Emma Gannon2013-06-19T12:31:52-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=emma-gannonCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Emma GannonGood old fashioned elbow grease.Why the Personality of the CEO Has Never Been So Important for Brandstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.32889372013-05-16T19:13:28-04:002013-05-17T12:49:49-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/Bill Hicks who openly ranted that marketing types "are filling the world with violent garbage and should probably kill themselves". Marketing is about promoting and selling products, but not at the expense of the brand. Do it wrong, and you kill your brand and reputation.
I work in marketing and I believe that there is a lot of good ethical work to be done and is being done. But brands (or should I say CEO's) that openly hate their customers? This gives the others a bad name. How can a candid hatred of customers be justified in an ever increasing world of transparency and why do we so often feel that we should just shrug it off?
As savvy customers with knowledge at our fingertips and an eye kept firmly on our bank balance, I believe it's more important than ever before to take the power back into our own hands (and wallets).
So, brands such as Ryanair immediately spring to mind as a reminder that we need to stand up for our customer rights. With a CEO who quite openly and candidly admits he doesn't really care about his customers, he laughs in the face of poor unsuspecting victims, who are quite rightly wanting to get their hands on the top discount rates in order to get a bit more out of their holiday. Micheline Maynard summed this up in her Forbes article:
"[Ryanair] invented fees for virtually every aspect of an airplane flight, based on the idea that people will put up with just about anything if the fare is cheap enough."
Talking of companies who receive pleasure in watching their customers suffer, let's welcome Mike Jeffries, (the Abercrombie & Fitch CEO) into the ring. He is quite the headline-veteran having hogged the front pages seven years ago when quoted in an interview by The Salon in 2006 having made some outlandish remarks on his idealised 'target customer':
"Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don't alienate anybody, but you don't excite anybody, either."
So, seven years later, Jeffries is receiving backlash once again. But this time, angry customers are getting their own back. Namely, Los Angeles-based writer Greg Karber who has started the campaign called "Fitch the Homeless" and is one of the reasons I just love the Internet. I love it because it gives people a voice. It gives any angry teenager in their bedroom a chance to prove their worth and it also gives passionate entrepreneurs and campaigners the chance to break through the noise and say their piece. Jeffries wants 'cool, beautiful, funny' people wearing his clothes and this campaign is an attempt to do the exact opposite. It's what he would NOT have wanted for his brand, and although Jeffries might not take action, at least now he has no choice but to listen.
Anecdotally, I do not have good memories of the Abercrombie & Fitch brand. But, admittedly, I too, got well and truly sucked in. Having attended an all-girl's school, all this designer malarkey was one of the mainly rites of passage. It wasn't really anything to do with your intellectual thoughts at 16 years old, no: it was who knew the most about boys, and more importantly, who is wearing the latest badly designed garment with the iconic stitched on moose. If you managed to make it to London's flagship store (with the inability to hear, smell or see due to the excessive pumping of perfume and music to rival that of nightclub Fabric), then bravo, you have made it into the cool crowd. If you have successfully navigated your way through the stench and proven yourself to have bought into the Abercrombie lifestyle, then you pass the middle-class test of being lured into the world of designer clothes. One gold star for you.
I remember entering this monstrosity of a store back in 2007 when it first opened in London, dragging my poor unsuspecting parents (actually I recall my Dad refusing and waiting outside, terrified). My sister and I marched towards the new building and probably would have missed it (no branding, elusiveness being at the heart of the brand) if it wasn't for the huge queue flooding down Savile Row. Eager as beavers, we joined the mob of people, completely unfazed by the lengthy queue. After a long wait, we finally entered the store, greeted by a young man with the most intimidating abs I have ever encountered. Back then, the cultural norm was to have a photo taken with said intimidating-abs-man with a skinny brunette with hot pants (it was a wintery December afternoon I hasten to add) energetically in charge of the polaroid camera so that we could remember this momentous day forever. Uploading a picture of yourself onto Facebook in close proximity of an Abercrombie & Fitch model equated to posting a picture of your blinged up engagement finger - it was at the time, the most sought after social seal of approval.
Once inside the store (slash nightclub), it only got more awkward. The sizing is known to be small, which Jeffries openly admits because he doesn't want 'fat chicks wearing the clothes'. So to punish the fatties, the clothes are laid out with size XS perfectly within reach, these tiny sizes are spread out on centre tables for everyone to stroke and peruse. Upon inspection, it is immediately clear that these sizes are similar to that of my now six-year-old nephew. Sizes S to M are a little further up on the clothes shelves which requires a slight tip toe to reach. But, the L and XL? Right at the top of the cabinet, requiring a step ladder. Yes, if you want to get a XL (the equivalent of a Topshop 12) you have to actively seek a (ridiculously good-looking) sales assistant to get a ladder, climb up, reach for the garment and then climb back down, and then give it to you to try on. I called this the' Ladder of Shame'. Not only does the whole store know that you are getting an XL, but the shop assistant cannot even look you in the eye properly, tossing you the XL garment like a hot potato.
To conclude, Abercrombie & Fitch has never made me feel good. I've always left the store feeling a) robbed of money b) cold (the fabric is thin), fat (it's hard not to), and also angry in general that I'd succumbed to the societal pressures of attempting to prove I am living a certain lifestyle.
It cannot be a coincidence that the overarching reputation of the brand is synonymous with the likeability of the CEO. It cannot be a coincidence that a CEO with a bubbly personality such as Richard Branson, or an inspiring, intelligent CEO such as Steve Jobs helps create marketing messages that stick in the minds of consumers. Learning: being an arsehole has never worked out for anybody (except Piers Morgan).
So, Abercrombie, good luck with your future marketing endeavours. I, for one, can happily and officially say that I am OK with the fact that 'I don't belong'. And with that, I bid you adieu.]]>Is it Okay if Our Definitions of Feminism Aren't 100% the Same?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.24258352013-01-08T19:00:00-05:002013-03-10T05:12:01-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/
Why was a word that was meant to encapsulate freedom and empowerment slowly becoming an intimidating one, making me step on keyboard eggshells whenever I wanted to use it? Isn't it ironic to have a word born to encourage gender liberation actually suppressing opinions for the fear of receiving negative commentary or disagreement? What if they say I'm not a feminist? In truth, I've always cared more about what other women think of me.
I don't think we meant it to be this way. But due to the internet explosion of blogs, Twitter and forums, we all have the free tools to tell the world exactly what we think, whenever we want. However the negative side is our own idea of feminism might not align with other online communities and means we are at risk of being scolded for our beliefs. Due to the existence of social variables: small niche groups, media influences, living situations, diverse cultural groups and ever-changing political factors the definition will of course mean something different from woman to woman, person to person. But surely it shouldn't have to be this complicated.
Unfortunately the question appears now to not only be "are you a feminist?" but more "are you a feminist like me?" But, I ask, do the minor details really matter that much? When asking on Twitter "what does feminism mean to you?" every single reply I received was unique. Maybe we don't need one complete definition; if we have the fundamental understanding then we're all on one team, right?. Moreover, some replies mentioned bad experiences what other people thought of them. Culture editor Victoria Finan said: "Feminism is the right to define one's gender oneself and to expect equality, if you ask me anyway. I once got told I wasn't a feminist, as I don't believe in raising gender-neutral children. It really upset me."
In my opinion, we need not concentrate on the nitty gritty definitions but on the collective empowering want and need for equality and the death of sexism.
It appears the biggest insult today used to be judging a woman on her aesthetics, intelligence or career. But we have a new winner: branding someone 'not a feminist'. Where's the girl-power in that?
We only have to see the backlash certain celebrities received when stating they 'weren't feminists'. Such as Katy Perry who said "I'm not a feminist but I believe in the strength of women," when awarded 'Woman of the Year' in her Billboard acceptance speech. This sounds like an oxymoron, and maybe it is. To me "believing in the strength of women" is the bit to concentrate on here instead of dismissing her views entirely without checking that she may not want to use the F-word for her own reasons.
Of course there was also the controversy with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy claiming not to be a feminist: "I imagine I am if feminism means claiming one's freedom. But I am not if it means being committed in an active way to the fight that some women are still leading today I admire their bravery a lot, but I have chosen to commit myself elsewhere". On further dissection, she is saying she is a passive feminist. She is not saying it's wrong, or she is wildly against it. Yet people jump at the 'not a feminist' part of the story and tar her with a brush similar to that of the Salem Witch trial. Targeting other women isn't the answer to gender equality.
I must admit I started to avoid the F-word completely. I started to just define my views as 'strongly anti-sexist' to make matters easier. To me, helping along my idea of 'feminism' was to do little things everyday that I felt might have made a difference. Such as correcting someone who talks hypothetically about a male CEO, reminding them it could be a 'she' or scorning someone for making gender assumptions ("because I'm a girl") or making jokes about sex, rape, careers and pay differences. I also joined the No more page 3 initiative, a campaign to stop ask Dominic Mohan to take bare boobs out of the Sun newspaper. I believe we can conquer everyday sexism together. I believe women can have it all in the work place. I believe it's possible to stand up for our beliefs with or without one word to define it all. To me, beating everyday sexism is my definition of modern day feminism. Feminism might mean something different to someone else - they might have a different personal focus but really, you want the same thing.
