SHOUT!PR

We've moved...

2011-10-03T16:12:00.001+01:00

We have moved our blog over to Wordpress. You can read our future posts here - http://shoutprdesign.wordpress.com

Photography - it pays to go pro

2011-09-20T15:44:00.001+01:00

You are creating a piece of marketing material, you had a copywriter originate or sharpen up the copy, the designer has supplied you with some great visuals, now all you need is the photography - ‘That’s straight forward enough - I’ll do it myself’. It’s true most of us have a digital camera and most of us probably think we can take a half-decent photo. But it’s just not the same as

Clowne Tomorrow Today's Topic

2011-09-13T10:49:00.003+01:00

An ambitious and exciting plan to develop a large part of the Derbyshire town of Clowne, to provide new employment, housing, improved road links and new recreational space has been unveiled by clients, Waystone Ltd.SHOUT!PR has been working with Waystone to deliver a consultation strategy which will enable local people to access details about the proposal and feedback with their ideas for what

QR-U Ready?

2011-07-14T13:16:00.008+01:00

Some of you may have noticed strange little black and white boxes appearing in print recently. For those of you who are still unsure – these are QR (Quick Response) Codes – the latest buzz in smart phone technology.Having downloaded a scanning App on your smart phone – you scan the code to launch a web page, phone number, SMS prompt or plain text message. Simply put, the little black and white

Social Media - 'power tools' at your fingertips

2011-06-20T11:40:00.002+01:00

The increasing popularity of social media has gifted marketing teams with a box of new tools guaranteed to boost web hits, kick-start promotions and provide a permanently open channel for targeted message delivery…Label Traders Factory Shop in Sutton in Ashfield is just one of a growing number of businesses taking advantage. The popular shop had a lucky break in June, with a name check in

A Setback

2011-04-23T12:39:00.000+01:00

I did originally say this blog was to keep anyone interested up to day with my ride preparation. Those familiar with my musings so far will quickly agree it’s done nothing of the sort. It’s become a showcase for the ramblings of a deranged person. But today that must stop for a minute as I do impart some serious news, and it’s not good. I have suffered more pain in the last couple of days than

Protecting Your Domain – a Little Tip from SHOUT!PR

2011-04-05T15:33:00.003+01:00

We recently had a cry for help from a client that, out of the blue, lost its website and all email access. Completely baffled they called on their friendly marketing and PR company… To cut a long story short, the client’s domain name had expired and nobody had informed them because they were not logged as the official registrant. As is quite usual, the registrant was the

We're going round the bend!

2010-02-25T12:05:00.003Z

Just a quick note to let you know that, from 1st March, SHOUT!PR will be working from new premises, just around the corner, at the following address:Oak HouseRansom WoodMansfieldNottinghamNG21 0HJOur telephone number will change that day too to 01623 420 472.Friday 26th February is our move day, so please bear with us if there is a slight disruption to our communications.We look forward to

Website SOS

2009-11-03T16:07:00.006Z

Unfortunately we are being asked to help out on website SOS projects more and more as companies are let down by hosts losing their data with no back up!Director of Doyles Coaches, Kirsty, was the latest to come to SHOUT!PR asking if we can salvage anything from the two sites she currently operates. One had ‘fallen offline’ all together, the other still there but a big investment that could easily

Design, Marketing and PR Packages

2009-10-08T11:27:00.001+01:00

We're pretty sure that you're looking at ways to cut your marketing/design/pr budget at the moment - so we've come up with a price menu of quality items to help you compare against your current costs - and hopefully then sample our exceptional service for yourself.Mini Brochures, Printed Newsletters, E-Newsletters, Websites, Leaflets, Copywriting, Pull Up Banners, Postcards - we are confident

Photography - it pays to go pro

2009-09-02T09:00:00.002+01:00

Digital Printing with Variable Data

2009-08-11T08:55:00.001+01:00

Variable data has been around for a few years now and is, I think, massively under used. This is possibly because of added cost but also because of the lack of simple information accessible to Marketing teams and MD’s.So what is it? Variable data basically means you can make every single page of a print run different by programming predetermined data changes into artwork before sending it to

SHOUT!PR - Pop pickers!

2009-08-07T10:08:00.000+01:00

Earlier today we were asked by Jodie, Museum Development Officer at Mansfield Museum, to list our top ten songs as part of the Museum’s latest exhibition – Pop Goes Mansfield. Being a team of music lovers we rose to the almost impossible challenge! See these and many more at the museum’s fascinating collection of local music memorabilia.Jez’s Top Ten1. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen2. Simple

Digital v Litho - Which? to use, When? and Why?

