After picking up the newly redesigned Observer at the weekend, I was surprised to find that the much anticipated new look had actually done away with my favourite thing about the paper – my beloved sections!

Failing to Observe the beauty of a Sunday paper, the sections, which couples and mates alike love to share, have all been condensed into four robust bulks of content – News, Sport, New Review (a whopping 56-pages) and the Observer Magazine. Unfortunately, if I now want to keep my vociferous housemate quiet with a paper on a Sunday morning, she has to sing off the same hymn sheet as me, so to speak. Not exactly conducive to domestic bliss!

Firm favourites such as horoscopes and travel have been cruelly axed, causing heated debate amongst die-hards with several Observer reviews being posted online, concluding that the paper is now all style and no substance – and yet the substance might not be so much of an issue in the Observer Magazine, as most readers think the new font size too small to decipher anyway.

Others think the new-look Observer’s move to a new bolder format points to a confidence and focus which perhaps has been lacking before, and the in-depth coverage helps to cement the newspaper’s reputation as an analytical heavyweight.

You might ask why I’m so preoccupied with the newspaper in this digital age? Unfortunately The Observer’s website is as disappointing as its printed counterpart, being merely a sub-section of sister paper The Guardian’s well-established online news site.

One thing is clear – the purpose of the redesign is about as clear as mud, and has left its readers feeling cross and confused, rather than informed and inspired. The paper is clearly out of sync with what its readers want. If it doesn’t tune in soon, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper may struggle to survive.

Posted by Holly Oldroyd

From PR to digital marketing and all that’s in-between – I would like to introduce myself to the online world as a newly converted technophile. The ever-changing dynamic of the ‘www’ never ceases to surprise and intrigue me – the ‘what’s next’ factor is definitely keeping me on the edge of my swivel chair. And that’s exactly what I love about it.

I’ve recently noted that incomprehensible dots and shapes are bizarrely the latest marketing tool advocated by not just key players in the retail sphere from where it originated – Japan (such as Puma Japan), but by music artists (e.g. the Pet Shop Boys), and the film industry on an international scale. It was recently used to promote the DVD release of 28 Weeks Later in London, and the latest James Bond: Quantum of Solace in Australia.

The dots and shapes I’m referring to are barcodes. The barcode concept has been jolted into the 21st Century as they are no longer being used to merely differentiate products and prices at the supermarket check-out – but to also store information on a brand, promotion, person – you name it! Once the barcode (‘2-D’ or ‘QR’ code, DataMatrix and Microsoft Tag) has been ‘snapped’ on a software-enabled camera phone, it links to digital content that can be viewed via a mobile phone’s internet browser – genius!

Umbro did a world-first early last year by placing a QR (Quick Response) code on the care label of their new England away kit. Once ‘snapped’, this led over 50,000 England fans to an exclusively accessible, mobile site - created by our very own digital division, Swamp @ Brahm.

It’s this new technology coupled with an increased demand from people to be informed and entertained that has led to many brands in the UK jumping on the band wagon.

For the first time, Pepsi will see a big PR push of the QR technology into Britain after recently unveiling its plans to print over 400 million barcodes on its products. The barcode will hyperlink consumers to websites, games, competitions etc. in an attempt to interact with target audiences. Since the announcement, the Times Online recognised that City AM (free financial newspaper) and Yell (Yellow pages) are also set to entice British consumers in such a way.

This trend cements the notion that mobile phones are being viewed as an integral platform to view information and content by consumers about, well, anything.

It’s common knowledge that third-party generated content is seen to be more credible than that generated by the brand itself as it’s deemed more objective – however, self-published content still has an integral role to play especially when it comes to informing consumers.  But, it goes without saying that perceptions held – particularly in today’s ‘search and share’ society that no matter how positive or negative they may be, they can be helped or hindered by what third-parties are saying.

Although it seems that the purpose of companies embracing this new technology is for brands to interact and engage with its consumers in a new and exciting way, as a PR it raises the question – is there an opportunity for me to use this communication method by way of reputation management? This is something I’m currently exploring for a couple of clients – watch this space!

Posted by Charlotte Brophy

We’re finally here, after months of planning and preparation we are close to launching OnVisible to the world.

Being a mother of two young children I’m tempted to compare it to getting married and having a family.  You search for years to find the right partner, someone on the same wavelength, that shares the same vision and then when you’re settled, and sure….you procreate.  Not quite that straightforward I know, but you get the picture.

OnVisible is very much a partnership and born out of a meeting of minds between Swamp and Brahm PR. 

Brahm acquired Swamp back in December 2006 and since then we’ve been talking and sharing and working together to develop our OnVisible baby.  We’ve been working in online PR for years but OnVisible marks a real step change in how we’ll develop and implement campaigns for our clients, and how we’ll market our expertise.