Do I think it's a complicated word? No. To me, Caitlin Moran made that quite clear in her popular book How To Be A Woman; one of my favourite quotes in the book describing feminism had to be "I'm not 'pro-women' or 'anti-men' - I'm 'thumbs up for the six billion". To me this is it - it's describes very succinctly the idea of freedom for all. It's social, political, economical equality. It's the banishing of sexism, however big or small.
Here's what I propose: we all vow to empower other women whilst keeping close our own personal definition of feminism. Here are a few quotes for inspiration:
Rebecca West: "I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute". (Mr Chesterton in Hysterics: A Study in Prejudice)
Jane Austen: "He is a gentleman, and I am a gentleman's daughter. So far we are equal." (Pride & Prejudice)
Virginia Woolf: "Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size." (A Room of One's Own)
Zooey Deschanel: "We can't be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f**king feminist and wear a f**king Peter Pan collar. So f**king what?" (Digital Spy)
Caitlin Moran: "If the things that concern you as a modern woman are the bewildering rise of the Brazilian and the pressure to have a baby then start your feminism there!"(Caitlin Moran's Guide to being a modern feminist, Stylist)
Mary Wollstonecraft: "My own sex, I hope, will excuse me, if I treat them like rational creatures, instead of flattering their fascinating graces, and viewing them as if they were in a state of perpetual childhood, unable to stand alone." (A Vindication of the Rights of Woman)
Share your definition of modern day feminism in the comments below.]]>I Need an Idea, Nowtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.21886892012-11-25T15:00:51-05:002013-01-25T05:12:01-05:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/
The problem is we seem to be running out of time. Well at least that's the illusion. Stepping away from your laptop for half an hour to let your mind wander cannot be justified as a good use of time. The increasingly fast moving, micro-blogging, mobile-optimised environment we live in means people need answering straight away. Emails cannot be left unread, tweets need to be retweeted, breaking news stories need to be circulated, career opportunities need to be jumped on. Now, no one can wait. In a matter of seconds, news is old news. Emails are becoming increasingly more urgent. Time is money and we cannot afford to waste either of them. This pressure means people fire off emails without having had time to craft a detailed response, tweets are being retweeted without having been properly read, and people are not proof reading or fact-checking their articles as much as they used to. Because surely it's more important to be as timely as possible and catapult your ideas out into the world as quickly as possible. Because being hyper-relevant is more important than a spelling mistake, right?
I don't think so.
Where, in the midst of all this constant upkeep, is the time needed to generate clever, relevant ideas?
I started to wonder how people used to work, before the days of Facebook timelines, Twitter newsfeeds and RSS streams. This led me to think a lot about Linds Redding, a New Zealand-based art director who worked at BBDO and Saatchi & Saatchi. My friend shared the article 'A Short Lesson in Perspective' with me and it was a real eye-opener into the way creative processes have changed over time. Sadly, Redding died recently at age 52 from esophageal cancer and this was his way of giving the world one last insight into his personality and working life before he died.
His thirty years of experience in the advertising world is boiled down in this bold essay he writes. He describes how the advertising world has continued to change since the good old days in the eighties and how the power of ideas is now becoming lost to an accelerated world of constant streams and communication.
Redding shares with us stories of what the ideas process used to be like in his advertising job a few decades ago. In their company, to formulate ideas, they'd use what they called 'The Overnight Test'. This meant pulling together ideas, big, small, silly and pull them all onto A2 pieces of paper and stick them all over the wall. They'd then leave everything as it stood, and would go home and think no more of it. The next day as soon as they'd get into the office, they'd pull down all of the bad ideas that immediately stood out. By coming into the office newly refreshed they'd realise how differently the ideas looked in the morning after having 'slept on it'.
Interesting enough, as time went on "The Overnight Test became the Over Lunch Test." This hit home to me. How many companies in how many offices are now having to discuss ideas over lunch or over their computer screen, desperate to submit a 'quick idea?' Redding goes on to describe how the ad world became so fast moving that it went from having a full weekend to think over an idea to only having the time it would take to finish a pot noodle. Or as Redding explains it in the article: "As fast as we could pin an idea on the wall, some red-faced account manager in a bad suit would run away with it."
Mediocre idea factories are not the way to build a successful business or process. The time is takes to churn out ten average ideas you probably could have sat down with a group and cemented one kick ass idea. It's silly to stunt a thought prematurely by letting someone pitch it in too early. Don't tell someone you'll get an idea together in a day. It's just not long enough.
The amazing thing is, is that people who work in creative industries actually want to work harder and longer to process great ideas. There is no need for any goodwill tactics to make your employees want to work more intensely on a project, they'll do it anyway. The excitement that comes with a great idea is motivation enough. If you work in a creative environment people work hard because they are passionate about what they do and it is a loss of pride if they are not getting good ideas out of the door. However, in order to do this there needs to be more time dedicated to thinking.
Redding's point about reward and recognition are rather poignant. He describes how creative people are driven by their own creations, not about the financial reward at the end of it: "Truly creative people tend not to be motivated by money. That's why so few of us have any. The riches we crave are acknowledgment and appreciation of the ideas that we have and the things that we make". This is an amazing thing. What other industries can genuinely say that their employees are driven by the quality of their own work, ideas and execution? It's not just a job where the same things need to be achieved day in and day out with one single benchmark of success.
I really hope we can all take a step back and realise the reality of what it takes to build a truly creative process and respect how long it can take to crack a good idea. Redding's analogy is a perfect one: "Have you ever tried to have an idea. Any idea at all, with a gun to your head? This is the daily reality for the creative drone." The point he hammers home here is that ideation process cannot be rushed.
We cannot come up with an earth-shattering, Cannes-award-winning multi-layered global campaign over lunch. We simply cannot. We need the time and space to craft ground-breaking ideas and make them actionable, exciting and innovative. If anything at all, perhaps we all need to bring back the 'Over Night Test'.]]>Writer's Corner: Aita Ighodaro Discusses New Noveltag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20489182012-10-31T08:44:36-04:002012-12-31T05:12:01-05:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/that much money could get themselves into. A relaxing holiday can be just as much about an exciting plot as it is about the holiday location, helping you transport yourself to a place far, far away from the dreariness of daily life.
Aita's writing welcomes us into this world. We are invited behind the scenes of the most private and scandalous parties that host the world's most powerful people. In last year's novel Sin Tropez we met best friends Tara and Abena, who with their combined beauty and money, stir up enough trouble to last another ten chapters. We learn about the dangerous side of money and the dark side of seemingly glamorous love affairs. In Aita's follow up novel All That Glitters we go back to dipping into this dazzling lifestyle, but this time, we learn along with money and power also come frightening responsibilities.
I wanted to interview Aita about the inspiration behind the novel and whether any of the characters or stories may be based on any of her own past experiences...
Your first book, Sin Tropez, is about sex, sun and excessive behaviour. What can we expect from the next book?
I loved writing Sin Tropez, but when it came to writing my upcoming book, All That Glitters I wanted to see if I could set myself a fresh challenge. I wanted to keep all the glamour and excitement of Sin Tropez but explore a slightly different type of protagonist. This time around, my lead character is ambitious almost beyond belief. She's beautiful, she's charismatic and she's hungry, perhaps too hungry, for everything she feels she deserves. She's a complex and extraordinary character, so as you can imagine, this leads her on a very exciting journey. There is even a murder in All That Glitters and the suspense that this storyline creates turns the novel into more of a 'thriller'.
Where is the upcoming book set?
I like to write about people who are not limited by country borders. People who live all over the world and will fly from Ibiza to Sao Paulo at a moment's notice. The action in this novel takes the reader from the historic colleges of Oxford University to the corridors of power in London's Westminster, then onto the wild parties of Miami, and aboard the super-yachts bobbing and preening along Italy's stunning Amalfi Coast. But it's not all glitz and glamour - along the way there is some serious grit, smut and seediness everywhere from London to South America!
Where did you find the inspiration behind the extravagance of the main characters?
I'm always watching people. That probably sounds a bit creepy, but I love to observe. I travel a lot and often, if I have free time, I'll find somewhere nice to perch for a while and spend hours watching people go by, observing their habits and idiosyncrasies. But I've been privileged to have had many interesting life experiences myself which have brought me into contact with extraordinary people....
Is there a central message you try and tell your readers through your writing?
I don't like to preach, and I prefer my readers to take what they want from my novels - to relate to them in their own individual ways and to put their unique spin on an interpretation. I guess, though, the questions that go through my mind as I write are often around the issue of the fine line between greed and ambition, between healthy self-esteem and vanity or arrogance. I'm interested in the correlation between sex and power. I'm fascinated by the ability of money to corrupt and to do good. There are always many questions in my head as I write.
Are any of your characters based on your real friends or experiences?
