and contains different features and sections, listeners won’t know what to expect. Planning each episode becomes that much harder too.
Length can also make or break a podcast. While the massively popular Joe Rogan Experience can regularly exceed 2.5 hours, the average podcast clocks in at around 36 minutes – that’s a far more digestible length.
The frequency of releases has to be just right to keep listeners coming back. Too often and they might decide it’s too difficult to catch up if they miss a few days; too far apart and interest may dwindle.
The channel of delivery is also critical. For example, if I can’t listen to it on my phone while heading to work, it’s going to be a nope from me. Being forced to play podcasts on open browsers is a faff so companies need to think about using Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or some other application, such as Anchor, which enables easy setup and listening.
Make the most of all available data to ensure efforts are completely fine-tuned into what listeners want. For example, Spotify recently announced its Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) technology will be available to podcasters for the first time, giving them access to key data, including age, gender and device type of listeners. That level of insight is so vital to improving output.
Ultimately, podcasts are a great format and more businesses should look to them as a platform for telling their stories. But it’s not as simple as pressing record and talking. Engaging podcasts are the result of planning and understanding what the listener wants; get that right and you might expand your customer base…as well as joining me on my commute.
For more advice on how to create and deliver your own podcast campaign, get in touch with the tech communications team at Aspectus (tech@aspectusgroup.com). We’ve helped organisations across a range of industries to deliver engaging content that always leaves people wanting more.
There is no definitive system of PR measurement. Still. For decades, the industry has been going around in circles discussing column inches, press clippings and AVE — pondering what to measure and how to measure it.
We know that measuring the impact of PR is crucial to the industry’s future. Without demonstrating the return on investment that strong communications provide, PR finds itself in trouble. Senior managers who are ever conscious of the bottom line will ask, but why does it matter? What does PR do for us?
For PR to get the investment it needs, it must demonstrate its tangible successes.
This is problematic. But data and analytics, now weaved into every corner of the workplace, are enabling us to understand the impact of communications in new and enhanced ways. Read more on our thoughts on the role of big data in PR measurement here.
Moving toward integrated communications is an important step in justifying how PR drives results. Now, we can measure and track campaigns at every stage to understand how communications activity is performing.
For instance, monitoring for specific spikes in traffic and engagement enables us to understand what type of content is successful. If we know what works well, we can optimise the process to capitalise on this success.
Equally, understanding what isn’t as advantageous can prevent us from wasting money on activity which doesn’t align with key objectives.
Using Google Analytics introduces reliability and rigour to comms measurement. It’s no longer necessary to spend hours determining how much space a client has in the newspaper or how much it would be worth in advertising rates. We can now understand how people interact with specific content online, how long for, and what action they took after that.
PR measurement remains nuanced, it’s an issue that is complex because so many models and frameworks exist. But as analytics become more sophisticated it’s becoming easier to state the case for PR as an essential part of organisations.
We are attending PR Analytics 2020 to ensure we remain on the front foot of PR measurement and continue to deliver clear ROI for our clients. Looking forward to hearing from some great speakers, discussing the latest topics in PR measurement and analytics and connecting with others to hear their thoughts. Get in touch if you are going along.
If you’re struggling to measure communications or if you’re interested in hearing more about our results-driven PR approach, email the team tech@aspectusgroup.com. Our team recently delivered an integrated campaign for ZoneFox which lead to a 300% increase in daily website traffic.
It’s me again. Last time out, I spoke about some of the most popular technology podcasts that I tend to fill my commute with. But, as the podcast ecosystem is so vast, one blog didn’t do it justice. So, I’m back to focus on another area that’s relevant to a lot – if not all – of us, business.
Now, the world of business podcasts is even trickier to navigate than tech because the term is all-encompassing. I’m fairly sure I can make an argument for any podcast being linked to business somehow.
For example, No Such Thing as a Fish. The weekly podcast is hosted by the ‘QI Elves’ (they research the little nuggets of trivia that you’re used to hearing on the show), who get together to talk about the facts they’ve learnt that week. How is that relevant to business? Weather chat to fill awkward silences while waiting for conference calls to begin or at networking events is too boring and British, drop an interesting knowledge bomb instead. Such as, “a person who was invisible wouldn’t be able to see anything”.
