• The new website will act as a portal for John’s brand, product and be a central booking hub for brands and companies looking to work with John
• The aim of the brief was to create a new cleaner, fresher, and more contemporary looking website, with the overall purpose of making his merchandise accessible to his growing international fan base
• From news and product reviews to social media links, the entire design and build process was managed by Manifest
• John, a life-long Manchester United supporter has worked with the likes of Blackberry, NHS, Pringles and Nike amongst others
• Global advertising campaigns and digital media websites, such as YouTube, have popularized the sport / art in recent years
• John started performing after enrolling on one of the Brazilian Soccer Schools in Manchester at the age of 14, and is now the holder of four Guinness World Records, appeared on several TV shows and won the World Football Freestyle Championship title in Holland in 2006

Quotations

John Farnworth, commented:
I instantly fell in love with the web designs Manifest created – they were exactly what I was looking for from a website.  I love the functionality and the added online shop, which makes my brand and products more accessible to an increasingly international customer and fan base.

Nev Ridley, joint Managing Director at Manifest Communications, said:
This website builds on John’s already powerful brand identity. John is experiencing a growing international fan base and this new look website will be beneficial for the development of his brand and business model.   This was a great project for us to work and we look forward to working with John in the future.

• etc.venues specialises in training, meeting, conference and event space in London and Birmingham
• It currently has nine venues and is looking to use Manifest’s PR and Social Media expertise to promote its facilities as well as to announce the opening of new venues

Quotations

Alex Myers, Director at Manifest London said:
2011 has started really well for Manifest with etc.venues being one of several new account wins. We’re really looking forward to getting our teeth into this campaign and positioning the brand as a fast growing venue provider. We’ve recently appointed two new members of staff in London so have expanded our in-house expertise and support network to ensure client service levels stay unrivalled.

David Owen, Head of Marketing at etc.venues concluded:
Manifest stood out from the crowd as it clearly grasped our way of thinking and provided strategy led concepts, which fell inline with our expectations. It has genuine experience and expertise across a spectrum of media and clearly understands where media relations is heading, especially with the launch of its online digital newsroom, which will increase our online communications quite dramatically.

• Twestival was born from one event in London in 2008 and has since grown exponentially, with over 200 cities getting involved, raising more than $1.2m
• Dubbed ‘Live Aid 2.0’, Twestival Local is wholly organised by volunteers
• Twestival debuts this year include Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and the Tunisian capital, Tunis
• The event will be broadcast across the globe online and will break the world record for the Most Charities Supported By A Live Internet Broadcast
• The Twestival events planned in Japan have been abandoned following the recent earthquake and tsunami disasters, although Twestival has moved to support the country with a dedicated channel of fundraising for Save the Children’s Japan initiative

Quotations

Twestival founder, Amanda Rose (@Amanda) commented:
Twestival has grown from a single tweet to the biggest synchronised charity event in the world in under three years. On Thursday, thousands of volunteers, most of whom have never met in person, will pull together amazing events as varied as the cities that host them, raising thousands for charity in the process. This is so much more than just another charity event; this is the evolution of fundraising.

As Twestival is continuously evolving, we are able to adapt quickly and although we are maintaining a local focus everyone felt it was important to also leverage our global voice and extend support for international crises like the current situation in Japan. Starting March 24th we will have a dedicated fundraising channel at http://Twestival.com and our team of Japanese organisers will still contribute by working with Save the Children’s Japan Emergency Fund to ensure the money we raise has the maximum impact.

 

Alberto was invited to speak at the first Corporate Reputation and Reputational Risk Executive in Madrid this month. Organised by the Instituto de Empresa School and the Corporate Reputation Forum, composed of 15 of the most powerful Spanish businesses, the event was the first training course in leadership and management of corporate reputation and risk to be held in the country.

• The talk was on Alva’s unique software, which for the first time enables companies to accurately measure corporate reputation and manage reputational risk
• Alva monitors over half-a-million news and financial announcements, trading and analyst reports and social media comments a day to assess the impact on the reputations of companies by industry sector
• Presented was Alva’s unique approach to MBA alumni at Cass Business School. Located in the heart of London’s financial district, Cass Business School is a leading provider of business and management education
• Its MBA is recognised globally as a market leader and the school is ranked in the UK’s top 10 business and management research establishments.

To download the full press release, please click here.

The proliferation of social media sites has facilitated this activism, with Facebook groups now a common accompaniment to other campaign tactics.

Most recently, EDF was accused of ‘jumping the gun’ by applying for planning permission for preparatory work on the new Hinkley Point reactor before the main plans have been approved. The response from utilities has been to routinely introduce public consultation on their strategic plans and declare commitment that any decision will depend on a full planning consent process involving further consultation in due course.

To see the full article on the Energy Business Review website, please click here.

February 2nd: The recent water shortages in Northern Ireland cost chief executive of state-owned Northern Ireland Water Laurence Mackenzie his job. This is a graphic example of how being unprepared for resilience issues can have significant consequences on a company’s standing with its stakeholders, and therefore its reputation.

