Breaking Guinness World Records across one day!

done

We were lucky enough to work with Guinness World Records again this year as they celebrated their annual event ‘Guinness World Records Day’ on Thursday 12^th November. An estimated 200,000 people around the world came together and attempted a wide range of records in celebration of the fifth annual Guinness World Records Day. The global event attracted record breakers from every continent striving to make their mark in the famous book.

TNR worked closely with the Guinness World Records Team across their TV, Online and Radio PR and enjoyed yet another very successful year achieving national and international coverage.

It seems highly unfair that someone should have this much fun at work as the TNR production crew travelled the far reaches of the globe to film weird and wonderful record attempts, including;

The Most Nationalities in a Sauna – Finland;

The Highest Standing Jump on a Bicycle in Italy;

and The Furthest Distance to Pull a Bus with your Hair in London. 

The Ironman from Leicester, Manjit Singh attempts the record for the furthest distance pulling a double-decker bus by the hair at Battersea Park in London. John Phillips/Press Association

The Romance was truly brought back to London’s St Pancras international railway station, in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for the largest group hug. The record was set by 112 people hugging for one minute.

Guinness World Record for the largest amount of couples hugging. Alistair Grant/Press Association

The footage was picked up by the International London bureaux’s, the UK’s national and regional TV stations as well as multiple online editorial sites.  The radio day achieved 29 radio interviews with BBC and large commercial stations across the country.

Post by Penny Joyner (Marketing Executive)

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2009

I had the pleasure of seeing the National Portrait Gallery Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 exhibition last weekend.

http://www.npg.org.uk:8080/photoprize/site09/exhibition2_exhibitors.php 

It’s a fantastic collection of contemporary editorial, advertising and fine art photography that all fits within the wider theme of portraiture.

The prize winning shots can be seen here;

http://www.npg.org.uk:8080/photoprize/site09/exhibition2_winners.php

All the four main prize winning shots are studies in simplicity, highlighting how much can be achieved with the most clear of compositions.

Interestingly all capture young people, some in better places than others, but each with a sense of intrigue that pull the viewer into the frame.

However my favourite shot wasn’t one of the winners, but ‘Female Boxer No.3 (detail)’ by Inzajeano Latif 2009; 

http://www.npg.org.uk:8080/photoprize/site09/exhibition2.php

To be honest this link doesn’t really do it justice, better reproductions are available if you click through the Exhibitors List page, or as a thumbnail on the National Portrait Gallery Website but it’s a wonderful photograph that turns the traditional boxing photography on it’s head. There are echoes of Dutch Masters painting to the colour and composition. The greys of the boxers sweat pants pick up the blue greys of the gym background & an orange beanie hat & bandages frame the face and the fists. Meanwhile her positioning allows just enough space for the viewer to sense a jab might yet be thrown…

As with all photos some shots in the exhibition are deliberately created with models others are more documentary in format. The title makes me think this shot is of the latter category. Maybe it’s purely about it’s sitter, but like all good photos it inevitably becomes more than that; gender, identity, preconceptions. Either way it doesn’t really matter, Latif has produced a portrait that punches above it’s weight and beyond it’s subject.

The exhibition runs at the National Portrait Gallery until 14th February 2010.

 Post by Tim Kerr (Director & Picture Editor at PA Photocall)

Irving Penn – Exposing the life behind the achievement

Irving Penn; the father of modern day fashion photography, known for his celebrity portraits, fashion photographs, still life work and images of remote places died last Wednesday at his home in Manhattan aged 92.

A curator holds a photograph of Kate Moss by Irving Penn at Christie's in London, part of Gert Elfering's collection March 2008. Anthony Devlin/Press Association

Penn’s images inspired photographers for generations from all over the world to pick up the camera and try to capture their subjects in the same simple, clear and yet incredibly detailed way that only Penn could achieve. He brought about a whole new perspective to postwar portraiture. In a time when celebrities, politicians and generals were able to hide behind the façade of perfect features and unblemished faces, Penn sought to break down the walls of fame and power and capture their true selves.

He liked to take his subjects out of their natural settings and put them against a stark studio background. To expand his surroundings, Penn constructed sets of upright angled backdrops. Posing his subjects within these tight, unorthodox spaces, he brought an unprecedented sense of drama to his portraits, driving the viewer’s focus onto the person and their expression.

Penn’s talent earned him the widespread admiration of Vogue readers during his long time with the magazine, beginning in 1943. 

