Off to Sandbox

We are off to take part in Meld Online at the University of Central Lancashire's 'Sandbox' new media centre on Monday. We've been working on our idea and we're looking forward to having the chance to develop it during the week and take part in a series of workshops. At the end of the week we'll be pitching our idea to representatives from Sky, Johnson Press and Haymarket, who are Meld project partners.

Also coming up this week, our client the Royal School for the Deaf and Communication Disorders in Cheadle is launching an innovative new college building. It features a life skills kitchen sponsored by John Lewis and a bespoke IT suite, which adapts to the need of the students. The official opening takes place on Thursday.

Paperplane chosen for Meld labs

We are really pleased to tell you that we have been chosen to take part in Meld - a five day residential lab at the University of Central Lancashire. Meld is an ideas generation and development workshops involving Sky News, Haymarket and Johnson Press, which brings journalists together with interaction designers.

Our team comprises Clarissa Satchell, Paperplane Director; Chris Satchell, Paperplane Creative Director, and Darren Harper, internet marketeer/search engine optimisation consultant and owner of Tangy Lemon search engine marketing agency in Halifax. During the week we will be working on a project which we pitched in response to briefs from the above media partners.

The lab takes place at UCLAN's new Centre for Digital and Creative Industries, Sandbox, which is running the project alongside the Department of Journalism. Meld is supported by the Northern Edge and the Northern Way and aims to find out what happens when teams of journalists, creative technologists/ interaction designers conceive and develop projects together.

Teams were invited to pitch seed ideas in response to industry briefs. These briefs can be found on the Meld website. Up to 8 teams (a maximum of 20 people) have been selected to attend the lab from December 10-14. Developed ideas will be pitched at the end of the week to a panel of industry commissioners. We are thrilled to be chosen and are looking forward to taking part.

Top 5 Festive Publicity Tips

Well, whether we like it or not, the festive season will soon be upon us. The run up to Christmas is always a busy time for businesses but it also offers plenty of opportunities for publicity. The problem is that with so much going on, they can pass us by.

This article from an American PR company explains how one firm used their staff Christmas party as a recruitment tool by gaining media coverage. OK, so their party was a bit beyond the reach of many companies but you don't have to go to these lengths. Just keep your ears open for festive-themed good news stories.

It's also that time of year when the business media are pulling together their reviews of the year. Come early New Year they will be looking to the year ahead, predicting new business trends. You could try to feed into these articles or if you don't feel confident dealing with the media, why not post your own review or the year and business manifesto for the year to come on your blog or website?

Here are a few more quick yuletide publicity tips:

1. Look out for seasonal good news stories from your staff or clients. If lots of people seem to be talking about something unusual which has happened, it could interest the media.

2. Read the Christmas papers to see what sort of things they are interested in. Are companies in the same sector as you featured?

3. Have your own festive e-flyer designed instead of a traditional card - it's environmentally friendly and different.

4. If you like a traditional paper card, try something personalised or novel like a card with a discount voucher attached for use in January. Or send out a wall planner or calendar so you will be in front of your customers all year.

5. Combine celebrating with networking. The Institute of Directors is one of the many organisations holding festive-themed events with a Christmas shopping and networking event in Manchester on November 14th.

Meld deadline this week

Submissions to MELD Lab - a world first project: bringing together the best northern journalists and new media practitioners - must be in this week. See below for full details. Briefs from are Sky News, Johnston Press and Haymarket Media Teams care now online. Teams can contain up to three people and one member must have journalistic experience. Meld are offering a ‘match-making’ service, so if you have an idea but don't know where to find a journalist or new media practitioner to join your team, ring Meld on 0114 221 0454 or mail info@meldonline.org.

Visit http://www.meldonline.org/ for further information or join the Facebook Group here . MELD is supported by the Department of Journalism and Sandbox at UCLan (University of Central Lancashire), Northern Edge and the Northern Way.

Six businesses wanted for filming

The Outbox, http://www.theoutbox.co.uk/ the NWDA’s new online resource for SMEs, is looking for six North West SMEs it can film in a series showing what impact the implementation of new technologies can have had on their businesses.
The venture is being funded by the NWDA which awarded the publishing contract to Junction YK. Junction YK in turn has now commissioned Daylight Moving Image to produce half a dozen films for broadcast on the site when it goes live.
Read the ull article on the How Do website.

Top 5 E-newsletter tips

We have been publishing an e-newsletter for a couple of months now. The results have been fantastic. As well as winning new business as a result of the e-newsletter we have had some great feedback and have built new business relationships with people who have received it. We sent a targeted e-flyer out about design services last week and have started some work for a company based in London who we had previously never spoken to!

Here are a few tips to help you make e-newsletters work for your company.

1. Choose the right package for you. Investigate the different options first. There are different packages available. You can either buy your own license for a one-off investment and send as many e-flyers as you want to or pay a monthly fee depending on how many you want to send.

2. Make sure you have enough time to commit to the e-flyer. If you don't but think it would help your company and you have something to say, hire someone to help you with the writing or distribution of the e-flyer.

3. Have your e-flyer designed to match your branding. This isn't expensive and only has to be done once. It is worth it as this is a great way to build your brand.

4. Take every opportunity to build up your database. Networking events are great for gathering people's cards and you can also find contacts through professional organisations you belong to.

5. Always include an unsubscribe link. This complies with email law and if you do not do this you risk annoying people who don't want to receive your newsletter. Give people the right to refuse your e-newsletter if they don't want to read it.

We now supply e-newsletters and can design a wide range of styles to meet your individual needs. Our packages are very competitive so if you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch for a no obligation consultation.

Media Coverage - Press Association Community Newswire

We have recently gained some publicity for the Royal School for the Deaf in Cheadle in the local media, as mentioned below. Our press releases have also been featured by the Press Association's Community Newswire. This is a free facility which charities can use to gain publicity by submitting a press release and photograph for consideration. They have featured one article about signing software and a second about the students displaying art work at John Lewis last weekend. Photo copyright Stockport Express and Times.

New Statesman and Business Insider

Paperplane Director and former Manchester Evening News journalist Clarissa Satchell has recently had an article published in the New Statesman magazine. The article is about inequalities in social care for the elderly. Click here to read the article, which appears in the 'Fair Care for All' supplement.

Clarissa also has an article about Age Discrimination published in this month's North West Business Insider magazine and has written an article due to be published in November, about green housing. Other writing commissions at the moment include a new food magazine focussing on high quality regional foods, called 'Tastes of Britain'.

53 Degrees - Chamber of Commerce magazine

We appear in the current edition of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce magazine, 53 Degrees. We won a pitch to look after PR and e-newsletter design for the Royal School for the Deaf in Cheadle. View the article as an e-book here, we're on page 9. Thanks to 53 Degrees for the article.

Puppini Sisters website

We have recently been working on a website for the Puppini Sisters, a girl band signed with Universal Records. The band needed a website refresh in time for the launch of their new album and promotional tour. One of the challenges was designing a red lipstick to move across the front page and 'paint' the girls. See the updated Puppini Sisters site here for the result...