Based is probably too strong a word. Inspired is more apt. Often something in someone will inspire a character, but it could be in a very abstract way. Sometimes it'll be the way someone laughs, for example, but by the time the character makes the book they'll have been completely altered - maybe an entirely different age, sex and nationality. I try very hard to make sure characters are not recognizable out of respect for people's privacy more than anything else. But I do believe in the whole 'write about what you know' thing and so everything I write has to be set in a world that I am knowledgeable about. Clearly I haven't experienced all of the things I write about but I'll certainly have seen it or know people who have! I feel it's a duty of a writer to write with authenticity.
Do you find yourself cringing at all when writing the sex scenes?
Hahaha! Sometimes. But when I'm writing I think not as myself but as the particular character I'm writing about, which makes the whole thing a lot more palatable. Quite fun even!
What's the hardest part about writing a book?
The hardest part is containing all the excitement rushing around in your head, channeling it into the written word and managing to have retained all of that energy in the story by the time it reaches the page.
Would you ever write a book in another genre of fiction?
Absolutely! All That Glitters is already a slight departure from Sin Tropez in that it is more of a thriller. But there are many books I'd still like to write. I'd love to experiment with form and theme.
Where's your favourite place to visit and why?
I've never been the type of person who goes back to one place all the time. It entirely depends on my mood and who I'm with. I certainly don't want to take my grandmother to the same place I'd want to be with a lover. As a general rule, though, anywhere where you can be close to nature and the elements without having to pile on layers of protective clothing is a good start, so somewhere nice and hot. There is also something wonderfully calming about the sight of rippling water for miles around and the gentle sway of a boat.
www.aitaighodaro.com]]>Team GB Win the Social Media Olympicstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.18535242012-09-04T06:02:48-04:002012-11-04T05:12:01-05:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/
Updates and opinions were told daily in 140 characters. We could follow our favourite Olympians on Twitter. We could download a whole host of apps to tell us how the team were doing at all times. For the first time, the fans were given the opportunity to tell the story alongside the official commentators. It was a social experience, and for those unable to attend any events, following the excitement on social media was almost just as exciting. Whilst we watched interviews with the athletes after competing on TV, we saw tweets roll past with personalized messages from fans and whilst watching the opening and closing ceremony following Grace Dent's tweets was a great alternative if you didn't manage to get tickets.
The growth in mobile and social network users since the last Olympic Games has been truly staggering. Facebook grew from 100 to 900 million active users. Twitter grew from 100 million tweets per yearly quarter to 340 million tweets per day. The use of smartphones is sky high, up 456% from 18.9 million to 106.7 million this year. Every company under the sun now has social media strongly embedded in their online strategy and Team GB was to be no exception. Social media is the perfect way to get personality across, engage in real-time with fans and instigate one big conversation amongst the nation.
So, how did Team GB begin their big digital campaign? It started on 27 February 2012 by launching their brand new website and with it the real identity behind 'Our Greatest Team'. This was a new fresh approach to previous communication with the audiences and through social media it meant the fans could receive exclusive content, send in messages of support and really feel a sense of community in London and all over the world. Every upload onto the site gives that real-time impression too displaying how minutes ago the last photo was uploaded. The first thing to be seen on the site is the social buttons: G+ for daily blogging, Twitter to join the Olympics cocktail party of conversation, Facebook for visual content and YouTube for exclusive behind the scene clips.
Social networks connected us to the Olympians in a way like never before. The Team GB channels curated the content, but connecting personally with the voices of the athletes was something very special this year. We could talk to the individuals and congratulate them or wish them luck. Even Pride the Lion had his own Twitter account. The whole team could invite the entire 60 million people of the nation to join them on the Olympic journey through live content. Team GB reached that goal and Joe Morgan, Team GB's Digital Manager said he was "proud to say that we did that on Facebook alone - 62,000,000 people were reached in the two weeks with our content."
Team GB Live put London 2012 into the hands of the fans, providing them with a truly customized Olympic experience by letting them "remove the noise and follow just the athletes you like and the sports you're interested in". It allowed fans to stay completely up to date with all the latest news and plan their Olympics with the full, interactive Team GB event schedule. This allowed fans to customise their desktop or mobile app by choosing only the athletes, sports and venues they wanted to follow and get every London 2012 result straight to their device.
Team GB employed a team of four volunteers named the "Social Media Sports Commentators" who were trained up and briefed with the ambition and strategy who then worked 8 hour daily shifts to divide and conquer all of the events GB were competing in. This team had to learn the full strategy, tone of voice, crisis management procedure and even planned future hashtags like #aMOzingg (two g's for two golds) and #GoldenHoy. Every day they managed to get around 4 or 5 hashtags trending within 60 seconds(including #GoMo, #GoldWednesday, #BigBen). This is an example of how we can now broadcast in a less expensive and a lot more spontaneous way than before, but the long working hours and graft behind it is something that cannot be avoided.
As a way for fans to feel included, Team GB created a real time fan gallery that showed the fan story of the Olympics through the power of photos. This pin board of stories was created for and by the fans, showing wherever they were in the world and who they were cheering on; a key place for fans to share their own story. Fans could also receive a daily eCRM newsletter that wrapped up the previous day of competition and got everyone excited about the day ahead. By using the Team GB platforms the team increased awareness of the NGBs & Athletes simply by linking to their profiles to increase their fan base and ramp up the support for these individuals. By using 'Photo of the Day' albums - a visual wrap up of that days competition and highlights and including Cover Photo Poll meant fans choose what the Facebook cover photo should be for the day based on the main highlights of the day. It was also the posting of daily video content including exclusive behind the scenes video footage giving fans that inside scoop and sense of inclusiveness.
So what were the main results?
Team GB saw over 620% increase in social media fans/followers during the Olympics Games and over 2000% increase of media fans/followers since the start of the Our Greatest Team campaign in March.
On Twitter:
• Over 35 million people engaged with #TeamGB or #OurGreatestTeam at some point during the Games.
• The Closing Ceremony Twitter conversation received over 65,000 Re-Tweets & Opening Ceremony Tweet received 45,000 Re-tweets.
• The hashtag #OurgreatestTeam averaged at 542,000 views per day with peaks on August 4th and August 12th at over 750,000.
• The hashtag #TeamGB averaged at 1.8 million views per day with peaks again on August 4th/12th at over 2.8 million.
On Facebook:
• Over 60,000,000 people were reached on the Team GB Facebook page during the games reaching the goal of targeting our nation of 60 million people.
• On average over 2 million people were actively talking about Team GB during the games
• The top 5 Facebook posts had 909,915 likes, shared 74,153 times and received 25,789, engaging 1.9 million users and reaching over 11 million users in total.
So, what is next for Our Greatest Team and Team GB in terms of social and digital media? Of course there is expected to be a lapse and lull in engagement levels now that the Games are over, but with such a strong online community the job is far from done. What has been built over the course of the campaign is an online fan base for Team GB, an awareness of our country's sports, athletes and achievements. Now that Team GB now has over 1.6 million people that they can talk to on a daily basis with a new found motivation for sport, this is just the beginning of a powerful connection with our Olympic athletes and spirit of the Games, thanks to the power of social media.
*Sources = Nielsen, eMarketer, Forrester]]>Interviewing Alesha Dixon About Team GB and What We Can Learn From This Year's Olympic Gamestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.17705452012-08-13T19:00:00-04:002012-10-13T05:12:11-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/
On meeting Alesha, my first thoughts were how sleek she looked and how sweet, smiley and open she was with me from the word go. I could also sense a hardened outer layer, years of experience as a figure in the public eye was displayed through a firm handshake as we sat down to chat. It was obvious why she had be picked to be part of the Team GB ambassador program, for being a source of inspiration, motivation and for her genuine passion for sports. I learned that it was a first visit for both of us to Team GB house and I managed to steal 10 minutes of her time to talk excitedly about the Olympics and about what she'd been up to.
So, what's your connection with Team GB? I asked, not wanting to sound forward but I'm not sure many people had heard what she'd been up to in the lead up and during the Games: "Basically, a big group of us (David Walliams, Katherine Jenkins, Davina McCall, Dermot O'Leary, Will Young, Gary Barlow, Eddie Izzard and more) said let's be Team GB ambassadors and ramp up the support and encouragement towards our greatest team in the lead up the Games. We're all massive sports fans so this wasn't hard for us, it's like Christmas come early - it's been great fun."
We only have to take a quick look around us to see such amazing support for Team GB all over the country. The sense of pride in London is overwhelming. "Yes, the whole nation has just been incredibly supportive. It's been amazing. Everyone's been amazing. It's made us all so proud to be British. We can be a bit pessimistic at times; we're quite good at moaning aren't we? But when something like this happens, we show our true character. Our true character, I think, is to succeed, to do well, to make some noise and to be a country that is looked at as an inspiration to others. We have such great opportunities here. When we stand back and look at what we have, we realise we are very, very lucky."
In true Team GB spirit, Alesha has a fair few goals of her own. Having conquered the music world with Misteeq and growing solo career, proving she can handle new challenges by winning Strictly Come Dancing, picked as a judge on Britain's Got Talent for a second year running and now being an ambassador for Team GB, it's clear Alesha is one busy girl. So what's next on your list? I asked with a half-smile as she surely hasn't got time for anything else. "Well I'll be back on BGT judging panel, I've also been back in the studio recording so hopefully I'll have a new album out next year, I front Avon's domestic violence and beauty campaigns as well as having just finished a new series for BBC 1 called Alesha's Street Dance Stars for under 16's which starts this month. I also want to make some new documentaries and concentrate on developing my own show in 2013." We both laugh at Alesha's never ending to-do list as she insists she is also "taking things easy and relaxing a bit" even though I find that hard to believe.
