Phone hacking reverberations - rising media wariness

It's only personal, anecdotal evidence - nothing scientific here - but over the past two or three months, we at Hatch have noticed a marked difference in the level of wariness people have in dealing with the media. I'm wondering if other PRs are noticing this, too. Furthermore, I'm wondering if this is an immediate effect of the phone hacking scandal - the extent to which has only been exposed in the same time period - and has emerged as one of the most egregious attacks on privacy the media has conducted in nearly a decade. Of course, it was only one publication committing offense, hardly the whole sector - a publication that, sadly, people are still buying - but the effect seems to have reverberated across journalism as a whole. (But the question obviously still lingers, was it really just the News of the World, or is this typical everyday practice at the tabloids?)

It used to be that people in the tech sector (where Hatch mainly does business) were chomping at the bit to talk to me about what their technology was, what it did, whom it did it for, etc. In 2011, people are extremely quick to jump to the default "none of this can go to the press, by the way," line, glancing at me nervously as if I'm going to email my notes of the conversation to the BBC or the Financial Times the minute he or she turns her back. (And as if these world-class publications had been holding their front page for said notes.) They then drop their tone to a whisper and start giving me yes or no answers to innocuous questions such as, 'how long have you been using the technology?'

Obviously, I'm used to some level of wariness, and believe all media spokespeople should have an amount of it, particularly when dealing with the UK press. But lately it seems like a deep-seeded fear that innermost secrets will be exposed, jobs will be lost, and all hell will break loose if a PR goes anywhere near valuable information.

We're interested if other media professionals have noticed this increasing wariness, and whether you have other explanations for it. Further, what impact will this have on our industry, when we are paid to talk about stuff, and no one wants to talk?

Skeletons in your closet: dead physical media

No one was surprised by this month's admission by HMV that it is dying a slow death. The closure of 60 stores was announced immediately after the New Year, as people race to buy media online rather than visiting their favourite bricks and mortar. I recently had my fingers burnt trying to buck the trend. Wanting to send my father a physical copy of the Fisherman's Friend album for Christmas, I went to HMV. The salesfolk couldn't find the one copy that was meant to be on the shelves, but wasn't in the right place, and navigating the shop was like being caught in a hot, sweaty game of Labyrinth. My dad got a jar of marmalade instead.

We want music digitally because it's easier, but also because everywhere across the UK cobwebs can be found in the under-the-stairs closet covering untouched DVDs, software discs, CDs and games. There is no good use for the physical media that goes completely untouched once the media or application has been uploaded onto a computer, mp3 player or iPad. Herein lies the problem for all high street retailers.

The interesting question is not why this is happening, or whether it will continue (of course it will), but rather whether digital media sales will ever add up to what physical media sales did in its heyday. Many argue that the music industry will never enjoy the sales it once did, especially in the age of piracy (and in my opinion, the age of Simon Cowell). In 2009, total album sales fell 7 per cent, according to the Official Charts Company. Though digital sales rose more than 30 per cent, the physical sales shortage was greater. (Source: FT.com)

We think that just like with music, when it comes to software, the newest trend is not buying discs, having them posted to you (thereby paying delivery fees) and uploading them onto your computer. Rather, downloading directly from the internet enables users to bypass the entire discs-in-the-post, discs-to-discard loop. Though most major software manufacturers still haven't gotten in the game, insisting on sending discs in the post, smart online retailers are jumping on the trend. It is a way for online retailers to give back to the customer in the form of convenience and lack of delivery fees, and most importantly, saving the planet. But analysts agree that retailers must offer special features and a never-ending cycle of moneysaving deals to entice the customer in shark-filled waters.

For those readers wanting to know how to recycle old DVDs or CDs rather than feeding the nearest landfill, this blog post by ReduceReuseRecycle mentions a few ways, including the gardener's favourite: turning them into digital scarecrows. Maybe someday physical media will disappear altogether rather than losing its value in such an unsavoury fashion. I passed a charity shop in Birmingham the other day that advertised "£1 for a carrier bag of videos (VHS)." We're not too far off seeing the same loss in value of CDs and DVDs.

Christmas gift ideas for gadget heads

I went looking for Christmas inspiration, needing ideas on what to get my husband this year, and I found some unique gift sites for gadget heads:

*Gift Ideas
Lots of unique, very random gifts. Will shortly be buying my brother-in-law the 'badass motherf*cker' Pulp Fiction wallet and my husband the denture ice cube tray. (Probably best not to ask.....)

