Posted by Will Gardiner, Client Services Director

Sometimes, you encounter those rare occasions where it becomes painfully obvious that a modern trend has gone too far – where a popular, fashionable activity is ruined by inappropriate timing or no appreciation of context. For some, it was when Twitter-based news-hijacking went badly wrong for Kenneth Cole.

For me, it was when crowdsourcing reached the men’s changing room of the gym…

Crowdsourcing undoubtedly has its place – a cheap way of gaining input of all types from a mass of typically anonymous, hopefully qualified individuals. The only problem comes when the crowd you are sourcing the service from isn’t as qualified as you hoped!

Or if you are crowdsourcing at an inappropriate time…

A men’s changing room in a gym is full of unspoken etiquette and unbreakable rules, largely around personal space, eye contact and volume of conversation. People often drift silently in and out of such places without speaking to anyone, quite often still half-asleep from having only just got up or from the full day’s work they have just left behind. Add in the various stages of undress or peculiar personal habits and it becomes a relatively awkward – even sombre – atmosphere.

Certainly not the place for a bit of impromptu crowdsourcing…

7.30am and a ‘heavy-set’, hirsute man at one of the barer aforementioned stages of undress, stood squarely in the middle of the reasonably full changing room, blocking the way for anyone coming out of the shower cubicles, announcing that his training programme of six months wasn’t working the way he had hoped and he’d like some advice… from us all… right now.

On the barometer of awkwardness, the mood measured a full 100%. A braver member of the crowd, standing close by, but not so close as to be associated with the individual, muttered something about cross training, hoping to end the awkwardness for us all. Instead, he received a loud “Thank you – tell me more… and who else has any ideas?”

As said earlier, crowdsourcing – and its various incarnations – is a very useful tactic when used in the right way, perhaps when ascertaining the views of the crowd in a given area, or for specific creative projects such as the design of a new logo or even a whole website. Some have even used the collective wealth of the crowd to request small individual investments that come together to a substantial amount that can fund a new initiative. And of course, not forgetting Groupon – the infamous crowdpurchasing portal.

Often its anonymity and lack of personal contact is crowdsourcing’s greatest advantage – something that might have passed this particular individual by!

Click here to read the article, and there’s a brief synopsis below – don’t forget to leave a comment below either here or on the article itself!

Team GB has had its best Olympics in modern times, primarily due to the nature of the athletes themselves and the support networks on which they rely. But B2B marketers may identify a number of traits found in Olympians that they recognise in themselves and their colleagues…

• Perfectionism
• Seeking Competitive Advantage
• Core Strength
• Controlled Rivalry
• Patience
• Specialist Support
• Image Conscious

Click here for the full article…

Or click here for more information on our B2B PR campaigns…

Posted by Sam Turpin, Senior Account Executive

If the Olympics weren’t enough to bring out the competitive side of the office, the latest Google Doodle certainly was! What started out as a little camaraderie at lunchtime soon escalated into a full blown competition between two of our apparently ‘mature’ Directors.

There is nothing like a computer game to bring out your childish side, even more so when you get to gloat in the glory of your winning time being circulated around the office. Who would have thought the use of three little keys on a keyboard would make for such an entertaining Tuesday lunchtime?! With Lauren revealing the winning cheat, Will and Kieran well and truly raised the bar, leaving the rest of the office in the dust.

Glued to their screens, you’d typically expect them to be engrossed with a pressing article, but the constant oohs and ahhs of disappointment were a quick reminder of the ‘vital’ task at hand. Whilst photo-shopped scores swamped the office, Will and Kieran soon came out as the joint victors with 10.7 seconds – who needs an Olympic medal when you have the Google Doodle award?!

Posted by Kirsty Cornell, Senior Account Manager

I have definitely caught Boris’s Olympomania!
I was lucky enough to have tickets for the first day Rowing events at Eton Dorney on Saturday, and after having watched the entire opening ceremony on Friday night, I was extremely excited to be going to a live event.