2009-08-04T08:55:00.004+01:00

These days, when we’re providing quotes to print booklets, brochures, posters etc., we always first go through the process of considering the type of print to use on each job.What we are considering is:value for money qualitydeadlinesWe try to get the right balance for each client, depending on their own priorities, and although we know that clients don’t always want to know the ins and outs of

Press D to reveal all

2009-07-27T09:12:00.003+01:00

Did you know that a PDF has an identity? Have you have ever looked at a PDF and wondered who created it, how you could contact the creator or what the font was you saw in the PDF? The answers can be revealed at the push of a key. If you’re on a Mac press Cmd+D, or on a PC Ctrl+D and you will be presented with a Document Properties box. Provided the creator of the PDF has filled in some of the

Wacko’s passing prompts media madness

2009-06-29T09:13:00.002+01:00

Okay I know it's easy and I know it's sooo obvious but I need my own form of closure and I promise to be brief.Michael Jackson - the media aftermath of his death was probably the most spectacular for any celebrity death to date. And it’s not over yet! The bandwagon will rumble on for some time as reporters - professional and amateur - look for new lines and rumour to fuel the still smouldering

Many moons ago we had a dream...

2009-06-22T12:41:00.001+01:00

Have you ever felt cheated by a grand expectation that never quite developed? I’ve nursed an intermittently painful pang of injustice since 1969 - in fact I was pleased to see, the other day, that this year is being officially marked as the 40th anniversary of my injustice - also known as the first moon landing. But despite this acknowledgement I sense that my lifetime disappointment is not about

Papering over the economic cracks

2009-06-08T08:50:00.002+01:00

A quick word, if you can spare a minute, before you begin another week of making ends meet in these credit crunching times. I would like to draw your attention to the rallying call of a campaign that has been splashed liberally across the pages of our excellent local paper - the Mansfield Chad - in recent weeks. I’m not just highlighting the ‘Keep It Local’ clarion call because SHOUT!PR just so

Business Park with a Difference

2009-06-04T09:00:00.001+01:00

For the past couple of weeks we have been absorbing the sights, sounds and unique atmosphere of Ransom Woods - a truly atmospheric business park on the outskirts of Mansfield. The reason we have been immersing ourselves in the woodland setting is to get a good feel of the location’s unique selling points while we work on a new brand for both the business park and its superb restaurant, cafe &

Quiet please - it's the law!

2009-06-01T09:04:00.001+01:00

Every day I get home at the moment my letterbox is choking with political leaflets - all smiley faces and snappy manifestos.The most recent infestation of election literature led me to re-visit a favourite little game I play from time to time - it’s called ‘If I was in charge, what new laws would I impose on my subjects?’ I’ve designed many new laws over the years - all carefully considered and

Web threat to justice

2009-05-26T08:55:00.002+01:00

We all by now know that the wonderful and productive power of the internet can at least be matched by its power to harm and hurt.Cyber-bullying is something that has been on our radar for some time. We’ve moved on from a bloodied nose behind the bike sheds but the pain that well-chosen words can inflict on their victim is often even more damaging. The added attraction for cyber bullies is obvious

18 years of SHOUT!PR - we’ll drink to that!

2009-05-20T09:00:00.002+01:00

This week SHOUT!PR celebrates 18 years in business - no mean feat when you consider we were born into the gloom of the last major recession, and have now earned our place at the bar just as another economic plague blights the business landscape.But let’s not focus on downturns at such an auspicious time, but instead raise a glass to the many friends we have made along the way, especially those

Partners notch a PRfect 10!

2009-05-18T13:57:00.002+01:00

Long-term, working and relationship are words that don’t go together very often these days, but I think I am justified in using them next to each other to help describe our latest milestone here at SHOUT!PR.Sarah and I have now been working together at SHOUT!PR for 10 whole years - and we have declared that officially a ‘long-term working relationship’. Pleasant though it is to have that phrase

Trip to the Tramway - a pleasant surprise

2009-05-15T09:39:00.001+01:00

Soon after we were awarded the contract for Crich Tramway Village’s marketing material make-over, back in 2007, I decided I’d better get myself down there and get a feel for the place. So one sunny Saturday Olivia, my wife, and James, my son - aged 2 at the time - got ourselves ready for an unknown adventure. Olivia and I were armed with the preconception of a fusty old transport museum and a

Let’s not wash our hands of inky fingers

2009-05-11T10:23:00.001+01:00

In a way I’m a little surprised this story has not matured a little quicker, but it is now gathering momentum. Over recent days there has been a concerted blast of pessimism over the future of the newspaper, and some serious and sombre debate about a definite shift in our news consumption preferences - away from the traditional inky rag and towards the increasingly convenient on-line options.I

Online voting - lost in cyberspace?

