The left brain versus the right brain

The human brain is the most complex entity in the known universe and despite the best endeavours of scientists, there are still many mysteries about the 1.5kg crinkled blob between our ears. I remember first hearing that we use just a tenth of our brains in the 1970s when I was at school. And how amazing, I thought, that there might be a way to unlock that whopping 90% of unused brain capacity. What would not be possible with all of my grey matter in action?

It was nonsense back then, and technological leaps in brain scanning has now proved this for all to see. "Functional imaging has shown us that there are very few parts of the brain that can't be activated by something," says Professor Sophie Scott of the Institute of Cognitive Science at University College, London. Even doing something simple, such as clenching your fist, uses much more than 10% of the brain. A functional brain scan reveals that a vast number of brain cells spring into action as they plan and initiate the contraction of muscles in your fingers and palm.

Anatomically, the brain is divided into two halves - the left hemisphere and the right one. There is some division of labour between them. "There are really big differences between the left and the right sides of the brain," says Professor Scott. "But that's never what people actually mean when you hear the terms used out in a wider discourse. That's very frustrating." From some self-improvement books and business management courses, you might think the two hemispheres are in effect two separate entities.

The left is portrayed as the seat of logic and rationality. The right is described as the font of intuition and creativity. Therefore, if you are a logical person, you use your left brain more. If you are more touchy-feely and artistic, you are right-brained. According to the myth, we would all be more successful and fulfilled people if we learnt to tap the full potential of both hemispheres.

Professor Scott says individuals do differ in the way they think through problems and reflect on the world, but this has nothing to do with different balances of power between their hemispheres. "Some people have really good visual imagery. Some people have good auditory imagery. There is lots of variation out there in how we take information in and process it. "But boiling it down into a left brain 'logical' and right brain 'creative' approach does not follow from what we see in how the brain operates. Also it also suggests you could be using one hemisphere more than the other and that's not really how it works."

The two sides communicate with each other and work together via a complex wodge of neural cabling known as the corpus callosum. The two sides of the brains are complementary and work in concert.


Posted by Leigh, Creative Design Director for The Bridge Group.

Follow Leigh on Twitter @tbgleigh

It’s a brand war – but where’s the battlefield?

We all know the importance of brands and the race to achieve a strong brand ranking. If we look at the well respected Brandz Top 100 as published by Millward Brown, the measurement is put together through teaming customer value perceptions with company financial information. And from Brandz Top 100 it is clear the tech companies have been charging ahead. Apple takes the number one spot, followed by Google and IBM. Meanwhile global branding company Interbrand’s 2011 ranking report, which grades brands on a mix of financial performance, role of brand and brand strength, gives the top three spots to Coca-Cola, IBM and Microsoft.

But there may be a new kid on the block with a different perspective on brand valuation. New website, Fan Page List has been created to help users find the official Facebook and Twitter profiles of their favourite brands. But it also ranks brands according to their Facebook popularity and this, unsurprisingly gives an entirely different focus to the Top 100. Our Brandz number one, Apple, is nowhere to be seen , although Interbrand’s number one, Coca-Cola does come in at number 16. The top 20, according to their Facebook equity, includes many more FMCG brands, with Starbucks featuring as the breakout star (long recognised as one of the most switched on brands in social media with more than twenty-five million Facebook ‘likes’). Perhaps less obviously, Starbucks is accompanied on the list by much less obvious brands like Nutella, Skittles and Oreo.

We’re all about building brands in inventive ways and increasingly using Facebook as part of integrated marketing plans. So well done Fan Page List, it's good to have you around as a great source of brand building inspiration.

Ode to working parents

Professional, steadfast, accurate. These are just some of the words that can be used to describe the working professional. But how can you describe the working parent? Dichotomous, contradictory, and overall, someone with the ability to have a split personality.

As a part-time working mother of a reception age school child, a normal day could involve anything from client meetings and dealing with media enquiries to communications strategy work. But come school pick-up time, I’ve morphed into ‘school mum’. At this point the day takes a twist where anything can happen.

Diplomatic skills come to the fore when being forced to provide answers to nonsensical questions and providing sympathy when told the latest woe of the day. Acting skills brim to the surface when presented with the latest artwork from school which resembles, well nothing really. And ‘fun mummy’ is created when trying to fill the gap between home time and dinner time without resorting to two hours of television, the best babysitter of all. Of course, it’s a duplicitous fun mummy who tries to insert in a good dollop of learning into the playtime without being noticed, or else a tired fun mummy who is actually no fun at all.

Often while crawling round the room trying to impersonate a diplodocus, or when grossly overreacting to some minor misdemeanour I have one thought, which I’m sure must be shared by working parents the world over, ‘if my colleagues could see me now’.

Nikki


Nikki Cheung is a Senior PR Consultant at The Bridge Group. Follow her on Twitter @tbgnikki.

Affordable rents – a tricky message to convey

So apparently the government has no definite plans for its Affordable Rent programme after 2015. This will come as no comfort to those of you who have worked for months to work out how to apply Affordable Rents. But I’m sure it will also come as no surprise.

