18/07/2008 by Tony Attwood.

Hamilton House PR Agency now offers a guarantee: it guarantees that your company will be mentioned positively in at least three papers or journals every month.

Getting positive coverage in appropriate media three times each month sounds a tough call – but with the right approach it is possible. 

We can guarantee to achieve this every month because we are (probably) the only PR and Marketing Agency that specialises exclusively in reaching teachers.

So we know the market, and we know the journalists, and we really can deliver.   

Thus we can give an absolute guarantee that you will get coverage in at least three different magazines, papers, TV stations or radio stations, every single month.   (Sometimes of course we get you more than three media appearances, but when we do we don’t charge extra.  We just let you have that as a bonus). 

In the extremely unlikely event that we fail to get you the promised coverage, we don’t charge you a penny for that month’s work.

But that’s not all.   As part of our package we also work developing separate longer-term projects with you (call me if you would like to have some examples).   We also undertake regular research for our clients into teacher attitudes, buying habits, competitor activity and the like.  It is all included in the monthly fee.

Of course sometimes a smaller, more specialised type of campaign is required and we can always tailor our work to meet such needs.   For example, some companies do not need the guarantee of significant coverage every month and obviously that reduces costs.  In other cases the research into teacher attitudes and activities is not needed very often, and again that cuts down on our expenditure on your behalf.   Where this is so we can cut our monthly fee dramatically.

In other cases the key issue may be marketing – analysing response rates, evolving new approaches, comparing email with direct mail, devising new incentives and so on.   Obviously here our fee can be lower than might otherwise be the case.

We’re happy to discuss the marketing and PR coverage we’ve achieved in the past, and come up with ideas for a campaign for you, without charge or obligation.   Do give us a call and we’ll talk it all through.

Just call 01536 399 000

Posted in Recent posts | No Comments »

08/07/2008 by Tony Attwood.

Actually, sorry, that headline is wrong.  You don’t.  You get a free emailing to teachers, a free extra mailing and a free listing on the School Procurement Website for a year.

These things are all free, gratis, complimentary, on the house.  But the house has no food.  Not a crumb.  Not a sausage.  Not a bean.  Sorry.

However some of the teachers who get your shared mail leaflet also get an email from you.  These emails go direct to the teachers who have opted into this service – which means not all of them get it (but the real whizzo teaching enthusiasts do get it).   No charge.  Not a cent.  Zero.  Nothing.  Nil.  Nought.  Square root of minus two.

Then another set of your leaflets (up to 10% of the original number booked) are mailed out to teachers at no charge.  Not a penny.  Totally without cost in any form.

Finally details of your product or service are included for a year on the School Procurement Website, complete with links to your email and your own web address.  And here disbursement = 0.  It’s free.  You don’t pay.  Not today, not ever.

If we add to all this the unique fact that our shared mailings carry a cover page from the School of Educational Administration to the administrator, you’ll get the picture that our shared mailings are, well unique.  Inimitable.  Incomparable.  Matchless.  Peerless.  Without equal.

But, I hear you asking (although not literally you appreciate) do shared mailings work?   A good question and one I am asked often.  Regularly.  Frequently.

The fact is that HHM has, over the years, used shared mailings to sell tens of thousands of our own products to schools.   We’ve learned what makes one item sell and another one flop – and we are more than excited (champing at the bit you might say) at the prospect of you phoning up and asking us to have a look at your leaflet and comment on how a few minor changes might make it work all the better.  (That bit is free too).  We really are getting quite energised by it all.  Quite worked up.

Tony Attwood

PS: If you have received letters from me in the past you’ll know that I used to sign off with a silly phrase such as “no horseman will call”.   As an attention seeking ploy it worked, but endlessly seeking attention is rather unbecoming.  So I don’t do it no more.  Not never.  Ever.  Well, only on Tuesdays when there’s no dancing.     Call me on 01536 399 000 if you want any of this to be unravelled.

Posted in Recent posts | No Comments »

01/07/2008 by Tony Attwood.

A lecturer in creative technologies at the University of Portsmouth, has created a game in which players will be exposed to subliminal messages.  The players will not be consciously aware of what is being delivered.

“The power of games as a learning tool is the great untapped education resource of our time,” said Nipan Maniar, a senior lecturer in creative technologies at the University of Portsmouth..

