In that few minutes, $136 billion was lost, which underscores how dependent some Wall Streeters have become on secondary news feeds to inform trading strategies. As cyber attacks and hacks become more prevalent, those that feed world markets with news will need to strengthen their infrastructure to prevent these types of breaches.

Social media and other web-based platforms have begun to investigate and implement more stringent forms of security that are similar to those employed by the world’s largest banks.

One example would be Google who, since being hacked last year, has implemented a two-factor authentication process to protect remote users. Now, when a user logs into their Gmail from a remote location, they must enter not only a password, but also a code delivered to their cell phone. The thinking is that if a hacker has gained unauthorized access to the victim’s laptop or PC, they will not have access to their cell phone as well.

Twitter is also exploring new ways to authenticate accounts for verified sources that are at risk of being attacked. In this regard, the media industry is taking a lesson from the financial services industry. Nevertheless, one must also take note of the power of social media today. Following the AP breach, trading was halted and $136 billion was lost. All of that from just 140 characters? Pretty impressive.

As the first of its kind in West London, FIG Village is a hub for start-ups designed to provide companies of all shapes and sizes with an affordable and supportive environment where they can grow and develop. FIG is a venture capital firm that invests in start-ups founded by students and recent graduates. It believes hubs of this kind shouldn’t be fixed to a location like those in East London, but situated close to the right amenities and champion start-ups from all sectors, as well as providing a home to established businesses.

It seemed only natural to FIG that it should celebrate this space through a good old fashioned launch party, and the Aspectus team was delighted to attend the event last Thursday night, having been closely involved in rounding up journalists and helping to organise the event. On the day, we found ourselves in some impressive company. As well as FIG’s network of investors and start-up businesses, Deputy Mayor, Kit Malthouse was there to welcome the crowds and endorse this great initiative.

For Aspectus, there was a lot more to this than a networking event. We knew it would be a great opportunity to tell the press more about the latest FIG project, and they were very receptive. Through careful positioning, we were able to elevate the story to a national level; hitting the headlines in mainstream dailies and making some noise in the broadcast space. FIG’s co-founder and seed company, MuJo, addressed the capital on BBC London 94.9 in the morning and The Telegraph covered both the event itself as well as profiling FIG and how it supports new businesses.

Sometimes, proving the value of PR can be tricky, but in this case the results speak for themselves. What’s more, the coverage from the event generated significant interest in both FIG and its seed companies, proving just how valuable PR can be with the right skills and know-how.

Last weekend saw one of the most important events in the media calendar. No, not the Cannes Lions or PRWeek Awards, but the annual ‘Hacks v Flaks’ competition, where PR professionals and journalists get to dust off their football boots and netball skirts and do battle in the name of charity.

And for the second year running, two members of the Aspectus PR team headed down to the Bank of England Sports Centre to take part (and see whether or not they could relive their glory days of school netball).

For the boys, the day belonged to the Flaks, who won the football 5-2. Meanwhile, on the netball courts, the Flaks ‘A’ team took a beating as the Hacks scored 52 goals to their 11.

But the real excitement was on the B team courts (alright, there may have been a bit of buzz around the A-list actor playing football on the pitch nearby), where the game got off to a flyer with the Flaks winning the first quarter 3-0. However, it could be argued we gave our tricks away a little too early, as the Hacks managed to power through the next three quarters to win the match – although the final score seems to have escaped me…

Once the games were over, we were able to quench our thirst with a Pimms and lemonade and enjoy some friendly banter with our industry colleagues. A common theme was the umpire’s surprise about “how a group of intelligent women could fail to understand the basic rules of netball”.

Aching muscles aside, the day proved a great success, raising £10,000 for Drayton Park School Art and Community Centre in Islington. And we are now looking forward to the Rounders and Cricket taking place this summer.

• Start with a blank sheet of paper. Messages and issues that chime with older, long established clients won’t work with younger people. Don’t just repackage your current PR or brand values.
• Get them to trust you by showing you share their perspective on the world and talk their language. That means being open, accessible and explaining things in simple, everyday terms without ever being patronising.
• Accept that Generation X and Y don’t see life like their parents. They don’t do careers and long-term planning. They want choice and the freedom to change their lives at any point and as for old age… well, they probably don’t even want to think about that. To them there is just near future and medium-term future.
• Live in their world. They like technology, easy access to information (ideally via a mobile) and instant answers to questions. They don’t want to talk to men in suits with briefcases. They’d probably prefer to deal with someone not much older than them through an iPad or Skype.
• They have lived through the worst recession in history. They have seen the banking system collapse and they have witnessed entire countries going bust. They get the idea that nothing is for certain in this world and that nothing is guaranteed much more clearly than the older generation who are still in a state of shock. They understand the notion of risk… and they don’t trust institutions one bit.

