If you missed this story ‘Woman filmed dumping cat in wheelie bin in Coventry’ this week (which would have been near on impossible, because it was covered just about everywhere), let me enlighten you.

Lola, a four-year-old tabby cat, went missing in Coventry at the weekend. She was discovered 15 hours later by her owner, Darryl Mann, after he heard her cries from a dustbin. He then checked his security cameras and saw footage of a middle aged woman first stroking Lola and then grabbing her by the neck and throwing her in the bin.

How could she? Cat lovers in Britain were in uproar after a woman put a cat in a bin!

West Midlands Police said they received a call on Sunday evening reporting what had happened. They said the actions caught on CCTV could constitute an animal cruelty offence because of the likely suffering caused to the cat. The police said they were supporting the RSPCA investigation and urged the public to leave the matter to the authorities. From the CCTV footage the woman was identified and a large crowd has now gathered outside the woman’s home and police community support officers have been there to monitor the situation.

Having listened to commuters, colleagues and flatmates discuss this story and how awful it was, it got me thinking. We read awful stories in the news everyday so what was it about this article that really struck a chord with UK readers?

Firstly, we are a nation of pet lovers, so we instantly feel drawn to the story. It is unlikely that it would have received as much hype in other countries where they are not so pet crazy. Animal extremists in the UK are even sending the woman death threats and she is currently under police protection – that’s how much we love our pets!

Secondly the story evoked different emotions in us. Some male friends of mine thought it was hilarious, whereas most of the girls I spoke with thought it was a case of severe animal cruelty and looked really saddened by the incident.   The story is bizarre too; it’s normal for a person to be attracted to a cute cat – you don’t expect them to turn around and throw it in a bin! A moment of madness on her part – I guess we will never know, but however you look at it, it made us all sit up and take notice.

Thirdly, and most importantly, especially in our role as PR professionals, the incident was filmed. We saw exactly what happened. Do you really think this story would have received the same media exposure without the surveillance video? I know I clicked on the video before I’d even got a quarter of the way through the article. I wanted to see this crazy woman.

Video and visual content needs to be a part of everything we do. As more and more video content hits the web and media outlets, it is becoming the norm, and needs to be considered for every campaign, every launch and every release.

[Kirkpatrick talks about the concept of Techonomy. Disclosure: HP is a Bite client]

Last week I attended Techonomy, a meeting of some of the greatest minds in academia and technology in the serene mountain setting that is Lake Tahoe. The conference was a three day affair and the first of its kind, a venture created and led by ex. Fortune media masterminds David Kirkpatrick, Peter Petre and Brent Schlender.

The ‘Techonomists’ (people who are using technology to solve the world’s most important economic issues and drive change) came together from all walks of life but were led by Silicon Valley’s finest. The heavy hitters included Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Kevin Kelly, John Doerr, Bill Joy, Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff and Armory Lovins. The list goes on here.

Overall, it was an inspiring thought provoking buzz of ideas, hope and big thinking. The kind of stuff that brings together best of breed ideas, creates promising relationships and (for me personally) reminds me why I do technology and not another form of PR.

Having never attended Fortune Brainstorm TECH, AIF or DAVOS, I was reliant on other people’s opinion as to how the set up compared.  Some called it ‘super TED with a technology focus’ others thought it was in altogether another league.  Highlights included the interactive first dinner led by Kirkpatrick and Doerr, during which Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos and Chris Hughes were put on the spot to answer white-boarded audience-generated questions relating to energy, healthcare and education. Others liked the interactive participation, where questions were sourced and read in real time on stage via iPad. Unusually good timekeeping meant there was also ample time for networking and ad hoc meetings inside the walls of the grandiose Ritz Carlton.

A philosophy for progress but how is progress defined? Let’s take education as an example…

According to Gates, online and computer aided learning will be the way of the future. While educational institutions will remain important, (particularly for children who should be spending 80% of their time in schools) they won’t be essential to getting a good education. Building on the one laptop per child concept, we’ll see that it’s the developing world that will be what guarantees the shift to e-books, not the discussions and hype in the US. This notion was supported in the flesh by Kaplan University who organized filmed Techonmist tutorials featuring case studies and advice from the conference’s best.

