But when it comes to being competitive there are a number of business rules that law firms are adopting. These include:

• A clear and sustained brand strategy
• A clear and sustained communications programme
• A flexibility to adjust to market changes as and when needed
• A regular brand review and monthly campaign analysis

The last one is as important as the first.

Statistics:

• There are over 180 law firms based in and around Leeds
• Over 8,000 people are employed in the Leeds legal sector
• Over 2,500 undergraduate and postgraduate law students in Leeds graduate each year

Leeds is home to three legal educational institutions:

1. University of Leeds
2. Leeds Metropolitan University
3. BPP Law School

Today, legal practices have to think more like commercial businesses to survive and grow, with more and more firms merging in order to remain competitive. Of course, word of mouth is great, but it’s how and where you promote that word of mouth that now really counts.

A little while ago I was commissioned by a small graphic design company who were doing some work for a legal client who have offices in Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax, Dewsbury, Bradford and Pontefract, to develop and manage a media relations programme to promote the merger between their firm and another locally based legal practice. The brief was to generate local and regionally awareness to inform both existing clients and new clients living and working in these areas about the merger.

The brief was straight forward, as was the approach and the coverage needed was easily achieved. The overall messages was also maximised by a strategy that I put in place to reach key audience types via online and offline channels, using a mix of traditional media and social media relations activity.

Coverage samples:

Before this campaign, the same design company was also developing a website for another law firm who specialise in sport law. I remember this well, because my client emailed me on a Thursday afternoon asking me to create and manage a press conference for an announcement that was going to take place on the Friday at 10am.

The reason I remember this media campaign was because on the Friday I was travelling to the Lake District for a long-weekend family holiday, so I had to pack up the kids and travel two-half hours to Hawkshead while also arranging for key regional media to attend the press conference. By the time I reached Hawkshead, BBC Look North, ITV Yorkshire, YP and the YEP had all confirmed they would attend and knew who they were interviewing.

Now that the embargo has passed I can confirm that the story related to the outcome following the court case involving Ken Bates, former Chairman of Leeds United.

The fact is, nowadays law firms, just like any other business, have to become aware of the power of brand perception and equally important, how to create, manage and communicate brand propositions in order to attract and retain client business.

For further information on how you can create a ‘legal brand ID’ and how you can develop and communicate your brand’s proposition …talktojason

Many thanks for BBC Look North / ITV Yorkshire / Yorkshire Post / Yorkshire Evening Post / Wakefield Express / Dewsbury Reporter / Telegraph & Argus / Halifax Courier / Pontefract and Castleford Express

This is a declaration by an independent party on behalf of every freethinking brand owner across our magnificent land.

The revolution stands for hope and ingenious thinking – the creative branding way. The revolution is built on the inspired belief that every brand owner should benefit from practical and productive results for all. This is the right of every free consumer.

It is because of this belief that ‘…talktojason’ stands here today – and hopefully the day after – to declare the people’s true support for your brand. Through a collective push we can (we will) – deliver your brand to the people – your people.

The revolution has three core declarations:

BrandX – Creativity used to create, develop and manage a brand proposition. And we’re not just talking a good-looking logo.

BrandTalk – Creating, developing and managing a brands communications platforms across traditional, digital and social media channels.

Brandsighted – Creating an understanding for how your brand is received.

If you could do with a brand revolution then …talktojason

…talktojason is a freelance brand relations, public relations and social media relations consultancy offered by Jason Kelly.

Wired Magazine [May 2013] via #Pinterest

On this occasion and much to my delight not only did I manage to find a free seat, but i also happened to find a copy of this month’s Wired, which was caught in between the food tray and the seat in front.

At first I felt a little conscious that I was benefiting from someone’s misfortune, after all they had paid £3.99 for the magazine, only to leave it on the train. They were probably in a hurry to get to their meeting and accidentally left it behind. To ease my conscience I decided to seek solace in the fact that if I didn’t start reading it then the huge effort that went into producing the publication would have been for nothing. So after checking my emails and social media updates I put my much-loved iPhone away and began flicking through the pages.

The magazine published a number of really great articles, covering various topics and subject matter, including: ‘How to Build Your Own Mario Kart in Real Life’ [pg88] ‘How to Isolate your Own DNA’ [pg89] to ‘How The Astonishing Power of Swarms can Help Us Fight Cancer, Understand The Brain And Protect The Future’ [Pg126 – 133].

Wired article about Chirp.io App

But the article that really grabbed my attention was on page 21 by Charlie Foster, entitled: ‘Share Using A Burst of Song’ [Got something to share? Don’t send your friends a URL, chirp it to them instead] which looked at ‘Chirp’, the first app strictly pitched, audible sound to share data – genius!