Decisions, decisions: what should you listen to?
With such a variety of business podcasts available, this list could really be endless; so, I’m going to simplify things by speaking about podcasts from a range of categories.
Business conversations
The Bottom Line – hosted by economist and Dragons’ Den presenter, Evan Davis, the podcast involves sit down roundtable conversations with ‘people at the top’ who provide insight into some of the UK’s largest industries, including what’s potentially going wrong and how they can be improved. Chats also stretch to new markets and their impact / potential, as well as talking about more direct-business issues, like supply chain failures.
The workplace
Is This Working? – work to live, don’t live to work is the mantra we should all abide by, but a huge part of that involves challenging the conventions that can sometimes make offices a difficult place to be. Journalist Anna Codrea-Rado and writer Tiffany Philippou tackle those challenges, exploring the topics that can sometimes be considered taboo, such as mental health, office politics and asking for more cash.
Learning from the best
The Tim Ferriss Show – led by the titular American entrepreneur and author, the podcast contains interviews with successful individuals, in order to find out what makes them tick and empowered them to achieve what they have. Guests range from business people and sports stars to actors and authors, meaning different conversations that provide new sources of inspiration.
Entrepreneurs and startups
Tech Talks – while the name may lead you to be that this suggestion belongs in my previous blog, the twice-weekly podcast interviews tech leaders about the challenges they faced starting and running a business. There are also wider discussions on important broader issues, such as the lack of diversity that exists across numerous industries, the growing skills gap, or how organisations can make better use of their data. The hosts describe themselves as not ‘techies’, meaning the podcast is kept at an accessible level, and the large catalogue of past episodes means there’s undoubtedly a podcast relevant to everyone.
There are four more business podcasts for you to add to your regular listening schedule. In the next blog, I’ll provide some top-tips for any companies thinking about creating their own.
Looking for advice on how you can harness podcasts within your communications efforts? Send us an email at tech@aspectusgroup.com and we can discuss how to create an integrated campaign.
Podcasts are excellent. With so many to choose from and available in an accessible format, they make my commute considerably more bearable. Being a bit of a creature of habit, I have my favourites – most of which are released weekly – meaning that I have set days to listen to each while they’re still the most recent episode.
I’m not alone in my liking for podcasts. According to Ofcom’s 2019 Media Nation report, around 7.1 million of us in the UK listen to podcasts each week, and the medium is now used as a platform by many. Previously, we discussed the booming popularity of podcasts and that trend is still apparent.
Decisions, decisions: the best tech podcasts to listen to
With such a wide variety of podcasts out there, there really is something for everyone. However, for the sake of keeping it relatively concise, I’m going to focus on tech for now (…maybe someone from the Financial Services and Energy teams will produce their own lists…). Here are five of the most popular tech podcasts:
FT’s TechTonic – hosted by John Thornhill, the FT’s innovation editor, the weekly podcast contains an interview with an expert discussing how our future will be impacted through technology. Topics vary between episodes, with recent editions discussing AI, sustainable technology, how innovation can boost the developing world, and open data. John Thornhill obviously knows his stuff but he makes sure that the listener is kept engaged through his questioning.
TED Talks – organised by the non-profit TED, TED Talks provide a platform for individuals to spread their ideas and passions. More of a seminar format, speakers are given less than 20 minutes to say their piece. While TED stands for technology, entertainment and design, topics covered have widened hugely since the organisation’s creation and all aspects of life are up for discussion.
WIRED UK – the popular publication has a weekly tech podcast that takes a look back through the past seven days. While not always completely technology-focused, it contains fun discussions and advice around how listeners can improve their lives – either through tech, or through using less of it. There’s also a smattering of fun facts; did you know, penguins have a gland under their eyes that filters out salt enabling them to drink seawater? Add that to your pub quiz knowledge bank.