*Hammacher Schlemmer
Fabulous gifts for the gadget-minded. I'm not sure what their international shipping policy is, mind. It's from the US.

*Softwareload
Some excellent deals on software this holiday season. Direct downloads, no discs-in-the-post nonsense. I've got my eye on Dragon NaturallySpeaking to speed up the process of completing my novel.

Ok, ok - disclaimer - Softwareload is a client. Shameless plug: we disclosed some interesting Yougov research statistics last Friday on online shopping habits, found here.

See how I did that?

Merry Christmas shopping!

Blogger on leave. I repeat - blogger on leave.

Hi Readers,

Just a quick note from this blogger to say, thanks for all the attention and support over the past year or so since Re:medial's inception. You have probably noticed our blogging has slowed down. This is primarily because I'm off on maternity leave now for my first baby. So, thanks for reading and we'll kick things off again after my maternity leave.

I put up a little tribute to PR in my Facebook status which I'll repeat here for your pleasure :-)

"Farewell to being a spin dr for now. Bye, press releases, briefings & conferences. So long, dealing with the overworked and underpaid press corps. Farewell to the constant battle against hyperbole and broken English. Ciao, inventing news out of thin air, pitching non-stories to irate journalists & teaching clients to employ the lethal cocktail of charm, evasion and persuasion. Bye, PR - catch you on the flip side!"

Ciao!
Emily

New decade lacks official nickname

Hatch PR survey reveals PROs and journalists disagree on a catchy nickname to replace The Noughties

5 January 2010 - Birmingham and London - Despite having already begun, the next decade hasn't yet been named by PROs and journalists, a survey by Hatch PR has revealed.

When asked what the next decade would be nicknamed, nearly half (44.5 per cent) of respondents from the UK media industry went with the most obvious name; 'The 2010s.' A further 22 per cent of respondents thought the decade might be nicknamed 'The Teens.'

Other ideas presented included:
• 'The Tweens' (11 per cent)
• 'The Teenies' (11 per cent)
• 'The Tens' (eight per cent)

A few respondents had more amusing suggestions, including:
• 'The Tense'
• 'The years between and including 2010 and 2019'
• 'The Ayrtons' (Ayrton Sennas - tenners)
• ‘The Tenties’

"The numbers suggest a lack of agreement on this decade's media nickname, leaving the door wide open for someone to coin a good one," said Hatch PR founder Emily McDaid. "It's not surprising the opportunity is still available when you consider that 'The Noughties' didn't take off until well into the last decade, and it was never fully embraced in the US."

Respondents to the survey agreed on one point - that the nickname needs to be catchy. Nearly 80 per cent (79.5 per cent) of respondents said the most important attribute of a nickname was its catchiness. Just under half (46 per cent) said it was most important that the media embraces the nickname. A third (36 per cent) prioritised the nickname being short enough to fit into a headline, while 28 per cent prioritised the nickname being impactful to demonstrate the importance of that decade in history. Interestingly, not one single respondent indicated that the nickname should capture the politics of the time, but a fifth (20.5 per cent) said it should capture the social trends of the time.

Respondents were also asked to rank the most important trends in today's culture that would help define the next decade. Responses were:

• Wars and/or world peace - 60 per cent
• Global warming - 47.5 per cent
• The increasing consumption of digital and online media - 46 per cent
• Asia's rising influence on the world stage - 38.5 per cent
• Social networks - 37.5 per cent

McDaid continued: "Little more than half (52 per cent) of our respondents thought 'The Noughties' was a good nickname - so we think it can be bettered this decade. Any company or organisation looking to put its stamp on this decade should consider staking a claim to a name.”

Hatch PR associate director Chris Lee said: "Given our focus on digital media, we were delighted the numbers showed media professionals are recognising the rising influence of digital media on our world this decade."

About the survey: The survey was conducted in December 2009 via online methods and distributed via Twitter. It garnered 53 professional respondents working in media on both the journalist and PR side.

About us: Hatch PR is a boutique communications consultancy for the digital industries, specialising in working with web and mobile small businesses and startups. The company was founded in March 2008 and is headquartered in Birmingham, England. For more information, visit www.hatch-pr.com.