2009-05-05T09:32:00.002+01:00

A very boring postcard has just dropped through my letterbox - it’s black and white and very dull - possibly even a little bit intimidating in its blandness.It is a very important piece of mail and should be working much much harder to persuade me... to vote! The drab polling card that communicates with me every few years is not the way to persuade me to set aside time in my busy day on 4th June,

RSS - feeding a hunger for news

2009-04-29T09:44:00.002+01:00

If you are like me I need to know what is going on in the world – news, design, cycling, F1, iPhone updates, new technology... the list goes on.The only way I can manage this without spending all day searching the web is to subscribe to RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.I get my daily dose of all things that interest me as soon as they are posted. The feed either lands in my Mail.app or one

Cloughie - you’ve seen the film, now read the other book

2009-04-27T09:24:00.000+01:00

I still haven’t seen the ‘controversial’ film ‘The Damned Utd’ but you can bet your life that’s not going to stop me commenting on it!I have to say I’ve been a little amused by the outpouring of anger that has followed the release of the film and I guess a lot of it has come from Clough fans who, like me, have yet to see the film. I’m amused because somewhere along the line between David Peace’s

Making use of Multi Purpose Documents

2009-04-23T10:40:00.002+01:00

What is a Multi Purpose Document? It’s a document that can be used in different steams of media - print, web or PDF, although not limited to just these three.Often when you start a project you have a soul aim to create one item - newsletter/brochure/annual report/advert etc. You may have always sent your annual report out as a hard copy document, but now is a good time to consider the bigger

Not joining the Beeb bashers

2009-04-20T09:12:00.001+01:00

As the BBC (that’s us I guess) cops for a walloping £150,000 fine from ofcom (isn’t that also us?) in the latest piece of fallout from the Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand Andrew Sachs debacle, it could well be time for those Auntie Beeb debates to be dusted down again. The long-in-the-tooth question about the need for a state media operation and how relevant it remains in this age of a zillion

Watch out for our What’s On

2009-04-02T16:53:00.000+01:00

We’ve just taken delivery of our copies of the new ‘What’s On’ guide for Mansfield’s forthcoming town centre events.Commissioners chose us to create a lively new look for the ‘What’s On’ promotional material, following a competitive pitch. Working with Mansfield District Council’s Town Centre Events and Promotions Manager, Lisa Vincent, we have developed a powerful and engaging new visual

Ties a bind - and mine’s gone (almost)

2009-03-30T09:18:00.000+01:00

OK, so when exactly was it that the all-powerful Lord of Sartorial Acceptibility tapped us blokes on the shoulder, pointed to our tie and declared: “OK, you can take that off now son!”I really can’t remember when, but it’s definitely happened. I’ve been given the thumbs up by his Lordship to leave my fine collection of timeless neck ties hanging forlornly at the back of my wardrobe, wrench open

Tweet yourself to a taste of Twitter

2009-03-26T09:25:00.001Z

Twitter has been talked about a lot over the last few months. Many of us have heard Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, Lance Armstrong and Philip Schofield going on about their love of Twitter. However, I still speak to many people who either don’t know what it is or just don’t know how they would use Twitter. There is plenty of advice and tips on the internet but I thought I’d share our experience so

Nothing to speak of in Footieland

2009-03-23T09:30:00.002Z

Now I love football as much as the next football-loving lunatic and there was a time when I didn’t think I could ever get too much of it - the evocative blend of fried onions and fag smoke down by the Trent on match day, the nervous anticipation of the classified results in a bar on holiday, the transfer rumours via a very reliable close friend of a local estate agent who has just had just posted

Brand What?

2009-03-20T09:35:00.000Z

I was surprised to be asked by the Marketing Manager of a local firm earlier today “what is a Brand Guardian?”Also known as Corporate Visual Identity (CVI) or simply Brand Guidelines, it is an essential tool for any organisation that cares about its image or trades on its ‘brand’ (and that’s all of you of course!!).In a nutshell a Brand Guardian can be anything from a very simple 2-4 page

Royal reward for clients Skill Force

2009-03-18T08:50:00.000Z

Congratulations to our client, Skill Force. The national charity has been informed that its efforts to secure a high profile new patron have been successful, with Prince William agreeing to support the cause.HRH Prince William of Wales will undoubtedly add significant new impetus to the charity’s ambitious development plans.Skill Force works with over 260 schools across England, Scotland and

Horror scenario for book-lovers

2009-03-16T09:28:00.002Z

I have this recurring nightmare every time I read anything about this one particular piece of new technology... I’m in this creaking old secondhand bookshop. The distinctive aroma of fusty, nicotine-coloured pages hangs in the air, the bare wooden floors are reassuringly uneven, a thin layer of dust lines the banks of shelving. There’s just one thing missing...books! Real books that is. One sad

Thou Shouldst Consider This...