It was a very early start on Saturday, as although my parents only five minutes from the Eton Dorney venue, we needed to use the Windsor Racecourse entrance, which meant using the Park ‘n’ Ride facilities in Maidenhead and catching the shuttle bus to the venue. Not knowing how busy the traffic, car park and bus queue were going to be, we were keen to leave plenty of time.

But we needn’t have worried – the organisation of the entire process was faultless. We arrived at the car park, which at 6.45am was already half full, boarded a waiting bus with no queue and set off to the venue with no fuss, drama or pain-points. Every person we met from the car park, onto the bus and off the other end, was friendly, smiling and looked genuinely happy to be involved in the event. Even the bus driver gave us an enthusiastic ‘good morning’ and a friendly smile as we boarded – a very rare occurrence on a British bus!

And the day continued to go from strength to strength, with great weather, fantastic racing and not to mention a new World Record!

Whilst there has been a lot of negative hype around the Olympics, my personal experience so far has been great. So, as I watch Great Britain competing in a whole range of events I can’t help but get interested and consumed by Olympic fever. And I get to do it all again on Thursday when I go to Earls Court for the indoor volleyball…come on TEAM GB!!

Posted by Bob Dearsley, Chief Exec

Are you, like me, tired of the commentators who just want to tell you that the UK market economy is in dire shape, so we should all pack up and baton down the hatches until the economic storm blows over?

Recessions are nasty things, they are guaranteed to mess up all your five year planning. You started out the year with a plan to invest in and grow the business. Now you find yourself dealing with clients who are under increasing pressure from their own customers to cut costs while their prospects keep taking that major capital purchase to the monthly board meeting and it just gets deferred time and time again.

No surprises. It was the same last recession. And the one before that. And it will be the same at the next one.

I found myself bemoaning the state of the economy and realized that if you are the size of GE or HP you don’t have any choice – you are going to slow your growth by the same amount as the economy at least, maybe more! Then one wise old (actually more like 50 year old) friend reminded me what I did in 1990. We grew almost exponentially from nothing in the space of two or three years – because we were very small as a business and as an SME – a real VSSME (very small SME) – you don’t have to obey the same market dynamics as the rest of the economy. You are small enough to buck the trend. Just work at it, look at your service offering, work on it, change it, look for what people want to buy and deliver it. You are small enough to turn and transform.

I was in the mindset that 20 years on, we were bigger  so how could we possibly beat the recession in the same way? And it took a short, sharp conversation to re-align my thinking and get real.

20 people or 200 people – you are still an SME! And SMEs are what will pull the economy out of recession, again.

The market has been tough but we are growing, building and evolving, even transforming our business. New service offerings. A focus on the markets that are growing and doing well. New ideas and fresh thinking positive people – what more do you need to win in today’s economy?!

Certain sectors are doing well – cultivate them. Certain companies are announcing new product offerings – help to grow them.

There has never been a time when enthusiasm, grit and determination in business were more needed, and now is the time to get out there and make it happen. In a double dip, there is no point in waiting for it to happen to you. There is business out there to be had. Go get it!

Bob Dearsley, our Chief Exec, wrote a short review of Crossing the Chasm – a book centering on the B2B technology adoption lifecycle and how to build a new proposition to make it mainstream.

Click here to see the full article or just scroll down to read Bob’s full review:

Geoffrey Moore’s ‘Crossing the Chasm’ succinctly explains the B2B technology adoption lifecycle. Now, more than ever, for anyone setting-up a hi-tech business – from internet start-up to tech consulting – it is a fundamental addition to the preparation list as the book deals with taking a technology proposition and building it to become mainstream. Without an understanding of this, and the principles behind it, don’t try and market a new technology or internet business.

First published in 1991, the book is still as relevant today as when it was written because it deals with disruptive technologies, which are probably even more important – and arguably commonplace – today than they ever were. It is for this reason that I recently pulled my copy off the shelf, dusted it down and re-read it. It set me thinking about the challenges facing anybody in the start-up phase of their business because it focuses the mind very much on how to attract ‘early adopters’; and strangely enough, the best way to get at early adopters seems to be through PR!

