This week our very own head of tech, Tom Berry, met with the folks over at PR Week to talk about just that. How do the needs of tech entrepreneurs and start-ups differ from the needs of an enterprise? How does PR support growth and expansion in those critical, early days – addressing audiences including customers, investors and the wider industry?

Flexibility is key; Tom explores the traditional agency set up and how we, as communications professionals, are best placed to adapt to the ebb and flow of a start-up….or what he terms as “positive chaos”.

Check out the full video to find out more…

]]> http://fleishman.co.uk/2013/05/friday-techmunch-the-journey-of-a-start-up/feed/ 0 http://fleishman.co.uk/2013/05/fleishmanhillard-insight-special-queens-speech-2013/ http://fleishman.co.uk/2013/05/fleishmanhillard-insight-special-queens-speech-2013/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 16:35:23 +0000 Nick Williams http://fleishman.co.uk/?p=5974 Read Post »]]> With just two years to the next general Election, a Conservative-led Government that is fast recovering its focus has used this Queen’s Speech to clear the decks of unnecessary baggage in order to set clear legislative and political priorities for the next year. In what will be received as a very political approach to delivering the Queen’s Speech, the influence of Lynton Crosby is in clear evidence, his role having been brought into the Conservative machine being to sharpen their messaging in advance of the General Election.

Growth measures remain a focus with a raft of bills that cover HS2, National Insurance holidays for business, intellectual property and deregulation.

Raw politics is covered by bills that all sides of the Conservative Party, and to some extent the Liberal Democrats, can claim as their own. Compassionate Conservatives and Cameroons will be cheered by the inclusion of a Care Bill, and a Consumer Rights Bill. Both will be messaged at a predominantly female audience, in an attempt to win over that vital segment of the electorate.

For the Right of the party, an Immigration Bill, a Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, and a Defence Bill will all be very welcome additions, tacking to Conservative core strengths.

As ever with the State Opening of Parliament, what doesn’t make it onto the legislative agenda is as interesting as what does. Proposed minimum alcohol pricing, further regulation around cigarette packaging and the Data Communications Bill all fail to make it onto the programme. Commentators and internal Conservative critics will consider these omissions good politics from the Prime Minister – all three issues would have been used by UKIP to further threaten the Conservatives right-flank, and could have aided them in their pursuit of both libertarian-minded and working-class voters.

The lack of a Data Communications Bill will be seen as a win for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats, in a programme that otherwise carries little evidence of direct Lib Dem success.

Big on growth, tough on crime and immigration, on the side of consumers and families – the Prime Minister will hope that these core messages will rally his fractious party to his banner, and carry the Conservatives through to a majority at the next General Election.

The Legislative Programme, 2013/14

National Insurance Contributions Bill

This will extend the General Anti-Abuse Rule to cover national Insurance contributions and implement the Employment Allowance announced at the Budget.

Deregulation Bill

The Bill will reduce excessive or unnecessary regulation and repeal legislation ‘which is no longer of any practical use’.

Intellectual Property Bill

This Bill will implement reforms on the intellectual property framework for design in response to the recommendations of the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth 2011.

It will also introduce a single patent system in almost all EU countries

Local Audit and Accountability Bill

The Bill will close the Audit Commission and bring in new arrangements for the auditing of local public bodies

It will also implement local referendums for council tax rises, and protect independent newspapers from the competition of local authority newspapers

HS2 Hybrid Bill/High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill

The Hybrid Bill allows the Government to acquire land to construct HS2 and provides it with the appropriate planning permission.

The Preparation Bill will authorise expenditure to construct HS2.

Water Bill

The Bill aims to improve competition and customer choice in the water sector, including by making ‘switching’ easier

It also includes provisions on improving water infrastructure and flood insurance

Care Bill

The Bill introduces the Dilnot proposals to cap the cost of care for the elderly

It will also create portable care packages, provide a new legal entitlement to a personal budget and clarify how an individual’s care would be protected if their care provider went out of business

Pensions Bill

The Bill will legislate for a new single tier pension system from 2016

It will bring forward the increase in the State Pension age to 67 and lay the framework for a regular review of state pension age in light of rising life expectancy.

Mesothelioma Bill

The Bill ensures that those with Diffuse Mesothelioma receive payments where no liable employer or insurer can be traced, which will be funded by a levy on insurers offering UK Employers’ Liability cover.

