August, as we all know, is a slow news month, where the banal and the barmy can sneak under the radar and into the national press with alarming regularity. But there is one sector that provides rich pickings during this time of news thrift – higher education. Even before the inevitable ‘back to school’ stories emerge there is the fertile ground of A-level results and case studies exploring all manner of student issues from managing finances to getting the right part-time job. Simon Read’s recent article in the Independent on the need for university students to budget effectively is a case in point.
In fact, finance is a common news thread, a trend that is only likely to increase with the raising of tuition fees. In recent weeks much focus has fallen on the growth in the number of students living at home. The general consensus is that this is a result of students trying to reduce costs in the face of an increase in the cost of a degree. Much has been made of the real cost of a degree and the ‘sticker’ price, the latter being the cost as perceived by the prospective student. In fact, the Government has been significantly surprised and concerned enough by student perceptions of cost to appoint Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com fame to head an independent student finance taskforce to better explain the cost of degrees.
This is important, particularly in developing communications for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may be put off higher education by increased tuition fees. However, equally important will be analysis of the likely consequences of changes in the student demographic on the back of raised fees. In short, if more and more students decide to stay at home, what will this mean for universities?
One of the greatest challenges of raised fees is the increased power it hands students. Within this landscape, the universities that thrive will be those that better communicate with their students, understand their concerns and attitudes , and react to meet their expectations. Communicating with students in student accommodation is a markedly easier proposition than communicating with those living well outside university boundaries. However, universities must find a way, as the recent publishing of the National Student Survey results is a timely reminder of the dangers of neglecting student satisfaction.
It is vital universities understand the common channels through which these students communicate. Social media has become somewhat of a reflex panacea for communications issues in recent times, but it will undoubtedly have a role to play in reaching students living at home. Another important consideration will be direct engagement, an approach that will require a detailed understanding of the services used by stay-at-home students when they are ‘on-site’. This could focus on the library or the student bar, but regardless, universities will need to make better use of the limited time and resources available to connect with these students.
To maintain student satisfaction, universities will need to need to work hard to ensure students living at home feel part of the student experience. However, this will require significant further thought on how to communicate best with these audiences.
John Hood
Consultant (john@linstockcommunications.com)
8 August 2011
Urban Cycling, Messaging and Running Over Things in Tanks
It turns out London isn’t the only city to have a cycling-friendly mayor with a penchant for publicity stunts. In a video posted on YouTube, Arturas Zuokas, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania drove a tank over a Mercedes parked illegally in a cycle lane. It shows him sweeping up the mess, after which he hands the startled-looking owner of the crushed car his keys, and cycles off.
The video, which lambasts the owners of “expensive cars” who “think they are above the law” has gone viral. It garnered a respectable 400,000 views in the first twenty-four hours and has been picked up by both the Guardian and the New York Times. Bloggers have called on mayors the world over to follow suit in taking a harder line when dealing with nuisance parkers. According to his deputy; the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is “firing up the tank”. Boris Johnson, never one to pass up a chance to drum up some publicity, must surely be on the phone to Liam Fox demanding the Royal Armoured Corps police his cycle super-highways.
The stunt is obviously not supposed to be taken entirely seriously, and a spokeswoman for Zuokas clarified that the car destroyed was bought specially for the video. For bored journalists on a hot August day, it provided some easy copy and light relief. But, says PR Moment, it was also an effective piece of messaging. I think it highlights the importance of communications in urban transport policy, and particularly cycling (no, really).
When people talk about promoting cycling in cities they usually focus on infrastructure projects, such as cycle lanes or hire schemes. These things are important: between 2006 and 2009 New York City built 200 miles of cycle lanes and cycling increased by 45%. But over the same period, San Francisco built no new cycle lanes at all, and saw a 53% increase in cycle commuting. This isn’t really that surprising: things like bike lanes promote cycling by making it safer and easier. But the most important determinant for bike safety isn’t infrastructure, it’s other cyclists. Research from Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands has shown that the more people cycle regularly in a city, the less likely an individual cyclist is to be involved in an accident.
