The Knifedge-created Christmas e-panto campaign, aimed at companies in the City of London, was featured in The Evening Standard’s City Spy, plus the business diaries of The Independent and sister paper ‘i’.

Meanwhile, sustainable laundry product manufacturer EcoEgg was the subject of a full page profile in The Daily Express today.

Well done team!

Advocates of awards claim they help firms differentiate themselves from the competition, attract new business, impress potential investors, gain recognition from peers and achieve valuable press coverage.  They are also a great morale booster for staff.

Those against, argue that awards are a vehicle for industry types to pat themselves on the back and that they cater mainly for larger firms with the time and resources to devote to entering awards. 

Some critics go further and accuse certain marketing agencies of putting award wins and accolades before the needs of clients. 

Others point to the vast array of awards on offer and ask if they actually mean anything to potential customers and suppliers. Often some of the more obscure awards are self serving, created to promote a particular media-savvy business or organisation.

Understandably, award winners like to shout about their achievement from the rooftops but for all the time, money and effort they take, are they really worth it?

For smaller marketing agencies, the often lengthy entry process can be an onerous one, putting pressure on already over-stretched resources.

That’s why careful consideration is important before entering awards.

Award winners often don’t receive a conventional prize such as cash. The incentive for entering is more the accolade and prestige that a win will bring to the business, plus related PR opportunities.

It’s therefore important that the reputation of the awards is considered before entering.

Ask yourself: are these awards well known in my industry? Do they create a buzz in the trade press? Would I be impressed if my competitors won the same award?

It can also be useful to look at which agencies have previously won the awards. Do you admire their creative work? Are they now in a position where you would like to be in the future?

Of course, there’s also that old chestnut of what do the awards actually mean to existing and potential clients?

Inevitably, some clients will be impressed that you are an ‘award-winning agency’ however there will be others who couldn’t care less, preferring to see tangible returns on their investment and workable, creative solutions that satisfy their requirements.

Last but by no means least, it’s important to ask ‘what’s in it for my business?’

Good award schemes often provide winners opportunities to network with other marketing professionals, potential clients and suppliers. Some even supply benchmarking information allowing agencies to compare themselves against competitors.

Subjecting your best creative work to independent scrutiny can be a valuable learning process. It also provides an opportunity to look beyond the day-to-day and see the bigger picture.

In the great scheme of things, are awards the be all and end all? Probably not.

Are they a sure fire way for clients to spot the best agency to work with? Probably not.

However, they do have a place in the marketing industry and can be a good indicator of the calibre of an agency, its creative work and its people.

That said, agencies must first and foremost strive to develop the best, most creative work they can that satisfies clients’ needs and improves their business prospects.

Then, and only then, should they submit an entry for an award – and the award scheme chosen needs to be relevant and worthwhile.

Here at Highlight, we’re often approached by businesses, large and small, keen to get their names in the press but unsure of how to go about doing it.

Often they’ve had a stab at writing a press release which hasn’t quite had the impact they were hoping for, or they’ve seen their competitors getting good coverage and want to know how they can get a piece of the action.

Good publicity is worth its weight in gold and an effective PR strategy is vital for success.  Most business owners are short on time, so getting it right first time is essential.

But where do you start?  We’ve put together a few pointers to help:

1. Get the groundwork done

To get the most out of your PR strategy, you need to get your house in order.  Is your business ready for publicity?  Are you able to handle an increase in demand for your product or service? Are your staff fully briefed to handle enquiries?

2. Define your PR goals

What are the objectives of your PR strategy in the short, medium and long term? How do you plan to measure success?

3. Be ‘on message’

What are the key messages you want to get across to the media? What is unique about your business? What do you want press and customers to say and think about you? These key questions will help determine what messages to communicate to your audiences and add focus to your PR strategy.

4. Know your audience

Successful PR is about reaching the right people with your message at the right time.  Understanding your target audience is a must.  Who are your customers?  What publications (on and offline) do they read?  What social media channels are they active on?   What topics or issues interest them?

5.  Do your homework

Research your target media before you contact them to get a good idea of what kinds of stories they cover.  Do the publications focus solely on news or do they cover more in-depth articles?  Make your message clear and concise and give journalists all the facts, figures and images they need.

6. Keep an eye on the competition

What are your competitors doing to promote their business?  Where is their coverage appearing?  By watching others, you can learn valuable lessons and adapt your PR strategy accordingly.