Immigration Bill

One of the more high profile announcements, the Bill will place restrictions on immigrants including: regulating migrants’ access to the NHS; increasing fines against businesses using illegal labour; requiring private landlords to check tenants’ status; and preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining driving licenses. The right of appeal against deportation will also be restricted.

Offender Rehabilitation Bill

The Bill will extend statutory supervision after release to offenders serving short custodial sentences, to total at least 12 months. There will be greater restrictions on offenders including drug testing and a requirement to seek permission before moving house.

Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill

This is a wide ranging Bill, which condenses several pieces of existing legislation.

Headline measures include criminalising forced marriage; extending the offence of owning a dangerous dog to private property; and implementing ‘institutional’ reforms of the police service

Defence Reform Bill

This Bill relates to the procurement of defence equipment, including a reform of the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation.

Northern Ireland Bill

The Bill reforms the Northern Irish political system, including making party funding more transparent; preventing Assembly members from also sitting in other Parliaments; and increase Assembly terms to 5 years.

Gambling (licensing and advertising) Bill

Overseas operators will be required to hold a UK Gambling Commission License under this Bill. It intends to improve consumer protections.

EU Approvals Bill

The Bill authorises the UK to support three European programmes. These relate to protecting the Euro against counterfeiting; providing access to European institutions’ archives; and the Europe for Citizens programme which commemorates European history.

Draft Consumer Rights Bill

This is a high profile Bill in the legislative programme which will give consumers clearer rights in law. It is specifically intended to offer protections when making purchases online or by telephone, and updating consumer rights to reflect the increase in digital content. It will also include provisions to establish an opt-out class actions regime.

Draft Wales Bill

This Bill increases the Assembly’s terms from 4-5 years. Candidates will be allowed to stand on both regional and constituency lists, but Assembly members will not be able to sit concurrently as Westminster MPs.

There were also announcements on the following topics, for which no primary legislation is needed:

•  The Economy and Benefits
•  Childcare
• The National Curriculum
• Exams
• Teachers’ Pay
• Traineeships and Apprenticeships
• Mortgages/ Help to Buy
• Proposals on the investigation of crime in cyberspace
• Scotland within the United Kingdom
• Foreign Affairs – Overseas territories
• Public Estimates
• Stafford Hospitals

What didn’t make it?

The Government did not include plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol or for plain cigarette packaging in this Queen’s Speech. However, the Government insists both these measures have not yet been abandoned and that a decision on both these proposals will be taken in due course. This will be seen as a reaction to the rise of UKIP and the unpopularity amongst conservative-leaning voters of policies that could be seen as too ‘nanny state’; the dropping of these measures will be a relief to the Tory right.

For the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg scored a victory for his party’s civil liberties credentials, with the dropping of a Data Communications Bill, which would have increased the state’s power to access information on individuals’ personal electronic communications.

Foreign aid campaigners are again disappointed to see that the 0.7% of GDP Coalition pledge on international aid will still not make it onto the statute book.

Also omitted were proposals to create a statutory register of lobbyists, after a sustained period of Government inactivity on this issue.

The mimicking Makiis

The computer science team at the University of Central Lancashire has been bringing imagination to life through the creation of Makiis (Makroskopic Intelligent Interaction System). The prototype ‘telepresence’ robot is designed to mimic human behaviour and the aim is to use the technology to aid online learning as it will inevitably begin to form a bigger part of our daily lives. Beyond traditional presence models with a video interface, Makiis hears sound and turns to face it, exactly as a human would.

Morphee Mobiles

Meanwhile, this week computer scientists at Bristol University have unveiled their plans to collaborate with Markus Löchtefeld of the German Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence to deliver a whole new level of super-smartphones (smart….or just sheer GENIUS?). According to a paper written by the team, “when a game is launched, the mobile device morphs into a console-like shape by curling two opposite edges to be better grasped with two hands”. Check out the video on Wired.

What’s the all buzz about Robobee?

Different variations of robotic insects have been buzzing around for a few years but none of them capable of controlled, sustained flight. Across the pond, RoboBee has become the world’s first and smallest robotic insect capable of this outstanding feat. The tiny insect, slightly bigger than a five pence coin, was developed by Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and is a result of over a decade’s work. RoboBee’s wings that are able to flap 120 times a second are controlled by strips of ceramic that expand and contract when an electric current is applied. According to the team the next step would be to improve the battery capacity and intelligence of the RoboBee which could lead to a greater things for the buzzing bot – including being used for search and rescue as well as military intelligence.