This is good news for cyclists – city cycling has been increasing in popularity all over the world. It’s also good news for municipalities that want to promote both cycling and reduce accidents. Building cycle-friendly infrastructure is expensive, and cities are increasingly cash-strapped.
In fact, a good communications strategy can be just as effective at getting more people to cycle, and by extension to do it more safely. Humans like to conform: as Thaler & Sunstein discuss in Nudge, one of the best ways to get someone to do something is to persuade them that everyone else is doing it. And people favour the status-quo. Just by making cycling more visible TFL could make cycling more popular and safer. It’s counterintuitive, but telling people about cycle lanes might well be more effective than building more of them. Moreover, they should be positioning cycling as mainstream, fun and useful: they need to make cycling the obvious choice for city journeys. Events like Sky Ride are a fantastic start, but they could be doing much more.
So although Zuokas’s methods may be unorthodox, running over a car with a tank to promote cycling is in fact a sensible use of public money. It’s hard to imagine the same thing happening here, but the video shows that a viral campaign that harnesses social media can be both powerful and cost-effective, particularly if fronted by a charismatic cycling mayor. If only we had one of those…
Tom Lyttelton, Intern (thomas@linstockcommunications.com)
The video, which lambasts the owners of “expensive cars” who “think they are above the law” has gone viral. It garnered a respectable 400,000 views in the first twenty-four hours and has been picked up by both the Guardian and the New York Times. Bloggers have called on mayors the world over to follow suit in taking a harder line when dealing with nuisance parkers. According to his deputy; the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is “firing up the tank”. Boris Johnson, never one to pass up a chance to drum up some publicity, must surely be on the phone to Liam Fox demanding the Royal Armoured Corps police his cycle super-highways.
The stunt is obviously not supposed to be taken entirely seriously, and a spokeswoman for Zuokas clarified that the car destroyed was bought specially for the video. For bored journalists on a hot August day, it provided some easy copy and light relief. But, says PR Moment, it was also an effective piece of messaging. I think it highlights the importance of communications in urban transport policy, and particularly cycling (no, really).
When people talk about promoting cycling in cities they usually focus on infrastructure projects, such as cycle lanes or hire schemes. These things are important: between 2006 and 2009 New York City built 200 miles of cycle lanes and cycling increased by 45%. But over the same period, San Francisco built no new cycle lanes at all, and saw a 53% increase in cycle commuting. This isn’t really that surprising: things like bike lanes promote cycling by making it safer and easier. But the most important determinant for bike safety isn’t infrastructure, it’s other cyclists. Research from Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands has shown that the more people cycle regularly in a city, the less likely an individual cyclist is to be involved in an accident.
This is good news for cyclists – city cycling has been increasing in popularity all over the world. It’s also good news for municipalities that want to promote both cycling and reduce accidents. Building cycle-friendly infrastructure is expensive, and cities are increasingly cash-strapped.
In fact, a good communications strategy can be just as effective at getting more people to cycle, and by extension to do it more safely. Humans like to conform: as Thaler & Sunstein discuss in Nudge, one of the best ways to get someone to do something is to persuade them that everyone else is doing it. And people favour the status-quo. Just by making cycling more visible TFL could make cycling more popular and safer. It’s counterintuitive, but telling people about cycle lanes might well be more effective than building more of them. Moreover, they should be positioning cycling as mainstream, fun and useful: they need to make cycling the obvious choice for city journeys. Events like Sky Ride are a fantastic start, but they could be doing much more.
So although Zuokas’s methods may be unorthodox, running over a car with a tank to promote cycling is in fact a sensible use of public money. It’s hard to imagine the same thing happening here, but the video shows that a viral campaign that harnesses social media can be both powerful and cost-effective, particularly if fronted by a charismatic cycling mayor. If only we had one of those…
Tom Lyttelton, Intern (thomas@linstockcommunications.com)
28 July 2011
Is innovation about complexity or simplicity?
This blog first appeared on the 6-heads.com website.