Having been a victim herself of media criticism and negative comments in the past, I was interested to hear Alesha's thoughts on the recent comments made about Zoe Smith, Rebecca Adlington and Tom Daley on Twitter: "It's such a shame if anyone has anything negative to say about any of the athletes, because for me, regardless of whether they get gold, silver or bronze, just the work ethic that goes into what they do and the years they spend working on their craft is incredible. They are heroes for all the young people around the country to look at."
Alesha speaks from experience and her words feel wise beyond her years. And what would your advice be today to anyone suffering from any criticism from the press or low self-esteem? "Depending on your character, how you cope with and manage criticism can change... it's difficult. I'd say, ignore the negativity, concentrate on the positivity, and know yourself and what you're about. What you put out is what you get back in life. As a nation we should be proud of them, and encouraging them. You always get a small minority of people that try to be all doom and gloom of the party and say negative things but, that's life. We should all know better than to let them bring us down."
"I had it too when I joined Strictly as a judge, I had a lot of controversy surrounding around me in the press but I'm really good at putting things into perspective. I try to look at it for it is. I wouldn't take it personally because I know I'm capable of doing it. In life you have to have confidence in your ability. It's just a comment, it's a just a newspaper."
With the media glamorizing sports stars in advertising campaigns and in glossy magazines, do you think there's a belief now that athletes are better role models than pop stars? "I wouldn't say better. It's just current; it's on trend. It's always been cool to be a sports star. Regardless of whether it's an actor, pop star or athlete, it doesn't matter. If it someone who is being successful and being a fantastic ambassador for Great Britain then that should be celebrated. I think these women are being celebrated for what they represent. I am a big fan of all of them. There's something so beautiful about what they do. There's so much magic about sport."
We are momentarily distracted by a sudden burst of cheering behind us near the Team GB big screen. This inspires my next question: if you were an Olympic gold medalist what would your sport be? Alesha's eyes lit up and she starts laughing at a vivid memory of when she was younger: "The 200m was my event! Last leg of the relay and the long jump. I was so excited when I got my first pair of spikes. That was really special to me."
I had to ask the 'what next' question. What good things do you think we can take away from this year's Games? "I hope people continue to care about sport and think 'I could have a shot at doing that'. What I would hope for is that more young children look into sports and areas they hadn't thought of before. What we don't want is one of those anti-climaxes. That people don't rush to the gym and then two months later give up on it; I really hope people take things up and stick to it. I hope the Olympics has been so big that it will leave a lasting impression on everyone."
Show your support with an official Team GB scarf.]]>Women's Beach Volley Ball: Sex, Hugs and Rock & Rolltag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.17364622012-08-03T06:25:49-04:002012-10-03T05:12:02-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/
The event played up to every single preconception I had. As I sat down the crowd was already doing the clap-clap-pause to 'We Will Rock You.' The screens were displaying the types of phrases I'd expect after completing a high level on a dance-mat: "make some noise!", "get up a dance!", and "score!" There were even intervals where a fully fledged dance group (full of bikini clad women) would perform some highly energetic dance numbers fit for a musical to a mash-up of Beach Boys songs. They were pushing their big boobs into the sand and rolling around suggestively with flowers in their hair. It was all a bit obvious. But, I guess that's part of the enjoyment. No surprises, just being delivered what you paid for.
After the women starting to play the game and win points, the song choices got more suggestive. There were numerous slow-motion replays of the best looking girls diving for the ball and the camera as if by magic managing to get right underneath their lady parts to capture a zoomed-in cellulite-free bottom hurtling through the air revealing a half wedgie and a sandy bare bum cheek. Whilst this replay was being gawped at the music player boomed Tinie Tempah's recent hit 'Frisky' and Guetta's 'Damn You A Sexy Bitch'.
Where am I? I asked myself. Am I in a night-club? Am I back at University? There are some drunk teenagers in fancy dress next to me, beer being spilt down my back, half-naked women wiggling their bottoms to dance music and there are some interesting chat-lines being trialled and tested in the row behind me. Perhaps this is the best Olympics event to come to if you are trying to pull? Should I have put some perfume on this morning? Is there a DJ, and more importantly, can we request songs?
The farce continued as other intervals included a montage of the best 'touchy-huggy' moments from the beach volleyball matches. We watched a five minute clip of the best arse-slaps, thigh grabs, boob-pressing hugs, bromance man cuddles and some loving high-fives. This game is handsy, with any excuse to grope your partner, it seemed. The young high-pitched female presenter then screeched into the microphone demanding that we now 'hug the person next to us! Go on! Hug a stranger!' This brought me back to those awkward moments at the end of a musical when you have to stand up and read the song lyrics that the cast are holding on a big poster for the grand finale sing-a-long. I hid in my seat and watched the four Swedish men on the row in front of me (each dressed up as an oversized moose) start hugging anyone that would let them. They were loving it.
I wanted to whinge about how it's quite clear that sex sells and that the tickets were expensive/sold out because you get to grab a beer and look at girls writhing around on the sand for three hours. I wanted to write about the sexualization of girls that still exists in so many industries just like the music videos that are still being made where they are allowed to oil up women's backsides and slap them in day time TV. I still think it was a bit disrespectful that our Team GB girls were splashed around in FHM. But, like all things in life, you can choose to be offended, or you can just have fun with it. On this occassion, I chose the latter.
Despite the great morning I had, the one thing I can't ignore is the blatant fact that this is an event completely tailored for men. It was all for the men. My plea for next year: if the men are allowed to gawp so openly at the women, please can we get the male volleyball players to stop wearing full t-shirt and shorts? There was a tall Brazilian player who I definitely wouldn't have minded watching play in revealing beachwear.
All in all, this event was one not to be taken seriously, and if you were going to get genuinely offended, you'd probably be a bit silly to go in the first place.]]>Model Behaviour: Melissa Stetten Opens Up About Modelling, the Media and How Twitter Has Ruined Cheating for Mentag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16612542012-07-11T19:00:00-04:002012-09-10T05:12:03-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/blog for a while now. I think it's the first of its kind. When have you ever heard a model being blunt and honest about the drawbacks of such a seemingly glamorous lifestyle? Do models have insecurities? The answer is yes. And Melissa doesn't mind sharing them. She's been modelling in New York and LA for a decade, whilst also concentrating on her own photography. Last month, she found Twitter fame when her funny live-tweets during a flight about the man next to her hit the national press. Melissa had outed the married and sober actor Brian Presley (also known as an actor from 90210) as a drunken flirt. Melissa's daring attitude and honest conversation had me fixated and I needed to interview her to hear more.
EG: You've described being a model as a 'walking mannequin' - have you always been cynical of the modelling industry?
MS: Not at all. Before I started modelling I was living in LA, trying to become a model, and LA is not the easiest place to do that. If you want be a real fashion model you need to live in New York, Paris, or London. That's where the heart of the fashion industry is. I dreamed of living in New York City and being a working model because it sounded so fabulous and amazing. I would think, if only I lived in New York I bet I could be successful and book jobs with Marc Jacobs or Diane Von Furstenberg, which I eventually did. Throughout my year and a half of working, my perception definitely became cynical, not because of the people, but because it just wasn't exactly how I envisioned it to be. It's tough, mentally and physically, and I saw a side to it that's definitely off-putting.
EG: Your relationship with the media this year has been an interesting one, experiencing a Twitter whirlwind having made the national press with your live tweeting about Brian Presley. What was your reaction to that?
MS: At first I was horrified. I felt really awful. It started off as me making fun of some random guy trying to talk to me on a plane, then turned into a huge controversy because he was a "married, sober, devout Christian." Oops. I got a ton of calls from news and talk shows wanting to interview me, but there's no appeal to being a media whore or using this experience to gain attention to myself, that's just not me. On the plus side, it got a lot of people reading my blog Pretty Bored and I was contacted by agents and managers about writing a book and becoming a professional writer, which, currently, I'm definitely taking advantage of.
EG: Your tweets sparked an interest at The Guardian with the article 'Twitter has put an end to our private lives' - do you agree with that?
MS: Absolutely. I'd like to think I single-handedly ruined cheating for men across the world. Sorry, men. You shouldn't be cheating in the first place. As far as invading someone's privacy, sure, it's a little weird, and it's debatable, but social networking has become such a integral part of our lives that it's weird to meet someone NOT on Facebook or Twitter. We are the ones sharing our own personal information to each other, so it's nothing new. Me tweeting what that guy said to me was completely harmless, I didn't know who he was or his last name, well, until one of my followers figured it out. So, in that case, I blame my friend Pat Healy. How dare you, Pat!
EG: In a recent blog post you talk about life as a model not being as glamorous as it's often perceived to be. There must be good parts of the job?
