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digital PR campaign failure

Social Media & Digital

Public polls: Guaranteed digital PR campaign failure?

Everyone likes to voice their opinion, right? The concept lies at the very heart of so much in our lives, from democracy to market research. But when the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) hands naming rights to a new jail over to the people we have to wonder if public polls don’t guarantee digital PR campaign … Continued
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digital PR campaign fails

Digital marketing

Can this Holiday Guide end digital PR campaign fails?

We all know that digital PR campaign fails are like buses. They happen every day. The best way to avoid jumping aboard is through strategic planning well-before undertaking any marketing work, but unless you’re an award-winning digital PR agency [ahem] that’s not always the easiest thing to do.
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Manchester PR agency

Advertising

Sober October at this PR agency: Top anti-drink ads

Struggling with Sober October? Feeling pressure from another invite to the warm sanctuary of a pub in autumn? To mark the halfway point of what for many is a real test of psychological strength, this Manchester PR agency has compiled a list of anti-alcohol ads you really need to see.
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PR agency

Social Media & Digital

PR agency thoughts— Do we need Instagram Threads?

Last week Facebook took the bold decision to launch a new messaging app as a new arm of Instagram. The new platform is built on a ‘camera-first’ principle, but even so this PR agency has to ask, do we need another account to check? The rise of messaging apps Based purely on statistics there has … Continued
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Social media pros

Social Media & Digital

How will Facebook’s Like cull impact social media pros?

First it was Instagram sending influencers into meltdown. Now it seems that parent network Facebook is looking to follow suit by hiding the overall Like count for posts. They say it’s better for our mental health. We say that’s probably true. But how could the move impact on the work of social media pros?
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Smoking Gun

Newsletter

Our News

September 2019 in the Smoking Gun study

To prorogue or not prorogue, that’s the question that defined the UK this month. Thankfully, here at Manchester’s most ingenious PR and social media agency we were much clearer on things. Downton Abbey product launches, high profile trade shows, not one but two returning team members, a new starter, and our own successful industry roundtable.  … Continued
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Marketing

Newsletter

Generation Z: Insights into brand loyalty and discovery

Generation Z, AKA The Great Unreachable. Coming hot on the heels of self-interested millennials is a demographic already claiming to be the most compassionate and concerned on the planet.  But what do these people want from brands? Other than more ethical and environmentally-sound practices? Thankfully, wherever Gen Z is, Snapchat is too— trophy piece social … Continued
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CGI Influencers

Influencer marketing

Newsletter

CGI influencer marketing: 4 questions for the avatar stars

When is an influencer not an influencer, as we know them? How about when the influencer isn’t a person, and nobody knows who’s behind the animated character? The world of influencer marketing has always been a murky one. Celebrities promoting products they don’t believe in. Bloggers on the blag. Uncertaintysurrounding what has been paid for … Continued
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reputation management

Newsletter

Rick's Rambles

Without its reputation, your brand is nothing

Last week Smoking Gun’s Manchester HQ hosted a round table with Prolific North [LINK]. Attended by some of the finest marketing and branding minds in the region, we wanted to know one thing. Just how valuable is a name?  It’s tragically fitting that this took place just days after the collapse of Thomas Cook. One … Continued
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brand experts

Marketing

Brand experts at Google: 'Branding means coherency'

How do you market a company that’s big enough to be a verb? Why bother marketing a company worth $155.5bn? According to a new piece in The Drum, brand experts at Google believe the nature of what it means to be a brand has changed dramatically in the last decade. And understanding this is vital.
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Messaging and c-commerce

Digital marketing

Messaging and c-commerce: What consumers want

According to the figures, the top four messaging apps in the world now claim more active users than the top four social networks. But how are brands using messaging in c-commerce, as the term has been coined, and what do consumers want and expect from this?
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Social media tips

Social Media & Digital

Social media tips: 6 proven conversation starters

How do we get people talking online, and specifically talking about our brand? You may not think you need social media tips anymore, but we could all do with a little help starting digital conversations.
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social media marketing

Facebook

Social media marketing improvements with Facebook Relevance Diagnostics

2.23billion people log-on to Facebook worldwide each month. So it’s unsurprising the platform has been dominant in social media advertising for years. But do you understand the social media marketing improvements this can offer? 
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