The thing is not to be sidelined by this announcement. In communications terms it is a red herring. If your housing organisation is committed to this round of Affordable Rents then you need to be seen by your customers who will be hit by higher rents to be fully behind it, no matter what. Because if you seem frustrated, your customers will pick up on this and use it as fuel to their dissatisfaction fire.

So, as always, grit your teeth, and go where no housing organisation has gone before, into 80% market rent territory. Just be very sure that you’ve got your communications to your future rent-affected customers right. Work out your messages and your likely questions and answers and ensure that all relevant staff are informed.

Then, sit back and await the next government proposal.

Nikki

Nikki Cheung is a senior PR consultant at The Bridge Group. Contact her on nikki.cheung@vu-tbg.com, by calling the office on 024 7656 0440 or via twitter @tbgnikki

Rob’s ramblings… (sorry predictions!)

QR codes, accelerometers, Kinetic, Drones…the list of new technology changes daily. Here, Rob Newell, Digital Director at TBG’s sister company VU Creative, predicts what digital developments could mean for the housing sector. With 11 years’ experience of digital and web development under his belt, we thought we’d better listen up…

Rob’s ramblings… (sorry predictions!)

1. QR codes will become more mainstream as Smartphone handsets start to be delivered complete with QR code reader technology.
What are QR codes?
Crack the code
How do I make my own code?
QR codes for housing organisations


2. New ways of using accelerometer picture tilting technology are developing all the time. Left right, up down, move that iPhone all around.
What is it?
Using accelerometer technology in the housing sector


3. With Kinetic, Microsoft has created the only true wireless and controllerless hardware – you and your movements become the remote control. Events, exhibitions, training, home, games, fitness and engagement – this technology will be built into all hardware in the not too distant future.
Kinetic pairing – how can I use it?
The future for housing organisations


4 Augmented reality – less of a prediction, more of a reminder – and now housing relevant uses are being pioneered in the US. How long until they cross the pond?
What is Augmented reality?
Some of the best uses of AR

5. Drones, small, unmanned gadgets which pass information back to you. It’s still a bit of fun at the moment, but we’re starting to see ways that this technology could add real value.
How it works
How could it work for the housing sector?


New technology opportunities are developed every day, and only some will ever be useful for you. If you want more information on how your organisation can be more effective and create value for money, contact Rob Newell, creative digital director on 01933 409411.


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What are QR codes
QR codes are everywhere. From crisp packets to business cards, buses to billboards. If you have missed this one completely (and don’t despair, they’re often small and unexplained additions to packaging or promotions), a QR code is a little graphic that you hold your Smartphone camera over and it takes you to a specific web page. They are cheap to create, utterly trackable and easy to use - when you know how.

Crack the tbg code here

Make your own code at http://www.qrstuff.com/. Remember to send it to us to check out!

QR codes for housing organisations
My advice on this one is look out, it’s coming and it’s not as hard to see the use as perhaps first thought. In two or three years time it will be a case of how did we live without QR codes, or do you remember before we had QR codes? Just think about QR codes on adverts in bus stops in your area, providing direct access to vacant property listings or local services. The ways to use this are only limited by imagination and web capability.

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What is accelerometer?
It is the technology that detects movement in your phone as you tilt it. At the moment these are really used for entertainment-based games, like driving cars or flying aeroplanes, however new ways of using this technology are evolving all the time.

Using accelerometer technology in the housing sector:
Team the accelerometer with Googlemaps... Properties could show as an icon and clicking on them would reveal a pop-out showing the prospective tenant or buyer details and availability. This could also be expanded upon to allow people to look around the area, see what the area is like, how far the local school is – even how tidy the neighbours keep the garden.

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Kinetic pairing – how can I use it?
You can pair the kinentic with a normal PC, so your movements are detected and you become the remote control. This will become much easier and more widespread once Microsoft releases the software development kit to allow this to happen. But we’re already doing it... don’t worry, it’s totally legal!

The future for housing organisations
If you pair the controllerless tech with artificial intelligence you have got personal trainers in your living room, office or wherever your computer is – the possibilities are endless. Architects are already using this to draw floor plans. And Kinetic will infiltrate the sector, with particular opportunities for tenant engagement. Just as webcams have gone from being a single unit, to being fully integrated into computers, so this technology will become integrated and begin to negate the need for a keyboard and mouse all together.

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What is augmented reality?
As virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one, so augmented reality gives a live or indirect view of the real physical environment – with elements created by computer generated input. The view of the environment (reality) is modified (augmented) by the computer....

Some of the best uses of AR
- The best AR apps
- Creating AR without being a coding wizzkid!
- Most useful

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Drones
How it works
It works like this: we buy a drone, such as a remote control helicopter. We connect it up with two video cameras which then feed video back to our phone as we fly it around the office, home, event or exhibition. It is relatively inexpensive to buy the equipment, and the uses of it are both fabulous and frightening.

How it could work for the housing sector
Imagine this - you are sitting in your office discussing the latest external refurbishment of a local block of flats. To make this easy you send your helicopter drone out of the window and join your colleagues and partners around your computer screen as you all enjoy the images of the block in real time. Or, you are sharing estate-based regeneration plans with residents. To illustrate this you display on a big screen the exact site and show how it relates to their home. The possibilities are endless.

