Join our Aspectus experts for a free online webinar discussing the challenges that marketing and PR professionals face in an ever-changing business landscape.
For many businesses, especially right now, there is concern about how you market yourselves whilst ensuring you get it ‘right’ — whether that’s investing in the channels that will deliver the best return, or communicating with your audience in a way that will resonate.
And, with 58% of consumers claiming that the way brands behave during COVID19 will affect their decision to give them their business in the future, the need for you to communicate effectively couldn’t be more crucial.
During this webinar, you’ll hear from some of the leading minds at Aspectus and their thoughts on how you can positively position your business, both now and in the future.
In this webinar, you will learn:
The importance of messaging and tone of voice – run by our content and strategy director, Chris Bowman
Cutting through the noise with considered creativity – run by our creative director, Daniel George
Integrated campaigns – run by our head of integration, Lucinda Armitage-Price
Managing sensitive issues and crises – run by our MD of North America, Alexa West
Plus commentary and advice from Aspectus’s Global CEO, Alastair Turner and Chairman, Bill Penn
Watch on-demand
Positive positioning: marketing your business during COVID-19 and beyond
The battery storage market across Europe is developing at break-neck speed. The continent expects to increase its production capability 20-fold in the next seven years. Northvolt is a well-known example of a gigafactory expected to come online in Europe, but it will not be the only one. Some estimates suggest Europe will have ten gigafactories, but this could only be the start. And Europe isn’t the only region pursing the battery revolution. Globally, battery investment is set to soar.
And the battery supply chain is not just growing its capacity; it is developing new products too. Innovation in energy storage is rife, with developments of the current go-to favourite lithium-ion batteries, as well as exploration into other battery compositions taking place. Innovations include reducing the amount of cobalt used in batteries, increasing silicon in the anode, and more radical concepts such as solid-state batteries.
Whether the future lies in solid-state batteries, lithium-ion batteries or something new yet to be invented, one thing is certain; the battery storage market will continue to grow and develop over the coming years.
And with innovation and proliferation of technologies comes competition and complexity. Which tech is the best fit for where and which use cases? Why this company and not the next?
This innovative, fledgling sector has strong support from governments too, who are keen to accelerate the take-up of battery storage as a way to support renewable integration and reduce carbon emissions to meet legally binding targets. But this isn’t enough to ensure your success. For every funding pot available, you need to show why your solution will work and how it helps to reach our decarbonisation targets while standing out from the crowd. Then, you also need to convince customers to buy your products. The value of the innovation needs to extend past just kWh savings and into tangible value for the customer.
This is when the engineers step back (and start working on the next innovation) and the comms professionals step forward.
Business change doesn’t happen overnight and so a sustained and pertinent message is key – just look at the smart meter rollout and the challenges required in getting customers to change their habits. This is a minor change in how bills are calculated – requiring less human involvement – and not a fundamental shift in market operation and offering increasingly competitive procurement of grid services.
Technical information needs to be distilled into understandable chunks, key selling points need to be sold as part of the wider energy transition and innovations need to be understood in how they integrate the grid – it’s more than simple media relations or technical content – it’s a whole-system approach to the media landscape.
One thing is for sure, the demand for batteries is only set to grow as we electrify transport and decarbonise the grid, so focus needs to be placed on building a communications plan that’s charged and ready to cut through the competition to lead on delivering the energy mix of tomorrow.
Every year the king of social media sets himself a set of new year’s resolutions, or what he calls personal challenges (because, you know, he has to be different), and in true Facebook style, shares them with the world.
We’ve been witness to: ‘wear a tie to work every day’ in 2009, ‘read a book every week’ in 2015 and ‘learn Mandarin’ in 2010. My favourite so far was ‘get more comfortable with public speaking’ – he really needed that one last year given all his Q&As with the heavies in Congress.
But this year, he’s stepped up his game and given us no fewer than five challenges, which are more like ‘new decade’ resolutions, by the sounds of it.
Generational change
Coming in first is his quest to provide generational change. He says that when he launched his platform, he hoped it would give those without a voice the power to make a difference. He says that while it has given people a voice, it hasn’t made the generational changes in addressing important issues he had hoped for (no surprises there). Anyway, he has committed to focusing more on funding and giving a platform to younger entrepreneurs, scientists, and leaders to enable these changes.
Private social platform
His second challenge is to create a private social platform. Acknowledging that, while Facebook has created a global community, it leaves a lot to be desired in the intimacy and purpose department. With the global decline in mental health being connected to humanity’s dependence on likes and shares, Zuckerberg wants to create smaller, more meaningful communities where people can truly connect and discover their unique roles in society.
