News, blogs, video, podcasts, tweets, DMs – you name it, we’re bombarded with updates, notifications and information every minute of every day.
And whilst we like to think we are on top of the news agenda, we don’t always talk about what we hear, read or listen – that is, until recently.
At the agency this week, we are pleased to have implemented something called ‘Lightbulb11’ every morning – a chance for us as a team to flag up a story that we have seen or heard in the news – and actually talk about it for a few minutes.
Yes, talk…have a conversation or a debate about it, rather than those oh-so-familiar empty and unfulfilling questions we’re often programmed to ask our colleagues, such as ‘how are you?’
And you know what, it’s been refreshing.
We look away from our screens.
We stop typing (or scrolling).
And we take a break from our digital world to actually talk.
Wow. Sounds so simple doesn’t it – yet many of us from time to time do lose the beautiful art of conversation. Yet, it is so important to ask questions, especially in our business.
The benefit of Lightbulb11, of course is for our clients.
By doing this lovely exercise each morning, we are constantly learning what’s making the headlines – and what cut-through techniques are being deployed by brands to make it into the press.
In a world of reduced column-inch potential, constantly inspiring our clients and journalist contacts with new ideas, content and stories is as important today as it has ever been.
Yes, we know that content is king. But lovely, unique and truly authentic content will win the PR race – and we believe that we can only do that by inspiring each other with ideas that we’ve seen or the ideas that may just be our own.
And this week, it’s been great.
We’ve learned about pubs – and how much more emphasis they are placing on soft drinks.
We now know that Prince Philip has introduced a set of ‘ideal’ things to do for teens in just 20 easy to follow points (whether teens will actually take notice we don’t know), and we’ve also learned that Marmite has sparked fresh conversation, simply by asking which side of the fence you sit on when it comes to peanut butter – smooth or crunchy, and that’s without a brand re-launch?
We love our Lightbulb11 moment – it’s just one of the many light and refreshing parts of our day which helps us to get into the groove of news early on for our discussion.
From 11am, you will find us talking all about what makes the news agenda tick, the most creative thing we’ve seen or listened to that day – or perhaps just what’s made us chuckle.
Being surrounded by news every hour of every day of our lives means that we have to work harder and smarter all the time – and this is just one of the new techniques we’re adopting to become a better PR practitioners than we perhaps were yesterday.
Have a great weekend.
We work with brands to inform opinions and build reputations. We’re not limited to standard procedures or practice – our strategies will take you wherever our imaginations allow. Our focus is always on what works. We aim to deliver results that can be measured and will contribute to business success.