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Are you ready to bare all?

Plans to consult on extending the Freedom of Information Act to cover housing associations have got the sector talking. The Government believes greater scrutiny equals more effective organisations. Former NHS communications manager and The Bridge Group’s Associate Account Manager Emma Dudman shares her experience of the Act and suggests how you can get ahead of the game.

Housing minister Grant Shapps has announced the Ministry of Justice will consult on bringing housing associations under the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIa). Currently the Act is applicable to all public bodies so many of us will have had some exposure to the legislation through contracts with local government. Yet many in the sector – backing the National Housing Federation’s line – are resistant to coming fully under the Act. Chiefly because of the perceived cost implications in managing and responding to requests and the thorny issue of whether social landlords should be seen as public entities. The Act is a framework through which any individual can request information classed as in the public interest. Responses must be provided within prescribed timeframes (usually within a maximum of 20 days) and the Information Commissioner’s Office enforces compliance.

During my time in the NHS I’ve dealt with requests which represent good, bad and spurious use of the Act. Undoubtedly some people use FOI when they don’t need to. Despite the attempts of sites such as Whatdotheyknow.com to guide requesters through the process. FOI can become a channel for vexatious complainers, especially as requests can be made using a pseudonym. Some journalists use the Act as a blunt investigative tool, which can lead to time-wasting requests for information which is already publicly available. And the conspiracy theorists and activists love it – submitting often baffling treatises for obscure facts.

But what was good about labouring under the legislation? Firstly, it forces you to analyse your data management. Something all businesses can benefit from. To comply with the Act organisations must create a publication scheme which lists what information they hold and any plans to make it publicly available. The aim of this is to avoid unnecessary requests but it can also be a valuable exercise in determining who in your organisation has what data and why. Secondly, FOI requests can provide insight. Generic press requests from the nationals or trade titles, which had clearly gone to all similar organisations, encouraged us in the NHS to always be aware of how we compared on key issues. The housing sector is better at evaluation than many, but if you don’t already know how you’d fare in a league table on everything from repair times to waiting lists, FOI is another incentive to find out.

Queries about the gender of GPs in our patch highlighted not enough patients knew they could request a male or female doctor depending on their preference. Questions about prescribing helped our patient engagement team identify hot issues around chronic illness and target appropriate research. Indeed, for some hard-to-reach groups the anonymity of an FOI request may be the only way they feel comfortable raising an issue.

Grant Shapps’ argument in favour of the Act’s extension hinges on this potential to empower those who most need access to information. He challenges that the activities of housing associations, as beneficiaries of public investment, should be as transparent as possible.We’d encourage organisations to share their views when the Ministry of Justice begins its consultation on this issue. Find out now what you’d need to do to comply with the Act as part of your business planning. Who would manage a publication scheme and how would you process requests?

The National Housing Federation Code of Governance advocates operating in an accountable manner and most of us would assert that openness with tenants and other partners is already a priority. Yet, being subject to the Act removes an organisation’s ability to set its own comfort zone. If the extension happens it will mean even the most progressive among us in this area will face challenges in finding the capacity to handle requests and to move to a culture where nothing is off limits.


Key things you can do now:
1. Think about how you would deal with queries if the Act is extended? How would you create capacity? Ensure whatever process you’d chose gives your communications staff oversight of responses.
2. Explore creating a publication scheme for your organisation. For most organisations this can be as simple as including on your website what reports, research and facts and figures will be shared publicly and when.
3. Identify your weaknesses. What FOI request do you fear? Take steps to deal with that issue and get your press team to plan crisis management around it now.


If you would like to discuss how your press team could gear up to deal with FOIs or want to improve data management within your organisation email our Head of Communications, Jonathan Goode or call the office on 024 7656 0440.

Bins, bargains and the Big Society: apps for social housing providers

Apps are the latest trending topic in housing, and small wonder. They're pocket-sized, but delivered correctly can pack a real punch. So how are organisations already using this technology and what can you do to keep things practical?

This screenr presentation from our associate Kerry James explores a few housing, social and retail apps and gives pointers on where providers can go next. Just a little food for thought, plus a useful tip on dealing with possums trapped in dustbins, for now. Expect more musings on our blog in the coming weeks...

How social is social media?

How do young people from poorer backgrounds use social media? This was the question that The Bridge Group and WM Housing Group looked to answer at a recent jointly-hosted Young People’s Digital Awareness Day.

More than 20 youngsters, between the ages of 12 – 21, including schoolchildren, apprentices and young people living in foyers, attended the day.

The full results, including questionnaires from other youngsters in the west midlands, are still coming in, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that these people, who largely came from economically excluded backgrounds, use digital media much the same way as anyone else.

• 100% of the youngsters use social media, the vast majority of people accessing the internet from a computer either at their, or someone else’s home.

• Facebook and text messaging are their favoured sources of communication

• 60% access the internet every day

However, busting the myth that young people nowadays hide behind technology, 65% of the youngsters preferred to liaise with their friends face-to-face and 70% prefer to communicate with organisations either face-to-face or on the telephone.

And organisations beware, the younger generation claim to have a healthy cynicism of company pages on Facebook as they feel well aware that these can be sales tools.