Decentralising opportunity
With more than 140 million entrepreneurs reaching customers through Facebook, there is no denying the opportunities Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram provide to small-to-medium enterprises in growing their customer base by using his platforms. His fourth challenge is to use technology to build payment systems so smaller companies have the commercial opportunities that were previously only available to larger businesses. Hello Libra, we see you.
The next computing platform
Elon Musk’s Neuralink doesn’t get as much airtime as his other ventures – maybe because it’s an implantable brain chip which will “merge biological intelligence with machine intelligence,” and probably freaks out the majority of the population. Zuckerberg has a slightly different approach to melding human consciousness with technology. He sees the future of digital communication through rose-tinted augmented glasses. Far less invasive, his glasses will track brain functions so that users can control actions like clicking and scrolling by merely thinking about them. “‘Facebook wants to perform brain surgery,’” Zuckerberg joked. “I don’t want to see the congressional hearings on that one.”
New forms of governance
His last challenge – I see it as more of a wish – is for governments to take a more regulative role in online privacy. He has repeatedly said that he doesn’t think “private companies should be making so many important decisions that touch on fundamental democratic values”. Fair enough. He wants governments to establish clearer laws around elections, content, privacy and data. Another suggestion he has given is community self-regulation. He wants users to be able to report problems to an independent board which will have the final say on whether certain content is allowed.
After an eventful couple of years, this seems like quite the undertaking from the social network. We’ve all heard the accusations of unfathomable atrocities the platform has faced, from privacy violations and involvements in elections to spurring literal genocides. Yes, Zuckerburg faced Congress and paid a $5 billion penalty but still made profits every quarter. Who’s to know if these are purely words on paper – like so many of our own new year’s resolutions turn out to be – or if there will be actual change. One can only hope. Right?
You probably have no idea what a ‘gong bath’ is, and recently, neither did I. Then, as part of Aspectus’ winter wellness initiative, a group of us were taken to the GONG studio.
Here, our Gong teacher Selma, explained that a gong bath is an ancient healing practice in which sound waves, produced by a gong, heal the mind and body. Laid back on a matt and equipped with a blanket and eye mask, the gong sounded for 30 minutes, transmitting frequencies to the brain which lulled me to a surprisingly meditative state throughout the session.
According to Selma, the gong sounds are used to restructure the body’s water molecules. As humans are comprised of 70% water, the vibrations flow seamlessly through your body, placing you in a deep state of consciousness and relaxation.
Different sound frequencies stimulate the body and mind into balancing its inner emotions and alleviate existing mental challenges – in other words, into better communicating with itself. Some of the frequencies that we’re unfamiliar with at first can have the greatest effect.
But can we apply these lessons about better communicating with ourselves to improve our communication with others?
The incomprehensible is important
Most interactions between people consist of many unintelligible energies. Despite often going unnoticed they are extremely informative. An indication of any effective human-to-human contact is the ability to read the nuanced, non-verbal messages we convey to each other. For example, through eye contact, body language and tone of voice.
These have the potential to convey our true emotions, not necessarily expressed verbally at surface-level communication. A ‘successful’ interaction ensures that these are listened to by both parties, much like the body listens to the gong.
Sometimes, what seems incomprehensible can be therapeutic. The gong bath process and an effective conversation have various requirements in common.
Receptiveness is required
In order to truly be comfortable during a gong bath, you have to be open-minded and welcome the seemingly obscure process. Your body needs to be loosened and your mind clear of thoughts in order to create an environment conducive to relaxation.
Both parties within a conversation must be open-minded and mutually receptive to the words and emotions transmitted by the other. An interaction must see the emotional aspect accounted for, as opposed to only the verbal one.
Presence is a must A gong bath demands your presence, both physically and mentally. You’ll find yourself navigating between different (often random) seas of thought. The task is to catch yourself doing so and leverage your in-the-moment presence to prevent you from drowning in those thoughts.
We can all be guilty of being somewhere without actually being ‘there’, and we never know how annoying it is until we’re on the wrong end of it. A productive interaction is one in which both parties are fully present throughout.
Listen to the frequencies
Once present, you need to actually be listening. Without listening to the frequencies of the gong, the healing process is ineffective. Similarly, a conversation without listening is futile. ‘Listening’ goes beyond ‘hearing’, but actually interpreting and deciphering the valuable pieces of information.
Acknowledging the information communicated by the gong or your counterpart leads to understanding. This is the overall goal of both a gong bath and an interaction, enabling you to understand other people as well as yourself and your emotions more effectively.
Gong baths might not have been on the job description but, four months into my communications career, I’m recommending that you try one too.
