All posts by Elena Davidson

PR Week recently published an article that delved into how large businesses organised their global communications programmes.

The conclusion after gathering insight from a number of in-house and agency sources was that there isn’t necessarily a best practice, rather a list of ways in which this can be done.  This is a fair reflection of the reality of global comms; there isn’t a one size fits all solution and it very much depends on what you are trying to achieve.  It also isn’t the case that multi-territory campaigns always require pots of cash to implement.  Many clients are taking advantage of media globalisation and realise that by choosing the right media, creating engaging content, and carefully controlling messaging, you can be very frugal in your approach.

Liberty works with a number of clients on global campaigns.  One of our multi-territory clients is a global contract manufacturer in the high tech space for whom we’re helping to extend its marketing beyond the US and into Europe, directly supporting sales activity.  The campaign is centrally managed out of the UK and includes developing digital assets and then using global digital media outlets to engage and take audiences on a journey through to sales.  Regionalisation is handled centrally, and because messaging is sales focused, on-the-ground sales teams will feed into approvals and amendments, through our global client in San Francisco.

Similar to this, but in consumer marketing, was the recent launch of the new Range Rover Sport in New York.  This a great example of a centrally managed global campaign without local territory support.  Hiring a global icon to front the launch – Daniel Craig, aka James Bond – and the controlled use of global media distribution channels via Richard Young, an iconic society photographer in his own right, meant that this story was always going to cross borders.  So no need for regional offices to curate the content; it was a media juggernaut that had to be managed centrally.

Where local offices can be very effective is on-going marketing and PR support where there is a clear benefit.  Regional press offices, for example, that simply must be on the ground to recognise locally-specific issues and cultural differences, particularly where politics is involved.  Another is media buying, either at a country by country level or wider regional level, such as APAC, where relationships and volume can make a big difference to placement and buying power.

Because there will never be a one size fits all global model, the most sensible happy medium for marketing agencies that work on global business is to take the central hub approach covering off key regions; that way you’re never too far away from being able to tailor your approach from campaign to campaign and client to client.

Last night saw us reach a really significant milestone in our history. We are delighted to have won the 14th annual Media Employer of the Year Award at the W Hotel in London.

The awards, which recognise and celebrate the innovative talent attraction and retention initiatives from organisations within the media sector, was judged by an independent panel who included Martyn Hill, Business Development Manager of Firefish and 2011 winner of Media Employer of the Year; Katherine Varian, Head of HR at Cohn & Wolfe; Bruce Macrae, IIP assessor & owner of Media Network; and Aliya Vigor-Robertson, Managing Partner at Journey HR.

Suffice to say the competition was significant with big names such as Publicis and Total Media all very worthy shortlisted candidates. We gained a significant amount from the whole process (with fantastic support from the team at Pathfinders throughout) but to hear our name called out as the winner was incredible!

For us, it means a tremendous amount. As an agency we are embarking on a significant chapter in the agency’s growth and to know our employee strategy and approach to staff can support this growth is important. It also marks an important personal achievement for our MD, Dee Gibbs who has grown the agency over the last 16 years to what it is today.

As we look to 2013 our top 5 tips for helping other companies in the same position are as follows:

• Work as a team – you may have brilliant products and fantastic clients, but unless your people are working together as an effective team, your company is unlikely to fulfill its potential.

• Put a people strategy in place which matches your culture and ethos – Getting the most out of staff is of course a matter of leadership, but in all except the smallest companies it also essential to have a people or workforce strategy in place. Key to our strategy has been understanding the requirements of our organisation as we have grown. That means listening to what our employees and clients say and reflecting the feedback in the support, policies and procedures we have put in place. Equally important is recognising how efficiently our team has been working. You can’t do things alone so having a team that is behind you and working towards the same goals is critical

• Drive performance – Creating a motivated, loyal and efficient team has been the bedrock to our growth. You need to incentivise and encourage staff though fair and competitive benefits (regularly bench marked), pro-active approaches to training, robust appraisal systems and of course the magic word, thank you. Remembering to take the time to say thank you for a good job well done goes a long way!

• Recruitment – as with the retention and motivation of existing staff, finding the best people as you grow does come down to competitive salaries, company benefits and opportunities for advancement. But it’s also worth remembering that the way your business presents itself is important. If you wish to attract self-starting, entrepreneurial and creative members of staff, that’s the image that your company should present. Also, don’t forget to get out and about. We live in a small world – knowing people opens doors!

• Have fun! Work becomes so much more engaging if you not only enjoy the work but also the people who work with you. Take the time to get to know your team and don’t forget the socials – let your hair down and enjoy yourself – especially as the Christmas party time approaches!

There’s no doubt that social media has (and is still) changing the way consumers interact with brands.

Social media key to customer service?

From a customer service perspective it has never been more important for brands to recognise this and put strategies in place to ensure they are quickly and accurately responding to customer requests. According to a recent survey from NM Incite, nearly half of social media users have sought customer service via social channels, with 71% of those who did so (and had a positive experience) stating they would recommend the brand or company publicly, compared with just 19% of those who got no response.

 
It’s clear that people engaging with social media channels expect a quick response from the company they are engaging with. It’s clear too that if they are happy with the response that they will endorse the organisation to their networks. There’s a lot of potential reward in having a good social media strategy in place – if you would like more info on how we can help you do this we’d love to chat to you!