Nikki Cheung, Senior PR Consultant at The Bridge Group, who helped facilitate the day, said: “Many studies exist on how young people communicate, but evidence on how young people from less affluent households use digital media is few and far between.

“It is important for us to understand this social group so that we can best advise our clients how to communicate with their current or potential future customers.

“The day was great fun and highly interactive. However, now the hard work begins. When all the analytical data comes in we must then interpret the information so that we can put together a report complete with tips for organisations which work with young people.

“I would like to thank everyone at WM Housing Group who was involved in this event. It truly was a joint exercise and I look forwards to maybe repeating the exercise again in the future as we keep abreast of trending technology.”

Watch this space for the analysed results…

Babies, boys and biscuits

So we’re eight months old, in merger speak, which we think has gone pretty quick.

Two new staff, three tbg babies and a scary amount of celebratory tea and biscuits later, we can safely say we’re chuffed to bits with progress to date. If you’re sitting comfortably, then please, do carry on....

Firstly a big welcome to our new boys - Graphic Designer Nathan Nightingale and Web Developer Robert George. Nathan joins the design studio after working on brands such as Volvo, Sandvik and a midlands-based rugby club. Meanwhile Robert brings seven years’ development experience to the web team having worked in sectors ranging from restaurants to telesales.

But the new arrivals don’t stop there as ‘once, twice, three times a baby’ takes the 2011 theme tune top spot. Congratulations to Leigh, Creative Design Director, Jonathon, Head of Marketing, and Michelle, Regional PR Manager, on their beautiful, bouncing bundles. Prepare for the ‘ahhh’ factor before you check out two of the cuties...

Fighting Talk

It’s been tested in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria, to name just a few. And finally the folks of England have had their own jolly good test of how well social media works. The result is that social media is highly social.

We’ve had last-minute organised riots across London, Birmingham, Manchester, even Gloucester, for goodness sake. It seems that geography across England is not a problem for social media access. And judging from the people who have been interviewed in the media, I don’t think we need to worry about any underclass not having access to the same communication tools – it seems that people were fairly represented.

Of course no-one ever said that Twitter, Facebook and the likes were only for the use of good. Fast communication methods can be used for all purposes – great news for the criminally minded. But also useful for more community-oriented masses, which our current crisis has also flushed out into the spotlight. The clean-up operations going on in all affected localities are a good way to warm your heart and remind you that humanity still exists – in this case a humanity that is largely organised via the web.

Of course, what’s not yet clear is whether the rest of the UK is as digitally connected. But maybe someone can think of a more suitable method for finding out the answer.

Raising smiles by riding miles

Over the past year we’ve been supporting and working with retired police chief superintendant Ian Dodd to help promote his D2D Cycle Challenge in aid of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Ian and fellow American cyclist Richard Slusarczyk took on the challenge to cycle across America, from Disneyland in California to Disneyworld in Florida in under 50 days. The aim was to raise £25k for the leading wish-granting charity for children and young people battling life threatening conditions.

This month he made it – and pretty chuffed we are for him too. It took an impressive 46 days to complete the challenge, throughout which they passed through 14 states and have been from 179 feet below sea level to 10,275 feet above sea level!

They’d made £21,000 when they started out - here’s a few of the highs and lows of the journey:

Week one - they cycled over 425 miles through California and into Arizona. Cycling mostly uphill and getting lost several times in the baking heat they suffered only minor injuries at this stage.

Week two - reaching for the skies they cycled over 600 miles uphill through Arizona into New Mexico and then into their fourth state Texas – where they were chased by a bunch of boarder dogs.

Week three – they were chased by US border patrol, first the helicopter, then the vehicles demanding passports, apparently they look Mexican. Over 1,400 miles and nearly half way through the challenge.

Week four - the first puncture! Not bad considering they cycled more than 1,846 miles.

Week five – it’s goodbye to Texas and hello Louisiana when after having not seen rain for weeks they entered really heavy storms.

Week six – welcomed by Mississippi and Alabama they were guests at the major USA Rotary meeting of the year where the club presented them with a cheque for $500! Turns out sometimes it pays off to talk to strangers after all.

Week seven - they finally arrive in Florida on 7 July and were greeted by family and friends with an impressive story to tell.

Just some of the odd objects spotted on the hard shoulder included:
- 22 spoons
- 15 forks
- 1 knife
- 9 odd flip flops
- 4 pairs of underpants
To name just a few.

Huge congratulations from all at TBG go to both Ian and Richard.

Working on the D2D Cycle Challenge project over the past year I personally have noticed how determined Ian has been to complete this challenge. His drive to raise the money to help Make-A-Wish grant memories for young has been inspirational.

He certainly deserves a medal, even if it is one for madness!

Now onto the final event gala which takes place on September 10 at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall which aims to push the amount raised over the £25k target. And we certainly hope it does.

Roni

Work experience at The Bridge Group

It was a shame that my Bridge Group experience was only a brief two days, however it is most certainly one that I gained an awful lot from.

Upon arrival I was warmly welcomed by Lucy (@tbglucy), and then Nikki (@tbgnikki), and then, of course, the rest of the team. My mum soon realised I was in just about the warmest, safest and professional hands possible, and promptly left before my levels of embarrassment reached an all time high.