Listen to the gong, listen to people and listen to yourself – they’re all trying to tell you something.
Kanayo is a Spanish with International Relations graduate from the University of Southampton now working as an Account Executive in the Financial Services PR team at Aspectus Group.
Last week, I spent two days at EIT InnoEnergy’s The Business Booster (TBB) event in Paris. It was a whirlwind of energy, innovations and insights. During the first day, I had the privilege of sitting in with Dr Steven Chu, former US Secretary of Energy and Nobel prize winner for Physics, on a media interview with the Guardian. While the journalist questioned him on the energy transition and the role of fossil fuels, he said something which struck me – “Oil and gas companies have to be part of the solution, but reinvention will be key, otherwise they face the same fate as Kodak”.
Kodak famously stayed steadfast to the film industry as digital photography, which they helped invent, took hold of the market. In fact, Kodak’s demise was characterised by the management team’s inability to see digital as a disruptive technology that could truly change the sector.
While we know that’s not true of the oil and gas sector, not everyone will embrace the energy transition quickly enough and in the right way. So, what can companies operating in the space learn from other industries that have faced similar, pivotal challenges?
Let’s take a look at an iconic brand like IBM. In 1896 it was a tabulating machine company, then during the 1940s it helped collect data during the war effort and in the 1960s it became a business computer specialist selling large computers to corporates and governments. The 1980s came around and IBM led the personal computer revolution, followed by a swift change in the 1990s into a services company, at the time it was making $6 billion from services. Fast forward to the 2000s and it was making $33 billion. This shape-shifting attitude is what has made IBM successful – quick to anticipate and respond to market changes to stay relevant.
Now, if we look at the oil and gas space, there are some brands already revitalising and reinventing themselves – just look at Equinor. Its name change in March 2018 was a huge leap. The Norwegian oil and gas operator had been known as Statoil for almost 50 years. But the company knew that the energy transition was coming and it made the bold move to be one of the first companies to dive in headfirst and its name was only the start. However, it’s not only operators who face this decision, oilfield services companies who serve the sector also need to consider refreshing their brands too.
In fact, this is such a hot topic, that for the first time, TBB, as a sustainable energy event, ran a session on new horizons for the oil industry, including speakers from Equinor, GA Drilling and Total Ventures.
Perhaps next year in Berlin, we’ll see more oil and gas (energy) companies involved in TBB? One thing is for sure, the energy transition is here – the real question is, which oil and gas companies will lead the sector’s reinvention and who will face the fate of Kodak?
If you want to know more about how we can help revitalise and refresh your brand for the energy transition – get in touch.
The Granite City. The Oil Capital of Europe. The Silver City with the Golden Sands (well most of the time). Aberdeen has gained many a moniker over the years. But as we approach another Offshore Europe, it’s worth asking: do these names capture the spirit of our city today?
One thing is for certain, while Aberdeen might be grey, it’s far from monotone. We’re the only UK city to feature on the New York Times’ list of must-see global destinations in 2019, City Fibre will make Aberdeen Scotland’s first gigabit city by 2021 and we’re the home of iconic craft beer maker BrewDog.
Since we established the Aberdeen office of Aspectus three and a half years ago in the midst of one of the oil industry’s worst downturns, I’ve seen the city transform akin to that of a snake shedding its skin. What’s left behind isn’t dissimilar to what was there before, but it’s fresh, shiny and has a renewed sense of self.
Gone are the days where Aberdeen was mostly an oil companies’ playground; instead the city is awash with opportunity from renewables, infrastructure, food and drink, financial services and tech too. At Aspectus, we’ve always had faith in this city, that’s why we set up here when the chips were down. We knew that in a downturn, we could offer true expertise and counsel to businesses looking to survive and thrive. To us, it just made business sense. And as the oil and gas sector feels renewed, and Aberdeen flourishes with new opportunity, the team at Aspectus also feels a sense of optimism and excitement.
Don’t get us wrong, oil and gas is one of Aspectus’ areas of specialism. But so is the broader energy industry, and right now the oil and gas sector in particular, is in the midst of a transition. The sector is figuring out its image and how it wants to play on the world stage with pressing issues, such as climate change at the front of society’s mind.
This shouldn’t be seen as a risk, but an opportunity for oil and gas, and in part Aberdeen, to refresh its brand. Rather than the oil capital of Europe, what about the energy capital of Europe or even the engineering capital of Europe? On the map for more than our oil rich roots and instead positioned as a pioneering city, one that is driving us towards a sustainable future.
But we mustn’t forget our heritage, we should celebrate it, it’s made us who we are as a city and has given us the experience to take that step forward. Whatever that looks like. Our city shouldn’t follow in the footsteps of its infamous AWPR by-pass: too little, and perhaps too late for its citizens.