Recently, you may have seen that Gizmodo reported on a leaked copy of Apple’s Genius Training Workbook. Described by Gizmodo as “an exhaustive manual to understanding customers and making them happy”, it provides a fascinating look into Apple’s approach to customer service.

Whether their motive is to genuinely provide the best client service possible or something more commercial to increase revenue, one thing remains: they are still a brand universally known as keeping their customers at the heart of their business.

If you have ever worked in customer service for any company this guide won’t come as much of a surprise. I remember something similar when I took my first job in HR for women’s fashion retailer, Principles. Their mantra was to create a fantastic customer journey, which was felt from the moment you walked into the shop. The company invested thousands in creating the right look and feel for customers – from the music playing as people entered the shop, through to the perfume at the cash desks, the lay out of the store and most of all the people. Everyone was trained on the right approach to greeting and engaging with people – with the aim to make you more comfortable and happy, in order to increase sales.

This is something we do at Liberty too. We have developed our global standards document of procedures and processes to make sure our team always provides our clients with the best possible experience. There’s nothing more disappointing to us than a disappointed client and we invest in our teams to make sure they are the best they can be. Now, this comes down to people being willing to grow and learn and take on new approaches but with the right attitude, correct training and fantastic reward and recognition policies we can help our teams to make sure they are the best they can be.

The key is also encouraging everyone to listen – truly listen – to clients. It’s only then can we truly develop campaigns that will make a real difference. We communicate regularly, ask for feedback and never rest on our laurels. The personal touch goes a long way too – remembering to offer a hand of help if they have a particularly busy week, saying thank you and sending surprise gifts and flowers go a long way – as well as the obligatory well deserved lunch of course.

Now no company will become the largest company in the world (like Apple) by being nice just for the sake of being nice. Apple is cool, but it is a much more disciplined cool, that is focused on the bottom line. But I don’t think that being nice is a bad thing. After all, it’s much nicer to go into a store where you are treated nicely with empathy, get polite answers to your questions and actual help with your problems. It’s no wonder their team of “geniuses” actually help to generate sales. In fact, on the same day Gizmodo reported their story, TechCrunch reported that according to a study by NPD Group, “nine of every ten Apple owners are somewhat or much more likely to make another Apple purchase following their tech support experience.” Furthermore, one percent of those polled said they have a better perception of Apple after getting technical help at the Genius Bar.
One thing is for sure – would we really complain if we got a positive experience from a store we visited or organisation we had dealt with? I don’t think so.

In my role I am often asked whether I feel appraisals are a waste of time and what we can do as either the appraiser or appraisee to make them more effective. In this blog post I have tried to answer some of these questions and help provide some tips to getting the most out of appraisals.

In my opinion, most people’s dislike of appraisals comes down to the experience they have had with them. For appraisees their dislike can be a result of feeling like appraisals are used as a stick for management to beat them with – rather than a forum to focus on their development and growth.  For appraisers (managers) their dislike can result from knowing they are expected to get people to change but not knowing how. However, done in the right they can be a fantastic tool to help inspire and grow your employees.
In my view the key to a good appraisal system hinges on these key elements:

• Communication – many appraisal systems are introduced without spelling out the benefits which means people participate half-heartedly because they are forced to. Like anything communication is key
• Training – Most managers are not trained in conducting appraisal interviews. As a result, almost everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. The appraisees don’t get the motivating feedback necessary to improve their commitment and productivity; the appraiser doesn’t learn how he or she could manage better; and the company doesn’t get the data it needs for planning and improving what it does. Poor interviewing by appraisers reinforces people’s worst fears and sometimes creates more problems. Likewise setting unclear or unrealistic  objectives and measurement following reviews can also be detrimental
• Job descriptions – Without adequate job descriptions there is no sound starting point for the appraisal and there is no way of measuring improved performance. It is the performance of the various tasks in the job description that must be appraised and improved
• 360 degree feedback – without gathering feedback both from above and below it is impossible to get a rounded picture of a person’s performance. Annual reviews should be 360 degree reviews with feedback taken form a cross section of people and teams the individual works with.
• Time – the biggest reason appraisals fail is often due to time. People don’t prioritise the development of their staff and push appraisal meetings back. It’s easily done especially in a busy communications agency where client commitments often take precedent. But making sure appraisals happen is so important. Making sure the right preparation is done too is key. All too often, prep is often left to the last minute meaning the right investment is not made
• Ongoing improvement – the final area which is often missed is to leave meetings about a person’s development until appraisal times. For an appraisal system to be effective a person’s performance should be appraised more regularly than every year. In my view appraisals should be done every 6 months with more regular catch ups scheduled in between (as is deemed appropriate for the individual). Obviously for very junior members of staff their development should be driven by their line manager and helped and supported through the process of line management. However, for managers and above (especially those with experience of line management) it’s important for the individual themselves to drive their own development. Everyone is different so being able to tailor an approach accordingly is key to making sure everyone gets the most out of the process

Without doubt, properly conducted appraisals are one of the most powerful tools for enhancing your people’s performance and your business’s profits. Find ways to avoid these mistakes and your people will learn to enjoy appraisals with all the benefits of improved performance.

http://www.prmoment.com/1133/are-appraisals-a-waste-of-time.aspx