There is a desperate need and, I would say, a desperate desire in our society today for innovation. We complain about rigid rules and same-old techniques in business and hold up companies like Google, with its 20% rule that enables engineers to spend one day a week working on projects outside their job descriptions, as the holy grail of workplaces. We embrace new technologies such as Twitter and iPads and shun ‘outdated’ objects such as CD players and notepads. We want something new, something exciting, something big – and we want to feel part of it.
Our way of life is changing, and there are numerous complex issues facing our generation. The global population is ageing and becoming more urban; diseases which have been eradicated in the western world continue to blight developing countries; countries once shrouded in secrecy have opened their borders; technology has enabled instant communication across social classes and nations; energy security has been shaken and alternative sources are being championed by many; and the recent financial crisis has shattered our trust in companies and institutions.
It is easy to look at the challenges we face and feel overwhelmed. We cannot conceive of a way to solve them, given the extraordinary complexity of the modern world. Every part of society must respond, from education systems to the business world and political structures to retail environments. But are we in danger of making the process of finding a solution too complicated?
Perhaps in our desire for something new, something big, we are overlooking the simplicity of innovation. An innovative idea doesn’t have to be the most complex one, something that only a few can understand. The solutions to the challenges facing our world will need to cross borders and social classes, so they cannot be dependent on culture, income or social structure.
Innovation isn’t about invention. It isn’t focused on finding the new, rather it seeks to find the better and strive for the best. Many of the most innovative ideas we have seen in recent times have been the result of combining existing ideas in simple ways. For example:
- The iPod wasn’t the first product of its kind, but it was innovative because of the way it combined existing technologies into one easy-to-use, accessible and transportable product and has led to a series of spin-offs.
- Mobile banking, which has transformed the way millions of people in countries such as Kenya and India do business and manage their money, simply combined services that already existed and made them relevant to new situations.
- Loyalty programmes, such as frequent flier reward miles, were introduced a few years ago as an innovative expansion of existing marketing strategies but are now standard practice for many businesses.
- And the social network Twitter isn’t really that different to previous platforms and websites, but when combined with video phones and mobile access around the world it has radically changed the global media landscape.
Perhaps the key to addressing the challenges the world is facing isn’t in trying to think of totally new ideas, but finding ways that existing concepts, behaviours and technologies can be combined and improved to do something truly innovative.
Jo Nussbaum
Consultant (jo@linstockcommunications.com)
There is a desperate need and, I would say, a desperate desire in our society today for innovation. We complain about rigid rules and same-old techniques in business and hold up companies like Google, with its 20% rule that enables engineers to spend one day a week working on projects outside their job descriptions, as the holy grail of workplaces. We embrace new technologies such as Twitter and iPads and shun ‘outdated’ objects such as CD players and notepads. We want something new, something exciting, something big – and we want to feel part of it.
Our way of life is changing, and there are numerous complex issues facing our generation. The global population is ageing and becoming more urban; diseases which have been eradicated in the western world continue to blight developing countries; countries once shrouded in secrecy have opened their borders; technology has enabled instant communication across social classes and nations; energy security has been shaken and alternative sources are being championed by many; and the recent financial crisis has shattered our trust in companies and institutions.
It is easy to look at the challenges we face and feel overwhelmed. We cannot conceive of a way to solve them, given the extraordinary complexity of the modern world. Every part of society must respond, from education systems to the business world and political structures to retail environments. But are we in danger of making the process of finding a solution too complicated?
Perhaps in our desire for something new, something big, we are overlooking the simplicity of innovation. An innovative idea doesn’t have to be the most complex one, something that only a few can understand. The solutions to the challenges facing our world will need to cross borders and social classes, so they cannot be dependent on culture, income or social structure.
Innovation isn’t about invention. It isn’t focused on finding the new, rather it seeks to find the better and strive for the best. Many of the most innovative ideas we have seen in recent times have been the result of combining existing ideas in simple ways. For example:
- The iPod wasn’t the first product of its kind, but it was innovative because of the way it combined existing technologies into one easy-to-use, accessible and transportable product and has led to a series of spin-offs.
- Mobile banking, which has transformed the way millions of people in countries such as Kenya and India do business and manage their money, simply combined services that already existed and made them relevant to new situations.