You can’t argue the wealth of change makers under one roof, but to make real change the next step has got to be international – Asia, Europe and beyond. More summits, different regions or perhaps even people bought together using the power of technology.  Also, for me, famous tech-heads are personally more of a draw than celebrity Hollywood-heads, but IT-savvy minds only take us so far – hopefully the right government and policy figureheads will help bridge the gap between what Techonomists have started and the policies that really do enable change.

The three musketeers have plans for a Techonomy publication (a long form journalism style pub is expected in the fall). With such mass brain powered support, it’s really only a matter of time before these new concepts and definitions officially enter our tech lexicon. In the meantime, the biggest takeaway of them all comes in the form of one simple lingering question… How will you help change the world today?

Paris: city of light. Home to gastronomic cuisine, luxury brands, beautiful architecture, 3 million Parisians… And now Bite Communications!  

Yes, we’re officially opening an office in central Paris, extending the footprint to this key European market, and adding to the ten existing offices around the world.

So why Paris? Well for many of our clients, France consistently ranks as one of the most important markets in Europe; with one of the largest populations on the continent, and among the highest mobile and broadband penetration rates, it makes sense to incorporate France into many multi-national PR strategies. And what better way to do it than with a team on the ground taking a hands-on approach to business, backed up by really strong group-wide support.

Which is why I’m really excited about leading the Bite team in the country that has been my adoptive home for ten years now. A self-professed Francophile – described by many as “the ‘Frenchest’ English girl I know” (!) – I’ve loved working with home grown clients like France Telecom, just as I have international tech companies keen to resonate with a French audience. Like many Brits over here, I’m passionate about both cultures and really looking forward to creating great campaigns in a country that is evolving in so many exciting ways. 

The key to getting it right here is to understand, and celebrate, France’s uniqueness. This market sets itself apart from the UK and many others in Europe with its own, very specific culture, and in turn its approach to business and PR. It’s essential to have an intrinsic understanding of these aspects to be successful in France as part of an overall European strategy. And we’re confident we have the right formula in a team with one foot either side of the Channel!

So when is this all going to happen? Soundbite Communications, the name we’ll be trading under in France, will officially open its doors on 1 September, on the very chic Boulevard Haussman (no. 21). We’ll start by supporting existing Bite clients HP and Parallels, as well as doing project work for global clients looking for local support. Read the PR Week coverage from Monday 2 August.

We’d be happy to tell you more about this exciting new step, so feel free to contact me or Kath Pooley, Managing Director, EMEA. And look out for the launch party invitation!

To most people, the end of July is a time of the year when the only thing on their minds is what they’re doing for their summer holidays.  While that subject is very much in the minds of many of the senior management team at Bite, we have also been focused on completing our latest financial year and then subsequently planning for the start of our new one.  Needless to say, given the (slowly) improving global economy we’re feeling much more positive about prospects for growth in the next 12 months than perhaps we were last year! 

While it's impossible to see into the future, could this year bring a new dawn for our industry?

As I look forward, I think there are four key challenges that Bite (and in truth, the whole communications industry) faces during the next 12 months and our success will clearly be dependent on our ability to meet these challenges; 

• Talent will become scarce again and will head towards those organisations which provide the right mix of culture, challenge and reward.  We’ve started seeing it already, but as the economy picks up, the scramble for talent will only become more ferocious.  Over the past few years in-house departments have been seen as safe havens by many communicators and it’s likely that agency side will start to look more attractive again as agencies get back into growth mode.  One upshot of this could be that more budgets will also go external as companies struggle to staff programmes internally
• Silos within marketing departments will continue to erode.  I had dinner recently with the CMO of a large B2B software company and he admitted that he only saw marketing challenges (mostly web based) in ‘general’ terms.  What he meant by this was that he identified specific marketing tasks that he needed help with and then was not bothered which kind of agency answered that challenge for him; all he cared about was who understood the challenge the best and had the strongest response to meet it.  Obviously this is both an opportunity and a threat for us
• Budgets will improve, but they’ll be harder to find.  Following on from the last point, as silos break down, traditional budget structures will also change.  It’ll be down to us to go and find the right budget holders and to then sell in the right services
• Other agency disciplines will get ever more aggressive in de-positioning communications agencies.  Yes, I know I’m biased but I truly think we’re on the edge of a golden age for communications; as content becomes ever more important, we’re best placed to help clients create compelling content which will engage and influence their key target audiences.  The Ad guys in particular have had it their own way for too long.  I think they know they’ve got a real fight on their hands and I don’t expect them to go down meekly…

Based on the four challenges above (and the myriad others that will crop up during the next 12 months), our next financial year is certainly going to be an interesting one.  What’s obvious is that change will be the only constant.  But through change comes opportunity.  And it’s this that makes the future look so exciting.

