“What a load of shiitake” – advertising watchdog takes the pistachio out of Tesco: By Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR
Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR, shows what can be learned from Tesco’s recent advertising ‘controversy’.
If you are easily offended by clumsy humour in an effort to attract attention, look away now. However, if you don’t find digital outdoor posters showing an animation with the slogan “For fettucine’s sake” shocking, read on brave reader. For these are the crimes against humour and humanity that befall Tesco right now after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said they were likely to cause “serious and widespread offence.”
I mean, I was offended by how BAD they were, not the poor taste. Yet the ASA said it had received 52 complaints that the ads were offensive because they alluded to swear words, with some people objecting that they were displayed in places where they could be seen by children.
Imagine the horror…in one example, three images of pasta covered all but the letter F in “fettucine” before rolling away to reveal the slogan in full.
Not mushroom for error…
In one sponsored Twitter post an animation displayed the text: “What a load of shiitake.” An image of a mushroom covering the last three letters was seen to roll away. Now, you know I’m a fungi but let’s look at this seriously for a moment from the PR point of view.
First, Tesco has apologised and said it was trying to portray customer frustration. Genius move. Acknowledge the “error” yet reinforce the key message at the same time. Remember, a line underneath the ad said that big mobile networks were raising customers’ bills.
However, the ASA said the words they were alluding to were “so likely to offend that they should not generally be used or alluded to in advertising, regardless of whether they were used in a tongue-in-cheek manner.”
So imagine how far said tongue was implanted into said cheek when they replied with this little beauty: “We’re really sorry for any offence caused. We know the frustration that consumers face when they notice their mobile phone bill has gone up mid-contract and we were reflecting their frustration – and ours – in these ads. We’re proud to offer our mobile customers supermarket value, and so we used a play on words relating to food products.”
Another great apology whilst hammering home the message loud and clear! And now…the case is all over the mainstream media at absolutely ZERO COST!
Remember, if played correctly, when it comes to PR controversy, sometimes, every little helps.
A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press for Attention PR in 2008.
He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective.
Join Business Link as the East Midlands Expo returns this November
On Monday 14 November 2022 the East Midlands Expo will return, providing a perfect day for networking and business generation.
An established event of over 20 years, for which Business Link is a proud partner, the free to attend expo is well targeted and aimed at the construction, property, business, investment, finance, professional services and related B2B markets.
Taking place at the De Vere East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, the exhibition will open to attendees at 9am, with a seminar taking place between 10:45am and noon.
A special networking lunch (for which tickets can be purchased here) will then take place between 12:15pm and 2:15pm, and the exhibition will close at 3:30pm.
For more information on exhibiting at the event click here.
To register to attend the event for free click here.
To secure tickets for the networking lunch click here.
Top tips for entering the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022
With the 2022 East Midlands Bricks Awards picking up pace, nominations are now flowing in.
Celebrating the outstanding work of those shaping the landscape of our region, this year’s highly-anticipated awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 15 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in the Derek Randall Suite, featuring John Forkin MBE DL, Managing Director at award-winning investment promotion agency Marketing Derby, as keynote speaker. Tickets can be booked here.
Here are 5 top tips for a successful entry:
- Make your nomination compelling.
- Less is more – as often judges have to read a large number of nomination forms, no one wants to read “waffle” or an excessive use of jargon in an award entry, so be concise and specific with what you write.
- Use facts, statistics and key examples that support why a project, person or business should win an award, as they will make any statement you make much stronger.
- Make sure to read the criteria carefully to be sure that your nomination does in fact fit what is being looked for. Why not reflect on the projects that won last year to get an idea of whether your nomination reflects a certain category’s requirements.
- Finally, proofread your nomination and submit it in plenty of time!