So what’s next for Aberdeen? Well one thing’s for sure, it needs to grasp hold of the energy transition with both hands and jump on board. Seventy-five per cent of the world’s subsea engineering talent is situated here – how do we market to wind developers and utilities? How do we become more than an energy hub but a tech hub – attracting fresh talent and pioneering new mobility options or the latest digital offerings? And how can we create models to help oilfield services sell their propositions to a wider customer pool?
The answer lies not only in the companies themselves and the exceptionally talented people behind them, but businesses like Aspectus, who can support organisations on this journey. Aberdeen can be an energy hub, a tech hub, a financial services hub.
So as we look forward to Offshore Europe next week. Let’s forget the tired, grey image of Aberdeen. It’s a city full of colour and opportunity at every turn – let’s grasp it.
You’ve made it this far. You’ve weathered sweaty palms, the doubters and the self-doubt. You think you’re getting to grips with things when you get handed your first task and someone needs to brief you. No need to panic – here’s my intern’s guide.
As with whenever chartering unfamiliar territory, it all starts with Intel.
The Intel
Knowing what questions to ask and the sort of answers you want is your symbolic campfire. It protects you from looming dangers, the workplace kind. Get this right and the future should be bright.
Who is the client? Can you send me any background on them? Where do they operate? What information do they want? Which sources are valid?
What is the task? Content? Media list? Pitching? Research? Can you give me examples? What would be perfection? Is there anything else I should know? Knowing what a good standard to go by is will save you time.
Most of the time, the person briefing you has forgotten what it’s like to be an intern. To start from the beginning. And perhaps, will explain things at their level, using unfamiliar jargon. There’s no shame in asking questions. Ask. It’s much worse to sit silently at your desk wondering what on earth they have asked you to do.
Comms people, in general, are already operating at full capacity. Maintaining their attention long enough for you to extract the necessary information is a key element of survival. However, being skilled in negotiating deadlines and timeframes, is another trait all survivalists formerly known as interns will have to master.
The Negotiation
Strap on your cargo boots. Imagine yourself with your very own Rambo headband and get stuck in.
Like wandering bears, hungry for what all you’ve managed to forage; the person briefing will be hungry for your ‘yes’ – use it wisely.
Manage expectations
After you feel your questions have been answered sufficiently and you have gathered the necessary Intel to do the task, ensure the deadline is feasible. Interns are typically briefed on different jobs by multiple people and this person may not have a good picture of what else you have on.
Likely they will need to review it. Have patience with yourself, breathe and accept that you will probably need more time than stated to do the task. And if you’re not sure what to prioritise – ask. No one will expect you to make that call.
Once you agree to a time you are bound to it. It can either be your route to success, or path to failure.
The Correspondence
Maintaining a consistent line of communication between yourself and the person who briefed you is your symbolic ‘shelter’ in this office wilderness. Send a short follow up email summarising the main points of the task.
Deliver a daily email outlining your priorities.
Comms, especially agency work, has been likened to the art of spinning plates. It most certainly is. To poorly quote Uncle Ben from Spiderman, ‘with more responsibility comes more plates’. Making comms professionals a slightly jittery bunch. Help calm their nerves. Proactively keep the team updated with the task’s progress and you will make their lives much easier.
Overall
With this survival kit you may grow to love and master this PR wilderness. Whatever is the outcome of the internship, these pointers can help even the shortest-staying intern survive. Exhale.
Thud. Banging your head on the table. It’s dubbed thought leadership. But why aren’t your thoughts leading? It can’t be as long-winded as a novel yet not as objective as a news article. Scrunch! That’s the third idea in the bin.
You’re not alone!
Forever nudging the copywriters to have a look at my ‘revised’ version and dodging their subsequent stares, I committed myself to master this medium.
Barricaded in my very own Batcave, dimly-lit lamps and two or three empty coffee mugs, I began to crack the Da Vinci Code.
The world’s largest rush hour
Generally, people are very busy, so we want to catch them when they have a few minutes to spare. Whether it is on the train, at lunchtime etc.
If you imagine London’s congestion multiplied by 100,000, it would still fall short of the amount of traffic on the internet. Thus, the internet is the noisiest market known to man. All bloggers are fishermen. And all fishermen need bait.
As the profession suggests, you should be a master of the (inter-)‘net’ and ‘hooks’. And titling is the bloggers’ best weapon.
Frame your titles in ways which let the reader know the value the blog provides, as simply as possible. Jargon? Implied concepts? Don’t! Your audience needs to be ‘spoon-fed’ why your blog is the ‘right’ distraction. Your headtitle needs to lay out exactly what they will get in a clever catchy way. Think about why you bothered to read this blog.