“I expect many other games companies will get onboard when they see the obvious benefits to society of using games as one more tool to educate young people… The possibilities to use technology in this way are very exciting for anyone who has an interest in education, teaching and learning.”

However there are problems.   The Code of Advertising Practice (5.4.5 Subliminal advertising) says that “No advertisement may use images of very brief duration, or any other technique which is likely to influence viewers, without their being fully aware of what has been done,” which covers advertising – but of course not games.

6.—(1) The Commission shall do all that they can to secure that every licensed service complies with the following requirements, namely—
(e) that its programmes do not include any technical device which, by using images of very brief duration or by any other means, exploits the possibility of conveying a message to, or otherwise influencing the minds of, persons watching the programmes without their being aware, or fully aware, of what has occurred.

So, if this sort of approach is outlawed in advertising and broadcasting, should it really be part of education?

Posted in Recent posts | No Comments »

19/06/2008 by Tony Attwood.

Something amazing happened in every school this year. It’s just that many schools decided to keep it all rather quiet.

And so, July 15 2008 is the first ever CELEBRATE SCHOOLS DAY. A day to celebrate all the great things that happened this year.

We want to celebrate (and get media coverage for) both the thousands of pupils who have done well in their studies, plus those that have done something for others, and those who (without causing any harm) have enjoyed themselves. Those who quite simply have done the work, and then smiled and laughed, and enjoyed life. They just enjoyed the past year.

The idea of celebrating the positive aspects of school came from Iain Bell of Book-Builder. When Iain and I discussed the idea recently he told me that each year his firm publishes large numbers of School Yearbooks. The pupils create these themselves with teeacher support – and the image they project is always one of fun and excitement.

So he had the idea of trying to get this image across to a wider audience – and created CELEBRATE SCHOOLS DAY.

If you want to join in there are two things to do.

First, encourage your pupils to sign in (obviously with teacher guidance and support), and then send in comments, pictures and videos to www.celebrateschoolsday.com - which will be a permanent record of the fact that among all the hard work school can be enjoyable too. (The web site is moderated, so you don’t have to worry about pupils putting up anything that is detrimental. We’ll check everything as it comes in.)

Second it would be great if you could send a press release about something really good that happened in your school to your local paper, your local radio station, and (if you wish) the national press and TV. (By all means send me a copy – I’ll be most interested to see it – but the main thing is to send it to the media).

You don’t have to do both - if you just want to take part in one of the activities that is fine. But the overall aim is simple: to have this one day in the year where we can all say, school is good.

I do hope you will join in – Celebrate Schools Day will only work if you do decide to say something positive to the press in the next week, and tell them it is for Celebrate Schools Day.

If you would like to know more about Celebrate Schools Day please call Holly on 01536 399 000. If you would like to contact Book-Builder please call 0845 388 9901

Posted in Recent posts | No Comments »

12/06/2008 by Tony Attwood.

The power of celebrities and the power of the internet is now so strong when it comes to teenage girls that (according to a survey by GirlGuiding UK) advertisers and politicians have little chance to influence their opinions and behaviour.   Teachers have less power than celebrities or the media - but are way ahead of advertisers and politicians in their influence.

And although celebrities do have this influence - much of the influence they have is openly seen as negative by teenage girls.

The survey found that away from friends and family, celebrities have the biggest hold with 42% naming them as the greatest influence.

As you might guess, the top celeb is Victoria Beckham, who was nominated  by 35% followed by Leona Lewis who polled 32%.

Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse came next with 29% and 23% respectively.

38% said that the media is the prime influence of their attitudes to alcohol and drugs.  Teachers on the other hand were a prime influence at 30% - way above advertisers who influence 7% and politicians at 4%.    19% say the media influences their opinions about sex and relationships while teachers influence 15% and advertisers 2%.

59% say Channel 4 TV programmes like ‘Skins’ and ‘Hollyoaks’ help them  understand issues affecting people their age.

44% of the girls said they could name more WAGS [footballers’ wives and girlfriends] than female politicians.

However celebrities actually have a negative influence on the way girls view the world, with 59% believing they make girls their age less well-informed.

75% of the girls taking the survey said they used the internet daily, but they placed less trust in it than in newspapers or TV.   The most trusted medium is television news, which was named by 90% of the girls.  Although around half said they didn’t bother to stay informed about world events.

Posted in Recent posts | No Comments »