Patrick Bergel, the cofounder and CEO of Animal Systems, the firm who developed the free app explained in the article that users upload data to share to Chirp’s servers, where it is assigned a series of 20 notes in a 1.8-second sequence that can be played through a smartphone’s loudspeaker. The sharing takes place when the microphones in other devices with the app detect the sound, which in turn triggers them to retrieve the stored data or to carry out a command. You can download the ‘Chirp’ app from iTunes and you can find out more by visiting: chirp.io

At this point my attention was drawn to a conversation two people were having relating to how London seems to be a better place to work than Leeds, but how the two cities do have similar qualities. Have to disagree with their first point, but I do agree with their second one.

After stopping myself from earwigging, and after checking my messages for a second time I started to flick through the pages once again and came across another interesting article about ‘How To Fold A T-shirt In Two Seconds’ [I actually tried this when I got home and it does work!].

I have to say it’s been a while since I bought a copy of Wired, but I can confirm that my interest in the magazine has been reignited and I will be looking out for June’s issue.

So a big thank you to the person who left their copy of Wired, and a big thank you to Wired for helping to make my commute home an interesting one.

@WiredUK / wired.co.uk

An overview:

If you haven’t heard already, the coalition Government’s new Regulatory Reform Act contains changes to the copyright law, which will allow exploitation of images where information identifying the owner is missing, referred to as ‘orphan works’ by placing the work into ‘extended collective licensing’ schemes.

In other words, if you are uploading product or corporate images on the Internet and they are not marked then your images can effectively be used by other organisations as they see fit. Word of warning though as searches would need to be verified by an independent authorising body, and organisations would have to pay a ‘market-rate’ to use orphan works so the right holder can be compensated for the use of the works if they were identified further down the line. 

The new law will allow organisations to remove the worry out of using images within their social relations campaigns, providing ‘diligent searches’ have been undertaken. It’s especially useful when using images found on social platforms, such as instagram, Pinterest or Flickr. A word of warning though, if you do use orphan works it is good social etiquette to acknowledge its source, even if that source is just a url address.

For information or to discuss how the new Regulatory Reform Act affects, or benefits your organisation …talktojason

Full explanation, as posted by: Out-law.com [legal news and guidance from Pinsent Mason]

The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (ERR) Act will allow future reforms to exceptions to copyright to be delivered through new regulations as opposed to new Acts of Parliament.

The term of protection given to creative designs that are manufactured through an industrial process has also been extended. Designers of such works will now have rights for the duration of their life plus 70 years after they die.

In addition, the Act paves the way for new regulations on ‘orphan works’ and collective licensing to be set out. The Act would allow the Government to set statutory codes of conduct that collecting societies would have to adhere to, although the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has said that it would only use the “backstop” powers if voluntary rules do not solve concerns about the existing regime.

Orphan works are copyrighted material, such as books, films and music, which have no identified owner. At the moment many orphan works lie in storage in libraries and other institutions and, because of copyright law, cannot be digitised or used without permission until the term of copyright expires.

The ERR Act gives power to the Business Secretary to create new regulations to form new rules to govern the licensing of orphan works. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) last year published a policy statement in which it outlined plans to allow orphan works to be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Under the Government’s plans, organisations that wish to use orphan works would have to conduct a ‘diligent search’ for the owner of orphan works before they could use the material. The searches would have to be verified as diligent by independent authorising bodies. In addition, organisations would have to pay a “market rate” to use orphan works so as rights holders could be recompensed for the use of the works if they were later identified.

The plans have been met with criticism from photographers who are concerned about existing practices that often result in information that identifies them as rights holders being stripped away from digital files.

The ERR Act also enables the Business Secretary to set out changes to rules on exceptions to copyright, as well as rights in performances, through new regulations. The regulations would be contained in a statutory instrument, a draft of which would need to be laid before and approved by resolution of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords before it could come into force.

The Government has previously indicated its willingness to introduce further exceptions to copyright following a review of the UK’s intellectual property framework in 2011. However, MPs and Peers have raised concerns about making changes to copyright law through regulations rather than through Acts of Parliament. The regulations would not be subject to the same level of debate and scrutiny as Acts of Parliament, some have argued, whilst there would also be no scope to amend the provisions – a vote would be on whether to accept or reject them in the form they are drafted.

The Government already has the power to make changes to copyright law through new regulations, under the terms of the European Communities Act. However, the legislation restricts the ability of Government to set out maximum penalties for breaches of new regulations formed under the Act to two years imprisonment. A 10 year jail term and an unlimited fine can be levied on copyright infringers under existing legislation.

The Government has therefore sought to introduce the new ERR Act provisions to ensure that the maximum penalty for future copyright laws is not limited to two years indictment.

Intellectual property law expert Iain Connor of Pinsent Masons told the BBC: “The key to this is going to be whether or not there is going to be appropriate secondary legislation that will set up some sort of system that is good for users to get the content they want, but good for the industry to make sure they are remunerated appropriately for their work.”

“If this is copyright legislation, this deserves an act called the Copyright Act,” he said. “This should not be tagged into a piece of legislation that has nothing to do with copyright. It’s a nonsense.”