- Most active estate agent
- Commercial development of the year
- Responsible business of the year
- Residential development of the year
- Developer of the year
- Deal of the year
- Architects of the year
- Excellence in design
- Sustainable development of the year
- Contractor of the year
- Overall winner (this award cannot be entered, the winner will be selected from those nominated)
Book your tickets now
Tickets can now be booked for the awards event – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on 15 September 2022 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge County Cricket Club from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. Connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region. Dress code is standard business attire. Thanks to our sponsors:
To be held at:
Multi-million pound deal to see former Victorian wool warehouse transformed into apartments
A former Victorian wool warehouse is set to become new apartments following a multi-million pound commercial property deal.
The building started life as a wool warehouse and has more recently been used as a pine manufacturer, then bricklaying workshop and training school, before falling vacant in recent years. Now, it has received planning permission to be converted into 39 residential units, featuring co-working spaces, yoga studio, electrical charging points and other amenities – including a courtyard.
Set to transform the characterful building on Victoria Street in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, is JYD Holdings.
Jinny Yang, founder and Managing Director of JYD Holdings, said: “We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to renovate this former unused warehouse into stylish, one-of-a-kind apartments, bringing this beautiful building back to life and rejuvenating its unique character.
“Aimed primarily at young professionals, this is our first project in Newark-on-Trent and we are thrilled with the designs that have been approved. A unique selling point is that the building will feature a communal co-working space and a yoga studio for the residents, giving them an area perfectly designed to suit the remote ways of working that many of us have adopted.”
Nelsons, which has offices in Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, acted on behalf of JYD Holdings, to finalise the acquisition of the Victorian building.
Paul Hinchliffe, commercial property partner and solicitor at Nelsons who worked on the deal, said: “After sitting vacant for several years, it will be great to see this unused warehouse receive a much-needed new lease of life. Jinny’s plans for the building will provide a truly unique offering for the area and it has been a pleasure working with her and JYD Holdings to bring this deal to fruition.
“I’d like to wish them all the best as they embark on this exciting conversion – we cannot wait to see the finished results.”
Jinny added: “Working with Nelsons has meant that the whole process has run incredibly smoothly and we cannot thank them enough for their support from start to finish. With work due to begin in August 2022 and completion set for December 2023, we look forward to being able to welcome our first residents to their new home.”
Derby County deal falls through
The deal to take Derby County Football Club out of administration and under the ownership of American businessman Chris Kirchner has fallen through.
The joint administrators of Derby County, Quantuma, named Kirchner as the preferred bidder for the club in April, after he had initially expressed an interest in acquiring the club in late 2021.
Now, however, Kirchner has withdrawn his offer.
A spokesperson on behalf of the joint administrators of Derby County said: “The joint administrators can confirm that today, Mr Kirchner has withdrawn his offer to acquire the business and assets of The Club.
“We are aware that some will be concerned by this news, however, the joint administrators wish to reassure The Club’s staff, players and supporters that they are continuing to actively engage with a growing number of interested parties, each of whom have a real willingness to complete a deal as soon as possible.
“The joint administrators would remind all stakeholders of the process in place for those parties who wish to acquire The Club. The joint administrators are running a competitive bidding process.
“Bids should be best and final and not contain any referential element. Clearly, any bid is subject to interested parties entering into an NDA, accessing the data room, and undertaking their own due diligence. Of the parties we are engaging with, some are more progressed in this process than others.”
East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “The saga surrounding Derby County has already gone on for far too long and this latest chapter only serves to compound the misery felt by many people across Derby and the surrounding area.
“The football club is an integral component of the city’s heritage, make-up and economy, with the prosperity of both intrinsically linked.
“A successful team competing at the top of the sport creates a healthy atmosphere across the whole area and this will always have positive economic consequences.
“Companies located in and around the city benefit from the tens of thousands of people who turn up every match to support their club – pubs, cafés, restaurants and shops will be packed before each game, while local transport networks rely on the increased number of passengers to remain viable.
“But it’s also much more than that. Derby County is a part of the city and county’s fabric.