Once you have them ‘hooked’, you need to keep them. Include quirky yet relevant subtitles to segment different sections. Make them bold (it sticks out better when scrolling). It’s a subtle reminder of the value your blog provides. A combination of carefully worded and chosen titles can make all the difference.
Respect the Scroll
Whether it be a click, drag, slide or roll, the ability of web surfers to scroll up and down changes the reading experience fundamentally.
Under gleaming screen light, scrolling transforms human beings into goldfish. Well, just their memory. Their retention span becomes thin and their patience thinner.
People read books but skim blogs. The scroll bar gets through content more quickly than turning pages. And, sadly, online content is consumed in an almost narcotic fashion. We want our fix. Anything that seems too dense loses our interest and won’t survive the scroll bar.
Keep to the point. Use condensed paragraphs and sentences: five lines per paragraph should be the maximum. If you can’t make the point in that way then you need to think again – maybe this isn’t suited to a blog post after all.
Add your own flavour
When someone reads your blog, they devoted some precious seconds in order to read it, so be brave enough to add in your own opinion and flair. The reader chose you for a reason. The reader is hoping you’ll succeed, to prove they didn’t waste their time.
It’s tempting to stay on the fence, in fear of saying something stupid because you’re the newbie. But you still have experiences and opinions. Share them. And someone will doubtless review it before it goes public!
Summary
Blogs bank on the unfortunate ‘goldfish’ in us, surfing the net looking for something relevant and entertaining. It’s called the ‘net’ for a reason. Become the best fisherman by tailoring your repertoire with the medium and audience in mind. With these tips, you may be ready to set up shop in the world’s largest rush hour. Just remember to respect the scroll.
There’s increasing demand for sustainable transport, from electric cars and bikes to hydrogen buses and trains. However, of all the new cars registered in 2018, less than 4% were plug-ins. It’s a real challenge for the industry. People say they want electric vehicles (EVs) but they’re still not buying them.
So, what should the automotive industry do about it? Marketing is one piece of the puzzle. But it’s more complicated than that.
Polling shows that the public is more aware of climate change than ever. And the Extinction Rebellion movement shows that there are huge numbers committed to doing something about it. So, you could argue that marketing is doing one of its most important jobs in highlighting the problem.
Now, it’s time for the market to deliver viable solutions.
There have been a raft of developments, enhancements and modifications in EVs. Everything from how batteries are cooled, to better integration of renewables with charging infrastructure and adding charge points to existing urban furniture is being explored. Promisingly, Tesla reported record sales last quarter, but the market still has space to accelerate.
Range anxiety, lack of infrastructure and vehicle choice are all still common complaints. And questions remain over the sustainability of EVs, particularly around cobalt and lithium.
So, while there is a desire for change, there are also obvious areas for improvement:
Infrastructure investment
The UK lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of ability to fast charge. For those unable to charge easily at home, having a near “petrol station” experience is key to encouraging people to make the switch. Essential investment across the country in infrastructure is needed to keep the sector on the right track. Currently, there is a piecemeal approach to charging points. It’s vital, regardless of what vehicle I drive, that I’m able to charge at the next charge point. This investment in the infrastructure also needs to include maintenance so charge points remain functionable.
Financial incentives
Cars aren’t cheap, that’s especially true for electric vehicles which can be a barrier to entry. Coupled with their fledgling status there aren’t many second hand vehicles on the market, further stalling uptake. To break through in the market, incentives need to be given to encourage people to get on board with the EV journey. Norway celebrates high EV uptake due to a strong incentive programme – over 10% of vehicles on the road in Norway are plug-ins – compare this to less than 1% in the UK. While the costs of running an electric car might be cheaper, the upfront cost can be prohibitive.
Shorter lead time for vehicles
Increasing demand needs to be matched with a strong supply of vehicles. This isn’t happening. Long lead-in times of months between order and delivery will also put people off jumping into the driving seat of an electric vehicle. Manufacturers across the spectrum from Bentley to Renault are investing in electric vehicles and building up their supply chains. This is encouraging, but with warnings about battery production capabilities in the UK being raised, more can and should be done.
Transport is the most polluting sector in the UK today, so continued commitments from government and manufacturers will be needed to keep this embryonic sector heading in the right direction. Once these commitments and fundamental improvements have been made the marketing machine can ramp up once again. Effective communication activity, highlighting their value and sustainability credentials, could put EVs in pole position when drivers are making their next vehicle purchase.
But first, we need inventors firing on all cylinders.