In a nutshell, an effective PR strategy is not about guesswork. It’s about rolling up your sleeves, doing your homework and having a carefully thought out plan. And that’s where a good PR agency can be invaluable, guiding you though the process.

PR is a long-term strategy – like anything that is worthwhile in life, it takes skill, time and effort.

As with Miffy’s previous anniversaries that we’ve publicised (45th in 2000, 50th in 2005), we’ve used a mix of brand PR initiatives, birthday events, traditional media relations and social media to increase awareness of the character and drive sales of licensed product.

To mark World Book Day in March, we organised a colouring competition in UK pre-schools. This raised over £3,000 for Book Aid International, led to coverage in The Guardian and boosted hits on www.miffy.com by 920% on World Book Day.

In April, we set up a 2 page arts feature on Miffy’s creator, Dick Bruna in The Independent’s Saturday Magazine, and secured prominent photo coverage on The Telegraph Online.

During Miffy’s official Birthday week in June, we staged a costume character photoshoot on Westminster Bridge and held a bespoke tea party and Autumn product preview for key journalists, mummy bloggers and their offspring at the private member’s club, Maggie and Rose in Kensington. We also staged interactive promotional events in retail outlets such as JoJo Mama Bébé’s flagship store in Kingston, amplifying the events through local media.

In September, The Daily Mirror featured a cute Miffy gymbag as the number 1 item in its choice of back to school products. The bag also featured in tween titles Girl Talk and Star Girl, along with a matching backpack.  A stylish Miffy lamp has also just featured in The Sunday Telegraph’s Stella Magazine.

Having started our Christmas PR campaign back in June, we’re now well on the way to securing a high volume of product placement in consumer gift guides across a wide range of sectors. Miffy gifts span all ages, and a new range of design-led Dutch imported toys and interior products, available on www.miffyshopUK.co.uk, is proving very popular with journalists. We’re expecting a mass of Miffy Christmas coverage this year.

Throughout 2010, we’ve also launched new social media profiles for Miffy. Her 903 Facebook fans and 1105 Twitter followers have been able to keep up to speed with all the birthday news, events and high street launches, as well as win numerous prizes.

Highlight PR has been appointed to help promote an inspirational new creative workspace and cultural hub for small businesses in Holt, near Bradford on Avon.

Glove Factory Studios features 8,000 sq ft of contemporary office, studio, café, meeting room and event space, set around an attractive courtyard overlooking open countryside.

Highlight PR is tasked with driving the profile of Glove Factory Studios and helping attract local small businesses and freelancers from the creative, IT and environmental sectors looking for flexible and affordable workspace.  A programme of cultural events is also planned.  PR activity will feature a mix of media relations, events, engagement with key influencers and social media. 

Nick Vellacott, director of Highlight PR, comments: “Glove Factory Studios offers the kind of space, service and community that small business owners cry out for.  We’re relishing the opportunity to help put this dynamic space on the map.”

To find out more about Glove Factory Studios, visit www.glovefactorystudios.com

Congratulations to Ellen Durrant and Kate Woodward from Highlight PR for completing this year’s Bath Half Marathon on Sunday!

Running for the fifth year in a row, Ellen showed her class with an impressive personal best of 1.43.06. Kate also clocked up a new personal best of 2.15.04 in this, her second Bath Half and her seventh half mararthon overall.

Over 11,000 people competed in the event which was won by Kenyan Ezekiel Cherop in a time of 1.03.03. The fastest lady was Michelle Ross-Cope in a time of 1.12.07. The event was started by Bath-based Gold medallist Amy Williams.

Ellen is now training hard for her first London Marathon at the end of April, where she is running for Young Minds, a mental health charity. If you would like to sponsor her, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/ellen-durrant

Photo: Jess Loughborough

To celebrate the dawn of a new decade, we’re proud to launch a new identity and website for Highlight PR, designed by Bath-based agency tallhatDesign.

After 10 years in business, we felt the time was right to unveil a more contemporary look and feel for the agency. We also wanted to reveal more about the great team of individuals who work at Highlight. Local photographer Celia Mannings is responsible for our new black and white portraits.

This site is built entirely in WordPress – a great platform for small businesses looking to good looking, cost-effective and easy to manage websites. It’s a system we use to manage and maintain a number of websites and blogs for our clients.

If you’re interested in aligning your PR efforts more closely with your website or blog, then please get in touch.