Not only was he one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 20^th century but he was widely recognised in the art world for his still life photography; his images have been exhibited in museums and galleries and are prized by collectors.

His career at Vogue spanned a number of radical transformations in fashion and its depiction, but his style remained remarkably constant. Imbued with calm and decorum, his photographs often seemed intent on rebelling against fashion. His fashion, beauty and still life images had a unique style, with the models always carefully posed in specific positions. He very rarely used movement to portray youthfulness or vigour, rather somehow bringing it out of his subjects instead; he even turned the rough-and-ready members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club into the graphic equivalent of a Greek mural.

 His work with cosmetic giant Clinique since 1968 set the benchmark for high-end, still life advertising campaigns with this style and lighting being copied all over the world.

He belonged to that elusive and limited club of photographers who even when his work was uncredited – you knew it was a Penn. With his death comes not only the end to a stunning career in photography and art, but the beginning of what will sure to be many retrospective’s on his work.

An exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery next February is still set to go ahead and will surely be one not to miss.

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Irving_Penn_death_London_show_to_go_ahead_update_news_290291.html

Post by Penny Joyner (Marketing Executive of PA Photocall)

Meerkats for Christmas… ‘Simples’!

This week saw PA Photocall (the sister company of  TNR Communications) work with Frank PR on an exclusive launch of a limited edition ‘Aleksandr talking toy’ due to arrive exclusively at Harrods in time for Christmas.

An Aleksandr Orlov meerkat 'talking toy' in the meerkat enclosure at London Zoo ahead of them going on sale exclusively in Harrods in early December. David Parry/PA Photocall

 

The star of comparethemarket.com’s TV adverts has brokered a deal with the world’s most famous department store to stock a limited number of the furry meerkat toys. Set to be the must-have toy for Christmas 2009, the talking Aleksandr Orlov replica comes complete with his trademark smoking jacket and paisley silk cravat.  Aleksandr’s ‘Simples!’ catchphrase can be heard with a distinctive squeak when his belly is squeezed.

 

A member of staff at Harrods in London handles one of the limited edition Aleksandr Orlov meerkat 'talking toys'. David Parry/PA Photocall

 

PA Photocall were commissioned to capture the talking toy in Harrods department store and London Zoo’s meerkat enclosure with Aleksandr and his real furry friends being introduced for the first time. Photocall photographer David Parry was onsite at 9am to capture the various images, which were sent immediately through to the Press Association picture desk for distribution on the wire. It was no surprise the amount of coverage the celebrity meerkat received within the press including The Metro, Metro Online, Ok Magazine and Virgin media.

PA Photocall Website 2009

 

PA Photocall also received a 535% increase in visits to their website due to popularity of the images, streaming visits from Twitter, Facebook and forums. Photocall are commissioned for such a broad range of projects that appeal to a wide audience which makes their social media strategy a simple and effective one. This project is a great example of how PR Photography can be great fun and extremely powerful within the media.

Post by Penny Joyner (Marketing Executive for PA Photocall)

Traditional radio sticks it to new technologies.. latest figures should make PRs and advertisers sit up and listen

TNR Communications - Radio Day

It’s official – Radio is still one of the best ways to reach your potential audience. With the radio industry’s quarterly figures showing listening is up year on year, the medium has shown itself robust in the recession.

Rajar report

It’s had a tough old time though – it seems like every 5 seconds someone is warning of the death of the wireless – but the truth is that radio has managed to turn the internet, podcasting and digital broadcasting to its advantage.

The latest scaremongering about Spotify will likely also prove groundless. While Spotify might well give itunes a run for its money, commercial radio is unlikely to suffer as the ease of flicking a switch on the wireless to your favourite station is attractive to those of us out there who can’t be bothered to create endless playlists of the music we like.

Music aficionados will be attracted to Spotify because they know what they are looking for, but people like me, who can’t remember the name of a group for love or money, prefer to leave that to someone else. And Spotify isn’t trying to steal a march on BBC radio, which of course is mainly talk led.

In the fast-changing digital world, many media are being forced to diversify at a rapid rate. But bucking that trend is BBC Radio 4. It’s shown resilience to an attack from the digital media by sticking to what it’s always done. It has attracted a whopping 750,000 new listeners in just a year. And it’s pulled in new punters too – a younger, and more female audience than before.

The latest figures reveal UK radio listening as a whole remains high, attracting 45.7m adults each week – 89.2% of the 15+ UK population. But with programming budgets still under pressure, free, quality content is ever more desirable.