A close friend of mine passed away unexpectedly about two weeks ago.  I realize that everyone deals with such losses in different ways, but I was amazed at how one brand kept horning its way into every one of my conversations with his friends and family in the wake of his passing: Facebook. 

Facebook recently announced its 500 millionth member.  It’s everywhere.  Even my mom, who is THE biggest technophobe out there, has given in to peer and familial pressure to join Facebook.  She had been complaining that I never would send her pictures of my life in NYC, and I reminded her that I post all of my pictures to my Facebook profile where she can easily find them.  Through multiple in-person demonstrations, I’ve finally taught her how user-friendly Facebook can be and the marvelous capabilities it offers to stay abreast of what is happening in every relative’s and friend’s life.

After my mom became better acquainted with Facebook, she loved calling attention to how many Facebook ‘friends’ I maintained.  “Do you really have over 1,000 friends? Can you really keep track of everyone? Are you spending so much time on Facebook that you are losing close relationships?”  Her point is well made.  How can I regularly maintain contact with that many people?  Some friends of mine have even more Facebook friends than I have, although Facebook caps users out at 5,000 friends. 

‘Dunbar’s number’ suggests that there is a theoretical cognitive limit on the number of relationships humans can maintain, indicating that humans can form a maximum of about 150 relationships.  Facebook is providing a technological crutch to humans that enables us to push the limits of ‘Dunbar’s number.” This has its benefits, but what are the negative social implications?

With my friend’s passing, I realized that during every conversation throughout the past two weeks, Facebook keeps getting referenced as THE way to get in contact with large amounts of people at once.  We can issue Facebook status updates on his profile page to reach over 1,000 people.  Unfortunately, this was how some people even initially learned of his passing.  Are we such an impersonal society now that we can broadcast the death of a loved one on a public site? 

Other social technologies are promoting milestones regarding how they’ve tethered humans together through technology.  Twitter just announced its 20 billionth Tweet.   Tumblr just announced 6.6 million users, laying the foundation for the next major challenger to Facebook and Twitter.  Even surveys are pointing to the growth of the socialization-via-technology crutch, finding that consumers spend about a quarter of their internet time on social networks.  I personally speak much less on the phone than I did 10 years ago, as social networking enables me to stay more closely updated with a vast array of friends and family.  It’s so easy to stay in touch with someone that I practically have to TRY to lose contact with someone now. 

The vast opportunities offered by social networking are increasing by the minute as more users are picked up by each technology.  Imagine the power of one brand with one billion users!  Unfortunately, our ancestors may be rolling over in their graves as we devise ways to maintain larger networks of friends at the peril of ethical communication habits.

It’s true, I can’t fudge it.

I’m now in my late 20s and the wedding years are definitely upon me. Don’t get me wrong, the prospect of seeing my friends tie the knot and starting the next stage in my life is very exciting. While the associated ‘hen dos’ are great fun. But as a PR professional, a natural organiser and a lover of lists, being a bridesmaid for the first time this summer and the prospect of helping to run a hen weekend made this occasion very different.

Champers at the ready; organising a hen do isn't that dissimilar form organising a press party, there's just more butterflies involved

When you think about it, surely organising a hen party couldn’t be easier when you run events and organise people for a living? Plus, I was lucky; the other two bridesmaids are an event organiser and a creative. A perfect team? Well yes, it was a great weekend and I loved working with the other bridesmaids to create a memorable weekend for my best friend.  But despite the relevant skills it was still much more stressful than I’d expected.