Today we’ve transformed from a public relations consultancy into a communications consultancy that provides the world’s most complete communications solutions – capable of reaching any audience, anywhere, anytime, with any message, through any channel… all to prompt just the right response.

Our new brand statement “the power of true” runs through all this.  It speaks to how we help our clients find their true voice.  To how we act as trusted advisors navigating the complex communications landscape. And to the integrity, purpose and passion that our brilliant people bring to their work every day.

True is also the name of our new magazine.  Take a look here:  www.true.fleishmanhillard.com

And there’s much more to come as our business continues to evolve, attracting the most talented people and progressive clients at the forefront of complete communications.

More soon…

Richard Kanareck

Managing Director, FleishmanHillard London

Get in touch: truelondon@fleishman.com

Thumbs up for mobile app-controlled bionic arm

Mobile apps have had a big impact on our lives – need a quick recipe for Chilli con Carne or to double check train times? Download an app! But this year mobile application technology has gone a step further with the mobile app-controlled bionic arm, i-limb that is controlled via the new bioism app. This app gives users the ability to choose between 24 pre-programmed hand positions, allowing them to control the movement of the arm and the thumb automatically. This week a teenager in London, who used a previous version of i-limb, became the first person in the UK to be fitted with the arm. The i-limb is placed over the arm along with two sensors that are able to read contractions in his arm muscles, allowing him to control movements either via the app or by contracting his muscles.

Smart skin for smart bots

A Wall-E reality in which robots are bestowed with the ability to act and think independently may still seem far off, but it’s closer than you think! Nanoscientists have developed a technology that could be used to create smart skin for robots that is capable of sensing touch with similar sensitivity to that of the human fingertip. The 8,000 touch-sensitive transistors found within the array emit electricity when they are put under mechanical motion or stress, resulting in the robot feeling and sensing activity on the surface of the skin. Apart from robotics, this impressive technology is also reportedly being proposed for a broad range of areas including human-computer interfaces. 

Life on Mars?

For something completely different – if you fancy moving abroad, really abroad, how about moving to Mars? There is a one way ticket on offer from the Mars One project which is currently looking for teams of astronauts to go to Mars – and stay there. Apparently more than 8,000 people have already applied for it. The idea is that they will move after completing an eight year training course including engineering, making mechanical repairs and tending crops – all the essential Martian skills! The trip will be funded through a reality TV show which will document the non-professional astronauts, their training and trip and their life on Mars. Anyone interested?

Wearing your health on your sleeve

The majority of the technology in this “wearable” bracket will be tech that helps people monitor their own health, according to IMS Research. The key here seems to be to develop technology which will monitor health without the user needing to input data – which they may forget to do. In the sports industry there are already examples such as Nike FuelBand or Jawbone UP which constantly monitor movement. However, more significant are devices that monitor conditions such as diabetes or help people prevent illnesses by instituting lifestyle changes.

AiQ for example, develops “smart textiles” for a range of custom clothing, including a vital sign monitoring system in a t-shirt. The BioMan t-shirt has ribbed “smart sleeves” that measure the user’s heart rate, respiration rate and skin temperature. The garment can be further customised to measure skin moisture and electrophysiological signals. This can automatically send the data to a smartphone, or computer for you to analyse later.

Wearable Kinect

On a lighter note, two students from the Utrecht School of Arts in The Netherlands have developed a top that is a wearable gaming and social interactive garment. The top has motion sensors, shake motors, a three-color LED screen, speakers and a Bluetooth module. Together with a smartphone app, it enables the user to control their TV, map an exercise routine and play console games.

The big one: Google Glass

Last but not least, Google Glass is throwing up all sorts of controversy– pitting the geeks against the luddites. There are many natural concerns about this groundbreaking technology, of which privacy is foremost. Google has already had problems in some countries with the use of the Google car photographing private lives and constant filming is just going to get people more irritated. Google is also under fire for being an advertising company and potentially using the data it gathers from the Glass for nefarious marketing purposes.  Now that the Glass project is with external developers to create apps specially for this platform, it remains to be seen whether in a few years we’re all going to look like Star Trek officers, or whether this will be the domain of hardcore geeks.

The rationale for the reform is that local government is able to develop policies in areas such as planning, transport, education and leisure that reflect the unique needs and challenges of their communities.  Local strategies already underway include free access to exercise facilities (Blackburn), cooking classes (Bristol) and outdoor gyms (nationwide).