- Loyalty programmes, such as frequent flier reward miles, were introduced a few years ago as an innovative expansion of existing marketing strategies but are now standard practice for many businesses.
- And the social network Twitter isn’t really that different to previous platforms and websites, but when combined with video phones and mobile access around the world it has radically changed the global media landscape.
Perhaps the key to addressing the challenges the world is facing isn’t in trying to think of totally new ideas, but finding ways that existing concepts, behaviours and technologies can be combined and improved to do something truly innovative.
Jo Nussbaum
Consultant (jo@linstockcommunications.com)
11 July 2011
The final run – London to Paris Bike Ride Part 4
Yesterday was the last day of the ride from London to Paris. Aching legs pedalled from Beauvais as the rain came down. An early vicious climb brought the recently eaten breakfast uncomfortably high up the oesophagus.
Day 4 was more leisurely than the previous rides, with the trip's organisers encouraging stops at the tabacs to slow progress. Some riders made extended stops and had to be rounded up by our van drivers before lunch.
The people on the ride have been great and you get many snippets of conversation with those you pass and who pass you. As you might have seen from previous blogs, my ride has raised money for Help for Heroes as part of Honister Capital's pledge to donate £100k. It is an excellent cause but there are many others. Talking to riders, what's clear is that for some the ride into Paris is an emotional one. They represent charities which have helped support and cure friends or family, and those where a cure has sadly not been possible.
The last few miles into Paris is a fantastic experience. The peloton of 138 cyclists (only one didn't finish) make an inspiring site as they cut through the city dressed in the same blue shirts. The Paris traffic, notoriously impatient and often plain aggressive, give way to the group and beep horns in support. As we ascend a short climb up to L'arc de Triomphe locals enjoying coffee in the ubiquitous cafe bars that line the pavements shout and clap applause. And then the Eiffel Tower stretches up above us as we cross the Seine to finish the 300 mile journey.
Thanks to all the friends, family and colleagues who sponsored me. If you've not then there's still time. Please click here.
Miles 300. Bananas 17. Cereal bars - I will probably never eat again! Flies 3.
Day 4 was more leisurely than the previous rides, with the trip's organisers encouraging stops at the tabacs to slow progress. Some riders made extended stops and had to be rounded up by our van drivers before lunch.
The people on the ride have been great and you get many snippets of conversation with those you pass and who pass you. As you might have seen from previous blogs, my ride has raised money for Help for Heroes as part of Honister Capital's pledge to donate £100k. It is an excellent cause but there are many others. Talking to riders, what's clear is that for some the ride into Paris is an emotional one. They represent charities which have helped support and cure friends or family, and those where a cure has sadly not been possible.
The last few miles into Paris is a fantastic experience. The peloton of 138 cyclists (only one didn't finish) make an inspiring site as they cut through the city dressed in the same blue shirts. The Paris traffic, notoriously impatient and often plain aggressive, give way to the group and beep horns in support. As we ascend a short climb up to L'arc de Triomphe locals enjoying coffee in the ubiquitous cafe bars that line the pavements shout and clap applause. And then the Eiffel Tower stretches up above us as we cross the Seine to finish the 300 mile journey.
Thanks to all the friends, family and colleagues who sponsored me. If you've not then there's still time. Please click here.
Miles 300. Bananas 17. Cereal bars - I will probably never eat again! Flies 3.
Comfortably Numb – London to Paris Bike Ride Part 3
Egalite! Fraternite! Pharmacie! In the true tradition of the other cycle tour through France, when the going gets tough, riders reach for the medicine cabinet.
On day three of the ride, taking us 65 miles from Abbeville to Beauvais, cocktails of paracetamol, ibuprofen and codine take the sting out of aching legs and backs. Strapping is applied to aid knee strains and Vaseline... well sometimes you can give too much detail!
The duality of French hospitality was evident on day three: in one tabac locals invite a reporter from The Times to the Discotheque, in another, upon asking for four enticing bottles of ice cold Cokes, the fridge door is slammed shut with a sharp, "these are not for you".
Riding across northern France we come across poppy fields in full vivid bloom. My Grandfather fought in the 'Great War' in the Somme region, so some time to lower the cadence, pause and think.