MS: There are GREAT parts of the job. I get to wear amazing clothes and get my hair/makeup done all the time. Runway shows are my favorite because it's basically a game of "how long can you walk in these eight inch heels before falling on your ass?" Also, getting paid to look pretty is definitely not a bad thing. As mind-numbing as it is, there are definitely worse things I could be doing to make a few thousand bucks. I've met some really great people modelling, and I got to experience New York from a different point of view than most people do. I've worked in showrooms for designers I absolutely love and respect. I've been in magazines and giant ads. The best part, for me, is calling my parents to tell them to pick up a magazine because I'm in. I'm like the celebrity of my family, it's adorable.
EG: And what do you dislike the most about your job?
MS: Where do I start? I'm old. Well, old for a model. I didn't start modelling until I was 25, most girls are retired by then. I work and compete with 17 year-olds. It's hard to have a conversation about Puck putting his fingers in the peanut butter jar on The Real World with someone who was born in the mid-nineties. I find it hard to relate to other models because I feel like I don't fit the stereotype of a typical model. Models are supposed to be dumb and only eat lettuce, right? Well, some of them are, but I like to think of myself as an anomaly because I know how to read and write and hold a conversation about something more than make up and dresses. I've definitely met some great models, but for the most part they're mostly very young and very shy. Working in showrooms during market is like the 'office job' of modelling. You have to try on the same clothes over and over again for sometimes 8 hours straight. It's very tiring and boring. It's a paycheque though, so I have to do it. The rejection and judgement based on your looks is another painful but honest part of modelling. Sometimes you get looked at like "why are you at my casting?" and it hurts, it makes me feel inferior and ugly. Sometimes I don't feel skinny or pretty enough and it depresses me. It's something that I haven't gotten used to. I recently was at a casting where I had to wear lingerie in front of a table of 10 people staring at my body. It was really awful, I felt fat and awkward, it's moments like that where I know that modelling isn't something I should be doing for much longer.
EG: People relate to you as you speak honestly about modelling and talk about the real-life issues of being a girl. Do you still have insecurities being a model?
MS: Insecure? Me? A model? Get outta town! I feel like I have more insecurities now than ever! If I see a zit on my face I freak out. I'm constantly watching what I eat and beating myself up if I eat a slice of pizza. (Side note: Motorino in the East Village is the best pizza on this planet!). Being insecure is one of the reasons I'm not too fond of the modelling world. I'm judged by my looks, not my personality. My knowledge of Radiohead b-sides and Seinfeld trivia aren't going to book me jobs, my blue eyes are. If I eat too many carbs or drink alcohol the night before a casting, my skin looks bad, and bad skin is a model's worst nightmare. I had really bad acne for 10 years, so I'm extra sensitive to how my skin looks. I drink more water than a kid on ecstasy at a rave.
EG: What are your opinions on PhotoShopping?
MS: I love PhotoShop. I use it daily for my own photos. As far as photoshopping model's faces and bodies, I mean, it's going to happen. It's so widely accepted and normal now that I enjoy seeing photos of models who aren't airbrushed or wearing makeup. Those photos are more beautiful to me than the 'perfect' barbie face. On one hand it's sad and disgusting that a Chanel model couldn't possibly have a wrinkle or blemish, but on the other hand youth and beauty is what this industry is based on and the most appealing way to show a dress is to put a hot teenager in it, right?
EG: You're very creative, in your writing style and photography. Where do you find your creative inspiration?
MS: I've been taking photographs since I was 16. It's the only class in high school I didn't skip. I fell in love with the darkroom instantly and went to college for photography. It's now just become a hobby of mine but taking photos of models behind the scenes has become one of my favorite creative outlets. As far as writing goes, I started my blog in the summer of 2011. I love writing jokes on Twitter and have gained a few followers who also read my blog. I've gotten an enormous amount of support and feedback from people who love my honesty, which has really encouraged me to write more. I don't know of any other models who write so candidly about the good and the bad in this industry, so I feel like I have a unique take on a profession that isn't normally talked about in such a controversial manner.
EG. What's the one thing you couldn't live without?
MS: Twilight Zone on Netflix.
EG: And finally...what would your words of advice be to girls (or guys) who would like to get into the modelling industry?
MS: DON'T DO IT! Okay, kidding, but honestly, if you think you have what it takes then don't give up. Your face and body will be judged intensely, so be prepared for that. Don't take it too seriously and try to get all the free clothes you can. Bring your heels in a bag to castings, there's nothing worse than running around New York in stilettos. Oh, and drink a shit ton of water.
Check out Melissa's blog here and you can follow her on Twitter here.]]>Career Chat: Phil Stocker Talks About Life As A Producer At BBC Radio 1tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16562362012-07-09T10:07:05-04:002012-09-08T05:12:09-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/ EG: Hi Phil. We'd love to hear what you do at Radio 1.
PS: I produce Fearne Cotton on Radio 1 (weekdays 10-12.45am). Cliche alert but I do think I have the best job in the world. My role alongside Fearne and the programme team is to lead and come up with creative, fun ideas for the show, book bands for Radio 1's Live Lounge who play each week, programme the new music we play, book guests for interviews, and make sure that we're connecting with Radio 1's young audiences in the digital space (making sure there's always legacy for a show - be it videos on the Radio 1 website, Radio 1 Facebook or Twitter pages - the days of simply "making a radio show" are long gone!)
Radio 1's Live Lounge is still the go-to destination to hear the biggest names in music, and new artists playing live. We've had Live Lounge Specials (30 minute uninterrupted 'sets') from Usher, Katy Perry, Florence & The Machine, Cee-Lo Green, and Adele. A part of the Live Lounge artists uniquely deliver a mystery cover version. The choice of song and how artists interpret that cover is also hugely important. For instance we had Ben Howard in the Live Lounge at the beginning of May and he covered Carly Rae Jepson's 'Call Me Maybe' - which received a big reaction on our text console and Twitter feed when it went out live, but after the event we've had huge figures for that performance on YouTube with over 3.6million views (and growing), so the right performance can really 'live on' afterwards and connect with people who might never have heard the radio show before, but come to us after finding video content of their favourite artists online.
A real highlight this year for myself, Fearne and the team was winning Gold at the Sony Radio Awards in May for 'Best Music Programme''. The Sony's are often described as "the Oscars of the radio world" so getting industry recognition for what we do on a daily basis was amazing. Oh, and being given the award by Chris Evans - who inspired me to get into radio in the first place, that was pretty good too.....
On our show specifically over the last 12 months we've 'broken' a number of acts: Lana Del Rey (unsigned until we played her), Rizzle Kicks (again unsigned at the time we played them), Nina Nesbitt (great young singer songwriter- look out for her!) . We've also championed Ben Howard, Alt-J, & Rudimental.
EG: That's awesome. What a fantastic year you guys have had! What's your favourite thing about working in the industry?
PS: The opportunities to develop yourself (BBC specifically feels much more interested in equipping and encouraging staff to have a broad skill-set). I recently went to a 'Learning Lunch' where instead of sitting at your desk eating lunch, going through your emails, you can go to seminar on how to pitch creative ideas. Far better use of my time.
Also, working with creative people. It's funny how certain industries attract certain kinds of people (certainly radio could & should be more diverse, not just staffed by people who help out at student radio or get involved in local radio because they're keen - I'm guilty as charged on both counts by the way!) but I really enjoy being around creative people who you only have to describe your one-line pitch of an idea, and you can tell they can already see & feel the idea, and before you know it you're both standing there enthused at the idea and "what might be". Part of that is the culture of working at the BBC and Radio 1 in particular, but also people I meet outside work. People who're starting up their own creative business ventures, or who alongside their day jobs set up club nights, youth projects, T-shirt printing businesses, fanzines or funny blogs - just for the hell of it. Because they can. Because they've got a brilliant idea & want to do things differently. That's what makes working in the industry exciting.
EG: Sounds like being in a creative environment is really important to keeping things fresh. Where do you get inspiration for new shows?
PS: Honestly? Everywhere! Working at Radio 1 there's so many starting points for ideas, the challenge is knowing where to start and where to look! Sometimes it can be easy - what's everyone talking about right now? What's interesting to our audience right now? A large part of our audience are now off school or college for the summer, some will be off to T in the Park this weekend, some are watching Wimbledon (some don't care about tennis but are watching anyway!) so one one level there's the big national talking points but adding some kind of creative twist. Last week Dan from the office went to Wimbledon for the first time (we christened him 'Wimbledan') and he asked whether 'Henman Hill' should still be called that seeing as Tim Henman didn't actually win Wimbledon and its been a while since he played...!
Ideas come from all around, from TV, films, other radio shows, what's topical, what makes us laugh, what we think will mark sour audience laugh, what has potential to be shared online once we've broadcast it and what's relevant and entertaining to a 15-25 year old in the UK today.
From a personal point of view I really enjoy what Jimmy Kimmell and his team are doing right now. Also there's a channel created by Vice magazine 'noisey' who do a featured called 'You Review' which is kids reviewing new music - including Skrillex 'Bangarang' if you've not seen it yet, it's worth a look.