I was handed a full plan, every minute accounted for, both days. It was then I realised I was certainly not a tea boy, as I feared after hearing stories of my friends work experience. In fact, I didn’t make a cup of tea the whole time I was there. Oops.

The first formal thing I did was have an in-depth chat with Nikki regarding PR in general, my plans for the future, and how she could make my time with them worthwhile and give me some ‘hands-on’ experience of writing articles.

I then met the team. From design to marketing to PR, someone from each area gave up their own time, despite having shed loads of work to be getting on with, to show a boy who they’ve barely even met what their job entails, and briefly how to do it. In most cases however it was in one ear and straight out the other. Sorry Scott, I did try. A big thank you to JB, Roni and Scott for letting me do that.

With that out of the way, I knew the writing side of PR was what I wanted to do, the other areas were far too complicated, and it was time for me to get down to some work. I was given three newsletter articles, ranging from older people using the internet, to writing the text for community fun days. I was slightly nervous: would my writing style be okay, would I actually be any good, and would I make the 140 word boundary!

After lunch I cracked on again, and by the end of the first day I’d finished my first three tasks. After a long, tiring day it was time to leave, and I awaited my de-brief with Nikki in the morning.

Nine am and I was back. I met rest of the team that had been away yesterday and I was introduced to Sarah, Anna, Ian and John. I printed off my work, and handed it to Nikki. It was like giving an essay to my teacher, except this teacher was nicer, made cups of tea and was far more smiley. At this point, I honestly was worried there would be endless pen marks, scribbles and annotations on my fairly useless first attempt. However, I was told I had a nice writing style perfect for a newsletter which was the publication that I was writing for, and yes there were a few changes here and there but nothing too drastic. Relief. Nikki gave me feedback and things to improve on but I felt good, and more importantly felt like I hadn’t let her, or Anna, down. Next task!

It then got a bit more serious, and rather than cutting down press releases into smaller articles I was given a brief for a press article about a community fun day in Daventry. This entailed making a phone call to one of the organisers, taking notes, and then writing it from scratch. I felt okay coming off the back of my last articles, but still nerves were jangling.

These two press releases took up the rest of the day, but were tasks that I really, really enjoyed receiving feedback on again. There were things to improve on but on the whole loved my two days and thought I performed well.

It was almost time to say goodbye, but not before another of Roni’s cups of tea, and giving Nikki and the team my thank you card and tin of Cadbury Roses.

Overall, The Bridge Group has undoubtedly opened my eyes to the world of PR, giving me skills and tips that I don’t think I’d have received anywhere else. The team are selfless: I was worried that I would be an inconvenience to them and get in the way but they treated me as an equal and made me feel very welcome. I will miss the bridge: the work, Scott and JB’s banter, Val’s singing and Monica’s sandwiches and would once again like to thank them for allowing me to work there, it was a great couple of days.


Ben Cooper
Work experience at The Bridge Group, July 2011.

R.I.P News Of The World

It was full of breasts, bad grace and bull. So why am I sad at NoW’s demise? Because the timing is terrible.

A healthy democracy needs a thriving, solvent, independent, diverse and good media industry. Yes, blogs and online media outlets are springing up all over the place, and I applaud this wholeheartedly. But where are our guarantees that the facts given in these places are true, and how do we know which bias filter we need to use, as readers/viewers/listeners, to make up our own minds about what each story is really about?

Yes, our professional media sometimes gets their facts wrong. I would like to think that deliberately falsifying information is rare and limited largely to the gutter press. And as for getting things wrong by mistake, UK journalists are highly educated, highly trained and have to be careful for their own careers to stick to a strict code of conduct which includes ensuring information is correct and using balance in their stories. This same level of integrity cannot be said for every country.

Yes the media outlets follow their own agendas, courtesy of their string masters, but we as their audience know, for example, that The Guardian will have a different take on a story to The Sun. And consider ourselves lucky. We know that Murdoch et al have their own bias, but compare how much more open his UK products are to wider views than, say, the rigidly right wing Fox Network in the US. And if/when the British Murdoch empire goes, if that space is filled at all, what’s to say that it won’t be filled by a similarly slanted owner?

Is this same rectitude and code of conduct employed by people writing their own views online? No. Citizen journalism is utterly legitimate and serves to improve democracy, but I believe that it must be balanced by information from professional and hopefully more independent news organisations.

So, did I like NoW? No, I hated it. And I detest the worst methods used for news tapping that are coming out now into the open, which no doubt were employed far wider than by people in just the Murdoch empire. And it is absolutely right that this information must come into the public sphere so that the industry can be cleansed.

I only wish that this scandal had occurred more than 15 years ago, when the financial backing for traditional media was more secure. Sadly, now this scandal must hasten the demise of the traditional media as we know it.

Surely advertisers will flee even faster from our tainted media. And our media organisations which are bravely and no doubt desperately trying out different business models by diversifying abroad, such as The Guardian and The Daily Mail will take a reputational nose dive by association, from which, who knows, they may not recover.

So rest in peace NoW. I mourn for the era of media which you may well have ripped apart.