PR consultancies should capitalise on this by getting to grips with the opportunities this presents.

Posted by Sophie Davidson, Producer @ TNR Communications

CNN leads the way with more integrated multimedia website

 With CNN launching it’s new website with a focus on better integrated video and photography, it highlights the importance of considering a multimedia approach for all new stories.

 

Brian Stelter of The Washington Post said last week:

“The Web site, which will come online Monday, aims to highlight CNN.com’s original content. The red-hued home page will place breaking news and headlines to the left side, and add a feature section in the centre. It will often include a video player front and centre, reflecting the growing popularity of online video. “

“With 38 million unique visitors a month, CNN.com exists within the top tier of news Web sites, making any redesign particularly influential.”

 As someone who not only works in a news agency but also works in communications, I get my news through many channels through out the day:

• Getting ready for work: Radio – BBC Radio 4
• Commuting to work: Print – The Independent newspaper
• At work:  Online – Press Association newswire (Mediapoint) / RSS feeds / Twitter / industry newsletters / email alerts
• Commuting home: Print – Free Paper
• Winding down:  TV – BBC Newsnight, ITV 10 o’clock news

Wow, just writing that list shows how much news I personally consume in any given day and all the different channels I use to get it. I am sure that most people  would find that if they did the same list, they also would be consuming their news through a variety of platforms.

 Of course,  not all media avenues will be relevant or possible for each campaign as budgets and content are of course varied but starting off by thinking about a multimedia approach to any campaign can be key to getting the most coverage and therefore the biggest impact for yours or your client’s message.

 

Posted by Suzy Richards @ TNR Communications

The BNP on Question Time – protests, political panto and the power of the media

Nick Griffin’s appearance on BBC’s Question Time has been the hottest headline in the British media this week, culminating in a mass protest outside Television Centre before the show.

The controversy has raised serious questions about the power of the media and its place – or not – in politics.

By allowing Griffin airtime, is the BBC giving legitimacy to a far-right political party that supports racial views that many Brits find disturbing?

On the other hand, Britain – and therefore its press – upholds the value of freedom of speech. Is stifling that speech wrong in itself, especially when the BBC has a moral duty to be impartial? After all, Mr Griffin’s party did win two seats in the European Parliamentary elections in June.

Or maybe it is as simple as the BBC trying to rocket its ratings. If so, job done. It pulled in 8 million viewers – three times more than normal.

Nick Griffin certainly got a grilling from Question Time’s audience. One man said the public could have a whip-round to send him to the South Pole. He added, “It’s a colourless landscape, it’ll suit you fine.”

Griffin seemed slightly shaken by this comment, but was mostly amused by others, including accusations he associated with the Ku Klux Klan and has denied the Holocaust.

Stripped of his normal PR shield, some argue his comments confirm he is a political pariah. He has said himself he is most hated man in Britain this week. But what he said is almost irrelevant.

His fellow panellists – including Labour’s Jack Straw and Tory Sayeeda Warsi – seemed like extras in a political pantomime revolving around one protagonist.

Griffin has now been given the national media exposure he has been craving. After all, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Loathed or liked, everyone is talking about him.

Post by Tessa Parry-Wingfield, TNR Communications

Why not to fear Media Interviews!

As a busy media training course director, the most important thing I find to get across to our delegates is the fact that a media interview is not something to be frightened of. It is an opportunity for you to speak to a broad audience about your messages.

Click here to see The Guardian’s hilarious take on Media Training.

Whether you have been asked to respond to a reactive situation or you have managed to get an interview off the back of stellar PR work from the press team, you have a fantastic opportunity to tell people what you think they need to hear.

How much money would a 3 minute radio ad cost during an LBC breakfast programme, or a 30 second ad on Sky News? How many people would be involved in preparing those and how much time would be spent ensuring that it was completely right for that audience at that time?

Now, not everyone has that time to put into every interview they do, but preparation is key to making sure that no matter what comes your way in terms of questions, you will always be able to stay in control of the interview and get across what you wanted to say.

Each media opportunity should be approached differently, for example, the Evening Standard paper in London is going to have a very different audience and readership to the Daily Mail and the Today Programme will require a different preparation to an interview on a regional BBC midmorning phone-in show. Research and an understanding of what you will be appearing on/in is essential in getting the right tone for the interview.

How many times have you listened to politicians being interviewed and wanted to throw your shoe at the radio/tv because they are not answering the question! Gordon Brown’s latest tangle with Sky’s Adam Boulton is a classic example of how a media interview can go wrong if you do not stay in control or acknowledge the question being asked.

