Shout! Out Spring/Summer 2018 News, features and tips about Broadcast PR Including broadcast in a Peak, prime and perfect new business proposal By Catherine Bayfield It is often seen as the icing on the cake and if you're not considering broadcast as part of your campaign, you're missing out on a far reaching and influential medium. An opportunity on Chris Evans’ breakfast show on Radio 2 for example attracts a weekly audience of 9.43 million. Radio 4’s Today Programme reaches 7.15 million, but more importantly its analysis sets the news P&O Cruises' flagship Britannia agenda for the day. Listening figures like these are clearly The delicate art of securing long lead going to help you or your client reach your KPIs and even if broadcast PR is a service broadcast PR coverage you outsource, it's still possible to make a profit by marking up. By Keren Haynes beautiful ship” and we agree, she looked stunning. There are many different elements that The would-be apprentices were tasked with selling you could include in a new business The backdrop for an hour long, prime bespoke day tours round Bruges to Britannia broadcast proposal but some key ones are: time television programme, on the UK’s passengers. As any follower of the programme would expect, most watched channel: BBC One’s “The • Television the apprentices’ efforts were predictably chaotic, Apprentice” was filmed on P&O Cruises’ • Radio but their work was set against a stunning flagship Britannia and it resulted in an • Online video placement background, including the ship’s pool deck, luxury • Video production in particular B-roll amazing piece of PR generated coverage. restaurants and dramatic atrium (picture on page 2). • Media training and technical services like live streaming and outside Long lead PR activity is high risk, in that there is So what do you need to think about, if you’re no guarantee that the time and money invested will broadcasts for radio and TV. interested in securing similar long leads? lead to anything tangible. This time, however, it Continued on p2... • The brand needs to fit with the programme. paid off. Think about who the audience is to ensure there is One year on As he revealed to the candidates what their task some synergy. You also need to be able to fit the Last year we moved offices from Covent Garden was that week, Lord Sugar called Britannia “this programme’s formula. In the case of “The to a beautiful Georgian listed building in Apprentice” this needed to be a competitive Bloomsbury. We'd be delighted to give you a tour of our new radio studio. Just ask! activity, that could be measured in commercial terms, of interest to the cruising public. • You need patience! Programmes like “The Apprentice” plan months in advance. It took more than a year from the initial meeting with the producers until the programme finally aired. Continued on p2... Shout! Communications, Broadcast PR Specialists. 13 Great James Street, London, WC1N 3DN Shout! Out Spring/Summer 2018 Page 2 Continued from p1, Including Broadcast... So what do we mean by radio? 'Why include video Otherwise known as radio days, studio tours and radio media relations. Typically it is coverage on regional, in a broadcast national, BBC and commercial radio stations and your client should expect a minimum of 10-12 interviews, 1- 2 of which are likely to be national. proposal? Because But what if you're desperate for TV? TV can be hugely cost effective, influential and far reaching but is logistically more tricky than radio. B-roll WILL get you Spokespeople need to be willing to physically go into a If you've had media training, broadcast is never as studio or travel to Manchester for opportunities like scary as it first seems. Taking the pressure off a more TV coverage' corporate spokesperson further, is to allocate budget BBC Breakfast. TV broadcast coverage is difficult to Other considerations are allowing enough time to sell secure and isn’t confirmed until it goes out on air which for a third party spokesperson. Realistically you’re looking at around a thousand pounds minimum for a in to broadcast. We recommend at least a week but it does require a client to hold their nerve. can be less. It doesn’t matter how great the story is, Some questions to ask a potential client are: psychologist, up to the sky really is the limit for a celebrity. The advantage of a third party is that it schedules particularly for BBC regional stations get booked up a long way in advance. • Who is their target audience? takes the commercial sting out of the story for a broadcaster and allows messaging to be • What are their top 3 key messages? communicated in a more subtle way. Finally why include video in a broadcast proposal? • Who are their spokespeople? Because B-roll WILL get you more TV coverage. • Do they have a broadcast wish list? Outlets like CNBC and BBC Business programming for example positively ask for it and having footage means • What is their budget? a guest is more likely to be booked. Budget on around £1500-£2000 a day for film and/or edit. Clients are often scared of spending budget without Video production is cost effective as the footage can knowing what they're going to get and perceive often be repurposed – a B-roll for example can be used broadcast PR as high risk. This is going to sound like an to create a social media video and short corporate film advert, but as an agency we try to put ourselves in your to sit on your client’s website as well. shoes. We guarantee our radio and online coverage and offer a pay by results service for TV. Production too If you’ve got a new business broadcast proposal on the focuses on ensuring the client is satisfied with the final horizon that you think would work, why not give us a film, so we offer two rounds of video approvals. TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham is a perfect call? 020 7240 7373 example of a 3rd party spokesperson. Catherine is joint MD at Shout! Communications 'Think like a producer. You As Michael Hogan wrote in the culture section of The Telegraph: "It was impossible to miss the fact know your brand or clients that this task was set aboard P&O Cruises’ Britannia. It’s the UK’s largest cruise ship, we better than any producer were told. There are 3,000 passengers on-board, we were reminded. Cue copious shots of its luxe so try and put yourself lounges, swimming pools and spectacular atrium. As the disclaimer goes: other cruise ships are Continued from Peak, Prime and Perfect... in their shoes.' available. " Was it worth it? When journalists conclude you've got away with a The aforementioned atrium truly is stunning According to P&O Cruises’ Communications free prime-time advert, you know you're onto a Director Michele Andjel: Continued from p1, Peak, prime and perfect ... winner! • Think like a producer. You know your "Whilst we are very aware of the opportunity to brand or clients better than any producer so try and showcase a brand on prime time television, it is put yourself in their shoes. What ideas would fit critical that it is the right programme, attracting with your target programme? Producers the right audience and with content which will obviously know what’s best for their programme, enhance our reputation. I decline hundreds of but they are also receptive to creative input. opportunities each year but for us “The • Big programmes, such as “The Apprentice” Apprentice” was a show which was absolutely come with big demands and you need budget to the right brand fit for P&O Cruises. We saw meet them. It’s not just the people you see on positive engagement from our current and also screen who need to be facilitated, it’s the large potential guests, even including bookings made crews too. whilst the show was on air." Keren is joint MD at Shout! Communications Shout! Communications, Broadcast PR Specialists. 13 Great James Street, London, WC1N 3DN Shout! Out Spring/Summer 2018 Page 3 Poison gas: lots to SHOUT about CASE STUDY: Shout! Communications supported PR agency HROC and Project SHOUT to raise awareness on the dangers of carbon monoxide. By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant We had the help of some fantastic Project SHOUT (not to be confused with spokespeople, including MP for Walsall North Shout! Communications!) is a campaign group Eddie Hughes, case study Chloe Kilby, that raises awareness about the dangers of Campaign SHOUT and London Fire Brigade carbon monoxide poisoning . representatives. This campaign focused on rental properties in the UK, in particular those that don’t have a What we did; carbon monoxide alarm fitted. New research • Drafting of broadcast press releases, by the CO alarm campaign group revealed including tailored releases for national and Outcome; half of people renting a private property in regional radio and television First and foremost, we secured the holy the UK do not have an alarm fitted by their • Liaising with case studies and arranging grail of coverage for our client – BBC landlord. The campaign went live on the 18th numerous case study interviews outside the Breakfast! The story also appeared on 3 of January 2018, with a debate on the Carbon radio day of the ITV regions, London Live, Sky Monoxide Safety Bill taking place in the • Selling-in to national and regional News Radio, BBC Radio 5 Live and 4 House of Commons on the following day.