@tbgnikki

From Twainee to Twending

I’ve recently started making some tip-toes into Twitter. According to socialmediatoday.com, 175 million people have a Twitter account, so I’m only slightly behind... I started my own (@bainseybaines) so I could learn how it worked without practicing on the agency account (@tbgagency). And crikey, it’s a funny old world, is it not? In the last week I’ve noticed trends from “Sophie Ellis Bextor” to the potential sale of the nations beloved BBC Television Centre to a personal favourite, “Liesforlondontourists”. Trends can make me laugh, make me cry (well, almost), and in many cases, make me just ask, ‘why’?

A colleague of mine created a free guide to using twitter for the first time (thanks @kerryhjames), she called it “From twainee to twitterati?”. And what a help that has been. As Kerry points out the main advantages of having a twitter account as a company or individual are increasing networks, developing brand awareness, being at the forefront of hot news (and lets be honest, hot gossip) and we’ve already found it can be great for driving business. In fact, we have just quoted on our first enquiring. Twenquiry? Nope, that’s going too far.

I thought when we started that we had to find thousands of followers and become major players in the space. In fact, we don’t. Baby-steps are fine, and perhaps this is a part of the appeal. Our community might be small, but it’s ours. It’s all people we want to talk to and who want to talk to us. So my thoughts are this. Don’t think too big when it comes to twitter. Don’t go jumping in with your big size tens following anyone and anything in the hope that they’ll follow you back. Follower/ following ratio is important and an even ratio shows a natural growth and interesting like minded community. It’s really not as hard as I thought but we’re constantly on the look our for tips and ideas, so do let us know if you’ve got anything to add! We're @tbgagency and we looking forward to tweeting with you...

Facebook: Flash in the pan?

Facebook: Flash in the pan or here for the long haul?

The stakes are high for Mark Zukerberg’s Facebook, but are the users still playing ball? Reports suggest that Facebook will go public in early 2012 with a value of around $100billion. And as we’ve reported before, display ads on social networks were the biggest growth area for ad revenue in the financial year to March 2011, worth over £25 billion in the UK alone.

According to the Boston Herald, Facebook refuted claims that it lost six million US users in May alone and 1.25 million users dropped off in Canada in the same month. Here in the UK reports are rife that the site has lost one hundred thousand users so far in June. Overall the figures are still up, as emerging territories like Brazil and Mexico are seeing the rapid take-up that was once reported in the triad. There’s talk on twitter in the UK that this sort of loss always happens around June, as GCSE and A-Level students suspend accounts to avoid distraction before reinstating them after exams and that US students tend to cancel and restart accounts once graduating from college. However market research agency, Inside Facebook, note that growth on the site does seem to stagnate, and even decline, once penetration reaches fifty percent.

With this being the second month in a row that Facebook’s growth has been slower than normal, we’re all being quick to ask if the bubble has burst? But Facebook will keep growing as it adds new territories, just think how the numbers will grow when China gets onboard. We may not love the site quite as much as we once did but we’re not cancelling our profiles just yet...

How low can you go? Low carbon that is.

It’s pretty crazy to think that one home will have to be retrofitted every minute to meet 2050 standards for low carbon living. That’s 11,000 household per week - a ticking clock on housing stock. But we’re not just blogging to sink you with stats. We’re here because help is at hand… in the form of our new free guide for housing providers.

Created by Ian Hembrow, our housing and engagement expert, the guide gives top tips on how to engage with your tenants on low carbon living. And whilst we’re at it, here’s some TBG tips for us all:

1. Home is where the heat is.
Just a few energy efficient measures in the home, could save the average household two hundred pounds a year. And if every home in the UK swapped their gas central heating for a condensing boiler, we could save enough energy to power four million homes for a year – well that’s the West Midlands taken care of.

2. Keep your lights beaming bright with energy efficient light bulbs.
Not only do they last around ten times as long as a standard light bulb but if every UK household swapped just three of their normal bulbs for energy efficient ones, we would save enough energy to keep the UK’s street lights shining for a whole year. Be a bright spark and don’t let the lights go out...

3. Feel the freeze.
If everyone upgraded their fridge and freezer older appliances to A-rated energy efficient products then energy wastage would be cut by over two thirds – a chilling combined saving of one billion pounds on bills.

Pretty impressive stats - but we only reap the benefits if we all get involved. So back to the guide for ideas on how to get your tenants on board…

Equality duty deadline 31July 2011

Equality duty deadline 31July 2011

Summer’s on its way, but along with the beaches and barbeques comes a big day for housing providers...

The latest part of the Equalities Act came into force in April, and registered housing providers have until the end of July to publish statements to show they meet the new equality duty. Like towels on sun-loungers and windbreaks on beaches, plans need to be put in place to make sure you're sitting pretty. So here's a reminder from TBG: don't get burnt this summer - get working on your equality duty statement now.

Need help? Contact Ian Hembrow on 01865 861664 or i.hembrow@bridge-group.co.uk.

Lucy's London Marathon

Two years ago I stood in the shade of Big Ben and watched my sister reach 26 miles in the London Marathon. The look of determination I saw on her face to get to the finish line gave me a bizarre inspiration to set the goal of running it myself.

