latest from the blog
KNOCK, KNOCK? WHO’S THERE? BOO. BOO WHO? NO NEED TO CRY, I DIDN’T MEAN TO SCARE YOU
By Ellie Glason Our latest piece of research for Perspectus Global examined the great British institution of the Knock Knock joke. Although famous worldwide for our sophisticated sense of humour, Knock Knock jokes have been with us from the time of Shakespeare - first appearing as a to and fro in Macbeth. And in the 1930s these were the height of fashion, being enjoyed as a parlour game by high society across the country. Even though they were more likely to make us groan than cackle, the...
Why do international PR research?
By Jon Horsley Across the world, just as cultures, politics and people seem almost too different to connect, so can marketplaces. So why bother to work out if there are comparisons to be made? Why do the successful startups, as well as the biggest brands and corporations commission international PR research? International research helps you forecast One of the most important lessons traders and analysts at big financial institutions are told is to read the foreign press. What happens to our...
How to craft an effective campaign during Covid times
By Evie Porter Oh 2020. A challenging year for all of us, and here at GingerComms HQ, quite frankly we can't wait to see the back of it. With Covid-19 changing everything about the way we live, it's not surprising that this has extended into the media. The stories we're reading are completely different, and it seems like you can't turn the page of a newspaper, or click onto a news website, before being faced with stressful headlines all about the pandemic. This means the...
THREE QUESTIONS WE GET ASKED A LOT ABOUT PLANNING CONSUMER RESEARCH – AND OUR ANSWERS
Part one of our new FAQ blog series - bringing you the questions we get asked a lot and our answers! How do I pick a topic for my research? It needs to link to the brand offering obviously, but how to make sure it will appeal to the media too? Timeliness is key - the subject for the research should feel current and of the moment, so look at lifestyle and consumer trends and use your research to bring a particular example to life - or conversely buck a trend and prove the reverse....
MADE TO MEASURE: HOW CONSUMER RESEARCH CAN HELP YOU EVALUATE YOUR PR CAMPAIGN
“Most public relations men, faced with the difficulty and cost of evaluation, forget it and get on with the next job” J Marston: Nature of Public Relations, 1963 Nearly sixty years on from the above quote, evaluation remains one of the thorniest topics in the world of public relations. The widely derided AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent) remains a tool despite fundamental flaws - going further back in history than our opening quote. It was first...
WORDS THAT MAY SOON BE EXTINCT – AND WHY THE MEDIA LOVES RESEARCH THAT KILLS THINGS OFF
Our latest Perspectus Global survey delved into the English language and identified a list of words that modern Brits never use - and have no idea what they mean. The evolution of language is always an fascinating topic, and our research garnered a blanket of national news coverage - from the Telegraph to Sun Snapchat. 31 pieces have so far been published, including a front page piece in the Times, an opinion piece in the Telegraph, and page leads in the Daily Mail, the Mirror...
QUAL + QUAN RESEARCH = SUCCESSFUL B2B RESEARCH
As a research agency specialising in both consumer and B2B research for our PR agency clients, we know a thing or two about developing and executing successful research projects. For B2B clients wanting to garner trade press coverage for their clients, our number one tip is this: put qualitative research at the heart of the campaign. It’s far too easy to approach B2B research projects in the same way as one does consumer research. Ie, choose a compelling topic that links to the...
GOODBYE SUMMER – AND SOME OF THE SEASON’S AWESOME NEWSGEN CAMPAIGNS
By Evie Porter As September is finally with us in earnest, with the weather cooling and nights drawing in, we want to warm you up with a look at some of the best newsgen campaigns of August. So, let's grab a last aperol spritz, put on our sunnies and take a look back at some some of the most memorable PR campaigns of the last month. Weetabix - what does your breakfast say about you? What do you have for breakfast? A flippant question perhaps, but according to a survey we conducted for...
WHY LISTS WORK SO WELL FOR NEWS AND LIFESTYLE MEDIA – AND HOW USING ONE MADE OUR LATEST RESEARCH PROJECT A CRACKER
By Ellie Glason Between executing insight-driven research for international brands and leading PR agencies, we regularly like to take our own 'state of the nation' deep dive into a hot - and often divisive - topic. And we often make these research stories list-based - for reasons I’ll discuss in more detail below. Last week GingerComms - powered by our research arm Perspectus Global - resolved a debate which has raged for decades throughout the nation's households and workplaces:...
HOW TO TURN YOUR WHITEPAPER RAINBOW COLOURED (FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING) WITH ROBUST RESEARCH
Anyone working in B2B marketing and PR knows what an important tool a whitepaper is. A deep dive into a specific subject closely related to the brand or organisation’s field of expertise, a whitepaper seeks to inform its audience with engaging content. And ultimately present the author as an expert in the field. With a high level of technical detail which adds value to the audience, whitepapers can increase trust, strengthen brand loyalty, and allow the brand to be seen as a thought-leader in...
HERE’S THE BIGGEST PITCHING MISTAKE THAT PRS CAN MAKE…
At GingerComms, we're often asked by clients (75 percent of whom are PR agency staff) what are our top tips for pitching to journalists. Our team includes ex national news journalists and editors, so we've got a fairly good inside knowledge of what works, and what doesn't work. But via our market research arm, Perspectus Global - we took a deeper delve, asking current national and lifestyle journalists for a no holds barred lowdown on what they HATE most about PR pitches....
Our top tips for WFH – working from home
By Evie Porter, Account Manager Here at GingerComms, we've all been working from home for nearly two weeks, following government guidelines amid the Covid 19 pandemic. We hope everyone is doing ok, keeping as healthy as possible and practising social distancing. We know how difficult it can be to set up an effective WFH routine - believe me, we've all had our ups and downs with this! But most of the Ginger team have now found a way to implement a good daily routine - to help us stay motivated...