Click >here< to visit Out-law.com

Ian brings many years business development experience across the business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors, working with established brands, such as office space services provider, Regus.

“Working within a consultancy role for …talktojason promises to be a lot of fun and very rewarding.

“…talktojason is an ideas agency and following recent campaign work is incredibly creative, mixing online knowhow with offline ingenuity. I’m looking forward to an inspiring and very enjoyable journey.” Said Ian

“I met Ian a few years ago and his personality, drive and ambition will compliment client needs perfectly. His down-to-earth approach, coupled with his can-do attitude will certainly help …talktojason develop further.

”Business is tough at the moment and an obvious way to survive is to connect with those who have the same beliefs as you and, the same ambition to deliver on promises made.” Stated Jason

Ian’s primary objective is to seek out like-minded clients that fit the  …talktojason profile, “It’s important to work for clients you know you can meet their expectations. There’s no point in making false promises – that’s just short-sighted.” Added Ian

…talktojason works across the business-to-business, business-to-consumer and third-sector, working for clients from the retail and leisure industries, professional services organisations and charity clients, including soon-to-be launched Nottingham-based charity: MDA [Mens' Depression Alliance]. An organisation that aims to help men across the UK suffering with depression by offering advice and support to suffers and their friends and family.

…talktojason clients include other creative agencies looking for additional campaign support and ideas generation, and brand owners looking for external resource to help launch, develop or protect brand propositions.

The first reason is that when the weather is bad more people [consumers] spend time doing their shopping online. And secondary, when you wish to engage with more consumers on Twitter, use the hash tags that are trending to interactive with more customers.

Of course the second reason should also be a standard rule-of-thumb when it comes to engaging with consumers online. Current [trending] terms are easily found on a daily basis so can be used all the time.

Like promotional offers, the messages you are communicating through open media platforms and forums need to be current and relevant at the time, and the great thing about using ‘trending’ topics is that they will help you extend your brand’s overall audience reach.

Another point to consider when using hash tags is to see these tags as Twitter’s version of Google’s keywords. When consumers are searching on Google for goods they use certain keywords, like ‘bedroom’ ‘carpet’ or ‘dining room’ and ‘flooring’. Twitter hash tags work in the same way: ‘#bedroom’ ‘#carpet’, ‘#bedroomcarpet’, ‘#dinningroom’, ‘#flooring’ and ‘#dinningroomflooring’. Both journalists and consumers alike use hash tags that are relevant to their search and Twitter searches have become almost as important as Google searches.

So remember, snow is good, but when it comes to Twitter, #uksnow is better.

Not only are more and more people in the UK using social media channels in their everyday lives, but also more and more UK consumers are using their social media accounts to help them make buying decisions.

Each year consumers generate more than 500 billion impressions about products or services.

A website visitor is 10 times more likely to make a purchase if they read a favorable comment on a social media platform, such as Facebook or Twitter. In sales terms this equates to over £5 billion being spent on goods thanks to social media campaigning.

But that’s not the only benefits:

• Over 25 percent of all internet time is spent on Facebook
• More than 70 percent of consumers would like Facebook only deals
• Facebook posts that use a photograph generate over 100% more engagement than posts that don’t
• More than 50 percent of Twitter users recommend companies who also used the same platform
• Tweets with fewer than 100 characters increased consumer engagement by more than 15 percent.

So now the question is not whether your brand is social, but if your brand is ‘social smart’!

Like to know more? …talktojason ;)

British technology firm, Securahomes Management, which owns retail brands: Securahomes and Pro-tect Communities, has talktojason to help launch its new franchise scheme.

The company’s franchisee scheme aims to recruit a national network of installers who can help the technology firm market its own range of ‘homecare’ systems, allowing it to take on its main competitor, ADT.

Under the new arrangement, talktojason will help provide brand management services, including brand protection, brand development and brand communications, covering both online and offline channels.

Securahomes has an established history for providing complete homecare solutions, including its new range of innovative two-way, wireless devices, including burglar alarms, fire and smoke detectors and, carbon monoxide detectors.

Want to know more? Then talktojason.

New services include: BrandTalk, BrandInsight and BrandX.

BrandTalk helps implement communication programmes, using a mix of traditional, digital and social media platforms.

BrandSighted enables clients (both agencies and brand owners) to see what their audiences actually see, as well as understanding what their brand reach really is.

BrandX generates campaign ideas for new brands propositions and, to reinvigorate current brand offerings. This service is often delivered in unison with BrandTalk and BrandInsight.

“Advertising, public relations and marketing are services used to build, protect and communicate brands. …talktojason works as a support mechanism, either as an extra resource to agencies who are wanting to deliver services to their clients’ campaigns, or directly to brand owners who want additional help and advice.” Stated Jason Kelly

Would you like to know more about these services and how …talktojason can work with you, then get in contact: @talktojason / talktojason@ttjpublicrelations.co.uk / 07588 749409