On Sunday I’ll be lining up at the start of the London Marathon and what a journey it has been to get there.

No matter how big or small, crazy or mundane, everyone has goals they want to achieve in life, and we need a plan to get there.

When I set out training I spoke to people who had run marathons before to draw on their knowledge. I listened to what had and hadn’t worked for them before writing my own plan to reach the start line.

I’ve had to tweak the plan along the way. Some days I didn’t want to run at all or wanted to run a shorter distance than was on my plan. It wasn’t the end of the world when this happened.

The most important part of a plan is having the right people around you so when you derail slightly you know how to get back on track.

For me the support I have needed has come from a great physio to make sure I’m healthy, experienced runners to give me advice and supportive friends and family who keep me motivated.

Most importantly, day-in-day-out I have had the TBG team around me. Luckily they’re used to supporting and advising people to reach their goals, whether it’s launching a rebrand, handling a media crisis or producing an annual report – nothing fazes them (not even my whinging)!

I don’t know how I’m going to feel when I reach Big Ben on Sunday. But, I can go into the race with the peace of mind knowing I have listened to advice, taken it on board and made sure my plan was right to reach my goal. All I need to do now is cross the finish line!

Lucy

Follow me on Twitter: tbglucy

Battle for the billions

So it turns out things are working out pretty sublime for advertising online. According to a recent survey by the IAB (that’s the Internet Advertising Bureau to you and me), the revenue from internet advertising has really booted-up, and now tops the £4bn mark. No prizes for guessing where the biggest rise has been? Yep, social media. Specifically, it’s display advertising on social networks that has really popped-up with Facebook in particular working hard to get advertisers onside.

With a whopping 25 per cent of our time online spent on said networks, the ability of sites to target ads specifically based on the detailed account info and the ‘like’ feature encouraging users to recommend products, service and brands to friends, it’s no great surprise that advertisers are spotting the potential.

And that’s not it for Facebook. In a survey carried out last year by Online Marketing Connect, 55 per cent of companies said that Facebook was “improving brand awareness and reputation”. It’s no wonder small and medium sized enterprises are following the big brands and working hard to create their online presence. Check out the free guides we have created to help guide best practice in social media.

But the scrap to become social king doesn’t stop there. Yesterday Google launched it’s much hyped ‘+1’ feature, which should see things heat up pitting Google against Facebook in the race for share of that £4bn. Google +1 works much like Facebook ‘likes’, allowing users to see in Google search results where friends have recommended a given product or service. Plus to use the +1 feature searchers must first be signed in to their Google account, giving Google access to the same level of detailed personal information as Facebook gets.

So Facebook may have won this battle for the billons. But watch this (web) space for who might win the war...

Training courses from The Bridge Group

It’s training time!

We’ve been run off our feet answering requests over the last weeks after uploading free guides for you – just the way we like it, so thanks for getting in touch. However, it’s got us thinking about how else we could help set you on the right track and really get you and your team trained up.

So what do you do when you take a call late on a Friday night and, alas, it’s not a social call? Instead it’s a complaint from a resident who has just found out that the scheme manager has run off with all the cash for the coach trip. If you don’t know how to react or who to call then the chances are your team don’t either. And even if things aren’t quite so serious, we believe that in the current economic climate protecting your brand will keep you in the top spot – and that means making sure all of your people are clued up on reputation management, as much as controlling a crisis.

We’ve been sharing our expertise through training courses for quite a few years now and have had good fun with many of you along the way. Right now we’ve got our eyes on the prize of preventing media crisis and more general media training. So if you think you need an extra boost to help get to the finish line as a winner, check out the media crisis training guide right here and the media news training guide here. Get your running shoes at the ready…

All winners at the National Housing Federation conference

Brand brain wins the bubbly.

Oops, we did it again. Played with some brands, got lost in the game…

…yes, once again, our annual battle of the brands was a hit at this year’s NHF marcomms conference, in London.

With bubbly up for grabs, plenty of delegates took on our baffling brand challenge but as always, there’s only one winner. This year it was congratulations to Eddie Kelly, head of communications at Richmond Housing Partnership.

Plus for the digitally adept among you, you might also like to know that the quickest person to complete our digital puzzle was Sam Platt, communications manager at Somer Housing Group.

A big thanks to everyone who came to say hello or took part in our competitions on the day. It was great to see so many familiar faces and we hope you had as great a day as we did. Don’t forget to brush up on your brands for next time…

Free download: how to handle a media crisis

Free guide could be music to your ears.

It’s 5pm. It’s Friday. And you’ve a reporter on the phone querying about the safety of your newly-launched product or enquiring if the rumours of your finance director putting his hand in the till are accurate.

Media crisis may strike at the worst times, and we can’t promise to make them the best of times, but our latest how to guide should help ease the pain. And hopefully avoid it in the future with tips on trigger points and media crisis plans.