 Focus on initiatives such as these will likely be welcomed by food industry and others who have long since argued that that obesity is a multi-faceted problem caused by social, economic and environmental factors rather than their products alone. 

 They may hope that, as these new initiatives gain traction and visibility from April 1, they will broaden the existing media and political narrative away from recurring calls for food and drink taxation, labelling and composition towards a more holistic view of the solution.

 Change in tone

A feature of this new approach could be increased emphasis on individuals taking personal responsibility for their lifestyles – or facing the consequences. 

 A recent Consultation by Westminster Council mooted the possibility that overweight benefit claimants could have their money docked if they refuse exercise regimes prescribed by doctors.  Meanwhile guidance from the Local Government Association, published in February, stated that Progress in developing healthy lifestyles among children can be undermined if the home environment encourages the opposite. 

 While the Department of Health has so far chosen not to adopt such judgemental, even intrusive language, local councils faced with the prospect of dwindling budgets being eaten up their obese populations may be far more willing to point the finger.

 Planning Permission

Since 2010 local authorities have been able to take into account the health and well-being of schoolchildren when considering planning applications from takeaway outlets, and councils have used this legal ruling to enforce takeaway exclusion zones around schools ever since.

 Now local governments have a formal responsibility to address obesity – and for adults as well as children, rejection of planning permission might become more widespread.  A less dramatic – carrot rather than stick approach might be the use by councils of healthy award schemes to encourage cafes and restaurants to change their menus as recommended by the LGA.

 Initiatives such as this will give local government an opportunity for dialogue and leverage over those businesses – independent takeaways and cafes – who have so far refused to participate in the government’s national Responsibility Deal – a blind spot highlighted only this week by the government as it launched its new salt reduction targets.

 Partnering/sponsorship opportunities

Local Councils are encouraged to collaborate with partners, including the private sector in delivering health improvements where they feel they can add genuine value.

 There will be a strong financial incentive for them to do so.  Even though funds available to councils for public health will now be ring-fenced, budgets will remain as tight as ever and partnerships with businesses could be an attractive option when they provide cost-effective outreach – harnessing their expertise in social marketing and campaigning as well as their ability to engage employees.

 Businesses willing to partner with local councils as part of their CSR activities or in exchange for branding opportunities may be attracted by the possibilities – and find that Councils are less squeamish about product marketing than the Department of Health!

 Success measurement

The measurement of success will be an important priority for councils, particularly if they are looking to win the ‘health premium bonus’ – essentially a reward for councils that meet their public health targets to spend on public health in the following year.

 This is another area where councils could look to the private sector and learn from their knowledge of trends measurement and reporting – particularly if this experience has been gained through participation in the Responsibility Deal and its annual progress reporting mechanisms.

 New organisations

Increasing the role and responsibilities of local agents has also generated new structures to provide benchmarking and oversight.  Public health England (PHE), an agency of the Department of Health will have a key role in supporting local areas in taking effective action to prevent address obesity from April 2013.

 PHE’s specific remit in the field of obesity, under its Director for Health Improvement and Population Health, Professor Kevin Fenton, is still under discussion and will include the sharing and championing of best practise, promotion of transparency and accountability through the publication of outcomes and managing relationships with key partners.

 Earlier this year Ben Page, chief executive of the polling group Ipsos Mori, said that local government’s power to influence behaviour gives them the choice to either hug, smack, nudge or shove.  It may also change the dynamic between the state and the food industry at both a national and local level.

Seeing the news piece got me thinking about the “virtual” me and the amount of data we all now have online as the internet takes on a greater role in our everyday lives. Upon reflection, I’d never considered what would come of my online profiles once the inevitable happens. If I’m honest, I haven’t really given any aspect of my life that kind of consideration so should probably be thanking Google for making me realise it’s not just the living, breathing me I have to consider, but the various fragments of the virtual me located on numerous databases across the globe.

And what does this virtual me look like? We all work hard to portray a certain image of ourselves to the world, but what of the online profiles over which we have less control? Considering Google alone, that profile could consist of an extensive backlog of e-mails; data shared on Google+; and an image based on web searches and web sites visited. The virtual me could act as a timeline of all the things I’ve shown an interest in over the last ten years. So, in addition to personal data I’ve uploaded to various web sites, there’s probably reference to all the e-mail distribution lists I registered to in my teenage years, when issues such as when the boy-band Blue would be playing in London were the height of importance.