EG: I will definitely check that out! Sounds like your days are jam packed - how do you find working in such a fast-paced environment?
PS: I love it. One of the things that's great about radio is that it's so immediate - in a way that few mediums are. It's also what I like about our show team (Fearne, myself and Assistant Producer Anna). We discuss our favourite ideas, plan the next day's show (or rest of week's shows) and before you know it there you have almost 14 hours of national music radio ready to go (or at least planned in to-do list form!). As in any role, it can be a challenge "keeping all the plates spinning" especially as there's always a new band to be aware of, social media that needs updating for the show, or finding the time to come up with your next big idea, but they're challenges we all face and it comes down to how you manage your own time. I tend to use my tube journeys each day as "thinking time"!
EG: That's good advice. What are you most excited about at the moment?
PS: I'm excited about where radio & visuals go next. Radio 1's been at the forefront of pushing what our audiences expect from a music radio station - be it streaming live video content through mobile - as happened at our Hackney weekend - you could watch bands playing live though your mobile as it happened, as well as online at a desktop browser, or the Moyles show providing 'alternative commentary' on red button during the recent England v Italy Euro 2012 game. The challenge for us and the rest of the radio marketplace is working out how closely we draw the line between radio and TV when visualising content. We're adamant that we visualise radio, the danger being as soon as you make something look too much like TV (rather than radio that we film) the audience expectations change and it's not nearly as effective as a form of entertainment for all involved.
EG: What would you say to anyone wanting to get into radio?
1. It's not rocket science (thankfully).
2. Build up your skill set. Be it at local radio, Internet radio, student radio. Anyone can learn to edit or drive a desk, but don't forget to practise building up your 'creative skillset' too. What ideas make you laugh? Why do you like something? Try and break down what makes a presenter or TV show entertaining and then come up with your own version of it.
3. Remember, you're never there to make the numbers or just get the tea. Your ideas matter!
(Oh, and best not turn round and say "I'd like to work at Radio 1 because I really like meeting famous people". Just a tip.
EG: Great tip. For anyone interested in a career in radio, is there any work experience currently available at Radio 1?
PS: We have our monthly Access All Areas work experience placements on both Radio 1 & Radio 1xtra, although this is currently suspended with our August candidates being the last through the door until we are set-up and moved into Radio 1's new home in the redeveloped Broadcasting House. Radio 1 & Radio 1xtra get hundreds of applications every month. These candidates are shortlisted & chosen for each network who then receive a weeks placement working across of variety of production teams.
For more information on work experience availability at BBC Radio 1, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/work-experience/]]>Career Chat: How to Launch Your Own Online Fashion Magazinetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15780242012-06-07T12:17:37-04:002012-08-07T05:12:03-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/The Sunday Telegraph's Stella Magazine. She then went onto become the Fashion and Beauty Editor of Red Online. In October 2011 she launched her own online site StyleNest.
EG: Can you tell us some more about StyleNest? How you were inspired and when did it all start?
HR: I'm at the age where many of my friends are having babies. Many found they lost confidence post-pregnancy with their style and came to me for style advice and quick-fix beauty tips. The more they asked, the more I realised that there was no website for mums that focused on the mum herself, her needs as a woman not just as a parent.
When I launched StyleNest back in October the tag line was The Online Luxury Magazine for mums. The idea was never to compete with parenting sites and giants such as Mumsnet but to focus on the mum herself as a woman. Essentially, pre-baby she was interested in fashion, style and beauty and liked to travel to luxury hotels. This doesn't have to change when you become a mum; it's just a question of adapting these slightly to fit your new lifestyle.
So, I wanted to create a stylish, one-stop-shop where mums could get a little advice for themselves, find great ideas and clothes for the kids and pick up a delicious family friendly recipe all in one visit. Mums are always juggling a million things at once so it was important to me to create a site that was easy to use and navigate. We aim to make the modern mum's life a little easier.
Seven months after launch however we have seen a real growth in our readers who aren't necessarily mums but are between 28-45. They may be aunts, have friends who have children or be thinking of starting a family soon, but are looking for wearable fashion advice, practical beauty tips, recipe ideas etc. So our new tag line, which I thinks sums us up very well is: Fashion.Family.Lifestyle - The Destination For The Modern Woman.
EG: What's your favourite part about having your own business?
HR: It's incredibly exciting. There is no denying the hard work involved but seeing something grow from conception is incredibly rewarding. Every day brings new challenges but that is part of the excitement. One area I have truly loved is building a great team and brand which we will hopefully continue to grow.
EG: What obstacles did you face along the way?
HR: I think the hardest part of the journey so far was making the decision go for it. There are so many well-established, successful content sites out there with big publishers behind them. We are a small team of three and had no idea if people would like our site or not. It was a risk but I am so glad we took it.
One thing I would say is always trust your gut instinct and seek as many opinions as possible.
EG: What advice can you give young entrepreneurs who want to start something but worry about how to get started?
HR: Business Plans are arduous and time consuming but if a business is worth launching you will only find out through going through this process. Working on your business plan is essential and will allow you to really see if you have a viable and successful business on your hands.
Keep your model as lean as possible. There will always be unforeseen costs so it's important to keep your outgoings as lean as possible.
Ask as many friends and family as possible what they think about your idea. Listen to the people who offer criticism. They may have spotted something you are yet to see. This doesn't mean your plan won't succeed but you will be prepared for all eventualities.
Finally research. Read everything you can about competitors and the industry you are launching your business into. You can never be too prepared.
EG: What are your goals for the next year or so?
HR: It hasn't yet been a year since we launched StyleNest but we are already beginning work on a sister site - TheStyleStreet.com. I can't say too much about it at this stage but I think we have another exciting year ahead.
We've just been nominated for a big industry award which is very exciting. But most importantly I hope we continue to grow, gain more followers and readers and build upon the brand we started last October. It's been an exciting, rollercoaster of a year but also an incredibly enjoyable one. Starting out on your own is definitely something I would highly recommend. The work is hard but the rewards by far outway any of the stressful moments.
You can also find StyleNest on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.]]>Career Chat: Want A Career in Television? Channel 4's Colin Shares His Advicetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15213412012-05-16T12:05:52-04:002012-07-16T05:12:04-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/ EG: Hi Colin. Tell us a bit about Channel 4?
CCA: Channel 4 is a unique organisation: a public service broadcaster with a distinctive creative remit, funded within the marketplace, existing to provide a range of distinctive, challenging and thought provoking content. Our network of channels is available on all digital platforms. Our portfolio includes Channel 4 and E4 (which are also available in HD) More4, Film4, 4Music and soon 4Seven. Channel 4 has used interactive platforms to help extend the depth and impact of its programming output for more than a decade which includes channel4.com, E4.com, 4oD (our bespoke video-on-demand service for current and archive content) and a large social media presence. As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 is required to commission UK content from the independent production sector. We are a major investor in the UK's creative economy, working with around 300 creative companies from across the UK every year and investing significantly in training and talent development throughout the industry.
EG: What is your role at Channel 4?
CCA: I'm the People Development Manager and I am responsible for ensuring that we make the most of the fantastic people that we have at the Channel in terms of their personal development. The team also manages a number of Channel 4 schemes including the Production Trainee Scheme which is aimed at people interested in developing their media career and networking opportunities for potential future employees.
EG: Channel 4 has a reputation for championing diversity. How does this extend to its recruitment?
CCA: We pride ourselves on the wide range of passionate and talented people that we employ. It's well known that a diverse workforce promotes creativity, which for us is the life blood of what we do. We strongly believe that our creative thinking both on and off screen is significantly better by embracing diversity in its widest sense. By attracting people from all backgrounds and walks of life, we have created an environment in which everyone feels free to be who they are at work. Diversity of thought and opinion helps us to innovate, be distinctive and encourage people to think in different ways.
EG: Can you give us an idea of the range of vacancies within an organisation such as Channel 4?
CCA: Within the creative arena, roles range from Commissioning Editors to the Head Film Development. However, Channel 4 is a business, so just like any other company we have departments including Human Resources, Sales, IT and Finance. If you want to be an accountant or sales exec, we have a place for you here at Channel 4.
EG: You mentioned that the organisation runs schemes for people interested in developing their media career. Can you tell us a little about these schemes?
CCA: Production Trainee Scheme - Want a career in the media, but not sure how to get your foot in the door? This scheme, which celebrates its 10 year anniversary this year, is open anyone of any age from any background who is passionate about television. This year trainees will be placed in production companies in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast. The roles are fully paid; receive full time mentoring, and training at Channel 4.
Internships - You'll spend the best 12 months of your life working in one specific area of Channel 4. A mix of office and production-based internships are up for grabs. Whatever your media ambitions might be, there is a security pass with your name on it. Plus you get paid!
Apprenticeships - We're looking for people who want to learn on the job and develop the skills and knowledge to get ahead in the creative industries all whilst getting paid. Our apprenticeships are an excellent way of gaining both a NVQ Level 2 and/or Level 3 qualification and workplace experience.
Investigative Journalism Scheme - This scheme is open to people with at least 2 years' experience in journalism that are ready to move on to the next stage of their career. Positions are in London, Manchester and Glasgow based production companies who work on our award winning investigative current affairs programme Dispatches.