The book is a reference point for any disruptive technology and its theories can be applied to any new B2B tech, not just software. Therefore it can be applied to a broader audience, encompassing anything to do with the internet, software technology, and all the associated services.

Re-reading ‘Crossing the Chasm’ reaffirmed to me that, despite the ever-changing world of tech that we live in, the principles apply as strongly today as they did in the 90s making it a must read for any B2B technology start-up marketer.

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Click here to download our case study on launching new tech start-ups…

Posted by Kieran Kent, Client Services Director

Without doubt, technology has had a major impact on the way we do business in the 21^st century. The Web, email, SMS and the array of social media tools we now have at our disposal have all transformed the way we interact with colleagues, clients, prospects and suppliers on a day-to-day basis.

Technological development is a force for good – it broadens the boundaries of business communication, enables a more flexible way of working and it challenges us to learn new skills and do things differently. But in all of this, we need to keep in sharp focus the fact that new technology should be aiding interaction and relationship-building with people not hindering it, and this isn’t always the case at the moment.

It is still very easy to misinterpret an individual’s tone and intent when reading an email, a tweet or a text, whereas there is much less chance of confusion or ambiguity when speaking on the phone or face-to-face. It’s also much easier to read body language and get a more in-depth understanding of team dynamics and personalities when you’re in the same room as someone.

The best businesses are those companies that really get to know their customers. Technology can facilitate this process and companies should be exploring every new avenue for communication, from LinkedIn and Twitter to Facebook and Google+. But in an age where it’s all too easy to sit behind your computer screen all day and not actually speak with or visit your clients any more, it’s important to remember that technology is not a substitute for face-to-face contact with clients.

Here at ITPR we of course keep a close eye on the news throughout the day.

This often leads to some very interesting inter-office discussions and debates. However news reports on the O2 network failures today have sparked such a reaction that both David Beesley and Jenny Williams were inspired to blog!

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David’s views…

No connection? What’s all the fuss about?!

News channels have been reporting with gusto that the lack of connectivity amongst O2 customers is leaving people “fuming”! Whilst I can sympathise with those customers who rely on a mobile device for business-critical purposes, what I cannot sympathise with are those who have taken to social media sites professing that they have lost all connection with the outside world!

Is this a reflection of how we function as a society nowadays? One network drops out for approximately 7 hours and we are thrown into a state of rage? One customer posted a status update on Facebook: “My o2 phone has been down for 6 hours…what’s going on?” Hang on a minute – you’re obviously sat in front of a device that is connected to the internet, why not look on the 02 website and find out?! So what if your phone is down for a few hours? In today’s modern world, why do we rely on our mobile device so heavily? Does the aforementioned Facebook user not have access to a landline?

Yes, there are exceptions where frustration is valid – BBC television presenter Huw Edwards tweeted: “6 hours of non-service and counting, simply not good enough, O2.”

He’s right, it isn’t – just ask RIM, I am sure they will sympathise.

I think the loss of connection for a few hours should be embraced. We are bombarded with the need to constantly be in touch with our social persona with such ferocity that we barely even realise it anymore – it has become the norm. Take a lead from Neo out of The Matrix, unplug and step into the ‘real world’ for a while. You might find it quite refreshing!

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Jenny’s thoughts…

No mobile? No problem

News today has been focused upon the downtime which O2 customers have experienced due to network failures, with many reports showing disgruntled customers venting their frustration at being without their mobile for little more than twelve hours.

One such customer revealed her anguish at not being able to get hold of her family to see if they were OK. All of them used O2 she revealed and as such had no other contact than that via their mobiles.

The problems which many experienced with this downtime has made me wonder if we have become that dependant on our mobile phones, not just for calls and texts but also access to the internet to keep in touch with each other? What is wrong with popping over to see if your family are OK (if this is logistically possible), using a landline or (god forbid!) a phone box if no such landline exists? Why does the world stop if our mobile network goes down?

You may at this point be wondering why I am blogging about this, thinking that I was unaffected – actually, I too experienced this downtime. But I didn’t panic, I didn’t suddenly wonder if the majority of my family had been wiped out within the twelve hours while I had no mobile access, I didn’t miss the beeping of text messages, emails and calls which I try to avoid. Instead I actually quite enjoyed the fact that I was unable to be contacted and carried on patiently with my day-to-day life.