Click here to watch interview.

We will see what the damage will be from that interview, and the subsequent one for the BBC, but it shows that no matter how experienced you are, you can never let your guard down in front of the camera!

Written by Suzy Richards, TNR Communications

PR Week hits the nail on the head in terms of Social Media

PR Week has hit the nail on the head, again. Turn to page 20 of this week’s copy and read for yourself how digital communications is by no means a flash in the pan!

The report from Cathy Wallace, highlights the findings from the PR Week’s Digital Survey which was conducted amongst PR and comms teams. It asked comms professionals to back up their claims and prove their digital credentials. The survey revealed “how the PR industry views digital right now and where it might be going”. The findings were interesting to say the least, and as a communications consultancy incorporating digital media into campaigns more and more, we thoroughly enjoyed their findings.

Digital comms has really picked up pace and has everyone talking about it. PR Week has found 83% of clients request digital to form part of the PR activity. Which is unsurprising considering how the internet has officially overtaken word of mouth as ‘the most influential source of information when considering purchases’ (Weber Shandwick Inline Research 2009). So the end consumer, the client and the PR agency are all now embracing the world of video sharing sites, social media, blogging, twittering etc.

PR Week also reported last week that 30% of senior PRO’s already embracing online video and a massive 70% already seeing 2010 as the year where video will be the most important interactive channel.

We have certainly seen a large increase this year alone for requests for online video. PRO’s are beginning to see the added value to their campaigns of making the same footage, content and story available to online editorials as well as social media sites. One news story now needs to reach multiple media platforms simultaneously.

At TNR we regularly take the broadcast news footage we shoot (B-Roll) and edit it into a finished piece (A-Roll) for the online editorials; tweaking it for video sharing sites; and fine-tuning it for corporate websites. The same footage and ultimately the same message can now go beyond traditional media and reach the growing online and digital audiences.

That’s what I call bang for your buck!

A recent example of a very successful multimedia campaign was the launch of the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records last month. We knew that not only would this story capture the imagination of TV audiences and radio listeners, but the online news providers and editorial pages as well as social media, with their YouTube page. done

From our experience, every PR campaign that comes our way needs to be thought of as a multi media campaign. Can it work in the traditional broadcast arena? Can we edit the footage for online editorials? Do we need a video only with stills? What about a podcast with the celebrity spokesperson?

Having a multi-view will produce a multi media campaign.

Radio – Just a voice in the corner?

We all have a favourite DJ, a presenter we tend to agree with, a show we always tune in for, and likewise a program you’ll stay clear of at all costs.

Radio is more than just a distraction; it’s a personal choice, a preference and for some a daily ritual.

Every morning I wake up to my radio alarm clock; listen to the news and the ongoing witty banter that is the Chris Moyles breakfast show. This has been my morning routine for the past 3 years; however since joining TNR Communications I find myself curious as to what else is out there. What are other breakfast teams doing; what are they saying; who are they talking to; and what are they covering? I find myself switching between Radio 4’s The Today programme, my local BBC Three Counties station and then back to Radio 1 as I still can’t shrug the feeling that I’m somewhat cheating on Chris Moyles.

So why do we become so loyal, and personable with the radio. What is it that makes us tune in, listen and to some degree participate?

I think it’s the ease of radio; it’s never hard work to listen to discussions, jokes, music, as well as the more challenging debates, courtesy of the Victoria Derbyshire show. With endless station and program choices across the UK, from the very local breakfast radio shows, to national news-agenda setting programmes, every demographic is catered for. And as online streaming and digital radio has grown, more niche audiences are reached, such as BBC Asian Network, dedicated sports station Talksport and black music network 1Extra.

So the nationals, regional’s and independents…even hospital radio…are all providing unique content, interesting topics, old and new music alike – and its all produced with the audience in mind.

Elizabeth, on the other side of the mic.

And this is where I become a true radio fan. Not content with just listening, I present an evening show at my local hospital. I love how the radio can be a complete distraction for the patients, to the point where they take part in phone-in’s, request songs and comment on the ‘weekly film round up’.

So as an advocate of radio, I truly think it is an excellent broadcast medium and in my opinion we have some of the greatest talent out there fronting the various programmes, shows and stations.

It should not be dismissed in any PR campaign brainstorm as it might just prove an excellent way of reaching your target audience, who are after all actively tuned in to their favourite shows!

By Elizabeth Herridge
TNR Communications