 It got me thinking — what makes organising a party for friends so different to organising a press party, for example? Surely very little – all the same skills are applicable; organisation, drinks, chatter and generally having a good time, while ensuring that the main event (the client or hen) has a fantastic time.  And yet the butterflies in my stomach were far more active than in my professional life. Perhaps I was more worried that people would hold me personally accountable as I couldn’t hide behind the brand? Or that I didn’t know the ‘audience’ as well as I would on a professional occasion having not met many of them before? Or maybe it was the separation between work and pleasure and, indeed, the blurring on this occasion that made it harder.

According to a survey by The Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism only 56 percent of internet users agree that newspapers are an important or very important source of information. That statement is certainly reinforced by the sharp decline in readership and revenue for print newspapers and magazines. Even half of all journalists think their offline publications will eventually fold! Unsurprisingly, the place people are turning to for information is the internet with 78 percent of those surveyed saying that the internet is an important source of information.

The new breed of online news sites are coming under scrutiny and percieved to be less reliable than their traditonal paper counterparts

OK. So far, I follow. I’m not shocked by any of the above information; it feels like it’s what we’ve been hearing for some time now. So people go to the internet for news and information because they think it’s an important source….. interesting then that the study also found that only 14 percent of users said that a small portion of the information they find online is reliable. That’s just 14 percent think what they’re reading is reliable - 14 percent!

We’re increasingly choosing to get our news from online sources, but more than 85 percent of people don’t actually think the information they’re getting is reliable. I have to say, we hear a lot about how consumer media consumption is shifting, but I think it’s pretty darn interesting that we’re willing to give up almost all semblance of reliability for the convenience of getting information online in between checking Facebook or the latest gossip on Perez.

The places we’re looking to get information are increasingly becoming what I’ll call “new news sites,” a la The Huffington Post, Politico etc. It’s no small wonder that many internet users don’t deem information garnered through the internet as overly reliable, look at some of the journalist-terrorizing coverage these new news sites are receiving – pay per click news, 4am starts at the office,  or unpaid bloggers creating content for major online pubs. These are the people shaping the news, this is how some new news organizations run. This is why we only believe what we’re reading a small percentage of the time.

All of this is reflective of the shifting social model that’s evolved over the past 10 years. We’ve completely changed how we access information, but more importantly that we’re willing to sacrifice reliability. As PR folks, should we really be focused on getting hits in online publications that have huge click through rates but little credibility with the public… or the tried, tested and respected media outlets with waning audiences?

If those journalists are right about the impending demise of all print publications, then I suppose we won’t have to debate much longer, it’ll be one size fits all. Maybe when online sites are able to make more money than the print edition of The New York Times, we’ll see a change of pace in the way the organizations are run and the work produced.

This blog is not to say that no new news organizations are credible or that they publish factually inaccurate and invalid news – but there’s certainly a public perception that will need to be adjusted over time.

Bite New York, New York…

Bite NY poses for the camera

Yesterday was a big day for the New York office – after five fun filled years, it was time to say a (not so) emotional goodbye to our functional but ‘not very Bite-like’ serviced office near Grand Central Terminal and say a big hello to the brand new Bite New York Towers in the very cool and happening Flatiron district. Our new residence is just a stone’s throw from the Big Apple’s finest treasures including, 5^th avenue, Madison Square Park and culinary delights like Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack and the fancy Flatiron Lounge. Last but by no means least there’s also the world famous Flatiron building (for those who don’t know it is in fact actually shaped like a large flat iron).   

Our new space is what many of us are referring to as ‘very Bite’ – a big airy space, a wash of bright colors (yes lime green and bright orange do work together), completely open plan and of course complete with ping pong table and Wii Station (there is also a military style boot camp downstairs on the 2nd floor which I hear is where General Mills is going to send naughty Biters when necessary, yikes). Special thanks goes to Bite NY’s Alisha Martin and also the supporting West Coast opps team – Helen Fuell, Dan Chase and Greg Wei for bringing this all together with much wizardry.

Highlights from day one have been in abundance; from being reprimanded by the front desk sergeant for not using the service elevator to Sara Giles attempting to play an energetic game of ping pong in four inch heels and a short skirt, to seeing Hollywood Megastar Ethan Hawke having a very fraught conversation on his mobile phone outside the front door (I am told he was looking brooding, not moody). So 38 West 21^st Street, it’s great to make your acquaintance…I have the feeling this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Unquestionably, the City that never sleeps now has an office to rival the abandoned bus depot authenticity of Bite London and the spectacular views of Bite San Francisco (and – no doubt other offices across the globe) for sheer cool.