2009-03-12T09:40:00.001Z

People who have known me for a while will think I have a cheek writing this - but I am a changed man.In my first ‘proper job’ I used to walk 45 mins to and from work come rain or shine. The job also involved standing on my feet all day. A few years later, when I could afford a car, I very slowly became... well... lazy! The convenience of driving to work was far too appealing - in one of my jobs I

Our pledge to help smoking quitters

2009-03-11T09:09:00.004Z

Today is No Smoking Day and there have never been so many different support devices available to smokers to help them quit the habit.Just a very quick look around the official No Smoking Day website reveals an ‘e-mail buddy’ scheme for quitters, a well patronised ‘stop smoking forum’ where you can share experiences and seek support, a comprehensive calendar of stop smoking events to attend in

It’s a slow down - on the roads as well

2009-03-09T09:15:00.001Z

Brilliant! The Government has come up with another ingenious ploy to mask the economic slowdown. The national speed limit looks set to be cut from 60mph to 50mph on all but the ‘safest’ roads, and this could happen as early as next year.A tactical recession-reversing policy is the only logic I can apply to this. Our on-road commerce will all move that bit slower, in tune with the general trading

Telly spot for Breyer models

2009-03-05T11:44:00.003Z

As part of our PR remit for Treasure Trove - the UK distributor for US model horse company Breyer - we have been busy talking to a whole range of media whose principal audiences are Breyer buyers - girls aged between 7 and 12. As a result we have secured space for Breyer product competitions in a number of large circulation magazines like Girl Talk and All About Animals, and recently landed

Beware - the brainjackers are coming

2009-03-04T10:36:00.003Z

I used to get quite excited about the concept of Joe 90 - the little lad with the glasses, who after spending a couple of minutes in a swirly gyroscope type machine, with some futuristic music playing, got a temporary transplant of some highly intelligent chap’s brain - more often than not a doddery old nuclear scientist. This enabled our little hero to scoot off and foil a dastardly threat to

Sporting night out

2009-03-03T09:26:00.002Z

Cracking night at Mansfield Armchair Club’s Question of Sport evening at the Civic Centre, courtesy of our favourite accountants Stopford Associates. Although our table put up a commendable performance - well Martin did! - we were up against the cream of the town’s sporting intelligentsia and finished third of about 18 tables.Hearty congratulations to the Chad team who were worthy winners of the

Performing on publicity for artsfest

2009-02-26T11:35:00.001Z

The countdown to mansfield artsfest 2009 is now well underway and we are coming to the end of a hectic period of activity designing a whole range of promotional material and initiating a programme of media relations activity.The official festival programme and publicity posters are now at print, t-shirts and banner stands are also being printed, and adverts designed and ready to start running in

Slow that fashion down

2009-02-23T10:40:00.002Z

To add to all the moral dilemmas we have to face it seems ‘fast fashion’ is the latest we need to worry about.In step with the ever-accelerating pace of modern life, fashion is no longer a gentle transition through the seasons, pretty much in the control of the major fashion houses. Now it’s electronic media and online networking setting the standards. We see it we want it and we won’t wait!Apart

Not just a PDF

2009-02-20T13:44:00.002Z

Most of us have seen, used or created a PDF. PDFs are a great way of saving a file so that people on PCs, Macs, phones, PDAs (the list goes on) can view the information.Unlike native files such as Word or Excel documents, PDFs contain all the information within them. You will rarely have a problem with missing fonts or missing image links. Did you know that PDFs can do so much more?PDFs can

Certified charitable recyclers

2009-02-18T08:25:00.001Z

We’ve just got a new certificate and that’s always an occasion to make me smile - ever since my very first one - Cycling Proficiency if I remember rightly, back in the days when that particular qualification even merited a TV advert.The latest addition to the SHOUT!PR wall of certificates (OK, it’s a filing cabinet drawer, but we are going to get around to it very soon) is from Reclaim It (

Breyer on the menu at BETA dinner

2009-02-16T09:24:00.004Z

For the fourth consecutive year I was in Birmingham last night for the British Equestrian Trade Association’s Gala Dinner and Business Awards, with clients Breyer, and UK Distributor Treasure Trove and guests. It was particularly good to see Breyer’s Marketing Communications Director, Kathleen Fallon again, over from New York for the BETA show.Having established upon arrival that the floral