4Screenwriting - Every year we look for 12 talented, original and diverse writers who currently have no broadcast credit but wish to write for television drama. The course is designed so that writers should be able to take part even if in full-time employment. Writers will be paid a small fee for attending the course.
Coming Up - Russell Tovey, Ashley Walters and Yasmin Paige are amongst the actors starring in Channel 4's Coming Up 2012 - the annual talent initiative which offers up-and-coming writers and directors the unique opportunity to showcase their work on national TV.
EG: For anyone interested in Channel 4 schemes, what's the next step?
Follow the team on Twitter here: @ColinC4People, @DianeC4People, @SimonC4People, @EvaC4People, @ShelleyC4People and @MartynC4People ]]>Music To Our Ears: Tastebuds New Spotify App Makes Online Dating Easiertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15055742012-05-10T07:28:48-04:002012-07-10T05:12:16-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/Guardian Soulmate to friends and family.
So, what would the future of online dating look like if we were able to meet people online without having to "describe ourselves in 100 words", enter our credit card details on a monthly basis and sift through endless messages from people we know are just not our type? What if, instead of being secretive about our string of potential suitors we could do it in a more social, open and convenient way?
Here's where the latest announcement from online music dating site Tastebuds.fm and the recent launch of its Spotify app comes in. For the first time ever, we're being offered the benefits of a dating site without having to directly visit one. And the best part? All we have to do is listen to our favourite music.
How does it work?
The beauty of the app is that it seamlessly integrates with Spotify, scanning your most frequently played music showing you people nearby who have similar music tastes. You can browse prospective dates, listen to your matches' favourite music and send them a quick message to say hello. With tools such as this, we are on our way to eradicating the old perceptions of online dating. Seeing what others are reading and listening to through social apps are becoming the social norm as we do it daily with friends and acquaintances. We already connect with people we don't know by sharing interesting links on sites such as Twitter, and by using these social apps on Spotify, we are narrowing our search of finding like-minded people even further.
By the introduction of apps on social sites, it means we gather information in a less intrusive manner than if we were to scour the detailed profile of someone we didn't know. This shift in online behaviour also means we don't feel as reserved when sharing traces of our online activity, be it through articles we've read, videos we've watched, photos we've liked. We're expressing ourselves but in a way that's not overbearing. When it comes to dating, this to me seems like the perfect platform to get to know someone before a date, you've given a little taster of who you are through things you like, avoiding the awkward small talk. Instead you're just sharing pieces of content that reflect who you are.
No painstaking forms to fill out
It always shocks me how long it could take to fill out a profile on traditional dating sites. Writing a 'summary' of your multi-layered personality or current state of mind in a certain way to 'sell yourself' can be time-consuming and nerve-wracking. The last time I attempted to sign up to a dating site I was faced with answering questions that I didn't even know the answers to myself. Are you looking to have children? If yes, how many and at what age? How much do you earn? What size are your feet? With Tastebud.fm's new integration with Spotify, you don't need to summarize yourself with words by selling in your 'athletic build', or emulate a Doctor's note by ticking the non-smoker box or bore anyone with the complications of your family history. You can simply express your mood and personality through the music you're listening to.
Meet your match, by doing what you normally do
Last year, Mark Zuckerberg added another buzzword to our vocabulary by introducing "frictionless sharing" at F8. This is the concept of being able to share across platforms without any additional effort required. This reminds me of how an integration such as this one allows users to socialize and share without any additional effort made from outside their normal online activity. We can now go online, listen and share our favourite things as we did before, but now with the added prospect of meeting someone cool. Alex Parish, co-founder of Tastebuds.fm believes that "traditional dating sites force you to complete reams of forms and personality questionnaires, wasting your time when all you want to do is starting meeting new people. The Tastebuds.fm Spotify app is a game changer - you're instantly shown people you have things in common with and can share music with them in real-time, without ever having to leave Spotify." By the sounds of it, the app does the hard work finding your matches so you don't have to. All you have to do is listen to your favourite stuff.
The role that music plays
It's a no brainer that sharing music is a great introductory method to build a relationship. Another great example of how music is connecting people is The Note Well'sSpeed Listening meet-ups sponsored by Tastebuds.fm. Giving the old school 'speed dating' idea a twist, this is a night where you bring your iPod and swap tunes with a stranger for ten minutes, then rotate. You may be introduced to your new favourite band, or cringe at some 90's playlists, but either way, it sounds like a brilliant ice breaker and you can get an idea of someone's personality in a more immediate and personal way than asking them what they had for breakfast.
If the Spotify Facebook integration is the soundtrack of your social life then I think Tastebuds.fm meeting Spotify is the soundtrack of your dating life. We all discuss music tastes all the time. Music is a tool for memory building, ever-present at social events: birthdays, discos, weddings, concerts. It's a universal theme that travels with us throughout life and a strong part of our on and offline identities. It makes sense that it's a great starting point when meeting someone new. Through Tastebuds.fm you can not only chat about shared music tastes, but you're also algorithmically pointed towards gigs and music events that might take your fancy, which are additionally perfect date venues.
The success of Tastebuds.fm clearly comes from this unique focus. They have found that 43% of first messages get a reply, which shows it's far more likely you'll get a response to a message than a non-music based dating site. So, what are you waiting for? Give it a go; discover new music and who knows, you could discover a new person along the way.
Tastebuds.fm is co-founded by Alex Parish and Julian Keenghan - two musicians who met while playing in the London-based band Years of Rice and Salt. Download the Tastebuds Spotify App here. Follow the Tastebud.fm guys on Twitter here.]]>Career Chat: ELLE's Ben Cooper Shares his Editorial Advicetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.14727812012-05-02T20:34:45-04:002012-07-02T05:12:13-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/ELLEuk and Red Online.
EG: Hi Ben. Nice to meet you. As the Travel Editor for ELLEuk and Red Online, what's your favourite part of the job?
BC: Hello. You, too.
I'd obviously be lying if I said it wasn't getting paid to travel and visit amazing hotels. I'm a bit of an online geek, though, so the challenges of making words and pictures (and sometimes a bit of code) keep me in a job, comes a very close second.
EG: You started your career at the Observer, was it then that you realised you wanted a career in the media?
BC: Before then. The Observer work I got was as a result of a lot of hard graft put in on my Leeds University student newspaper, followed by more hard graft in the holidays making tea and opening the post, before eventually I got given some editorial bits and pieces to do. Then I worked hard to build up a portfolio of good work.
EG: Where do you find inspiration for the content on the site? BC: Talking to people mainly. Other writers, editors and friends in the industry - and, yes, sometimes PRs. Keeping on top of what's going on via Twitter is key, too.
EG: You must travel around a lot, what's your most memorable experience so far?
BC: I often find there's a difference between how 'good' a hotel is (design, service, food etc.) and how much I enjoy my stay - and my extension how memorable it is. If I'm being honest, usually the more self-consciously high-class any of those aspects are, the less I tend to actually enjoy it.
A case in point was a stay at The Bath Arms in Longleat. It was in the run-up to Red Online's launch. I was knackered. We got there about 9pm on a Friday night after a long drive in the rain. We went inside to find a buzzy pub, roaring fires and good food (and some strong complimentary firewater in the rooms). The next day, I sat nursing a hangover in front of the fire, writing reviews and being served Bloody Marys by the friendly manager. Was it amazingly luxurious? No. Did I have a great time? Absolutely.
On a similarly relaxed note, I had an amazing stay at Casa La Siesta in southern Spain recently. Yes, the interiors are fabulous and the setting is beautiful, but it's the relaxed vibe of the place that makes it so special.
All that having been said, a honeymoon at L'Heure Bleue in Essaouira was pretty out-of-this-world...
EG: When receiving press releases or invitations, what sort of thing tends to catch your eye the most?
BC: That it's what I'm looking for, when I'm looking for it. So the eye-catching thing would be that the sender has read, and has a good understanding, of the site(s) and what goes on it. In the vast majority of cases, don't come to me, I'll come to you would be my preferred approach. Other than new openings (hotels and restaurants) I don't really want to hear about a timely (and PR-driven) spin on something like the Diamond Jubilee, or an interview with a CEO, or the launch of an 'exciting new app' (unless it really is exciting).
PRs should make themselves readily available by updating their websites with recent clients and contact details, shouldn't be afraid to introduce themselves via Twitter (it's @ben_coop)... and, please, shouldn't ever call on the off-chance!
EG: What is your advice for graduates or anyone hoping to make it in the world of journalism?
BC: Be prepared to do it for the love first. And then probably keep doing it for quite some time. Almost no one, no matter how brilliant they are as an under-graduate, walks into a role these days with a box-fresh degree in English or Journalism and no, or not much, writing experience. I'd also recommend trying to specialise as early as possible - there's simply too much competition for generalists.
Beyond that, having online experience - even if it's just updating your daily blog - is never going to hurt. Nor is an understanding of social media.]]>Want to Write for Glossy Magazines? Grace Timothy Shares Her Advicetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13198572012-03-04T17:42:53-05:002012-05-04T05:12:01-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/Vogue, Glamour and Vanity Fair under her belt and years of experience in the beauty and fashion industry. Read on as Grace discusses studying, internships, travelling and how it really isn't all about the free handbags.
