Whilst I worked at Microsoft UK I often stared in disbelief how interns were allowed to take full control over official Microsoft Twitter account presences. Most interns had no prior PR knowledge and there was no social media code of conduct which was readily enforced. One meeting I even raised the point of the CIPR’s Social Media Code of Conduct – I doubt any interns bothered reading it. In my... 

On the 5th December 2011 a video emerged from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism showing Bell Pottinger Group offering reputation management to the despotic regime of Uzbekistan. Countless human rights groups protest due to the country’s use of child labour, torture and media control. Dozens of journalists and activists are systematically tortured in the country’s jails each day. Leader, Islam... 

My grandad called yesterday to announce he had “found a great company online called Finlux”. According to their website they are the world’s third largest television manufacturer. A look over their product list reveals budget prices and impressive specifications. I was sceptical. Why in my 21 years on this planet had I not heard of this manufacturer? I had to investigate further. I had two choices: 1)   ... 

Classic British comedy has often portrayed the working class in a favourably light with shows such as ‘The Good Life’, ‘Porridge’ and ‘Only Fools and Horses’.  Physical work, rather than intellectual delights, has always been attributed to such characters. Which may explain why during the London riots last year Clapham Junction’s Waterstones remained untouched by looters. The store... 

Products by Apple are often praised for their innovative designs and the real hero behind the scenes is designer Jonathan Ives. In the New Years Honours list it has been revealed that Jonathan Ives has finally been made a Knight Commander of the British Empire. Sir Jonathan Ive revealed in an interview with Stephen Fry in 2010 that he decided to move to California due to the sceptic nature of the UK... 

Each year we ritually ponder upon our own frailties and answer with a New Year’s Resolution. In 2012 I am going to slow down. To slow down brings connotations of a great writer bathing in self-gratification of his own success as if to say, “Enough is enough. Today I have achieved everything that I would have hoped for in life and the rewards have been generous in return.” This New Year’s resolution... 

Thousands of iPhone 4S owners are experiencing “invalid sim” errors. Users report that after a few hours of their devices being switched on an error message appears showing “invalid sim” which results in the phone dropping their phone signal. The only temporary fix is to switch the iPhone 4S off and on again. Over 71,000 people have viewed the ‘Sim Card Failure No Sim with iPhone 4S Anyone... 

A social internet revolution is happening right now but it’s not the usual diet of Facebook or Twitter. This revolution is concerned with an internet user’s privacy rights. On the 26th October the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced to the House of Representatives in America as a bill to, “promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of... 

Founded in 1942 by Quakers and Social Activists Oxfam was once known as the Oxford Committee for famine relief. Today it is an international confederation working within 98 different countries providing humanitarian efforts and running programmes focus on providing communities with necessities such as food, water, education and fair trade. Thanks to one of our lecturers at the University of Gloucestershire... 

The Gloucester market was teaming with activity. From lunch, to jewellery, even strange wooden pendants – everything was available. This is real life shout marketing but the loudest voice doesn’t necessarily win. You need a strategy and this was best exampled by the optical cleaner who stood on the sideline. His strategy was simple: 1)    Place his stand near the opened doorway of the retail... 

As a small side project as part of my Public Relations course at the University of Gloucestershire it is necessary to put together a short branding guide. For this task I decided to focus on how I have gone about branding this blog over the last 3 years. If you have any questions please leave a comment below. If you would like to know how I have technically achieved any of this then I can cover... 

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a business talk by Duncan Bannatyne at the Cheltenham Literature Festival with @Holpols. A stoic persona coupled with a reserved approach to the admiration shown in the crowd immediately set Duncan Bannatyne apart from other successful businessmen who I have heard before. By his own words he referred to himself as an ‘accidental millionaire’, it was clearly...