The painkiller of choice has to be pastis. A sharp liquid aniseed snap adds some much needed steel in the legs and we push on through to Beauvais. Bananas 2. Cereal bars 5. Flies 1 (inhaled).
And now to Paris!
Keith Brookbank, Linstock Comunications
On day three of the ride, taking us 65 miles from Abbeville to Beauvais, cocktails of paracetamol, ibuprofen and codine take the sting out of aching legs and backs. Strapping is applied to aid knee strains and Vaseline... well sometimes you can give too much detail!
The duality of French hospitality was evident on day three: in one tabac locals invite a reporter from The Times to the Discotheque, in another, upon asking for four enticing bottles of ice cold Cokes, the fridge door is slammed shut with a sharp, "these are not for you".
Riding across northern France we come across poppy fields in full vivid bloom. My Grandfather fought in the 'Great War' in the Somme region, so some time to lower the cadence, pause and think.
The painkiller of choice has to be pastis. A sharp liquid aniseed snap adds some much needed steel in the legs and we push on through to Beauvais. Bananas 2. Cereal bars 5. Flies 1 (inhaled).
And now to Paris!
Keith Brookbank, Linstock Comunications
8 July 2011
Fatigue – London to Paris Bike Ride Part 2
A word that means the same in England as it does in France! It's always good when communication is made easy. Though 'fatigue' in France is taking on more meaning and is certainly more acute.
Day Two of the Help for Heroes ride to Paris took us from Calais to Abbeville. Although promised that the first day would be the hardest, that was not the truth. Headwinds and 'undulations' made for a hard day's riding. The upside is that the French roads are not as riddled with pot holes as the English and the French motorists have respect for the velo and give plenty of room. The other source of fortification comes from the tabacs. These offer welcome opportunities to take on fluids!
I recommend the Pelforth for long climbs, the Kronenberg for flat roads and Stella Artois only for downhill, obviously.
Muesli bars (I already hate the sight of them) 4. Bananas 3. Flies 2 ( due to gapping mouth). Sore neck 1.
Day Two of the Help for Heroes ride to Paris took us from Calais to Abbeville. Although promised that the first day would be the hardest, that was not the truth. Headwinds and 'undulations' made for a hard day's riding. The upside is that the French roads are not as riddled with pot holes as the English and the French motorists have respect for the velo and give plenty of room. The other source of fortification comes from the tabacs. These offer welcome opportunities to take on fluids!
I recommend the Pelforth for long climbs, the Kronenberg for flat roads and Stella Artois only for downhill, obviously.
Muesli bars (I already hate the sight of them) 4. Bananas 3. Flies 2 ( due to gapping mouth). Sore neck 1.
Keith Brookbank, Linstock Communications
Anyone wishing to donate to Help for Heroes please follow this link.
7 July 2011
Honister Help for Heroes London to Paris Bike Ride
Tired legs over the white cliffs of Dover, tall ships at night, little boats in the morning - so the saying goes.
Having agreed enthusiastically one night at a bar that if ever Honister Capital did a bike ride to Paris, then I was most definitely 'in'. And with good cause Help 4 Heroes I could hardly say no!
With the bluff called, and feeling very much a little boat, a group of 140 cyclists set off from London yesterday morning. After an enthusiastic start we unfortunately had two of our number requiring hospital treatment after bad falls. Aside from that the main source of pain is the road. It's around 87 miles from London to Dover, and most of them hurt. The Kent countryside helps divert the mind and ease the pain, but welcoming country pubs pass by unused as we needed to make the 5pm ferry.
That aim came under threat when I suffered back to back punctures at around 50 miles. The second of these made a huge pop and split the rear tyre. Luckily there are mechanics at hand to help. But a big thanks to Money Marketing Editors past and present, John Lappin and Paul McMillan, who waited half an hour with me for the Mechanic's Van to arrive.
After a final and very silent ride through the streets of Calais, day one is now done. Big(ish) hills 4. Bananas 3. Muesli bars 6. Tired legs 2.
Today, France!
Keith Brookbank, Linstock Communications
Keith Brookbank, Linstock Communications
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