Yes, mobiles are important, internet is important, communication is important. But we need to realise that communication is not just mobile dependant – that is the beauty of evolution, there is always something else available as a backup!

Posted by Kieran Kent, Client Services Director

A recent meeting at Chartered Accountants’ Hall, the ICAEW‘s Headquarters, brought home to me how much the way we do business is changing. The Grade II listed building in Moorgate Place is over 120 years old and continues to attract the attention of architectural students and historians.

Yet despite the grandeur of the building, walk through to reception and you’re confronted with a very contemporary look and feel – it’s comfy chairs and sofas; modern wallpaper; glass-walled meeting rooms; and cappuccinos, lattes and mochas are on offer from the coffee shop. It flies in the face of the stereotypical perception that accountants are dull, boring and unapproachable, yet it typifies the aesthetically pleasing, modern-day office environment that many businesses are now embracing whole-heartedly.

I’ve also had meetings recently at Microsoft, Bentley and Intellect, all of which have taken the same approach to their office design. Even the Institute of Directors now has contemporary facilities at 123 Pall Mall, in contrast to the more formal Crown Estate building at 116.

Another thing that is changing in the workplace is dress code. In years gone by Richard Branson was considered to be the exception to the rule when he chose to turn up to meetings not wearing a tie, yet nowadays a tie is more likely to make you stand out for being over-dressed rather than under-dressed. And in some industries, such as the digital marketing and media industries, smart jeans, shirt and jumper have become perfectly acceptable as a professional yet more relaxed way of dressing in the workplace.

It’s all a far cry from the ‘old-school’ way of doing business where cold, characterless offices were commonplace; behind closed doors meetings were the norm; and senior management seemed unapproachable. This environment can never foster a culture that motivates people and encourages them to do their best work.

Fortunately, the 21st century workplace is changing for the better. Boundaries are being broken down and whilst structure and hierarchy remains as important as ever, people are becoming more approachable and more personable. The rise of social media has been another catalyst for this change. Now we are following our clients, suppliers and colleagues on LinkedIn, Twitter, perhaps even Facebook. We have more knowledge about them than ever before. We might know what they did at the weekend, how many kids they have, or which football or rugby team they support.

There is now a general acceptance within forward-thinking companies that the modern day-office environment helps people to feel relaxed yet highly motivated, and that our business and social lives can increasingly be combined successfully in order to get closer to our clients, and ultimately deliver even better service. In taking this approach it also makes it more fun to come to work, which is important too!

Posted by Dave Beesley, Senior Account Manager

Tech news was alive with a buzz of anticipation last month as more and more details emerged about Microsoft’s new Surface tablet. Could there finally be a tablet on the market to rival the iPad? Well after an epic fail during the opening demo, I’d say the jury is still out.

However, there are notable features that do grab the attention of even the most hardened Apple aficionados. The keyboard is a touch of inspiration and the sturdiness of the built in kick-stand has been well received. The size of memory puts the iPad to shame starting at 32GB on the RT version with an ARM processor going up to a whopping 128GB on the PRO version which has an Intel core processor. It also has USB capability which opens the door for additional devices emerging that can be compatible with the Surface. Not a bad beginning to whet our appetite.

Although, significant questions still remain such as how much the Surface will cost – Microsoft says it will be priced ‘competitively’, whatever that means! We still don’t know exactly when it will hit the shops, whether it will have 3G, the finer details of its processing power or – for me this is of crucial importance – its battery life. When I bought an iPad I feared the worst in regards to the battery life, but I was pleasantly impressed. This is where Apple has nailed one of the most frustrating features of mobile computing – can Microsoft match it?

First impressions tell me that the Surface has real potential. The specs are strong, it has cool features like the keyboard and visually it looks good – wait a minute…has Microsoft really beaten Apple at their own game and gone for style over substance? Only time (and the growth of available apps in the Microsoft Metro app store) will tell.