According to research by Corporate Reputation Analysis firm Alva commissioned by the Times, Bentley, Mazda, Volvo and Jaguar lead the automotive sector in terms of reputation over the past three months. Bentley has seen the benefits of this with a 26% increase in sales year-on-year, while Jaguar has enjoyed strong global sales and positive reaction to its concept electric sportscar, the C-X75. Mazda and Volvo were both rated highly for the perceived value for money of their models.

Fiat per formed worst in the reputation analysis, largely thanks to a decrease in sales and industry analysts worrying about its future with Chrysler. Seat, Kia and Alfa Romeo also performed poorly, along with Toyota, which received low marks due to poor communication and lack of transparency over its global recall crisis.

To view this article on The Times website, click here.

So the way that the energy companies communicate with their stakeholders during this controversial, costly and disruptive, period will be critical to their success in manoeuvring successfully through these challenges with their businesses and reputations intact.

Latest technology allows full analysis of issues

Using the latest analytical techniques, Alva evaluates all media coverage of the issues facing the industry and measure its impact on the reputation of the energy companies involved. As well as monitoring traditional media, Alva reviews more than one million sources of data in real-time, including the internet, blogs, Twitter, brokers’ notes and social media channels.

The traditional media often give utilities a rough ride, but social media provides them with an opportunity to engage directly with customers, says Jonathan Evans.
Utilities are no strangers to media coverage – for good or ill. As regulated (or part-regulated) industries of national importance, this is no surprise. Crucial issues today include multi-billion pound investment programmes, global and national climate legislation, security of supply and pricing.
The traditional national and trade media tend to focus on such issues: a potential national energy crisis, pricing, the need for energy infrastructure investment and the appropriate energy mix – fossil fuel, nuclear or renewables. Sometimes the government appears the villain in this coverage, with utilities portrayed as innovators and entrepreneurs. At other times, depending on the mood or political persuasion of the media in question, utilities are presented as corporate fat cats.

Windows of opportunity
The advent of social media has given a voice to a group that five years ago had much more difficulty being heard – individual consumers. This has changed things. Instead of weighing in on one side or the other of well-known debates, blogs and tweets provide a window on a consumer-dominated conversation, where the language is emotive and the views are black and white. The issues here are personal: the impact of rising energy prices, fuel poverty and poor customer service. They largely label the energy providers as faceless corporations interested only in profit and unmotivated by customer satisfaction.

Twitter, in particular, has become a platform for the people (see chart below, “Overall coverage split”) and the reputation of the energy companies is constantly under attack. If utilities fail to understand the groundswell of social media opinion, they could well suffer significant consequences in reputation.
The IT industry responded well to the advent of social media, with companies such as Dell using Twitter as a customer service contact line. The difficulty is that most utility companies do not know how to engage successfully with consumers. When utilities have a presence on the internet they tend to be very corporate or a stiff, faceless customer service operation. The “social” element of social media is ignored and communications often lack the human element and personality.

It’s good to talk
While utilities may feel their main job is to provide power and water, not engage with consumers, failure to do so could have significant consequences. For instance, why shouldn’t customers blame energy companies for price rises if their concerns are not addressed, where they air them?
Engaging in the rollout of smart meters will be crucial. Research shows that many people see smart meters as just an opportunity for the energy companies to gain more control. Engaging with the market about the benefits, through social media as well as traditional media, will be essential to gain acceptance and support for the initiative.

So what to do? The answer is simple but the execution takes commitment. Utilities must evolve and begin a conversation with their customers. Today, many people feel comfortable communicating through the internet and social media, and that must be addressed. Where the traditional media has disseminated information through a one-to-many channel, the internet requires a one-to-one, personal dialogue. Utilities that fail to engage could find themselves losing control of the conversation.
The chart (“Coverage by issue”) shows renewables was the most covered energy topic in the period May to July 2010, while the table above shows that Eon dominated the headlines. British Gas divided opinion most, topping both positive and negative coverage leagues.

Jonathan Evans is the energy & utilities consultant analyst at Alva, which specialises in analysing corporate reputation and reputational risk. 
Email: info@alva-group.com

To view this article on the Utility Week website, click here.

• Industry and climate change organisations have criticised government plans on reducing emissions as ‘too vague’
• July’s review of traditional and social media also identified that future private sector investment in the programme is dependent on Ministers developing a more rigorous policy framework
• Carbon emissions were also high on the issues agenda following the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s £34m cut on low carbon and renewable energy initiatives
• Energy prices were also in the spotlight following British Gas’ announcement of a doubling of profits, but warning of imminent price increases due to the rising cost of wholesale gas
• Ofgem’s report showing 20% of UK households are in debt to energy suppliers raises the spectre of fuel poverty once more and this looks set to be the dominant reputational risk issue for energy companies in the coming months