However, there’s more to this than deleting data linked to bank accounts and potentially embarrassing teenage obsessions – all of which I am very happy for Google to erase. Google’s message is that the Internet is what we make of it, and emphasise this with a series of advertisements. One such advert introduces us to a heart-warming tale of a Dad who e-mailed pictures and videos to his new born child from birth. In such a scenario, one wouldn’t necessarily want that data to be deleted after three months of inactivity along with the backlog of unimportant emails from the kind soul offering us an unclaimed $1,000,000,000 fortune.

Many of us live so much of our lives online and digital forms of communication have overtaken traditional letters to such an extent that our legacy is primarily online.  As such, there are aspects of our data trail that one may want to pass down to future generations. Rather than a straightforward delete after a certain amount of time has elapsed, a good feature would be a special RIP profile which will enable users to pre-select what legacy to leave behind and what to delete, or nominate a guardian for this virtual persona who can take charge of data. Google has made a useful first step but needs to introduce a few more features to grant us real control of our data.

2)      Do not accept cookies – We don’t mean of the chocolate chip kind, those are good. We mean on websites. Cookies are like digital trackers. That’s why weeks after you have found your ideal flat, or pair of jeans; you can still be bombarded with images and deals of products you no longer want.

 3)      Do not stay logged into your Gmail account – When you search keywords on Google whilst logged into your account, Google may retain that information and use it as data information to send to digital advertisers, which could mean more adverts!

 4)      Delete comments you have left on sites and blogs – When sharing your viewpoint on an article you have read or a YouTube video you have watched, you are probably likely to want to leave some comments. Just be aware that you are associating yourself with that content. Something you said earlier that you would rather now forget will be there forever unless you take the time to go back and delete it.

 5)      Set your social media accounts to private – An obvious one. However, people you never met (and probably don’t ever want to) are able to tell a lot about you just by looking at your homepage. In particular, data sensitive information, such as birthday dates, mobile numbers, and address on your homepage can increase your chances of being targeted with online fraud.

To some, the phone box is entirely obsolete. Given that the International Telecommunications Union predicts that the number of mobile phones will exceed the world population by 2014, I guess that’s hardly surprising. Why would we need to enter a box on the street and insert coins to make a call, when we’re probably carrying at least one mobile phone with us?

However, New York’s phone boxes will be undergoing a radical makeover in 2014, as the city held a ‘Reinvent Payphone’ challenge. Prototypes were received from designers, planners, technologists and policy experts – find out more about the six winning designs here. From using digital displays to generate ad revenues, to ‘environmental sensor stations’, the winners were selected based on connectivity, creativity, visual design, functionality and community impact.

European Space Agency mission Planck brings new map of the oldest light in the universe

In another attempt to shed light on how the universe was born, the European Space Agency this week released a map of the afterglow from the explosion that created the cosmos. Data collected from the Planck space observatory helped scientists create the most accurate and detailed map of the oldest light in the universe, revealing new information about the universe’s age, contents and origins. The results suggest the universe is expanding more slowly than scientists thought and it contains less dark energy and more normal and dark matter than previously known. More analysis is needed but, according to the data, scientists now estimate that the universe is 13.82 billion years old, or 100 million years older than previously thought! Not that far out, then…

Mobile friendly blood tests

‘Blood test’ – this little phrase alone sends many people running to the hills. It’s painful, uncomfortable and unfortunately sometimes unavoidable, but thanks to a new device doctors will no longer need to put us through numerous blood test-related traumas. A team of Swiss scientists is developing a tiny blood-testing device that is placed under the skin, that sends instant results via a mobile phone using radiowaves and Bluetooth technology. This 14mm long device is able to sit under the skin for months on end will be able to track chronic conditions such as high cholesterol and diabetes without having to put patients through numerous tests. This little life saver should be available to patients within four years and will undoubtedly change the way we monitor and track numerous ailments.

One billion ‘YouTubers’ per month

Yesterday proved to be a landmark day for YouTube and Google, as YouTube announced that the number of unique monthly users has surpassed one billion. The announcement puts it on a par with Facebook as one of the world’s largest online networks, as Facebook reached the milestone back in October. The company, founded originally in 2005, said ‘one in two people now on the internet visit YouTube’.  Wired reported on the news and kindly included a video of sloths in a bucket to accompany it, in the spirit of the many weird and wonderful YouTube videos out there. Enjoy!