The Danger of Twitter?

With the launch of the Six Nations Championship tonight it is interesting to see the spotlight being shone away from team tactics and on to the sportsmens’ use of social media. In today’s press  it was disclosed that the Welsh squad have been banned from using the site during the tournament, following recent high profile cases of damaging comments published on Twitter from numerous sports personalities.

At the Ryder Cup there was initially a ‘recommended’ ban on twitter by the European Ryder Cup Captain, Colin Montgomery although the likes of Ian Poulter (@ianpoulter) and G-Mac weren’t likely to stop their tweeting!

Kevin Pieterson was left red-faced following his very public rant about the sport,

– then footballer Ryan Babel found himself £10,000 out of pocket after his controversial tweet about referee Howard Webb just last month.

Social Media can be a great way of keeping up to date with the world and is no doubt proving ever more powerful in today’s society. But is this case of ‘Twitter-banning’ highlighting the increasing worry surrounding its power to make or break business or reputation?

Todays blog was posted by Helena,  Agency Recruitment Consultant at Network Marketing

Tiger Woods – A Risky Celebrity Endorsement?

Following the official announcement at the end of 2010 that Tiger Woods has been dropped as the face of Gillette, it forces celebrity sponsorship in to the spotlight and whether or not such deals can really add value to a brand and their accompanying marketing campaigns.

Are the celebrities and sponsorship deals really worth all the money that they demand from companies? Tiger Woods’ sponsorship deal was rumoured to have cost an incredible £2.5 million and where it cannot be denied that the celebrity ‘brands’ can help attract new markets, Proctor and Gamble were thrown in to the midst of a PR nightmare last year when regulations of Tiger Woods personal life came to the forefront of the world’s media. Trapped in contracts and knowing the incredible marketing cost associated with such a global campaign, Gillette had limited choice but to quietly continue with the partnership. Probably a painstaking year for them, no doubt. A year that could have seen a worrying backlash from their target market and damage to a brand that has taken years to develop.

Companies being associated with celebrity scandals is becoming a regular occurance. We had Kate Moss dropped by several brands, including Rimmel cosmetics, following exposure of her cocaine-taking, then Kerry Katona only recently dropped as the face of Iceland due to another high profiled drugs problem.

 

Is it worth all the trouble? Do these celebrity endorsements really work to the point of having to pay a fortune to greedy celebrities who only really get paid to smile at a camera, whilst you are having to pray every day that they don’t get pictured with your competitor, or that skeletons comes out of their closet that could subsequently damage your reputation?

This recent article in Media Guardian provides an interesting insight into the issue. PR guru Mark Bokowski claims that brands are slowly moving away from involving individuals due to the risk involved. However, the long line of celebrities gracing our television ad breaks does not seem to be disappearing any time soon. Is this the continuing way forward for brands of the 21st Century, or are companies going to start to realise they have more to offer than having to rely on the persona of celebrities who just want their 5 minutes of fame?

This weeks guest Editor is Helena Krzeminski.

Being inspired with Jonathan Sands – An Evening with Business Link

Last night I was lucky to meet with marketing and design professionals for an evening with the Chairman of Elmwood, Jonathan Sands, courtesy of Business Link.

For those of you not familiar with Elmwood, they are an international brand design consultancy based in Guiseley, West Yorkshire. Founded in 1989 with only a handful of clients, their days working on small local campaigns from their Yorkshire base now seem a distant memory. The Yorkshire agency has successfully expanded to operate on a global scale, with offices in Melbourne, New York, and Singapore. Their client portfolio boasts successful partnerships with Walmart, Nike, Durex, and Cable and Wireless, to name only a few.

The ‘Being Inspired With…’ events organised by Business Link are a valuable opportunity to learn more about key figures within the industry and with Elmwood being one of the agencies we regularly recruit with I was keen to finally meet the man behind the company, who has lead the agency to win over 100 national and international awards and to recently be voted one of The Times UK’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Here at Network Marketing we regularly attend marketing events to ensure we keep up to date with the industry. Unfortunately, due to the demands of deadlines and last minute campaign changes, it can often be the case that turnout at the events is lower than anticipated. However it was a full house at the Great Victoria Hotel last night.

After being welcomed to the event with an impressive array of refreshments (a great selection of Taylors of Harrogate tea and cookies- keeping it local, I was impressed!) and a brief introduction to Business Link, Jonathan Sands led us in to his world of Elmwood. The presentation covered not only the history of the agency but how they have approached the current economic climate to ensure growth, not failure. It was inspiring to hear positive messages about the business world today, as opposed to the doom and gloom presented in the media on a daily basis. Jonathan was passionate about the ‘recession’ being an exciting business opportunity, not an excuse for failure. Brave words but incredibly refreshing and Elmwood’s phenomenal expansion over the past few years is evidence that positivity in these times goes a long way.

We were also given the opportunity to experience the ‘culture of Elmwood’. As a recruitment consultant who regularly works alongside the agency, this was a valuable insight. Jonathan injects his belief of growing and retaining talent at Elmwood and it was great to hear that the agency spend more on learning than they do on marketing- an area that I personally feel too many companies fail to embrace. As a young professional myself it was a comfort to hear that fellow graduates and young talent are given a chance to grow and flourish. One particular point that stuck in my mind was that Jonathan purposely let his junior staff present to judges to be considered for the Yorkshire Post’s ‘Best Company to Work For’ Award in 2008, which they subsequently went on to win.

At Elmwood, relationships are placed at the heart of everything. Jonathan stated that he wanted his clients to be their best friends and in times were there is competition in every corner it is these strong relationships that will deliver results. Unfortunately we see so much aggressiveness in business every day- it was refreshing to see good old-fashioned kindness being championed.

At the end of the evening we were treated to a light buffet and the chance to network with the other attendees. The place was buzzing and the presentation had clearly been well-received. All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I did actually come away feeling ‘inspired’. I would truly recommend people take a look at the Business Link website and check out their events programme for autumn- http://www.businesslinkyorkshire.co.uk/events.

And as a final point to all my fellow Network Market-ers, I am proud to say that Jonathan Sands declared his love for Derby County last night- my home team! We may struggle on the football front, but we have inspirational fans 

By Helena Krzeminski

Network Marketing enjoys a night out at Leeds Media 20:20!

On June 20th the busy folk of Network Marketing managed to tear themselves away from candidates and vacancies and enjoy an evening of 20:20 cricket courtesy of Leeds Media. As part of their monthly networking events the 20:20 cricket event was organised to help professionals in the media industry meet and greet over one (or two!) cheeky drinks, and on this occasion the witnessing of a glorious victory for Yorkshire Carnegie over the Durham Dynamos.

It was great to have the opportunity to meet other industry professionals at such an event, to enjoy catching up whilst enjoying (or in my case ‘discovering’) the joys of cricket! Although slightly disappointed with the low turn out, lack of opportunity to network and having to brave a typically cold English night (!), it was a great evening and we look forward to meeting further fellow professionals at the next event. I’m secretly hoping a night out at Leeds Rhino’s will be on the cards so I can learn about this beautiful game next!

Helena Krzeminski