Change the address in your contacts book, watch out for the housewarming invite and stop by and see us anytime.

38 West 21^st Street, 6^th floor, New York, NY 10010

Viva la Bite.

Ok, I admit it’s probably not as awe inspiring as King Leonidas’ “Tonight we dine in hell” speech at the Battle of Thermopylae but hey, you work with what you’ve got.

Inspired by the World Cup and an influx of young talent to the  Bite UK office, we are revamping our five -a-side football team and I must say, I am pleased with the level of interest, not to mention skill, in our new side. The fact that we finished 2^nd in a league comprised mostly of 16 year olds last season is something to be proud of if you ask me (by God, those young whippersnappers could run for hours).  So do we have a strategy for success this season? No. Do we have a seasoned Spanish Biter to offer football advice? Nope. But will we go out there anyway and have a good old time? You bet your grandmother’s best china we will. So without further ado, let me introduce the team:

Likely lads; The Bite UK football team show off their impressive silverware

• Mark ‘I can film you if I want cos I’m on the digital team’ Westall: striker and key goal scorer. As deadly on the football pitch as he is with a camcorder.
• Stuart Beckwith aka ‘Beckers’: centre forward. Don’t let those skinny legs fool you, he’ll run circles round you.
• Liam ‘bad omen’ Jacklin: Liam famously joined a match where, despite the fact that we were a man down, were holding the opposition to a 0 – 0 draw. Within two minutes of Liam joining us, the opposition scored twice
• Marco Bilello: Famously played with a debilitating injury because we were a man down and still managed to score a cracking goal. He is the polar opposite of Liam.
• Mat ‘1T’Gazeley: Famous for his powerful shots. I wouldn’t want to be in the opposition’s goal.
• Matt Lambert aka Lambo: The Kiwi enforcer. He sometimes forgets that we aren’t playing rugby and some poor soul pays the price for the mistake of not being on his team.
• Jamie Foote aka the rookie: The latest addition to the Bite team and if he is anything like his Kiwi kin, the opposition is in trouble.
• Matt Wright aka Mr Creative: As our creative consultant, let’s hope he can bring some of that creativity to the team.
• Patrick ‘Clark Kent’ Evenden: Another rookie, eager to prove his worth.
• Titus ‘T-bag’ Thomson: As a Scot, Titus will be channelling William Wallace’s tenacity on the pitch.
• Elijah Lawal aka E-bear: Captain, goalkeeper and devilishly handsome (if you’re drunk and squint really really hard). Elijah will be using his bear-like paws to attempt to limit just how many goals are bound to get past him.

And there it is, the dream team. For Biters, clients or just anyone who wants to come along and cheer for us, you are more than welcome to come on down to Chiswick and show your support. Much like Shakira did in the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

You may remember our Age of Conversation event at the end of last year, where we had some hot debate about how brands should be engaging with their customers in this new era of social media.

Our Digital Lives research programme helps us understand consumer bahaviour around mobile technology

Since then we have been busy with Professor Michael Hulme on our Digital Lives research programme and our mobile research has now been completed.  In a nutshell, the research seeks to understand consumer behaviour around mobile technologies – vital analysis for companies looking to ensure they are delivering products that meet the needs of a diverse and evolving user base.  This year’s research continues to focus on the growing impact of the smartphone on the mobile market and what emerging and consumer habits this technology is driving.   For example, what is it that makes someone download one app over another? And why is personalised technology becoming increasingly important to brands?

As sales of mobile devices continue to increase so to do netbooks, tablet PC’s, mp3 players and portable games consoles.  But how are today’s consumers forming an eco-system between these devices and the content that sits on them? With a 23 percent year-on-year increase in games downloaded onto mobile devices, the study pays particular attention to the games sector, revealing what entertainment content users are willing to pay for and why.

We would love to hear your thoughts on all of this, so give me a call ( +44 20 8834 3485) to chat if you are grappling with the same issues.   Also, watch this space for our next event, details coming soon!