PR that starts an interaction and delivers advocates

For those who have not met us yet, welcome to ROAD. We are a new communications business taking old fashioned but well-meaning PR to its natural next step. We use on-line and off-line media and events to start conversations then go further than anyone to encourage customer advocacy. Our planning team helps us create great content as platforms to start relationships with clients’ stakeholders and customers. We then apply a boot full of new media tools to engage, educate, entertain, and network with them. Our aim is to create an understanding and appreciation that influences word-of-mouth recommendation.

Why do it? Some clever people at Harvard Business School figured out companies with a high rate of word of mouth advocacy grow fast and those without stagnate or shrink. They found some other interesting stuff too.

  • 92%: number of consumers who cite word of mouth as preferred source of information compared to advertising
  • 91%: people likely to use a brand recommended by someone who has used it themselves
  • 14%:proportion of people who trust advertising information
    • [small font] US figs. – various sources

Thanks for reading our newsletter. If any of what you have just read sparks an interest and you want to know more please visit www.roadcommunications.co.uk or email us at info@roadcommunications.co.uk

Paul [as a signature – with pic of Paul with captions Paul Jarman, ROAD MD. Drop him a line at paul@roadcommunications.co.uk ]

 

Enabling a brand conversation - it’s easier than you might imagine

by Simon Wallis, Chief of Dialogue

How many companies and brands just talk at their stakeholders – sending out communications that are blandly generic? The smart ones listen and capture the essential intimate details and personal preferences that make a long-term relationship tick. Proper dialogue. It’s a bit like a successful marriage really. Listen carefully and choose what you want to say and the exact moment you want to say it. I should know I’ve been married twice!

At ROAD we’ve been able to shift this paradigm with our proprietary DataCentre management tool. While the rest of the team at ROAD is doing the planning, developing the content and creating the communications platform, I’m busy figuring out how to handle the outgoing and incoming communication and the data is holds.

Firstly we manage responses, information requests and personal detail across incoming email, telephone, and websites then seamlessly and securely profile each stakeholder in a simple to view database. DataCentre firstly gives an overall view of your stakeholders’ attitudes and preferences, and then enables us to plan and execute responses. This way we can easily and quickly deliver relevant and timely content to each person via e-mail, sms or any other means as required. And so the process continues. As you build a rapport with each data point (sorry… stakeholder!), offering further content, information and rewards, so relationship moves from one of marginal interest to one of advocacy.

Of course the planning team is vital but so is the software. We provide full reporting on results, measuring effectiveness and changes in attitude of responses. Clients include AstraZeneca, MultiYork, Oddbins and Hoverspeed. And I can touch my toes! (just!..ed)

‘Simon Wallis, ROAD’s super supple Chief of Dialogue, – contact him at info@roadcommunications.co.uk’

 

I spy ...

Three new team members at ROAD.

Jane Boston joins from Wyeth Consumer Healthcare where she was Head of Communications overseeing the entire OTC portfolio. Jane created award-winning PR programmes for Anadin, Centrum Multivitamins and Chapstick. She had previously directed communications for Tesco Pharmacy and Tesco Healthcare and a host of other brands including Shredded Wheat and Dulux paints.

Having worked both in-house and agency side, Jane’s knowledge and contacts in the healthcare, retail and food sectors are second to none.
  Catch-up with Jane at
  jane@roadcommunications.co.uk’

Before joining ROAD Hannah Kapff worked for 10 years as a journalist and producer for BBC Worldwide, CNBC Europe and BBC Current Affairs. Hannah has already been advising several of ROAD’s clients on creating brand-related broadcast content, both on-line and off-line. She’s also been sharpening ROADs ability to create branded platforms through which branded conversations can start. See some of her work at www.corewellness.co.uk or send her a message at hannah@roadcommunications.co.uk
 


   Hannah Kapff

Ruth Delacour joins ROAD after a year at Superdrug and an education at one of the country’s top Universities. Ruth has written plays and published short stories, and lists her hobbies as handbags, painting and the bars and clubs of London. She is fascinated by cosmetic surgery and fame and knows all about who to meet and how to meet them via this wonderful thing called the web. Why not meet her on Face Book.
  


   why not give Ruth a poke
  at ‘face book address’

New wins

We are very proud to have recently started working with a host of new clients, some start ups, some big corporates, some highly niche – but all focused on creating advocacy through great content and by building planned relationships.

Come and meet them…

ROAD will support GSK in the consumer communication strategy behind its OTC migraine treatment, Imigran Recovery. The product was switched in June 2006 from prescription to pharmacy only status. Imigran Recovery is the only OTC migraine treatment that tackles both the symptoms and the roots cause of the migraine itself. Imigran Recovery offers true migraine sufferers a positive way out of migraine.
www.imigranrecovery.co.uk


SCA Hygiene, the personal hygiene specialist is using ROAD to introduce TENA for Men as an extension of its hugely successful female range, TENA Lady. ROAD has supported TENA Lady from launch to its current £45million share of the fempro market
www.tenaformen.co.uk


ROAD recently launched the European offshoot of the hugely successful Arab speaking music and entertainment network co-owned by Saudi Prince Al Waleed and ACKS. The channel plans to go 24/7 in January 2008.
www.rotana.tv



CRIPS is the UK’s first wheat and potato baked snack from Marbran. ROAD has created a big personality for the brand as it launches into a category long dominated by the same old super salty fried snacks. ROAD is currently introducing CRIPS to the retail, speciality food and ‘on trade’ prior to a consumer launch.

Each issue ROAD profiles a new customer type
- this issue we take a look a the life of ‘Chiswick mum’

Chiswick mum is 40 something, married (on paper anyway), affluent, hasn’t worked in years yet has an extremely busy schedule . She has 2 kids but can’t remember if she left them at their tennis lesson or not.

Play sunna video

Want to know what your fellow senior marketers think about communications in the current environment?

So do we! Respond to our survey and enter a draw to win a case of wine. We’ll collate all the results and feed back on what we are all thinking and doing.