“So fans, communities and businesses alike have understandably been hoping for a positive update from the joint administrators. This latest takeover setback creates more uncertainty for an area that is desperate for some good news on securing the future of a sporting institution they rely on.
“It’s vital the football authorities and administrators work together to finally put an end to this sour episode and find a positive resolution that secures the long-term future of Derby County Football Club.”
Construction gets underway at new Etwall housing development
A local housebuilder has begun work on a project to build 50 new homes in Etwall, Derbyshire.
Redrow East Midlands has officially started work on the brand-new development, The Nook, after acquiring 21-acres of land off Jackson’s Lane.
Four and five-bedroom homes are already available, and three-bedroom homes will be released as the development progresses.
Ryan O’Sullivan, sales director at Redrow East Midlands, said: “The perfectly quaint village of Etwall offers the perfect location for those seeking a home which benefits from picturesque countryside while remaining just a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of thriving city life.
“With great transport networks, a host of local amenities and open green spaces on your doorstep, this development will bring much-need homes to the area – perfect for commuters and families alike.”
Manufacturing Growth Programme delivers business support plea after safeguarding 1,000 jobs in the East Midlands
A business support programme that has created and safeguarded over 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the East Midlands is urging local authorities to ensure assistance is still in place under the new funding landscape.
Bosses at the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which provides grants and dedicated consultancy to SME manufacturers in the region, are warning that the potential gap between European Regional Development Funding and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) could see businesses left without the assistance they need.
Regional director Dean Barnes believes the fragmented nature of UKSPF – where each local district will receive its own pot of money – means it will be difficult to deliver good quality support to management teams that have guided their firms through Brexit and, more recently, COVID-19.
The rallying call comes as MGP reveals its latest performance data, with £1.93million in grants delivered to 1,066 East Midlands companies over the last three years.
This has leveraged £3.3m of private sector investment and helped manufacturers enter new markets, diversify their products/services, improve efficiencies and secure vital quality accreditations.
“We’re about to enter one of the most exciting, but challenging times in business support where the focus will fall away from ERDF and into a new landscape where each place (it could be as small as a District Council) will be given control of what they want to invest in and how they want to shape their local investment plan,” explained Dean.
“It is key that neighbouring councils work together to pool funding to deliver support at a regional level to ensure they get the most out of their budgets and reduce the amount of ‘business support’ noise in the marketplace.”
He went on to add: “The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is intended to help the Government’s desire to ‘level up’, but East Midlands businesses must have a voice on what they want.
“They don’t just need grant funding, they also want advice, best practice implementation and help with long-term improvements.”
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, MGP was launched in 2016 to create a targeted service to support manufacturing SMEs.
This focused on creating a team of Manufacturing Growth Managers who work with management teams on initially completing strategic business reviews.
From there, they provide grant funding and signposting services to specialists that deliver improvement projects in strategic planning, productivity and process improvement, competitiveness, innovation and leadership and management.
Nearly a third of firms so far have chosen to tap into marketing and market knowledge support, followed by a quarter choosing help to improve productivity and 14% wanting assistance with continuous improvement.
Jane Galsworthy, Managing Director of Oxford Innovation Advice, said: “We are already helping with the ‘levelling up agenda’ by supporting small businesses in less developed areas to grow and have adapted our support model to meet evolving business needs.
“These include continuing to boost productivity, helping firms work towards Net Zero, job creation, internationalisation and, increasingly, embracing digitalisation and Industry 4.0.”
She concluded: “There has been some massive strides forward in business support and we’ve seen first-hand how the right expertise can unlock the potential of some of our brightest SMEs in the East Midlands. It would be foolish to throw that all away with the launch of UKSPF funding!”
Notts County Foundation appoint new trustee to board
Charity, Notts County Foundation has appointed Sam Sharp to its board of trustees.
Quoting a passion for wanting to positively impact his local community, Sam, who is currently a senior associate at local full-service law firm Browne Jacobson LLP, completed his undergraduate degree in law at Lancaster University before returning to Nottingham to attend law school.