Getting creative for Arts Fest

2009-02-12T10:40:00.001Z

We’re up and running with a very exciting new project - to help the group Arts Around Mansfield promote the very first arts festival for the town. We will be responsible for originating the visual identity of Mansfield Arts Fest 09, as well as developing promotional material and conjuring up innovative public relations initiatives to make sure it all attracts plenty of local attention. We only

Anniversary planning with RDA

2009-02-09T13:49:00.002Z

Really good to pay a visit to the RDA (Riding for Disabled Association) last week . Our work with Breyer - the model horse makers - has brought us into close contact with this excellent organisation over the past few years, and it’s always good to meet up with their Chief Exec, Ed Bracher.The RDA does such a fantastic job in providing therapy, through horse riding, for severely disabled people

I’m leaving no tracks!

2009-02-08T15:00:00.003Z

Turning this morning to my favourite section of the Sunday Times - ‘In Gear - Cars, Gadgets and Adventure’ I nearly choked on my bagel when I read an article entitled ‘Ah now we’re stalking’ all about a new mobile phone technology being developed by those fiendishly clever Google people. Apparently this bit of software called ‘Latitude’ enables you to identify anyone from your mobile’s contacts

It’s not all about Explorer

2009-02-04T17:25:00.004Z

Most of us are happy to use our default web browsers – Internet Explorer for PC and Safari for Mac – but are there the better browsers around?Below is a quick overview of some alternatives.Safari - self proclaimed ‘The world’s best browser’ – is the default on a Mac but you can also download Safari for the PC. Faster than Firefox and Opera, sleek interface, tab browsing, built in RSS and many

I’m going to regret this one…

2009-02-02T20:03:00.001Z

After a brief conversion with Jez earlier I thought it might be a good idea to fulfil one of my cycling goals - 100 miles in one day, well, hopefully less than a day!I have been cycling on and off for most of my life but started taking it a little more seriously in 2004 when I competed in a few time trials and used to ride the Sunday club runs most weeks. I was only an average rider, but that was

Striking changes to protesting

2009-02-02T09:00:00.001Z

Having been a junior (very junior) newspaper reporter back in the early 80s when the country’s miners were making their voices heard on the subject of pit closures, I’ve been very interested to follow the developments in the nationwide protests and strikes against the use of foreign workers, particularly in the power industry over the past few days.In those dark days of ‘Coal not Dole’ the

Football and networking

2009-01-29T09:36:00.001Z

The City Ground Nottingham, last night, - a bleak January evening - crazy traffic, horizontal rain and the prospect of 90 minutes business networking before the 90 minutes football. But it all turned out just fine.Yesteryear League Cup winning Forest hero Nigel Jemson shared a few thoughts, answered a few questions and I met a couple of like-minded anti-networking sportaholics to banter with

More Sure Start Celebrations

2009-01-12T09:41:00.001Z

I was delighted to get an email out of the blue from Steve Lack at Sure Start Chilwell, who is managing the launch of 2 of his ‘patch’ Children’s Centres in 2009; the snappily titled ‘Beeston North and Lenton Abbey Children’s Centre’ and ‘Stapleford Children’s Centre’. Steve has appointed us on project management and creative work for the two launches taking place in March and June

Tackling Smoking in North Notts

2009-01-09T10:26:00.001Z

Pre-Christmas saw us ‘surprisingly’ hectic as always putting together a new campaign idea for Stop Smoking Nottinghamshire. We wanted to stop nagging smokers about why they should give up smoking and direct our communication to their loved ones and friends! Asking them to do the talking for us and encourage the smoker in their life to give quitting a try.It was a very quick turnaround job, but

Blog - what’s it all about?

2009-01-06T09:00:00.002Z

A blog is a website normally maintained by an individual. The blog consists of a series of regular diary style entries. These entries can contain just about anything – news, photos, videos, jokes or what you had for lunch today! If you want you can allow people to leave comments on your blog, these can be managed by the owner of the blog. In our case, a blog is about giving more of an insight to

Well about time!

2009-01-05T10:02:00.004Z

Having toyed with the idea of jumping onboard the Blogging Bandwagon for some time now we have at last reached the conclusion that we can no longer keep our thoughts, ideas and opinions to ourselves, so a Blogging we will go.As more and more speeding snippets spin off the Information Superhighway (does anyone still call it that?) and screech into our consciousness we find we have so much to