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It’s been announced this week that according to recent figures, we are officially out of the financial crisis. The UK economy has emerged from recession – we’re the last major economy to leave it, but we got there! The recovery may be slow and growth is gradual, but it’s been said that our best prospect remains to be in exports.

“The trajectory for the recovery, particularly in the next six months, is an uncertain one and the best prospects remain an export-driven turnaround.” – Lee Hopley, chief economist at manufacturers organisation EEF.

At a roundtable event this week, I was presented with the opportunity to get involved with launching Chinese companies in the UK. A fantastic prospect for a valuable partnership, but it got me thinking – exporting really is the future for the UK economy. When people think of exporting, often people assume that it’s the selling of products abroad, but what about services?

Like us, I’m sure a lot of other professional or business service companies work internationally – this is another example of exporting which is just as valuable to the UK economy. We’ve worked across the continents over the years at CBC, including US, most of Europe and Scandinavia, Israel, India, Pakistan, several parts of Africa, Australia and now China, and we continue to offer international PR campaign management as one of our services.

We’re flying the flag for the UK, bringing money back to support the economy. Let’s get involved, help UK companies thrive by working internationally, and do our bit to keep the UK out of recession.

Chaz

Yesterday’s budget from Chancellor George Osborne has got everyone talking…so we thought we’d share a thought from us..

Something that stood out to us was how promising the upgrades in travel sounded, alongside the funding for “superfast” broadband and wi-fi in UK cities.

It’s really encouraging to hear about the investment into the improvements of rail links and that the Budget is looking into the future of aviation later in the year, alongside funding for broadband and wi-fi in 10 UK cities.

We all have fantastic means of communication these days and so much of business is done over the internet or phone in some shape or form. The broadband and wi-fi funding supports this and helps keep Britain green. Equally though, the fact remains that there is still no replacement for face-to-face meetings, which is where this travel investment comes in. Top level customer service and loyalty is vital to drive businesses forward, which requires both face-to-face meetings and online communication.

By this Budget addressing both of these concepts, the future for maintaining strong relationships with customers both at home and abroad looks promising.

In Guildford, we’re situated really well with great rail links and close proximity to airports – international business is thriving here and we can only assume that Osborne looking into the future of aviation will help to build on the business community here.

I’ve seen a lot of new adverts this week, and it’s really got me thinking about the value of advertising as opposed to PR. We live in a world where advertising surrounds us constantly. Whether its banners on the side of the road, adverts on the TV, posters on public transport, pieces in magazines…everyone knows why companies and services advertise: to promote, inform and inspire and, ultimately, sell.

Everyone recognises that advertising costs, too, but companies are prepared to pay because they know its value; publicity leading to an increase in profit. Advertising is a great publicity tool, but the best publicity is continual, rather than one-off adverts with no follow up. With advertising, this can get really quite pricey, and sometimes it’ll be tricky to maintain the publicity.

What about messaging – can you really believe everything you read/see/hear? Some consumers may be sceptical about what they see advertised. I know I can be – largely because I’ve bought stuff based on promises made in adverts, and the products haven’t measured up; the danger of over-promising and under-delivering. Consumers know that wherever the advert is, it’s been paid for, which can minimise the validity and power of the message communicated.

PR offers you a cheaper, more valid and longer lasting solution. Sure, if you’re outsourcing your PR efforts, this does cost. But by a company investing in PR long term, they can build their profile in their sector or community to have more impact, and the value received will far outweigh the costing.
PR can get you places where advertising can’t, especially when your budget isn’t never-ending. When looking for advertising, you could be bidding against some big companies with big budgets, so you’ll have more competition. With PR, if your story is interesting and relevant to the feature, then you’re much more likely to get publicity. Your competition is limited to companies that are relevant, not those that can boast big money.

PR may also secure opportunities for next time, too. Journalists will learn more about you via liaison for the feature, so are more likely to remember you.

Now, don’t get me wrong, advertising is a great tool for publicity and also works well with PR. It gets you noticed and, if done correctly and regularly, can build a profile. But remember, you don’t have to shed out big bucks for publicity – PR is definitely worth looking into for longer lasting, better value and more effective publicity. And you don’t have to choose PR or Advertising – when balanced, they can work really well together!

Carys