Sam has since become a corporate solicitor, primarily focussing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions, and company reorganisations, as well as governance and general company law advice.
Sam said: “I am delighted to have joined Notts County Foundation’s board of trustees at what is a really exciting period of growth for the charity. I am a regular squash player at the Portland Centre and having been a Notts County Football Club supporter since the age of eight, I have always been aware of the great work that Notts County Foundation carries out across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, which ultimately made it an easy decision to make when the opportunity arose.”
Dianne Jackson, chair of trustees at Notts County Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Sam to our board of trustees. It goes without saying, but Sam’s legal expertise and knowledge will be fundamental to the development of the charity throughout 2022, especially in relation to our commitment to providing equal opportunities for everyone within our local community. I am very much looking forward to working alongside Sam and formally welcoming him to Notts County Foundation.”
Sam Sharp added: “I can’t wait to get started with Notts County Foundation and am looking forward to utilising my experience to contribute towards the charity achieving its objective of improving the health and wellbeing of local people through increased levels of physical activity.”
Two new recruits for marketing agency
Thomas Liddle and Callum Alton are the latest new recruits at full service marketing agency Purpose Media, which is based in South Normanton on border of Nottingham and Derby.
The duo are joining the award winning agency in roles as a videographer and digital account manager.
Thomas, who lives in Mansfield Woodhouse, has a first class honours degree in film production having previously been a freelancer, working with various production companies nationwide. His experience includes on-site filming, video editing, and project development from pre-production all the way through to post-production.
Commenting on his new role, Thomas said: “I am looking forward to working with other members of the video team. Being a freelancer has allowed me to experience a variety of different work cultures but I’ve never been able to fully develop as part of a constant wider team. By joining Purpose Media I will be truly allowed to immerse myself into a consistent collaborative environment where I can really feel like part of the team.”
Meanwhile, Callum, who holds several marketing and Google accredited certifications joins as digital account manager having previously worked at another local marketing agency and an apprenticeship provider. He was also a EEF Young Photographer Finalist in 2017.
Callum added: “I chose to join Purpose Media as they’re incredibly well established within the industry and the local area. Already having 6 years of agency experience meant that I knew what to expect within an agency environment, and PM is the perfect place for me to not only develop my personal and professional skills in digital marketing, but also aid in the development of the digital side of the business.”
Time Finance drives business growth in the East Midlands with new business development manager
Time Finance has appointed Ewan Clarke as business development manager in their Invoice Finance team to drive business growth in the East Midlands.
Ewan joins Time Finance with a background in corporate insolvency and alternative finance, having spent the last 8 years supporting businesses through recovery and turnaround plans as well as helping them to seek finance solutions for growth.
In his new position, Ewan will be responsible for maintaining strong relationships with his introducer network in the East Midlands region whilst generating awareness of the Invoice Finance solutions available to business owners through Time Finance.
Speaking of his appointment, Ewan said: “Having worked closely with businesses of all shapes, sizes, and sectors across the East Midlands over the last decade, I know just how many opportunities there are to help firms in this region.
“On top of this, the challenges the SME market currently faces leaves many in need of supportive solutions that can help them to overcome cashflow issues, supply chain disruption and rising costs as well as take advantage of opportunities that arise.
“I’m looking forward to using my skills and experience to help create the best solutions for our clients and their introducers, as well as to help bolster our support offering in this area.”
Adrian Payne, head of sales at Time Finance, added: “We’re delighted to have secured Ewan into our team. His experience and can-do attitude will make him a great addition and only further strengthen our national sales presence.
“Ewan’s appointment comes at a crucial time whereby current economic challenges leave many firms held back and in need of financial support. Our relationship-driven approach and passion to help more businesses across the UK to gain access to the funding they need to bring their plans to life means we’re in an ideal position to support them during this time.”
