Orange Dress Uploaded by betsyjean79 on 21 Oct 06, 1.22PM BST.

Innovative marketing is upon us. I admittedly need to work a bit on that phrase since it sounds like I’m talking about the plague but that might not be miles away . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

Orange Dress Uploaded by betsyjean79 on 21 Oct 06, 1.22PM BST.

Innovative marketing is upon us. I admittedly need to work a bit on that phrase since it sounds like I’m talking about the plague but that might not be miles away from where I want to take this post.

If you’ve read this blog more than once you’ll know that I’m not into marketing and so I am ill-equiped to judge whether getting 36 women clad in orange to promote your product in a football game is a good idea or not. (judging by the pics of males following the bra action rather than the football pitch action I would say it at least got people’s attention).

Anyway, because of my job the first thing that comes to mind when I see this debate is this: Policy.

The women were arrested under the Contravention of Merchandise Marks Act, which prevents companies benefiting from an event without paying for advertising. The 36 women were accused of being part of a campaign to promote a Dutch brewery.
(via World Cup 2010: Women arrested over ‘ambush marketing’ freed on bail in the Guardian)

The rule looks sound. FIFA organises and so it retains the right to the game. I have personal issues with sports for sale but it’s a discussion for another time perhaps.

On the other hand marketing has evolved. It’s not just about the posters and TV spots. Flash mobs, ambush marketing, take your pick – they are upon us (kinda like the plague – get that first paragraph now?)

When I see a debate like that I’m not seeing a “should they – should they not” type of discussion. I’m seeing a policy that is probably outdated and is in serious need of review, along with better external relations regarding the existing and developing policy.

Is it perhaps time for FIFA to revisit the rules?

What is important here is not to change the rules as such – I have no position on that one. What is important is to engage with stakeholders and communicate the actual benefits of the current policies. And who knows, maybe a better policy will come out of it all.

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put your hand up if you are having a good time Uploaded by micn2sugars on 18 Jun 07, 3.16PM BST.

As anyone working in policy will tell you it is . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

put your hand up if you are having a good time Uploaded by micn2sugars on 18 Jun 07, 3.16PM BST.

As anyone working in policy will tell you it is impossible to plan, analyse and set up good policies without stakeholder engagement.

Since policies are usually set by government or regulators it would be easy not to engage. Power is after all a heady thing. However, government or regulator priorities are completely different than industry and consumer priorities. Not to mention that each partner usually works in a silo and is under the – mistaken – impression that their priorities are the most important ones.

Most UK government Departments know this. I have been fortunate in my career so far to have worked with some marvellous people in Whitehall who reach out and want to both learn and share what they know with stakeholders. Good consultations in the UK are marvellous examples of this.

In some countries – or some sectors – industry meeting government or government Departments (by they way – they are NOT the same thing. Engaging with politicians and engaging with civil servants serve completely different needs) is frowned upon. There is this idea that perhaps politicians and civil servants are unduly influenced by businesses.

However, influence is exactly what results in good policy. A good mix of stakeholders will push in all sorts of directions. Priorities that matter for everyone will be put on the top of the list while those that are only important for one quarter will be scrutinised more. This is a healthy process which – when managed properly – can result in well-rounded policies.

Sometimes friends ask me if there are rules in this process but it all depends. There is one pre-requisite however that you cannot escape from. MAP your stakeholders. I mean that quite literally, put them down on paper, in circles or in lists, whatever works. Discuss the map with colleagues and stakeholders – you never know who you might have left out. What you should end up with is a constellation of organisations and people who can make a significant difference to the policy you are writing.

No policy is ever perfect, a sad but true fact. However, good policy people make sure that it’s the best it can be – and that can never be an isolated act.

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Outdoor advertising campaign from the Greek National Tourism Organisation

I’ve been reading quite a lot lately regarding this year’s advertising campaign for tourism in Greece, organised – as it happens every year – by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). The campaign has been . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

Outdoor advertising campaign from the Greek National Tourism Organisation

I’ve been reading quite a lot lately regarding this year’s advertising campaign for tourism in Greece, organised – as it happens every year – by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). The campaign has been presented (and defended) in the media by politicians and criticised in the media and blogosphere. Interestingly I’ve only seen the debate in Greek (which, for an “international” campaign I would assume kinda beats the purpose?)

I don’t want to go into the campaign itself nor do I want to discuss the creative element. Advertising is not my domain. However, I know policy and communications. And I think it’s a mistake when marketing is used as an attempt to cover up bad or non existent policy.

Greece is a lovely country, granted. Montenegro is an equally lovely country. It is impossible for tourism nowadays to be based on a model that is antiquated and redundant, that of beauty, sun and sea. In other words, for Greece to actually make a difference and continue being a tourism destination, as well as develop the industry more for the future it needs a number of competitive advantages.

What those competitive advantages should be is a decision for the market AND the regulator/ ministry. Incentivising the tourism industry to develop a number of characteristics and offerings requires robust policy planning and development as well as stakeholder engagement both on a national and international level. All parts of the market need to work together on this and realise that Greece is competing on an international plateau of destinations and traveller preferences.