How did you know you wanted to be a writer, and what made you decide it would be specifically about beauty and fashion?
I loved writing throughout school, but never really saw it as a possible career, for some reason. I wanted to be an actress. It wasn't until I was at university and writing fashion articles for the university paper - simply because I'd been asked to - that I started to think about where I could go next with it. I still auditioned for one drama school, but when I didn't get in and had to wait a year before reapplying, a friend who knew the fashion assistant at The Times said they were looking for interns, so I just went there to see what that might be like. I was hooked after day one. The fashion department also produced a weekly beauty page for the paper, and as I got heavily involved with that I found more of an affinity with the subjects and people within that industry, and now focus wholly on beauty and opinion pieces. I went on to intern and assist at various magazines - both national and regional - and about two years in, I got my first job at Vogue. I feel as though I fell into a career as a writer to a degree, but that it's very lucky I did!
You've written for top tier women's publications such as Vogue and Glamour to name but a few; is it as glamorous as everyone would imagine, or do people not get to see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes?
It's a job that does come with certain perks, but at the end of the day, it's a job and if you were in it for the perks alone, you'd last five minutes. Yes, you are spoilt rotten with press trips abroad, great parties and the odd sample sale, but if you didn't work hard, there'd be no magazine at the end of the day. I'm sure readers don't care about what glamorous things we may or may not get to do - as long as they have something interesting to read. Getting a magazine to print takes all the late nights, research, editing and planning you'd imagine - it's hard work for everyone involved, from the editor and sub-editor to the writer and the intern. When I started at Vogue, friends would constantly ask, 'God, is everyone really bitchy?' and I'd just think, well there isn't time for that! It struck me how insanely clever the editors were rather than how well they dressed or how many free handbags they got.
You started your amazing career as an intern at The Times, do you think internships are the best way to get into the industry?
There's obviously a lot of debate at the moment over work experience and how useful it is. But I believe if you can find something that works for you - whether it's a paid internship, one you can support with a part time job or a short contract - I'd say it's definitely worth it. Not only because you learn so much but because it's your opportunity to prove your worth, and even make a name for yourself if you're in the right place at the right time. Or you might even realise this industry's just not for you after all. I really value the experiences I had - even if I was broke and working all hours to fund it all. The people I interned for were integral to securing my first few jobs and I still count many of them as mentors.
You lived in Florence during your studies, what influenced and motivated you whilst living there?
It was definitely where I discovered the other side of the fashion world, beyond the Topshops and New Looks that I coveted as a teenager - those premium Italian houses like Prada, Ferragamo, Missoni... The higher echelons of the industry, I suppose. Just seeing so many different styles on the streets, plus all those designer stores and the business of fashion happening on your doorstep was mind-blowing.
What's your opinion on the increasing amount of publications moving their content online? Do you think they will always be a place for print magazines?
There will always be a place for print - it undoubtedly has to work harder now and we may lose some titles as time marches on, but something tangible you can flick through and keep forever is still valued, I think. Magazines need to support their print editions with an online presence, as well as embracing the android and iTunes market, and all the various social media platforms available to us now. It's an expensive business but I think it forces us all to work harder - that can only be a good thing! Writers and editors have to multi-task like never before.
And finally, what would be your key piece of advice for anyone wanting to get into the competitive field of writing for magazines?
Do your research on the titles you're applying to, listen to everything you're told once there, work your hardest and do so with good grace - no matter the task in hand. Having been on both sides on the fence - first as an intern then as a staffer working with interns - I can say with absolute confidence that it's those who work diligently and with gusto that get the best jobs afterwards. At the end of the day you want to appear as enthusiastic and committed as possible. And it'll pay off.
You can follow Grace on Twitter here.
]]>Dieting: Is It Really Ever Our Own Idea?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12201742012-01-20T18:46:51-05:002012-03-21T05:12:01-04:00Emma Gannonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gannon/
Then I realised. All of those magazines articles or Facebook adverts that would pop up, as though they were just talking directly to me, casually asking: would I like to have a flat tummy in 10 days? Or the Daily Mail, telling me that if I drank enough coconut water like Sienna and Gwyneth, I'd get a rockstar boyfriend too. Come on, Emma, step into our world. If you were thin, all your dreams would come true.
It's taken me a long time to realise that these mind games not only rob us of our hard-earned cash (books, vitamin pills, strange specific food, gourmet salads) but also rob us of our freedom too. The most memorable occasion was when a 'diet' ended up ruling my life to such an extreme that I missed out on a friend's birthday as I didn't want to be confronted with the menu. Obsessing over McKenna's you-must-chew-20-times vs Alan Sugar's you-must-eat-with-a-small-fork, I was obsessing and no fun at all to be around. For these silly periods of time, we think that these fads will not only genuinely work, but might even change our lives forever. I still feel like writing that letter to Paul McKenna because actually, He Couldn't Make Me Thin and it was a bit rude to have assumed that it was what I wanted in the first place.
My housemate and I could talk about diets for hours. In fact, it never takes long before one of us launches into a heated debate about what's new in the diet world and what might, just MIGHT, turn us into Miranda Kerr overnight. I've always listened intently when anyone unravels the inside details of any particular diet: my sister's committal to the Atkin's when she frolicked as a size 8 on a beach in Goa; my friend swearing by the Dukan diet as she explained how she normally cooks up a steak with a morning cup of tea. In their minds, it wasn't rocket science. In fact, it was simple maths: calories consumed plus calories burned equals your weight. But, what people fail to explain is like with any diet, the results are always short-lived. During a diet, no one wants to see anything other than the present moment, they are too busy reveling in what it feels like to secretly suffer and get complimented for it.
It's also interesting that any type of dieting activity is pretty much against the laws of physics. Hypnosis for example, a tool used by many dieticians who train the mind to think in opposites regarding food, such as 'chocolate cake will make you miserable' when really it is a source of happiness stemming from early birthday parties; gastric bands are going against simple biological processes in which your stomach has an alien intruder, and purging or using laxatives will only wreak havoc with a perfectly normal digestive system.
The funny thing about diets is they are so psychological to the point where a) any intense focus on 'dieting' means over-concentration on food and therefore you end up eating more. Point b) is that the times in my life that I lost the most amount of weight it was genuinely by accident. The sad part of the story is that when I was at my thinnest it wasn't due to any diet or intense fitness regime, I was actually just unhappy and the outcome was just finding food a bit repulsive. So as weeks went by I started becoming more and more slim, but my family thought I didn't look like me, and actually, I felt a bit awkward looking in the mirror, mainly because it was quite pathetic how long it took to gather the energy to smile.
I have these conversations with my friends a lot. It's strange how as a girl you can remember the exact month and year that you were 'at your thinnest'. Maybe that's due to repetitively looking up that favourite album on Facebook and thinking 'wow I looked GOOD in that bikini' only to then realise it was a good four years ago and stupidly at the time you probably still felt insecure. One of my friends used to find strange ways of avoiding food at university, basically the 'nothing must touch my lips until I'm about to pass out' because she found that as soon as she ate anything, the diet would go to pot. We were looking back at old photos, her hair longer and her body leaner - but she was covering herself up still. No amount of weight loss or tanned skin or compliments is going to stop making a young girl feeling awkward, because the skin they are in at the time just doesn't feel quite right yet. We were laughing at the irony of it, as now, with age and admittedly curvier than before, she has no insecurities in stripping everything off and running full pelt into the sea with nothing at all to feel embarrassed about.
The funniest thing out of all my relationships with diets is that the same thing always happens.I always get smaller, I always then get bigger (you get complacent) and then funnily enough I always end up at the same, sturdy, average weight that I started at. I've read any article going, I've read how the French do it, I've heard stories from friends in Rome of how the Italians do it, I've even tried the diet which follows Simon DoonanI's book Gay Men Don't Get Fat. I've cut out dairy, I've lived off eggs, I've eaten salads and I've told my local curry house to ignore me when I call. Despite all of these trials and tribulations I don't go above or below half a stone either way and it's almost as though gravity is pulling me to remain a consistent level. Since I was 16/17 (perhaps excluding some severe instances of puppy fat) I've genuinely stayed more or less the same.
The most crucial thing for me was that moment I realised I could be in control of my body. After faffing with diets and getting nowhere, I learnt that if I ate too much, my boobs would probably get a size bigger but then so would my bum. If I lost weight, I would be proud of my flat stomach but then probably have to borrow my younger sister's bras. As a woman, we have to remember that perfection is just somebody else's wall painting. The sooner people realise the divide between image and reality then we can all let out a big sigh of relief. There'll always be a part of me that wishes it was still the 90's when a size 10 was thought of as ideal. But, do you know what, it finally it all makes sense. I never actually proactively wanted to diet. We all need to take every photoshopped image with a pinch of salt. Any time you think about going on diet, just double check if it's something you consciously thought of doing by yourself. If not, reclaim your brain and enjoy yourself.]]>