Our work on this project got me thinking about media crisis that haven’t been well handled, especially in the world of social media. One of my personal favourite oft-quoted case studies is United Airlines’ lack of crisis management when they managed to break the guitar of one of their passengers. Dave Carroll happened to be a musician (no surprises there given that he was travelling with a guitar), but what United would have benefitted from was an understanding of the strong YouTube following Carroll had and the power of this medium. After Carroll saw his guitar being thrown around, he was ignored by cabin crew and ground staff at his destination and then spent a year arguing with United Airlines customer services. His YouTube video attracted 2.3 million views and a story in the LA Times within 12 days - exposing the brand and the story to the worldwide public.

The point is, whether in social or traditional media, there is no point trying to ignore a crisis. United made a feeble and very late attempt at Tweeting back an apology. What United could have done, (aside from providing decent customer service in the first place) would be to post a response video, such as a public apology by the CEO to sit on YouTube alongside the original.
If you know the online complainant has a point, and that their views will reach the people that matter to you, it’s certainly better to reply on the same medium your public is using (i.e. if they’re tweeting, tweet back but if they’re uploading videos, consider uploading one back). ASDA did just that after rogue employee posted a video of himself rampaging around the ASDA store in Fulwood, destroying stock and property in his path. Within 24 hours ASDA had posted a response video which showed various employees at the store talking about how shocked they were with this behaviour and stressing what a great place it was to work. Crisis averted.

Help before you need it most. Download the free guide here.

Scores on the doors

Digital delight is the score on the door for us this month, as we take our place at stand 20 for the 2011 NHF Communications and Marketing Conference.

For the 4th year, we're making our presence known - and we're pretty sure you'll be pleasingly puzzled by our new digital engagement games. Plus, following our merger with VU Creative in January, we’ll also have our new specialist digital director on hand to answer any of your digital dilemmas on the day.

Held at Hotel Russell in London on the 10^th March, this is the only national conference for communications and marketing professionals in social housing, and offers speakers from a host of organisations including Ken Livingston, Lembit Opik and Lesley Riddoch. They will be presenting on topics like best use of social networking, increasing local media profile and putting value for money at the heart of your messages.

With a brand new stand and digital jigsaw puzzle game on show, we’re looking forward to a day of fun, friends and possible a fistful of chocolate or two to keep things lively. Do come and say hello, play some games and win some prizes. And don’t forget to keep your eye out for special competitions on twitter during the event.

Ready to report

OMG – my oh my….not another anagram. Sorry folks, but we make no apologies for this one. In our world we’re talking open-minded guidance. And it’s free!

For this month’s download, it’s our very own Ian Hembrow that’s been burning the midnight oil. And he’s created a detailed guide to producing ‘new style’ annual reports for residents, specifically in compliance with the framework introduced by the TSA last April.

To get the info, we ran a competition to find the best residents’ annual report in the midlands and carried out an online survey to get everyone’s input on best practice. Finally, here’s the long-awaited results – just check out the free download on our website.

Alternatively, if you’re tight for time, here’s our top tips on working with the framework below:

1) Use the changes to regulation to sharpen up your accountability to residents even further. Your annual report should be a key way of signaling and sustaining co-regulation with customers.

2) Keep the focus of your annual report firmly on residents. Don’t deter or distract your readers with heavyweight information for other audiences.

3) Build opportunities for feedback into your report - not as an extra. Experiment with different techniques and do something new every year.

4) Set and stick to tight word limits for each part of your report. Remember that the more words you add, the less likely it is people will read them.

5) Be clear, open and up-front about the things you need to improve, will boost your reputation, not harm it. Customers like organisations that a prepared to own up to mistakes and problems. Residents can help you put things right.

6) Be brave and try something different. Use your customer profiling information to look at residents’ preferred communication methods and target these.

7) Don’t let the changes to regulation mean that your residents miss out on the chance of a better, local deal. Use your annual report to check on how well you’re tailoring and varying your service to different areas and groups.

Let’s also add a well done to Optima Community Association, who scooped our ‘best report’ award! Optima created an innovative, fresh and personal feeling report, with a design that allowed residents to dip in an out, as well as get the chance to win an iPod for their feedback.

If you need any help with your report, feel free to give us call. We promise OMG.

Hats off to housing champs at Ascot

Good things come in three’s – or so they say. Well that was the plan last week as three of us (and our orange hat) headed down to Ascot Racecourse for an awards ceremony to big up some of the nation’s best-loved homes for older people.

Best hat competition aside, what was particularly impressive about the 2011 National Housing for Older People Awards, was the way the winners were selected. After all, old people and a pack of cards might be a normal combination, but the result of an awards ceremony is not.

The awards, run by the Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC), recognise specialist housing schemes which are the best in their field. And to select the best schemes more than 3,500 residents from across the UK got involved in a card game that led to scores on design, services and well-being.

Turnout on the day was also impressive. The crowd of 350 guests boasted nearly 200 residents donning an entertaining array of headwear (to enter a best hat competition) in keeping with the venue’s tradition.

With all 64 schemes attending either bagging a gold, silver or bronze, everyone was a winner. And with guest speaker Nicholas Owen, and hats sporting casino, beach and fruit bowl displays, glitz and glamour were also high on the agenda.

But in my opinion the real stars of the show were scheme staff, who not only made it possible for the residents to get involved in the nominations, but enrich the lives of hundreds of people daily with their care and kindness, even when the party’s over.