The Missing Cryptoqueen – undoubtedly, one of the breakout podcasts of 2019. The limited series follows journo Jamie Bartlett’s investigation into the mysterious Dr. Ruja Ignatova and her crypto coin company OneCoin*. Released weekly in a similar format to the incredibly popular crime podcast ‘Serial’, each episode uncovers more of the story as Jamie discovers further details around the strange ongoings.
The Digital Human– in this offering, Aleks Krotoski explores the links between us and technology. Thought-provoking, it makes you think about your relationship with the digital world and how it drives your behaviour with others in the physical one. Self-reflection isn’t always painless, but as digital actions become more intricately linked with all aspects of life, people have to understand the influence technology has and learn how to manage it more effectively.
So that’s five of the best tech podcasts, according to me anyway. Why not give them a go on your commute? You’ll be surprised at just how much of the technology chat will be relevant to you. Next time, I’ll take a look at some business podcasts.
*SPOILER ALERT – it all turned out to be a massive multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.
Know of any other tech podcasts that Astor should be listening to? Ping him an email on astor.sonnen@aspectusgroup.com to send suggestions, or simply to chat about anything comms related.
Every year the king of social media sets himself a set of new year’s resolutions, or what he calls personal challenges (because, you know, he has to be different), and in true Facebook style, shares them with the world.
We’ve been witness to: ‘wear a tie to work every day’ in 2009, ‘read a book every week’ in 2015 and ‘learn Mandarin’ in 2010. My favourite so far was ‘get more comfortable with public speaking’ – he really needed that one last year given all his Q&As with the heavies in Congress.
But this year, he’s stepped up his game and given us no fewer than five challenges, which are more like ‘new decade’ resolutions, by the sounds of it.
Generational change
Coming in first is his quest to provide generational change. He says that when he launched his platform, he hoped it would give those without a voice the power to make a difference. He says that while it has given people a voice, it hasn’t made the generational changes in addressing important issues he had hoped for (no surprises there). Anyway, he has committed to focusing more on funding and giving a platform to younger entrepreneurs, scientists, and leaders to enable these changes.
Private social platform
His second challenge is to create a private social platform. Acknowledging that, while Facebook has created a global community, it leaves a lot to be desired in the intimacy and purpose department. With the global decline in mental health being connected to humanity’s dependence on likes and shares, Zuckerberg wants to create smaller, more meaningful communities where people can truly connect and discover their unique roles in society.
Decentralising opportunity
With more than 140 million entrepreneurs reaching customers through Facebook, there is no denying the opportunities Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram provide to small-to-medium enterprises in growing their customer base by using his platforms. His fourth challenge is to use technology to build payment systems so smaller companies have the commercial opportunities that were previously only available to larger businesses. Hello Libra, we see you.
The next computing platform
Elon Musk’s Neuralink doesn’t get as much airtime as his other ventures – maybe because it’s an implantable brain chip which will “merge biological intelligence with machine intelligence,” and probably freaks out the majority of the population. Zuckerberg has a slightly different approach to melding human consciousness with technology. He sees the future of digital communication through rose-tinted augmented glasses. Far less invasive, his glasses will track brain functions so that users can control actions like clicking and scrolling by merely thinking about them. “‘Facebook wants to perform brain surgery,’” Zuckerberg joked. “I don’t want to see the congressional hearings on that one.”
New forms of governance
His last challenge – I see it as more of a wish – is for governments to take a more regulative role in online privacy. He has repeatedly said that he doesn’t think “private companies should be making so many important decisions that touch on fundamental democratic values”. Fair enough. He wants governments to establish clearer laws around elections, content, privacy and data. Another suggestion he has given is community self-regulation. He wants users to be able to report problems to an independent board which will have the final say on whether certain content is allowed.
After an eventful couple of years, this seems like quite the undertaking from the social network. We’ve all heard the accusations of unfathomable atrocities the platform has faced, from privacy violations and involvements in elections to spurring literal genocides. Yes, Zuckerburg faced Congress and paid a $5 billion penalty but still made profits every quarter. Who’s to know if these are purely words on paper – like so many of our own new year’s resolutions turn out to be – or if there will be actual change. One can only hope. Right?