Taking advantage of Greece’s natural beauty has been a haphazard process so far; we seem to have assumed that people will come, disregard all other elements that make up a holiday experience, and just stand in awe of a scenery that is already being destroyed by over-development and inadequate environmental safeguards.

Without robust and well-developed policies any industry will fall into disorganisation and at some point into disrepute (if it hasn’t already). Big players make the market their own, new players and innovation is discouraged. A culture of short-sighted money grabbing schemes prevails and in the long run the whole industry suffers.

This is where policy development and stakeholder engagement comes in – and critically it will need to come in before marketing campaigns. Policy is the building block of any industry and it is currently missing from Greek tourism. Any marketeer who is worth their salt will tell you that advertising is all very well and good but if it misrepresents the product it will ultimately cause more hurt than profit.

I am hoping that the debates on the latest marketing campaign will slowly shift from the advertisements themselves to the underlying structure of the market.

Otherwise, I can’t see how the country can secure the tourism industry and encourage its further development.

————
Full disclosure: I work for SoMaFusion, a digital comms agency which also works in the hospitality and travel sectors.

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62/365 Spot the Difference Uploaded by AlicePalice on 7 Sep 08, 7.29PM GMT.

I’ve seen it in a lot of companies and I have sadly also seen it in a lot of government departments (albeit not in the . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

62/365 Spot the Difference Uploaded by AlicePalice on 7 Sep 08, 7.29PM GMT.

I’ve seen it in a lot of companies and I have sadly also seen it in a lot of government departments (albeit not in the UK).

Policy and Public Relations are not the same thing and I find it annoying when they are being misconstrued as being identical.

I can see how it can be confusing. Since Policy is increasingly using high levels of stakeholder engagement one might be forgiven for thinking that Policy professionals are now into Public Relations. They are not (trust me I am one of the former).

In Policy we would ask “How can we design a policy that will work optimally?” whereas in Public Relations we would ask “How can we communicate that our policy is the best?”

See, I would call that pretty fundamentally different.

Both functions are certainly valid (and valuable). However, by confusing the two you end up with either policies that don’t work or with policies that cannot be communicated.

How come this is so hard to grasp?

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With lube & affection Uploaded by Olive Talique on 26 Apr 09, 6.38PM GMT.

I love the idea of people getting together to discuss how new technologies and social media can affect young people and spread more . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

With lube & affection Uploaded by Olive Talique on 26 Apr 09, 6.38PM GMT.

I love the idea of people getting together to discuss how new technologies and social media can affect young people and spread more awareness on issues of sexual health.

Enter sex::tech 2010 which will be held in San Francisco (Feb. 26 and 27).

The Internet and mobile technologies have strengthened youth networks, provided new avenues for expression, and increased youth access to tools and information designed to improve their sexual health. Sex::Tech explores available tools and methods for reaching youth with culturally appropriate STD/HIV prevention and sex education interventions.
(via)

Check out the schedule which seems to be nicely varied. I especially like the discussion about the digital divide and reaching urban youth.

The digital divide is something that all tech enthusiasts tend to forget (myself included). Nowadays I even see it in consumer research that claims to be ‘representative’ with only an online sample. By realising that not all members of the population have access to the same resources you can begin to tailor your communications. If for example I was targeting the over 75s in rural Britain (I recently was really close to such a campaign) the web would not really be my primary outlet. So it’s heartening to see a discussion on the sex::tech conference that also addresses the issue of access.

I look forward to the results of the day. If you happen to find yourself there and you intend to blog about it drop me a line.

———————

Hat tip to Ryan T. who pointed me in the direction of the conference – check him out on Twitter he is a top bloke!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post (I tend not to do them)

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This is the first lesson I remember from my experiences with policy development that really made a lasting impact.

When you sit down to develop policy on an issue, good policy . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>
Odd One Out
Uploaded by momoryuji on 18 Jan 09, 8.06AM GMT.

This is the first lesson I remember from my experiences with policy development that really made a lasting impact.

When you sit down to develop policy on an issue, good policy makers start a process of engagement with stakeholders. Thankfully this is not something that only government departments do nowadays but it’s good practice within industries as well even if the process might not always include a formal consultation – which, let’s face it, it doesn’t always need to.

The first step when it comes to engagement is a sort of mapping of your stakeholders so that you can identify industries, organisations and groups that your policy will have an impact on – either positive or negative, depending on their positioning.

I was quite surprised when I started working in policy and external relations to learn that the number one group that gets forgotten are the people that the policy is actually made for.

Best example? It’s this word of mouth story (even though I don’t know how true it is) of a government department that mapped out all of their stakeholders for a new policy initiative aimed at improving circumstances for children. Stakeholders not appearing anywhere? The children.

This might seem like a no-brainer but I do get how something like this can happen by being exposed constantly to your own industry and established stakeholders (like trade associations and third sector organisations) which might take your mind off the alternative people that you really need to have in the room.

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