As a proven specialist in the energy sector, Aspectus PR is looking to expand its client base in the oil and gas sector specifically. We’re particularly interested in talking to prospective clients in the Aberdeen area and will be running a roadshow in the city from 21^st  to 24^th May.

Our approach has resulted in coverage for clients in the mainstream media including The Times, The Telegraph, and The FT; as well as across tier-one industry publications such as World Oil, European Oil and Gas, Petroleum Economist, and many more. This coverage helps our clients to get their messages out to the people that matter and ultimately, to grow their customer base and their business.

If you are interested in finding out more about how Aspectus PR can raise your profile, and help you reach the right influencers and increase sales, book your time for a no obligation meeting today.

Call Kate Garratt on 0207 0928 139.

With the Deputy Speaker at the ready to manage the heckling from the Opposition, Mr Osborne was at pains to show that ‘Britain is open for business’. But what does this year’s budget actually mean for the UK? And crucially, what will it mean to you? Our clients were on hand to answer these questions in the press.

Find Invest Grow (FIG), a VC firm that finds investment for start-ups founded by students and recent graduates, was eager to discuss the impact of tax announcements on small firms and also provide insight on how to drive further investment into companies. With some careful preparation and planned outreach, we fine-tuned messaging to make sure we got FIG’s reaction exactly right.

As a result of this strategic multi-tasking, we got some great coverage in the publications where they were keen to be seen – namely City AM, IBTimes, Growthbusiness and Startups.

And it didn’t stop there. Baringa Partners, well-equipped with a wealth of knowledge to discuss shale gas, were on hand to react to the (relatively) unexpected announcement regarding tax breaks. Not only did their thinking appear in top trades within hours of the Budget announcement, but we were able to secure exposure in the weekend papers too. Coverage in The Telegraph, which was syndicated across a number of sites, shows how this type of reaction can position the company as a go-to source in their area of expertise.

These results underscore the importance of nurturing strong relationships with clients. We’re passionate about staying on top of the latest developments affecting their industries and also take the time to get to know exactly how the journalists in their space operate.

Through this dynamic approach to collaboration between clients and journalists, we develop a reactive message that chimes with the media and results in some cracking coverage. Bring on the Autumn Statement!

Recently, our Aspectus PR team gathered at a lovely townhouse in NYC where we learned to cook some spectacular dishes including lemon risotto, leg of lamb, and chocolate soufflés (that were to die for). Upon arrival, our entire team (including our fearless leader, Bill) was put to work. Whether we were assigned to peeling vegetables, greasing the pans for our individual soufflés, or choosing the best wine paring for our meal, we all got involved.

The result was a fabulous three course meal that could have rivaled many of the top restaurants in NYC. More importantly, we all felt a sense of camaraderie that just can’t be garnered during daily activities in the office.

Building rapport and team spirit is critical within all industries, but particularly in the field of PR and communications. Rarely is it the brilliance of one individual that fosters success for a client, rather it is the joint efforts of an entire team.

Team building in the workplace contributes significantly to employee motivation and nurturing trust among employees, which ultimately ensures better productivity. It’s also been proven that employees who feel they are part of a team and that their ideas are being heard are much more likely to be productive. Additionally, a team is better adept in creating and analyzing solutions for any potential client issues as two or more heads are better than one and everyone has shared skin in the game.

At Aspectus, we recognize that the landscape for our clients is constantly changing. We need to be prepared to quickly adapt and pivot our strategies to be continuously successful in communicating our clients’ messages across all channels. And we firmly believe that team building not only helps to better position us to do just that but a whole lot more too.

On Thursday, April 4^th the growing Aspectus New York office hosted its second annual Media Party at Flute Gramercy – just blocks away from the soon-to-be-new New York office. This year’s guest of honor was Aspectus PR’s Global Group Director Bill Penn who crossed the Atlantic to share in the festivities and experience the Aspectini (an apple martini with a lemon twist) firsthand.

50 guests joined in the revelry, including business media such as Bloomberg, Dow Jones and CNBC and industry publications like Financial Planning, On Wall Street, AdvisorOne, Waters Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Bank Innovation, Wall Street Letter and Markets Media. Local and far flung clients also joined the mix including, NICE Actimize, Asset Control, Fidessa, Quadron Data Solutions, G2 FinTech, EcoSys, HedgeOp Compliance/The IMS Group, eFront, Kx Systems, RES Software, and Sammons Retirement Solutions.

To add to the fun of the evening, our clients helped us raffle off prizes – champagne, fine wine, a Broadway show, a New York Harbor flight and Amazon and Starbucks gift cards.

Having these companies all in one room and being at the center of it reminded us of just one of our roles as a PR firm, and that is to help connect intelligent and knowledgeable sources with thoughtful journalists looking to tell unique and compelling stories. And as a connector between clients and the media, we have taken on a real responsibility to help these clients make their business stories newsworthy and ensure both sides are getting the most out of the relationship. For our media, that’s access to creative ideas, timely news angles and strong sources. For our clients, that’s strategic positioning, messaging and an understanding of how to be a good source.

In most cases, love triangles are doomed to fail. But three is company when the right people are connected and all working toward a shared goal. What’s more, that strategy allows us to be more than just a connecter for our clients. We strive to work with them as partners in achieving their larger business, marketing and communication objectives truly making business news.

We only commented recently on the importance of communicating the right messages to avoid a user backlash as far as data privacy is concerned. However, the news that Google has been fined $7m (£4.6m) for illegally collecting people’s data as part of its street view project serves as yet another reminder of just how critical it is for companies to be completely clear on how they are using people’s data. Those that fail to act transparently risk considerable consequences further down the line.

Reaction to this latest breach included the aptly headlined article in the New York Times – ‘Google Hastens to Show Its Concern for Privacy’ – in which Ryan Calo, a law professor at the University of Washington, argued that the search giant was just as concerned about public perception as it was about paying ‘a few fines’. Calo, who studies privacy issues specifically, also emphasised the importance of putting across the right messages to users about information that concerns their privacy.

Here at Aspectus, we are well aware of the need for clear communication in areas such as this, having recently completed a Big Data project for Flying Binary. If you’d like to find out more about our work in the Big Data space and discuss how we could support your communications campaigns, please do get in touch!

The shift from ‘read-write web’ to ‘visual web’ was confirmed this month when Facebook announced its News Feed redesign and revealed that images make up almost 50 per cent of its total News Feed content. Furthermore, Pinterest and Instagram were hailed as the fastest growing niche networks of 2012, and have significantly raised the bar for creative content marketing. It’s fair to say that we’re seeing the mantras of ‘content is king’ and a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’ collide.

Certainly, a shift in marketing budgets is underway, and we expect to see even more emphasis on content, mobile and social media marketing moving forward. Much of this shift is being driven by the explosion in mobile web use. According to Adobe, smartphones and tablets now generate 15% of all internet traffic, and the UK and US have been the key forces behind this change. Since handheld devices are ideally suited to image browsing, this is encouraging brands to produce more creative output.

Consumer brands have been the quickest to adopt visual storytelling techniques. But with Pinterest now generating more referral traffic for businesses than Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined, it’s time for B2B firms to respond. Not only can the use of visuals help breathe new life into your marketing strategy, it can also:

• Drive engagement – visuals are concise, informative, and shareable. On Facebook, visual content saw a 65% increase in engagement after its timeline was introduced.
• Leverage SEO – alt tags, captions and descriptions can enhance visual content and improve discoverability, whilst backlinks can help to drive traffic back to your website.
• Promote thought leadership – by capturing the attention of your audience, infographics allow you to express your insights in an authoritative and accessible way. The desired outcome should be to inform the audience and make them want to find out more about you ­­– clicks and leads will follow.

Visual marketing should be considered as part of any communications strategy. Media outlets have evolved into multidimensional platforms, and journalists are now looking for a wide range of content types.

At Aspectus PR, we understand how this complex media landscape demands a creative and well-planned communications strategy. We work with each of our clients to establish their core messages, so that we can ensure these are communicated effectively and in the most engaging ways across all channels.

To find out how we can help you enhance your social media and visual communications strategy, why not get in touch?